Tok2000's comment is a bit flippant, but it's dead on the money. Getting a Tivo to record your soaps is 999999999x easier than doing it with a VCR. (OK, so the VCR is .000000001 and very hard, so even Tivo isn't so easy, but hopefully you see my point...) If you really, really must put the stuff on tape, I'd suggest a Tivo and a dirt-cheap VCR. But you don't have to program the VCR - just tell Tivo to dump to tape, then press the record button on the VCR. If you botch it up, tell Tivo to play again and start over.
Of true VCRs, I have had a couple of Sonys (1992 and 1996), an old JVC (1986), a mid-range 1995 Mitsubishi, and a pretty new JVC S-VHS unit (HR-9600U, got it in 2000). The 1996 Sony is the easiest to program; the current Sonys are almost the same user interface, so should be the least bad of the lot. The HR-9600U is not nearly as a bad as the Mit or the old JVC. But again, none of these hold a candle to changing the paradigm and using Tivo or Replay.
Of true VCRs, I have had a couple of Sonys (1992 and 1996), an old JVC (1986), a mid-range 1995 Mitsubishi, and a pretty new JVC S-VHS unit (HR-9600U, got it in 2000). The 1996 Sony is the easiest to program; the current Sonys are almost the same user interface, so should be the least bad of the lot. The HR-9600U is not nearly as a bad as the Mit or the old JVC. But again, none of these hold a candle to changing the paradigm and using Tivo or Replay.