I don't know about the other guys, but my experience is with a Philips CDR-880 and Pioneer Elite models PD-R05 and PD-R99. The Tascam is multi-bit and the others I tried were 1 bit (Bitstream) recorders. I personally feel multi-bit is more dynamic & detailed than single bit - no matter how many times it's oversampled. Single bit recorders (and players and DACs) all sound "soft", slow, and very uninvolving to me. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong. :-)
Also, the Tascams are kinda "pro" machines and have some features that aren't on other decks. They also use a really good transport. They burn ANY CD-R or CD-RW media, not just CD-R Audio & CD-RW Audio discs. And SCMS if defeatable if wanted. OR, you can tag your CDs with SCMS in various forms (one generation, no copies, or unlimited) if you want.
All in all, the Tascams really are nice - no matter which model you choose.
Happy burnin'
Ed