Be Your Own Disc Doctor – Get Your Prescription For Dirty & Damaged Discs Here!
by - Written: Aug 18 '03 (Updated Aug 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, fairly easy to use, good for about 40 – 50 discs.
Cons: Won’t repair deep embedded scratches, temporary fix for some CD-R’s.
The Bottom Line: Tell "professional" disc repairers to kiss off – save yourself some cash and fix your discs yourself.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Discwasher CD Scratch Repair Kit Model 1163 |
Having scratches on your CD’s or DVD’s isn’t just a pain – it’s costly to try and have them repaired by a “professional” and most of the time there’s no real guarantee in regards to the results. You pay to have them buff out the scratches without knowing if it will fix the skips or play delays. After being suckered by these so called “disc experts” I decided to take matters into my own hands and pick up a few CD repair kits. I figured the worst I could do was completely ruin the disc and since there was already a skip or scratch on it I couldn’t make things worse. The discs that were the worst were some of my favorites – namely the Interview With The Vampire soundtrack, Bush’s Sixteen Stone and Temple of The Dog. While I could have tried to find copies of these I wasn’t ready to give up on them just yet.
When picking out a good CD repair kit you have to take into consideration that they are basically all the same – they contain an cleaning solution and a buffer / polishing cloth, some type of applicator so you aren’t dumping a chemical directly on the disc and if you are lucky a good set of instructions. Most don’t come with a warranty that covers disc damage so make sure you know what you are doing and if possible – practice on a cheap disc or something that you can bear to part with. In the case of disc cleaning, less is better. Don’t over saturate the applicator or you might just end up with a huge smelly mess. Take your time and perfect the cleaning process before you break out your prized possessions and start cleaning up a storm – learn from my mistakes and save yourself the frustration and expense of having to replace discs because your rushed the process.
Discwasher CD Scratch & Repair Kit
Using this kit is easy but I do suggest that you sit down and read the instructions before you start. You have the option to clean a disc or clean and remove scratches – but I do suggest that if you are going to try and remove a scratch that you clean the disc first – this way you can be sure that you aren’t going to make the scratch worse by dragging dirt over it or into it. Using the provided applicators, dispense a few drops of the cleaning solution onto the tip and clean the readable surface of the disc in a circular manner. Do not over saturate the applicator and make sure you are working in a lint free and static free environment for the best results. If the first try doesn’t yield an adequate result, try it a second time with both the cleaner and the polish. This kit will work on most small scratches on the readable side but it won’t work on the printed side.
CD-1 [one ounce] Cleaning Fluid
This is the best way to get fingerprints, mystery goo and other assorted forms of dirt off the CD surface. If you have skips or breaks in music, chances are its either from dirt on the lens or dirt on the disc – even if you can’t see it, it’s there. Using the provided applicator clean the disc in a circular motion from the outer edge to the center [I go clockwise but that’s just my personal preference], use a small amount to avoid a mess or wasted cleaning fluid.
CD-2 [once ounce] Polish & Scratch Remover
It’s something that happens to everyone – you have a favorite disc and you go to play it and there’s a scratch on it. No matter how careful you are – accidents do happen. If you can catch a scratch early enough – before it has a chance to get dust or dirt in it, there is a good chance you can repair it. No disc washer or repair kit will completely remove a scratch so don’t buy into that song and dance- it’s just not possible. With the polish and scratch remover you can take a skipping or scratched disc and repair it so that it will play – but you are merely making it playable – not restoring it to its original condition.
Applicators [six per package]
Looking like really big, fat Q-Tips, these are what you should use when applying the cleaning or polishing solution to your discs. These can be reused several times providing that you keep them clean and free of lint. Follow the instructions that are provided and always uses these in a circular fashion. Keep them in a static free environment and away from dust – I keep mine inside a plastic zipper baggie
Polishing Cloth [four per package]
Sure you can use any type of soft cloth to clean your lenses, but the ones included in this kit are lint free – something that is a necessity when trying to clean and repair DVD’s and CD’s. You should be able to get a good number of cleanings from the provided clothes but if you do run out you can use a jeweler’s cloth or purchase them separately. I don’t recommend trying to wash these clothes since you run the risk of the material getting stiff and causing more scratches. In some of the newer kits you get one large cloth that can be trimmed down or cut into smaller pieces.
Cost
This is where shopping around pays off. Some internet sites charge as much as $10.00 for this particular cleaning kit – but if you shop around you can find it for as little as $5.99. I came across several cleaning kids at Target for $5.99 and $6.99 but the Discwasher brand is a little hard to find at retail stores. Places like Best Buy and Circuit City do have these in stock but you are better off waiting for them to go on sale rather than paying the suggested retail price of $8.99. Discwasher says that you can get up to 50 cleanings from the provided supplies but I’d have to say that 35 – 40 is a more realistic number.
Things To Know
There are a lot of refill products sold by Discwasher and you have to be extremely careful when shopping for them. Some of them are designed for specific types of CD’s and others are for vinyl and will pretty much ruin a compact disc. Since these cleaning kits are dirt cheap you are better off picking up a new kit when you run out of a fluid or the applicators are showing signs of wear. You are trying to clean your CD’s and remove small scratches, don’t be a tight wad and make things worse by trying to save a few pennies by skimping.
The Bottom Line
So far I’ve had pretty good results with this cleaning and polishing kit but there were a few discs that were beyond repair. For the price it was a great investment – for less than half the price of a new CD I was able to repair about 25 discs that skipped. The last time I went hunting for this particular kit I was told that Discwasher was working on a newer version with a better polishing liquid but so far I haven’t seen it and the website [www.discwasher.com] has been down the past few times I tried to check it out. If you are in the market for a cleaning or scratch repair kit this is definitely one to check out.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other audio accessory reviews …
Case Logic CD Visor Folio
Case Logic MP3 Player Case
Fellowes Spinner 112 CD Rack
Case Logic Compact Disc Carrying Case
Memorex Multicolored Slim Jewel Cases
TDK CDR 80 Minute Blank CD’s
Recommended:
Yes
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