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Topic: Review: Prosumer CD Repair Review (Read 14222 times) previous topic - next topic
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Review: Prosumer CD Repair Review

Its been nearly 2 years since my review of home CD repair kits ( LINK LINK ). This time I decided to take on prosumer CD repair devices. I examined 2 CD repair tools; the Simotech  DSR-R1 / ZDAG 101 and the Venmill Skip-Away.



The Simotech DSR-R1 / ZDAG 101 uses a dual pad system to cover the surface of the disc during repair. The kit comes with a large number 3 different kinds of disposable pads, 2 tubes of repair compound, 1 for light scratches and one for deep, and a polishing compound. The R1 repair process is rather labor intensive. In the first step, the first of 3 kinds of repair discs/pads are applied and the abrasive repair compound is applied. The pads may be reused on the same disc, but they recommend repeating this process 2-6 times. In step 2 the CD is removed wiped clean and placed in the machine again, the repair discs are replaced with a different set and the light repair compound is applied. This step is repeated twice. At this point the disc should be readable if it is repairable. If you want you can then go on to the next step and polish the disc. The disc is removed, wiped off, and replaced in the machine were a third set of discs are used and a polishing cream is applied. The discs are then polished. There are also and sanding pads provided for very severe scratches.

I performed over 50 CD repairs with the R1. All discs were originally ripped with dBpoweramp’s ripper in secure mode with a Plextor PX-712SA and Plextor Premium. Discs with insecure or inaccurate tracks were used for the testing after close visual inspection to rule out label side damage which is not repairable. The discs ranged from smudges and light scratches to very deep severe scratches. Discs were repaired in the system and then re-ripped.

Results:
Discs: 53 (including 10 previously repaired with SkipDr)
Insecure/Inaccurate Tracks: 271 (+8 excluded)
Recoverable tracks after repair: 252 (~93%) (8 excluded tracks were later identified as label side damage)
Visual inspection: Most discs appeared new or like new. Of the small number of discs with unrecoverable tracks a typical damage type was identified which appear as small, deep pinpoint scratches. I was unable to identify any label side damage on these discs, though I think the data was most likely damaged.

Cost: ~$120 USD retail
Consumables: ~$47 /100 repairs (I found that the discs can be used many times with no decrease in the repair results, this would change the consumable to ~$20/100 discs)
Cost per repair: ~$0.20-0.50




The Venmill Skip-Away was surprisingly large when it arrived. Unlike the R1, the repair process is very straight forward. Put the disc in the machine and it will start a cleaning process. While cleaning, just hit the repair and wait three minutes and your disc is ready. The Skip-Away uses a polishing wheel and an isopropanol + “conditioning agent” for disc repair.

I performed over 50 CD repairs with the Skip-Away. All discs were originally ripped with dBpoweramp’s ripper in secure mode with a Plextor PX-712SA and Plextor Premium. Discs with insecure or inaccurate tracks were used for the testing after close visual inspection to rule out label side damage which is not repairable. The discs ranged from smudges and light scratches to very deep severe scratches. Discs were repaired in the system and then re-ripped.

Results:
Discs: 55 (including 10 previously repaired with SkipDr)
Insecure/Inaccurate Tracks: 267 (+12 excluded)
Recoverable tracks after repair: 246 (~92%) (12 excluded tracks were later identified as label side damage)
Visual inspection: Most discs appeared lightly buffed. They did not appear as new as the R1 discs. Once again, of the small number of discs with unrecoverable tracks a typical damage type was identified which appear as small, deep pinpoint scratches. I was unable to identify any label side damage on these discs, though I think the data was most likely damaged.

Cost: ~$300 USD retail
Consumables: ~$50 / 150 repairs. + buffing wheel ($25 / 500 repairs) and buffing wheel cleaning brush ($20 / ? repairs)
Cost per repair: ~$0.40



The X-Over Repair
All of the discs that could not be recovered in either on of the repair devices was then put in the other device for repairs.

R1 -> Skip-Away: 19 tracks, 0 recovered
Skip-Away -> R1: 21 tracks, 2 recovered


Conclusion:
Both the R1 and the Skip-Away performed VERY well. Both had nearly identical repair rates, with a common type of damage that neither seemed able to repair. In addition, they both successfully repaired 10 discs each that had unrecoverable tracks after repairs in the Digital Innovation SkipDR. However, it all comes at a price. Both units are far from cheap, though the D1 is almost a third of the initial cost of the Skip-Away. In addition, the cost/repair is significant with both systems.

The R1 is the winner when it comes to repairing discs to a new or like new condition. The discs appear untouched after most repair jobs. The downfall of the R1 is the amount of work that goes into the repairs with changing repair pads, applying compound, whipping off the discs ect, there is a significant investment of time, but with good results.

The Skip-Away is a clear winner when it comes to easy. Pop in the disc, walk away and come back. Some discs with severe scratches required multiple (up to 5 for one disc) repairs. That is a $2.00 repair job just for consumables! The Skip-Away discs looked good, just not as good as the R1 discs. They had light buff marks, which may be a disadvantage for people interested in rare disc trade / sales.

The cost of either unit is clearly not in the same class as standard store bought disc repair devices, but neither are the results. Both performed much better then the SkipDr. The Skip-Away has a significantly higher initial expense. I am very disappointed at the cost of the consumable for the Skip-Away. I think they are just to high, by at least a factor of 2. The optoclear is probably not much more then the isopropanol. If there is something more special to justify a $50+ price tag I would like to know. That being said, the Skip-Away requires a lot less end user time then the significantly cheaper R1.

Because of their costs, these units will clearly not be for everyone. If you have a large optical disc collection they could pay for themselves however. Both can repair not only CDs, but DVDs, HD-DVDs, PS, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, ect… If you only have a few discs I would suggest the R1. If you see yourself doing a significant number or repairs, have the extra cash, or just don’t want to have to do to much work yourself, the Skip-Away is a good choice.

Review: Prosumer CD Repair Review

Reply #2 –
I purchased the ZDAG 101 a couple months ago and done probably over 100 discs (DVDs). It works like a charm.

Here's my thoughts:

* The polishing cream gets stuck on the edges of the disc. If you don't remember to rotate the disc around a tissue or cloth when you're done, there will be some residue left. If you're repairing a disc to look like new to sell, you might want to remember to take that off so there's no giveaway that the disc was repaired.

* I have bad results when repairing double sided discs (not dual-layer). I can see some dark bands in the shine of the disc, maybe from the disc heating up? Not sure. Maybe from these types of discs being too thick? I generally leave 1 or 2 plastic sheets under the disc when cleaning. I figure the closer and firmer the disc to the pads, the better.

* I need to better determine when I should use Red Cream and/or the abrasive pads.

* What grit sandpaper is on the Red and Black Abrasive Pads? $4 is kind of steep to replace those from dvdrepairmachine.com when they're just sandpaper on foam. I've used 1000 grit -> 1500 grit -> 2000 grit with good results.

* I'm thinking about setting up a tiny little forum somewhere for this machine for people to share tips, tricks, and experiences.. any takers? Maybe a thread on HA would do the trick...?

Review: Prosumer CD Repair Review

Reply #4 –
I know this thread is older than God, but thought I'd pop in anyway...

Thanks for the review, especially comparing the ZDAG (only cheap auto repair system on eBay uk it seems) and Skip-Away (the thing I was *actually* considering getting had it been available here).

Also wanted to comment on the Brasso method. I was also spending around 30 minutes to and hour per disc using this, and boy it sucked. Here's a tip - use Xerapol. It's a plastic polish made in Germany, see http://www.xerapol.de/english/, primarily for use in the auto trade and funnily enough has a big warning lable specifically stating "Do not use on polycarbonate"  Ignore it, seriously. You can pick up a tube for around £10 here, and my last one lasted around a year polishing a few discs a week. Use it the same as brasso (well, put a few dots on the disc, then rub) but works *much* faster. 3 to 5 minutes usually. The finish is a lot less scratchy than brasso, and seems to work pretty well. I recon >75% success on discs, with the failures being the above mentioned "pin dot" type damage and really deep scratches. I wrote a small review/how-to @ http://inaudible.co.uk/games/archives/20/ . I've a feeling you could also use it to replace the pastes provided with the ZDAG, how costs work out I'm not sure though. Still, after a year, I think I better go check out this ZDAG more...