The Skip-Away CD Repair System uses a new technology called OptoClear which apparently ‘irons’ out the scratches on your CDs to make them play as new. All in 3 minutes. And it comes in lots of lovely colours, kiddies.
Sanding machines attempt to sand down the peaks, while wax solutions aim to fill in the valleys. OptoClear does neither. OptoClear works like ironing a shirt—it applies the right combination of heat, pressure and time to iron out the peaks and valleys on the disc, better known as scratches. Once a disc is inserted, the protective plastic layer is exposed to heat, making the surface malleable. Simultaneously, the right amount of pressure is applied to smooth out the surface, turning the skipping mountain range back into a playable plane.
I have never tried to fix a CD after it has got a million scratches from my kid kicking it around the room, but saying that I have kept them and put them in storage, I wonder if this really works or if its another thing just to get you to spend money and does not work…anyone used it.
It should work for scratches on the non-label side if it was engineered well enough
They claim that it’s a brand new technology, so it could work I suppose.
their other disk polishing products are $2000 plus.
what does this cost?
i’ve used the other machines and except for the poor quality or at least easily abused tray closure, the disks come out perfect even if they are highly damaged. rarely, the disk had to be put in the 2nd time and those that had been were almost unsalvageable with something like a “disk doctor”.
but they are not cheap!
This looks like it might be aimed at the domestic market, so should be lower priced. ? Re price, I suppose it depends how much your data is worth at the end of the day. Someone with a lifetime of family photos gone phut! might be more willing to fork out if there was a genuine chance of the archive being restored.
I’m all for things which encourage repair rather than disposal.
However, it’s hard to see how this could work on a financial or even environmental ROI basis domestically. It would be a smart thing for a local business dealing in IT or entertainment products to get in either as a free or paid for service.
I will be contacting the distributors here in the UK to find out more.
It’s not the only such product/service there is out there.
I saw this product at the CES Show in Las Vegas last week. The consumer version is just under $250. I saw them scratch a disc and they put it into the machine. The disc came back out virtually unscratched. I was very impressed, however, I have not tried it on the pile of discs I have at home that my kids have managed to render un-playable. I am going to purchase a unit and I will post a follow up.
Excellent John, do let us know.