SkipDr DVD and CD Manual Disc Repair System, Single

The Reason:I bought this thing because I accidentally left my copy of Borderlands for PC outside for a long time, and dust accumulated on the DVD. I washed off the dust, which came off easily. No biggie I said. I popped it in and I noticed it was taking forever to read the disc.Tried installing the game, but it said it would take 130+ minutes. Preposterous! I shouted, while cancelling the installation and removing the DVD out for a closer inspection. Needless to say, and this is something I've observed before in the past, there was this very thin layer of dust(?) still left on the disc.I scrubbed and scrubbed, but it just wouldn't come off. I tried a solvent (rubbing alcohol) and that did not work. Tried dish washer soap, cider vinegar, a lemon... I even lost it at one point and just rubbed the disc as hard as I could against my knee - nothing was removing this very fine layer of HELL.So I finally decided to purchase one of these things, since I first thought about buying one back in like, early 2000? Irrelevant anyways. Well, got it in 2 days, and as soon as it arrived, I put it to work.==============================================The Good:Simply remove the product out of the box, attach the handle (can be a bit tricky - just keep trying or read the manual), grabbed the disc in concern, sprayed some of the liquid on, and inserted it into the contraption. Whether I was supposed to leave the liquid on or not, I did not care, nor did it matter. That thing worked like a charm.At first I thought the disc was not spinning - it does, just very slowly, so keep on cranking. Also, be sure to insert the disc with the label facing down! There is a towel inside the handle too.The thing is very easy and safe to use. I had fun.==============================================The Bad:The only thing I did not like about this product was the handle. It is just too, cumbersome. Very uncomfortable to hold. Again, be sure to place the label of the disc pointing DOWN, otherwise you will literally polish the data off the disc. The handle was a tad tricky to install at first, but I blame that on the fact that I wasn't really looking at it.You have to crank this thing for quite a bit in order to get a good result. Applying more pressure or spinning it as hard as possible is not going to help, so nice and steady wins. I had to go over my disc at least 3 times, so I did quite a lot of turning.==============================================The Verdict:It works good. It fixed my problem. I have not tried it with a severely scratched disc yet, as I am usually very gentle with my belongings. This product is not magical, so it will not repair a disc if the data side is scratched, or if the scratches underneath are too deep. Worth the money in my humble opinion.==============================================Additional:Needs more bacon.

Every once in a while you purchase a product that delivers a completely different experience than what the reviews led you to expect. In some cases it seems that manufacturers cut more and more corners throughout a product's lifespan until that product is completely different than the one that got glowing reviews. Case in point, the SkipDr Disc Repair System.I know because I had one of the first models many years ago. I know that it was a different design back then; instead of a fold-out disc guide, there was a larger plastic wedge that supported the disc. So far, so good; the newer design is more compact when not in use. But I'm nearly positive that the plastic didn't feel as flimsy as this new black one. I remember being impressed with every aspect of the original even down to the wordy instruction booklet (now you get a double-sided piece of paper).None of that would have bothered me had the product not failed on the very first use. But it did, and I'm convinced that Digital Innovations has done whatever possible to make this a cheaper product. I actually think the retail price is less than the original was 10+ years ago. This is puzzling because there's plenty of room price-wise between this and more heavy-duty CD repair machines. And the SkipDr costs about as much as having three CDs repaired by a professional.So what went wrong? On my very first CD repair, I followed the directions to the letter. Spray the CD, then run it through two full rotations of cranking. I repeated the process again (including the spray) because the worst scratch was still visible. On the second rotation of the second repair cycle, the grinder wheel started warping out of shape and eventually slipped sideways. When this happened it left a deep ugly gouge in the CD. Thankfully this was a test on a CD from a garage sale, because although it had tons of scratches beforehand, it now has the flipping Panama Canal running through it. I'm sure it's unplayable now.It's really too bad because the SkipDr is a great idea. When it works, the CD looks like a mess but usually plays much better. And it's simpler and less messy than the products that try to fill scratches in. Unfortunately this once useful product has officially become a bona fide Piece of Junk. Chris gives the SkipDr one star.