DVD Repair Machine / Kit
by Simotech / ZDAG
Our Price: $104.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $79.99 (click here)
Category: CE
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Simotech / ZDAGModel: DSR-1
Color: White with blue top.
Product features:
- removes dvd or CD scratches. Polishes them to almost new.
- Use it to fix unplayable DVDs/CDs or polish them or great listening or viewing.
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of DVD Repair Machine / Kit
Customer Review: Product of the Decade??
Summary: 5 Stars
This could be the most amazing tool I ever saw for under $200! I don't usually say a thing like that about ANY product. If you have kids and more than 10 DVDs, CDs, games, etc., you REQUIRE this machine.
The price seems high when compared with what you might expect and against other products, and admittedly, it's the first such product for disc restoration that I've tried. But it's intelligently made and the process is sound.
I never needed one of these before, because I carefully handle any audio/video media and my collection has always been pristine since I started collecting CDs back in the early 80s. I have a collection of over 400 DVDs alone, plus Laser Discs, VHS tapes, and loads of audio CDs, not to mention data discs. But then I made the tragic mistake of loaning almost 200 of my prized DVD collection to a friend, who promised to take good care of them. Apparently "Take good care" to him meant that at least 20% would be returned, maybe. The loaned collection represented an investment of nearly $3600!
Anyway, many of my DVDs finally did return about a year later. Some were unrecoverable, as saltwater soaking had de-laminated several of them. At least one was cracked. But of the returned discs, each and every one was scratched and smudged, a few with VERY deep scratches that looked as if they had been ground with 40-grid sandpaper. I had very little hope for those and only some for the others.
But I decided to try this machine because the process sounded good and I had researched the company's website to be sure supplies would be available, and I read the operating instructions online. It sounded good, so I purchased one directly from the vendor, thinking that at least it might pay for itself in repairing the less damaged discs.
The company's order process was pretty good, and they shipped items via FedEx almost immediately, so I quickly got the machine. Over the process of restoration, I ended up having to re-order some replacement buffing pads, in all an additional 100 of each of the 3 pad types. I will have to get some more polishing compound soon, as well. The cost of supplies is quite reasonable, and ordering is just as quick as for the machine itself.
Wow, what a surprise! Not only did the ZDAG-101 restore the less-damaged discs to like-new condition, but I was able to repair all but one disc that was deeply scared, and that one was so deep that to fix it would have required removing most of the polycarbonate outer layer, so I just replaced that one. The rest, however, even deeply scratched, were made playable again, and my DVD player, although an expensive model, is very finicky about playing damaged discs. To date, I haven't had a single repair that was unsuccessful!
Using the machine is not presto. One has to develop a bit of artistic technique. The factory instructions are not entirely clear, but just use a little common sense. The procedure expects discs either need cleaning, are mildly scratched, or are moderately or deeply scratched. I decided to treat all discs as at least moderately scratched, and that worked out well for me. Deeply scratched discs require a 4- or 5-step process, and be prepared to spend some time and effort.
I won't go into all the steps here, but for the worst scratches, the repair essentially requires sanding away the polycarbonate surface until the scratch is leveled to with the surrounding area. I decided to be agressive, since I was convinced the worst disc was not salvageable. The kit includes two sanding blocks, black and red. The black is more coarse than red, and is used first to grind away surface material. A red-block buff follows, and at this point the disc looks really bad! Be careful how much and how far across the surface the blocks are rubbed, because they really remove material.
Deep scratch restoration is a 2-step buff with one type of buffing pad and two types of compound, followed by a third polishing stage with a very soft pad and polishing cream. Each of these stages must be repeated until the surface becomes uniform, normally 2 to 5 runs of the machine and re-application of compound. The pads wear out rather quickly, but are not expensive to replace, about $7 per hundred of each type. For the really bad discs, I repeated the each process several times, and in some cases, went back to the first stage and started over. At each stage, the surface will become clearer. At the polishing stage, if all was done correctly, the disc ends looking very clear and shiny, usually with little or no buffing marks.
One tip I discovered: If a disc is inserted and the lid is closed tightly, the motor may fail to start. This is not surprising for a single-phase AC motor at 120V. Starting torque is insufficient for the pressure being applied to the surface by the buffing pads. What I did was to lower the lid just enough to engage the safety switch but not to lock the lid. Then I pressed the start button and immediately latched the lid. That gives the motor time to start before applying the full load, and it runs fine once it gets going. This problem could be mechanically eliminated by a design modification, but the modification would make the machine undesirably expensive. It worked great for me using my "cheat" method, so I don't mind.
All-in-all, this is an A-1 device that is able to do what it claims, which is almost amazing in itself. If you want to save some discs in your collection, this is the device to do it.
Description of DVD Repair Machine / Kit
R1 is the world''s first homeuse/small video rental use automatic optical disc scratch removal machine. It can not only repair the discs but really remove all scratches , restoring discs to a like-new condition (within reason). 10 seconds repair time 3 seconds cleaning time It Repairs/cleans the following: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, DVD, DVD+-R, DVD+-RW, GAME DISC, PS II, X-BOX DISC and other optical disc. Supports 12cm and 8cm disc Repair Time Light scratch: 10~30 secs Medium scratch: 40~60 secs Deep scratch: 70~90 secs Dimension:15X16.5X18cm Weight:3.5kg. Note: It is cheap enough to buy two so that you can make a repair station and a cleaning station with different rubbing pads. Comes with supplies for about 300 repairs and almost unlimited cleaning. Packing: DSR-R1 Machine with the accessories ACCESSORIES: Green Glueless Sticker 3PCS Transparent Glueless Sticker 3PCS Red Polishing Compound Cream 1PC Yellow Polishing Compound Cream 1PC White Finish Polishing Compound 1PC Abrasive-pad 2PC Yellow Polishing Pad 100PCS Blue clean Pad 10PCS White Polishing Pad 10PCS Disc Cleaner 1PC each set accessorie can repair about 100 discs MADE IN TAIWAN Warranty: 30 day money back guarantee - ask for RMA number - return in original packaging - you pay freight both ways and we may charge you $10 for the supplies used. Repair: Six months - We will repair or replace it. some Links: For full list "All Supplies" here. List of Resellers DEMO More questions? Please call 800-732-5727Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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