Reviews
SkipDr
Disc Repair System
It
happens to all of us: a CD or DVD stops working. No matter how
carefully you clean the disc, the computer (or game console) won't
read it anymore. That can be anywhere from really annoying (like
when you watch a rented movie) to costly (when you have to buy
a replacement CD) to catastrophic (when the CD or DVD is your
only backup disc with irreplaceable data). So when the SkipDr
Disc Repair System appeared at our office we decided to put it
to the test.
The thing
looks like some sort of power tool and comes both in a manual
version and one that is powered by an electric motor. You place
the scratched disc onto a special cog-wheeled plastic holder,
spray the disc with the special supplied cleaning fluid, and then
insert the assembly into the SkipDr. Turn it on and its cleaning
wheel will go to work, slowly and methodically. After one full
turn you give it another spritz and go for a second turn. Then
you take the disc out, dry it with the supplied cloth and buff
it with an also supplied pad.
How
well does it work? SkipDr sent us a totally scratched game CD,
one that we thought would never ever work again. After cleaning
most (though not all) of the scratches were gone. The surface
seemed duller, but, low and behold, the drive now recognized the
disc without any problem at all. The game installed and played
just fine. Score one for the Doc!! We tried it on a second bad
disc and SkipDr came through again. It may not always work, but
we certainly like to have it around just in case. The muscle-powered
original goes for US$29.99, the motorized one for US$49.99. The
only annoying thing is that you need to keep stocked up on consumables.
Resurfacing fluid goes for $6.99, and two replacement wheels for
U$12.99.
ö Kirk Linsky
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