Good Quality Disc Resurfacer?

[Soldier Blue]

I think I'd like to have one, but I'm not sure on what brand to buy, wear to buy it, etc..

It's a bit pricey, but is this one any good?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-110V-Easy-P ... 27c88effae

Also, can you get the same quality from a cheaper one? I'd like to be able to actually be able to repair discs that are not playable.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Find a store with a $1,000+ machine who has experience with such things.

[samsonlonghair]

I think I'd like to have one, but I'm not sure on what brand to buy, wear to buy it, etc..

It's a bit pricey, but is this one any good?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-110V-Easy-P ... 27c88effae

Also, can you get the same quality from a cheaper one? I'd like to be able to actually be able to repair discs that are not playable.

Pixel Nation, my local retro video game store, has been using this exact same machine for two years now. It works great. It's a hell of a lot better than those old hand-cranked skip doctors from back in the day. The pads and the cleaner fluid need to be replaced regularly, so factor that into your cost.

[wclem]

I have an easy pro myself and can say for certain it works great. If you shop around on ebay you can save a ton on supplies. I will give you these tips:

Never buff if it works
Never over buff, the disc does not need to shine.
Just toss out the sanding disc, never use it
Your disc will never look perfect, it will always leave a tiny bit of swirling
Always seat the disc right, it can wobble on you
Go easy on the nut, it is plastic and easy to strip

If you treat it right and do not buff every disc that has the slightest scratch then it is a great tool. I beat the hell out of an old sports game once. Tested it and it did not work. I really abused this thing more than any normal damage that would occur. Buffing a little at a time I was able to make it work, really surprised me. If there is a pit or a stupid deep gouge in the disc you will never restore it. Realistically, no buffer can fix a gouge though.

I suggest it, you can save a ton when buying a cheaper scratched disc and bring it back to life.

[Soldier Blue]

What is the noise level on that unit? Ideally I'd like one that isn't too loud.

[wclem]

What is the noise level on that unit? Ideally I'd like one that isn't too loud.

It is not very loud at all. What little you will probably need it the noise should not be a bother. You can probably find a vid on youtube of it. The key to the machine is use it sparingly. Normally a minute of buffing will make a moderately scratched game play. If you are balls to the wall shining then you are gonna go broke on supplies and probably ruin a disc or ten.

Also, if you buff a disc more than needed you will probably never be able to buff again if needed. This thing should be used to make games work, not to make a collection mint. Sorry, I just cannot stress enough to use it only when needed.

[CRTGAMER]

Pixel Nation, my local retro video game store, has been using this exact same machine for two years now. It works great. It's a hell of a lot better than those old hand-cranked skip doctors from back in the day. The pads and the cleaner fluid need to be replaced regularly, so factor that into your cost.

Agree. My local BookOff has one of the commercial machines (not sure of model) and this is the best way to repair a scratched disc. In my case, I do not buy that many badly scratched discs to warrant the cost.

I have an easy pro myself and can say for certain it works great.

Never buff if it works
Never over buff, the disc does not need to shine.
Just toss out the sanding disc, never use it
Your disc will never look perfect, it will always leave a tiny bit of swirling

If there is a pit or a stupid deep gouge in the disc you will never restore it. Realistically, no buffer can fix a gouge though.

I had one deep scratch swirled out of print DVD that I had bought used from the Swap Meet. The commercial polish machine actually took out the swirl after repeated passes and extra solution. In this extreme case the sanding disc was a must. However, only resort to the heavy treatment for the worst scratches.

I have the hand crank Skip Doctor and it does work well with Plastic Polish for regular scratches that cannot be removed by hand polish alone. Be sure to get the type made for boat windows and car convertible plastic windows. The Skip Doctor would leave the "fish scale" pattern. I follow with a second plastic polish pass WITHOUT the Skip Doctor to mirror out the disc.

Polish Disc Guide - http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 36#p398336

[Soldier Blue]

So I've been curious about a different brand lately. I think I'm getting sick of dealing with the JFJ chemicals and manually adding them to the disc. I think I want something totally automated. It's just too messy

Has anyone tried out anything from Venmill? I'm tempted by the Hybrid 2.0, although the price is steep. http://www.venmill.com/pages/hybrid-2-0

What about another brand?

[Fragems]

I still swear by my JFJ easy pro really unless your running a business and/or have a bunch of money to blow I wouldn't bother going above that. $1500 also seems pretty steep especially given that's the price of a refurbished unit while a new one is another $300 wtf .

Really the JFJ gives you a lot of control and I really couldn't see many other machines pulling off much better then it. The only reason I've ever considered upgrading is the Easy Pro has heat issues if say you run it for 30+ minutes straight. It actually has a safety that will kick it off if it gets to warm and unless you let it cool off for an hour or so it will just keep shutting itself off.

Here are the procedures I follow and which have always given me the best results. As with all machines scratches are left behind you are removing layers of the disc after all however the scratches are so fine that the circular pattern is only visible barely when viewed in natural light from a specific angle.

For light scratches:
1. One minute with the white compound #2.
2. One minute with the blue compound #1. (some people say 2 minutes but after much experience I've found the pad gets a little dry if you run it that long and leaves more visible light scratches from the buff)
3. Clean off with the anti static spray.(they say you don't need to do this when using compound #1 but trust me it works better)

I also recommend using two sets of the cleaning cloths one for the first wipe down to remove the left over compound and a second for the final clean. If using one cloth the left over compound left on the cloth can end up scratching the disc a bit especially after repeated uses.

For heavier scratches:
1. 10 seconds with the soft sanding pad. If the scratches are really deep 10 seconds with the heavy sanding pad first will save you from having to repeat the process, but at the expense of more layers then may be necessary.
2. One minute with the white compound #2.
3. One minute with the blue compound #1 .
4. Clean off with the anti static spray.
If necessary repeat the process till the disc plays or you remove the scratches.

Also the best way I've found to apply the compound to the buffing pad is to put 7-8 small dots around the pad and or make a very small line like you would do with icing on a toasterstroodle then smear it across the pad with the top of the compound bottle(the older bottles were the best since they had a much smaller opening and a flat surface with no little nozzle sticking out like the new ones. Be sure not to nick the pads with the plastic nozzle at the opening if using a newer bottle). Make sure you get the top layer good and moist the first time you do it, but after a few uses the pad should retain enough of the compound that you can use it sparingly. Don't go over board with the compound you just want the pad nice and moist not soaked if you put to much compound on the pad it doesn't work as well. Also be sure to save the smaller containers for the compounds and just refill them they are a lot easier to handle then the larger 12oz refills.

[aaron]

you can also skip the gamecube adapter if you want to put another disc behind the gamecube disc and you're not worried about your pads getting destroyed.

i had a VMI 3500 and it was nice but it required a lot of cleaning. the JFJ seemed to clean the discs better anyway, but it was a MESS. that compound builds up in areas that are really, really, really difficult to clean in the reservoir.