SkipDr DVD and CD Manual Disc Repair System, Single

Worked great for me.I have a DVD, one in a set of 41 disks, that's from a TV series that was on for 10 years. I inherited the set from a friend of 40+ years. We used to watch the program pretty much every time I visited.This one DVD in the set would not load in any of the three DVD players I tried it in. Other DVDs in the set have some skips but each can be played in one or another of the three DVD players. High sentimental value. I really wanted this DVD to play too. And replacing one DVD in a 41 DVD set would likely be difficult to impossible.I tried many different methods I found online. None worked. So I decided to try this.Bought this, tired it. Followed instructions and the DVD still wasn't playable. However the instructions did say a disk can be repaired many times. So I repeated the repair process. Still would not play. Kept on trying. After the 8th repair attempt the disk was playable with NO SKIPS. Loading the menu when the disk is loaded is the only time it hesitates at all. Once loaded, going back to the menu doesn't result in any skips.Very pleased this disk was rescued. Had to perform the repair 8x before it was successful but it fixed a disk that obviously must have been very badly damaged.

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.

I literally just got this a few minutes ago and opened the box, and figured I'd try it out to quiet my kid down- I had two Wii games that were scratched a bit. They wouldn't play; kept giving error message that the disc was unreadable. At first I was annoyed, I couldn't find the piece of blue cloth and white felt in any of the packaging. Then as I was repacking it into the box, I found them shoved into the handle piece. So look around if you don't find it. The directions are easy to read and understand fortunately (I'm one of those that usually doesn't mess with directions) with pictures too thankfully because I could not figure out how to put the disc into the thing until I looked at the picture....anyway, sprayed the alcohol/water mix on it, popped it in. Cranked it around the two times it recommended. Dried it off with the blue cloth, and then buffed it a bit with the white felt thingy. Had my kid try it out, and voila....both worked and were playable. The thing doesn't look like much, it's plastic. But, it did work. I wonder if those with the poor reviews maybe didn't follow the directions? It states clearly the disc must be kept wet with the alcohol mix. Or, if the scratches are that bad/deep, it may not be repairable. The first review posted is very detailed in how the whole thing works and is very informative. Once you understand the concept of what it's doing it makes sense. The only complaint I have with this, and why it's not 5 stars, the handle to crank the thing is detachable, which is fine-I assume for storage and shipping. It's easy to snap on, but it snaps off too easily while trying to crank it, at least mine is. I just have to stop every few cranks and make sure it's still secured, and have it on the edge of my desk while I'm cranking it. Otherwise, $16. investment to save not having to buy new games/movies. Very happy with it so far.