Resurfacing UNPLAYABLE Video Games - SKIP DRx Disc Repair Review

[@CheekyChan]

Back in the day I had two disc resurfacing machines, one was a professional resurface and polishing machine that my dad bought for quite a bit of money mainly for his music collection and another was from RadioShack and designed specifically for video games with a GC disc attachment and they both basically did the exact same thing and had the same setup, the RS one had sanding discs and used what was basically eye glass cleaner to wet sand on rotating discs while the disc also spun and then a set of buffing discs you swap out with a plastic rubbing compound and a timer switch, the more expensive one used an abrasive compound on a set of sponge discs that spun and you'd swap those out for buffing pads and rubbing compound, they both worked really well, I fixed a lot of used games that looked like someone took sand paper to them, sometimes I'd have to sand them down so far you could actually see that the damaged disc was thinner than a brand new disc, lmao. I used to buy so many scuffed games from yard sales and flea markets, take them home and fix them, had the best luck with PS1 games, I think the plastic used in the disc is softer than PS2 or DVD's and CD's. Seeing someone use a disc resurfacer always brings back nostalgic memories. :^)

[@atlresellguy]

That's really cool! I never had access to a professional grade resurfacing machine growing up. But I typically took care of my discs (cds, dvds, games) well enough where I never needed one. The frustration of a game crashing midway through or my favorite song becoming unlistenable was motivation enough 😄This video was mostly just an experiment but I'll definitely do another one soon with some different types of discs!

[@Vicorcivius]

That is so cool hearing about your adventures in salvaging scratched discs. Bringing back something others saw as garbage and making it useful again is the best feeling imo.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Make sure you ABSOLUTELY NEVER use these on Blu-rays,..... you will kill them with that because Blu-rays already have a scratchproof surface and using such Disc repair machines can render Blu-ray discs unreadable.

[@atlresellguy]

I appreciate it! I am planning a second video like this and was thinking about trying a Blu-ray... given they didn't exist when this product was invented, it makes sense why it wouldn't work

[@CJinMono]

I used a hand-crank disc buffer on a Dreamcast game I bought years ago. It was hella scratched and wouldn't play in my system, so i figured using the buffer was worth a shot. It worked just fine afterwards, albeit with the obvious buffer marks.

[@atlresellguy]

Yes! That's the ideal situation one would resort to using this device. Kind of a "welp, can't hurt to try" scenario 😆

[@atlflips]

I bought the SkipDR a few months ago and did the same thing. After I saw the buff rings, I just unplugged it. Would be great to do this without having to spend $$$$ to get a proper resurface, but I guess that's why they cost the money they do. Cool vid!

[@atlresellguy]

Thanks for watching bro... yea, the trick is that little "buffing" pad if you can call it that. It definitely makes the rings less pronounced but I wish they just made an interchangeable spindle so the machine could do the work for you!

[@Naedlus]

Oh my god, I've still got my old Disc Dr. from.. I don't know, maybe twenty years ago. I pray, oh gods, I pray that they use the same buffing discs. Edit: A minute fifteen in, and I have a prediction: You won't be pleased with the appearance of the disc, it will have the "trademark" sunburst display on the disc surface, the disc will still work. I'm expecting my confidence in the final portion of my guess to have me saying "Why was I THAT confident for a device I had a maybe 66% success rate with for the manual edition" Edit at 6:40, well, right about the sunburst, but didn't reallize that buffing has come along a lot further, really looking forward tot he testing stages

[@bennyvermeulen7255]

Me too, a green one, that you do by hand.

[@Rob-z7k]

I bought a cd/dvd resurfacer years ago and it does work. It made my discs readable again after they were really scuffed up

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

I had one back in the early 2000s. It wasn't motorized like yours though. It had a handle on the side you had to manually crank to spin the discs around. I could be wrong but I don't remember it having a buffing pad or even mentioning anything about it in the instructions to help get those lines off it. I recall it just saying something in the manual about how the disc would look like that after you used the Disc Doctor on it. Maybe buffing it was something that came later?

[@atlresellguy]

It's entirely possible. Or I suspect most people didn't bother with instructions and just did the first step and called it a day 🤣

[@williamcreel1316]

It makes sense that it works, especially when you understand that the media is actually on the top half, and on the bottom is just a plastic protective coating. If the top half starts to delaminate, you're screwed. This stuff does work quite well, I even bought the heavy duty scratch pads, back in the day. A lot of my CD issues actually ended up going away after I got a newer CD-ROM drive. I guess my old one was not as forgiving.

[@atlresellguy]

Sounds like this was a good solution for many people back in the day of compact discs and still serves a purpose even today! I've found that older lasers tend to collect dust (PS2 is notorious for this) and it prevents them from reading discs at times. Perhaps that may have played a part in your old CD-ROM drive. I always open it and clean the laser with isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip before outright replacing it. A lot of times it works!

[@TheNintendochannel64]

Do you know if it's usable with GC games? I have a Melee copy that could benefit from it

[@gamestopspot]

Thank you for this video, really nice 🎉

[@atlresellguy]

Thanks for watching! I will likely do a part 2 in February so keep an eye out

[@trbcollectibles]

Thank you for the review. I used one similar and based on the amount of Discs / Media I am potentially considering getting a used JFJ Easy Pro or ECO Pro 2. Have you ever used those?

[@atlresellguy]

Thanks for watching! I've seen the machine and like the form factor and price. Not sure about results though as I haven't used it personally... If I were in the market I would actually look at the ELM Eco Pros instead. But due to it's initial cost and cost of pads/compound/solutions it may only make sense for someone who has a well established physical disc media selling business. But if that were the case, it definitely has the potential to increase buyer satisfaction and potentially sales by being able to list items as "Professionally Resurfaced"

[@trbcollectibles]

@@atlresellguy Thank you. It looks like a cleaner process in terms of restoration of the disc and simplistic. Based on price point i can totally see where you need a large amount of discs to make it worth it. Also Side question, did you put all the music together for your channel?

[@atlresellguy]

Yep, I produce all original music for my videos (with the exception of some of the earlier videos) Here's a link to the Soundcloud Playlist if you want to listen! on.soundcloud.com/Kz4Mp

[@trbcollectibles]

@@atlresellguy Very Cool! Thank you!

[@JuanIsUnavailable]

Had a green one that came with the original xbox. The good old days

[@xTerminatorAndy]

Apologies, but you've not shown that the discs didn't work before you started. Also just because the game loads doesn't mean that the disc is "fully" working. You would need to play the entire game to find out if the disc is actually functioning correctly. Either that or do a full copy.

[@atlresellguy]

All totally valid and true. I realized after posting that I should have demonstrated the games not working first. And yes, there is a chance that somewhere on the disc a flaw could render the game unplayable, but I unfortunately don't have the time, nor the desire to test the entirety of each copy. Consider this a demonstration, not a masterclass. Trying to copy the data is a good idea though! I will try to incorporate these criticisms into the follow up video! I definitely appreciate the feedback. You're the first person to mention the games weren't shown to be non-working prior to resurfacing!

[@mohimbrood5787]

Migjt be a dumb question but if you resurface the disk and the console reads it, could there be a chance that a fraction of the game doesnt work? If that piece of the disk is too damaged?

[@atlresellguy]

That's definitely a possibility and not at all a dumb question! The "disc substrate" or the layer protecting the data layer is only so thick. If a scratch or dent gets past that, there is a chance portions of the game will work and others won't.

[@mohimbrood5787]

@@atlresellguy thanks!

[@doublecontralto818]

I actually picked up a used, clearly resurfaced copy of Metal Gear Solid 2 about a decade ago and what you described was exactly what happened. I could only get about two thirds of the way into the tanker chapter before my PS2 refused to read the disc any more and the game crashed. Was able to get an exchange for a working copy so it was all good in the end...

[@scorpionwins6378]

Would this device fix DVDs that have been delaminated (disc rot)? I have a bunch of DVDs that were bought new but unfortunately had a rather short lifespan.

[@atlresellguy]

Since this video was so popular I'll likely do a part 2 soon! I have an old DVD that has some damage similar to what you're describing... I also want to test it on some Gamecube games as well as a compact disc and maybe even a PC game. Make sure you're subscribed so you can see the follow up video!

[@therealavolpe]

How old are the DVDs that suffered from disc rot..??

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

No. Disc-rot usually affects the metallic reflective layer and eats it up because of pollution or aggressive solvents in the protective varnish on the label side. And in some cases the second layers of dual layer discs. This cannot be fixed with such disc repair devices.

[@lilmancc35]

I have so many game disc i want to get resurfaced. I wonder if they will work on mini-dvd based games like gamecube had. I have tons of games i didnt want to throw away thats just laying around. I think this would deffinetly work for me.

[@atlresellguy]

According to the box, it's compatible with Gamecube discs. I'll be doing a follow up video that will include a few of these and some other discs so stay tuned!

[@lilmancc35]

@@atlresellguy nice. Thanks. I have a small game collection that i simply want to work either to sell or give to my friends. And even a couple that i simply cant find any other way to play. Hope to get it all sorted out.

[@Super_Gamer000]

Dose it work on game cube disc?

[@atlresellguy]

The box lists Nintendo GameCube as the first type of disc it's compatible with. I didn't think to test one though...

[@Super_Gamer000]

@@atlresellguy thanks the reason I wanted to ask is because I is watch the video because I was going to buy one because I wanted to repair a GameCube discs

[@palemonvazquez1383]

I need to buff it out with a drill pad and some turtle wax compound

[@wyldelf2685]

I have the hand-cranked version of this an it totally saved 3 of my capcom PS-1 discs , about 8 of my DVD movie discs and 4 of my Music discs , you can life hack the sandpaper resurfacing strip on rebuffer "Ring" , by careful removal of old used up abrasive strip , and replacing it with carefully cut out to size new strip from piece of fine grit sandpaper and carefully rubbercement it on to rebuffer "Ring" , use much caution , ,🤔🧐🤔👍

[@atlresellguy]

That's interesting. I didn't think about the ring buffer wearing out as I only used it one a couple discs, but I can see how it may eventually deteriorate. Might have just given me another idea for a video! Would you email that with a few details how you did it to [e-mail]?

[@masterk5066]

I currently have a ps2 game called steambot chronicles. Apparently atlus shut down disc production early back in Japan after an earthquake & the disc costs over $200 DOLLARS USED 😂. Might try this on a cheaper disc first lol

[@atlresellguy]

Hadn't heard about that! I'd definitely "practice" on a few discs you're not too concerned about. But it's a pretty simple and easy device to use. Just see if you're happy with the results before trying it on anything high dollar

[@therealavolpe]

You should have that game professionally restored

[@JessicaFEREM]

The problem is that this isnt resurfacing the disc, its removing the top layer of scratches. If you kept scratching the same disc you can onky do it so many times

[@atlresellguy]

Agreed. It's not actually a problem since this is the way all resurfacing machines work. The protective coating is thick enough to allow for resurfacing without damaging the data layer below. Of course, continuing to scratch and resurface will eventually cut all the way through

[@Nostalgicvaporwave]

Think I can use this on a gamecube game?

[@atlresellguy]

It does claim to be compatible with Gamecube games, though I forgot to test one in this video. Will be making a follow up eventually and will certainly test that and a few more types!

[@truegodaries]

Nice video.

[@atlresellguy]

Thanks for watching!

[@kayeplaguedoc9054]

They're still making these?

[@atlresellguy]

My box says "2003" on the bottom 🤣 but they are still available on Amazon for about $30. Not sure if that is back stock from some warehouse or if there's a factory someone actively producing them still

[@1000Croix]

What"s the name of the song?

[@atlresellguy]

Intro: "Drone" by ATL Resell Guy on.soundcloud.com/CY325 Unboxing: "Slip" by ATL Resell Guy on.soundcloud.com/oZecc Testing: "Homeland" by ATL Resell Guy on.soundcloud.com/iUGPU Outro: "Crush" by ATL Resell Guy on.soundcloud.com/AXYUv

[@m-79shukrboy77]

hello, I have a CD with pictures from when I was in kindergarten, but because it's very scratched, my optical unit can't read it anymore, if you want I can send you pictures so you can see its condition, on one side it has a very deep scratch, I want to know if it's really it's worth buying it because it's a shame to lose the old pictures from my childhood :(

[@atlresellguy]

I deep scratch is No Bueno unfortunately... doubt this machine would help but you might try a data recovery service if the images are that important. Hope you are able to access the files one day!

[@leusigor1]

I use drill or car buffer works great

[@justinmelanson5843]

You can use the cd blue disc game if you stand your PS2 up

[@atlresellguy]

Perhaps with certain scratches it might help. The disc in this video had a crack in it, so I wouldn't bother resurfacing, keeping or selling it. That condition isn't up to par with what I deem useable

[@sean2167]

You should never eject disc when it is still in use , you should always close , game down first & once you are on the main screen , then eject the disc , the same applies to dvds , blu-rays & 4k blu-rays & cds stop them first once on main screen then eject

[@atlresellguy]

Probably a good idea. I'm just not that OCD 😆 Especially on loose discs I have no intention on doing anything more with. I don't think it would damage the laser doing this either... but for something in my collection that's valuable, most certainly!

[@Zaphod0414]

You missed one very important factor in your review - were the discs you tested with readable on their respective systems before you used that tool on them? If they were, then beyond the aesthetic improvement it's impossible to tell if the resurfacer did anything of actual value. Briefly showing that the discs were not readable before resurfacing would have added a LOT of credibility to your final conclusions. Even just mentioning that you tested the discs and they wouldn't read would have done it. If you did make this statement, I missed it. You do mention the scenario where a resurfacer might render an unreadable disc usable, but it was never really clear that you were saying the actual discs you were testing were in this scenario at the start. Other than that, though, the review was good. I've always wondered if these tools actually work or not. Now I know that this one does make a noticeable visible improvement to the surface condition, and at least it doesn't make a disc unreadable that may or may not have been readable before. i.e. It's not going to ruin an otherwise usable disc. I always assumed these contraptions would just make things worse.

[@atlresellguy]

You're absolutely right. It was commented before and I will surely cover that in the follow up video where I try it on even more types of discs!!!

[@jonzo22]

I miss discs and physical media

[@atlresellguy]

It's still around! They're a little more involved than digital (with the need for peripherals and all) and require some TLC but I'm still a sucker for hard copies of games. Digital movies and music are simply quality of life upgrades and that's how they should be

[@XboxSpecialist]

The Original PS2 . 😢

[@smartlibra2965]

Why can’t people look after things in the first place lol

[@atlresellguy]

As a person who always made a conscious effort to take care of my discs (put them back in the case after use) I am sometimes bewildered at the condition I find some of these things in. Never was the type to just keep discs in a stack and let them get scratched but to each their own I suppose 🤷‍♂️

[@Zetchzie]

Had one of these and it worked the first time. Butchered the rest of my dreamcast games...

[@billwehadababyitsaboy1684]

Did they work?.......YES, they did! Especially on CDs and PSX games

[@AltimaNEO]

That thing looks like junk. The motor sounds like its struggling just to spin a disc. Definitely seems like the kind of thing that was sold as an impulse buy at game shops.

[@atlresellguy]

I don't completely disagree with you but wouldn't call it "junk" based on my own testing and it's ability to do what it claims to do. The conclusion at the end of the video summarizes my thoughts on situations when a device like this might come in handy

[@palemonvazquez1383]

terrible

[@IloveHamberger]

My copy of .HACK// 4 has scratches and I have no intention of shelling out for a new copy, so I have to look into alternate ways of removing scratches after a resurface diddnt work all the way