Customer Reviews

Motorized SkipDoctor by Digital Innovations (Model 1013000)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The GOOD: The Skip Dr really does work! Out of 6 CDs that were totally unplayable, it restored 3 back to full playability, 2 restored with skips left in one track, and 1 CD too far gone to be repaired (it's only a machine, not a miracle worker). It also makes CDs that are covered with spider web-type scratches look nice again.
The BAD: The resurfacing wheel wears out really fast. The makers say it lasts for 30-50 uses, but mine wore out after about 20 uses. If you have a large amount of CDs to doctor, this will be a problem.
The UGLY: Amazon doesn't sell the replacement wheels! If they did, you could order 3 packs (6 wheels) for 30 bucks, get FREE shipping & have the wheels in about 3-4 days. And the 2 main sites online that DO sell them, charge 10-11 bucks for 2 wheels and 8 bucks for 10-day shipping to mail a 2-oz item. (USPS 4-day delivery for a 2-oz item is 83 cents). So the excessive shipping costs at these rip-off sites drive the price up to almost 10 bucks a wheel!
The GOOD (again): Sam Goody does carry the replacement wheels in their retail stores.

I used to have a manual Skip docter, which took FOREVER and led to all sorts of nasty wrist cramps. This one does 2 passes on a disk in about 30 seconds, and fixed about 80% of the problems on a bunch of CDs that had been bumping around my car for a few months.

No, it won't fix every scratch, and I don't have much experience using it on DVDs or Game disks, but it has definitely paid for itself already.

PS It's nice that they let you know that the "disk resurfacing fluid" is nothing but de-mineralized water, and that you can probably use tap water without any problems. Such truth in advertising is pretty refreshing.

The SkipDoctor does well at what it is supposed to do. It does not fix discs that are beyond repair. I found the skipdoctor.com website helpful in distinguishing discs that are fixable and those that are beyond repair. My big comment is on Amazon's advertisement of this product: In the "Technical Details" link it says:

"In the box: Motorized SkipDoctor, a storage case, an extra resurfacing wheel, a drying cloth, 2 felt buffing pads, a severe-scratch pad, a 4-ounce bottle of resurfacing fluid, a 3-inch-disc adapter ring, and a user's manual"

My first one was missing: a storage case, an extra resurfacing wheel, 1 felt buffing pad, a severe-scratch pad, and a user's manual. I sent it back and when I got the replacement it was missing all the mentioned items except it did add an owner's manual.

Don't believe you'll get all that is promised.

We have used our disk doctor for about three years now and are very pleased with the results. We have salvaged more than 5 Playstation games that got abused by my teenage son (who leaves them lying around the room, out of their cases). I figure that I'm $150 ahead of the game, despite the cost of the resurfacing wheels.

Remember that it works by removing a single layer of plastic (and the scratches in that layer) on the disk. If your scratches are deeper, you may have to use it a couple of times. If your scratches penetrate to the layer where the data are stored, then you are out of luck and need to buy a new CD/DVD/game.

But for about 80% of the problem disks out there, it really works great!

I own both the manual & motorized Skip Dr and have used them very frequently for the past 3 years (less on the motorized which I have used about 2 years). They work flawlessly as long as you know what you are doing. MAKE SURE DISC IS WET ENOUGH. All the reviews where people complain it ruined the disc is because they used it wrong most likely not wet enough. I have NEVER in 3 years ruined a disc.

I have restored everything from cd's to PS2 games and everything in between. I have only had 1 DVD unrepairable only because my children rubbed it on concrete which chipped the disc, other than that is does as it says. It does leave the "buffing" marks but that is to be expected since you are "REPAIRING" a disc not buying or making a new one. I prefer the motorized Skip Dr only because it is less work. Sometimes a disc that is severly scratched (which is a lot in my household with small children) you will have to complete the cycle completely 12 times so your arm does get tired!

I highly highly recommend either Skip Dr as you will get your money back after you clean just a couple of disc's. As for the replacement wheels, I have replaced the wheel on the manual Skip Dr. a couple of time & the motorized wheel finally went out on me just yesterday (almost 2 years of use).

Well, I supose I was skeptical as to it's abilities but some reviews of the manual product said it helped remove some scratches, and I must admit it fixed one of my sons Blues Clues DVD's where it skipped.

However, I've tried on a very moderately scratched audio cd and it truly has made it worse.

A person who reviewed the manual product noted that the wheel left a film that was impossible to remove, and I can now see what he means.

It's not a film as such but polishing marks.
The motion of the polishing wheel is that of bouncing up and down as it's rubber spokes stretch and spring back.
I presume this is how they achieve their pressure to grind off just enough plastic.

It leaves grinding marks, almost in a floral spiral pattern as though the disk had been held in place, moved very slightly around, ground on that spot, moved again, etc until the whole disk is polished.

This "film" should be pretty okay for any cd player as it's flat and still see through, even though you can see it's there.
Scratches refract the laser light causing these skips, and it's those we want to get rid of.
This fogging shouldn't really matter too much, but heres my cd, and before I polished it, it was only one track that wouldn't play, and now it's been through the skipdoctor almost the entire cd refuses to play on my brand new cd player.

I've put it through the skipdoctor three times now and it's making things worse with every single pass.

*Scratches head*

I guess I'm returning it.

It doesn't make discs worse. And it doesn't fix every possible scratch. Some people here think it'll fix severely damaged discs. It is intended only for reasonable damage.

However, I spent $49 for the motorized version at Best Buy. It worked and I'd give it about 9 out of 10 rating scale on fixing the library's badly scratched discs. But a year later (maybe less!), it appears as if the internal gears are stripped. Apparently the gears inside are plastic and don't last long. Unfort., there's not much choice on CD scratch repair machines to choose from. I am forced to have to buy the manual version now, or go back to what I was using before - a drill-powered buffing wheel and car finish buffing compound.

I have used it several times now..Yes it leaves marks on your disk but don't let it get you down..They put a buffing cloth with the kit and remember to use lots of the liquid thats with it..Take your time and the cd will play like new..Remember to buff well...Of course it wont fix your cd's if the scratches are in the label portion..

Since I have so many CD's, DVD's and video games I wanted this for the few disks that did give me problems. My first one to fix was AC/DC live. A great CD but it skipped during "for those about to rock". This is the grand ending to show show. Well something happened over the years and this thing was hurting. I used the SkipDoctor on it and it works fine now. I also tried it on another CD I have had for about ten years and now it works great too. I told my nephew I got this and he wanted me to use it on a GameCube disk. This was scratched really bad, and I mean all over the place. It kept giving him error upon error. The cool thing is that the GameCube attachement is not needed for this model. So I used the SkipDoctor on it a few times and it has not skipped since. Some people have said the disk looks a little funny after the process, however I would rather have a working disk that the bottom looks strange on than a disk that will not work at all.

Well what do you know, how appropriate to give this item 5 stars. I tried fixing 5 Xbox games, and was able to fix all 5 of them...fabulous! Follow the instructions, and don't be stingy with the liquid solution provided. Some games take multiple tries to fix, keep trying! after all, what do you have to loose? they currently don't work anyway.