JFJ Disc Buffing machine $125 at Gamestop

[quote name='shaneatlh']Just seen a Disc buffing machine listed on Gamestop website. Release date is 11/24/10. It is made by JFJ and that was the company that made the machine that we had at Gamecrazy and it worked really well. Everything in the pic looks like the same stuff we used with it. Looks like it is a single Disc buffer. So who is getting their own disc buffing machine?:D
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=88392[/QUOTE]

That can't be of the same quality though. When the HWV/Gamecrazy's were closing down people said that those machines were worth $300+.

I can see a lot of "smart" people ruining discs. :lol:
 
[quote name='shaneatlh']Just seen a Disc buffing machine listed on Gamestop website. Release date is 11/24/10. It is made by JFJ and that was the company that made the machine that we had at Gamecrazy and it worked really well. Everything in the pic looks like the same stuff we used with it. Looks like it is a single Disc buffer. So who is getting their own disc buffing machine?:D
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=88392[/QUOTE]

Maybe Gamestop themselves should invest in one.
 
[quote name='mogamer']That can't be of the same quality though. When the HWV/Gamecrazy's were closing down people said that those machines were worth $300+.

I can see a lot of "smart" people ruining discs. :lol:[/QUOTE]

We use this (The JFJ Easy Pro) at my lan center. Works like a charm.
 
[quote name='hobbie8046']We use this (The JFJ Easy Pro) at my lan center. Works like a charm.[/QUOTE]
Well with the amount of used games I buy, it might be worth the investment. $125 isn't too bad a price.
 
I have this. It removes most light scratches no problem. For deeper ones you need to use sandpaper which tends to leave light swirl marks. I have had great luck removing light scratches but not very good luck removing deep nicks and scratches. The manual says gamecube discs are not supported but i have buffed many of them just fine.
 
[quote name='mogamer']I can see a lot of "smart" people ruining discs. :lol:[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah. When I worked at Gamecrazy, the CSR's would usually screw up at least one disc a week. The disc doesn't need to be pressed up against the pad like most people think. Anyways, the actual amount of "unplayable" games that were able to work after a buffing was an incredibly small percentage. I don't think it's really worth it, but to each his own I guess.
 
I've used the Memorex Optifix for years and I love it. The refill kits are like $10 and repair at least 20 discs before being worn out.

http://www.amazon.com/Memorex-Optifix-Motorized-Cleaner-Scratch/dp/B00008EM7V

The only discs it can't repair are 360 discs with the "ring of death" where the drive carves a circle in the disc. I've only brought one of those back to life (NFS: Most Wanted), and that was after two hours manual work w/ the repair paste and a sponge. Sheesh. Don't even try those. (I'm looking at you, stupid copy of Saints Row 2...)
 
[quote name='AFarewell2Arms']Oh yeah. When I worked at Gamecrazy, the CSR's would usually screw up at least one disc a week. The disc doesn't need to be pressed up against the pad like most people think. Anyways, the actual amount of "unplayable" games that were able to work after a buffing was an incredibly small percentage. I don't think it's really worth it, but to each his own I guess.[/QUOTE]

Yeah but honestly the only reason we'd do it was to make the customer feel better. I'm always a little miffed when I get a scratched disc from gamestop. :booty:
 
I've got this. I bought it off of Amazon, around the same price. It has worked great for me. Just read and follow the instructions.
 
The one game I tried to get buffed at Hollywood Video, it didn't help one bit. I even took it back and they tried again. Still no help. I'm skeptical this really does anything other then make a disc that works fine look cosmetically better. I can believe that it would remove finger prints that could be causing problems, sure, you can get those off with hot breath and a t-shirt.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']The one game I tried to get buffed at Hollywood Video, it didn't help one bit. I even took it back and they tried again. Still no help. I'm skeptical this really does anything other then make a disc that works fine look cosmetically better. I can believe that it would remove finger prints that could be causing problems, sure, you can get those off with hot breath and a t-shirt.[/QUOTE]

Their machine must have been messed up.

Buffers grind the top layer of the disc down; they actually remove material. I've rescued countless discs. (Fingerprints and gunk easily come off with dishwashing liquid, which is a whole other issue.)
 
[quote name='nietzsche74']Are discs the only thing it buffs?[/QUOTE]

No, but for what you are thinking, it will void the warranty.
 
[quote name='mogamer']I can see a lot of "smart" people ruining discs. :lol:[/QUOTE]
You mean dumb people will screw up their discs using this while thinking they're doing good? :shock: You don't say.:lol:

People by and large are fuckin' idiots and should just learn to take care of their shit better, then they wouldn't need disc resurfacing machines.

By the way, these machines do a shitty job. You can still see the swirl marks from the buffing pads if you look close enough AND unless the discs are cleaned off gently enough using a clean/lint free microfiber cloth after the process is done there's a distinct 'haze' on the buffed discs.

Moreover, if you're too overzealous with the cloth when trying to wipe off that haze after buffing then the disc will end up with scratches once again.:roll:

And for the record, the Disc Doctors/Game Doctors did about the same job as one of these $125-150 machines but for about $30-40, but the swirl pattern they left was VERY noticeable.
 
I paid $250 for the double arm JFJ buffer when Game Crazy closed earlier this year. Came with a re sealing machine too.

The single arm machine is no where near the quality. The Double arm machine is fantastic though. A nice bonus was that the owner gave me plenty of refill bottles and pads. Thats half the cost.
 
[quote name='crunchewy']you can get those off with hot breath and a t-shirt.[/QUOTE]

That's what she said?
 
It seems reasonably priced right now but I have heard that the liquid refilling material and cloths are costly.
 
The Azura branded machines are the best. They are expensive, but get the job done right unlike any other machine out there. Also, they have a mail order option to send in your disks for repair ($1.50-3.00 per disk) if you can't afford a machine.

Heres the link:

http://www.azuradisc.com/
 
The Play-N-Trade by me does this service for 5 bucks a game. They even saved my Halo 3 disc when a fly landed on my 360 and it gouged a damn circle in my disk.
 
[quote name='xDerekRx']I paid $250 for the double arm JFJ buffer when Game Crazy closed earlier this year. Came with a re sealing machine too.

The single arm machine is no where near the quality. The Double arm machine is fantastic though. A nice bonus was that the owner gave me plenty of refill bottles and pads. Thats half the cost.[/QUOTE]

i got one of those two. still sitting on the ground in my room. cost me $0 ;)


these machines, at least the one you and I have are amazing.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']You mean dumb people will screw up their discs using this while thinking they're doing good? :shock: You don't say.:lol:

People by and large are fuckin' idiots and should just learn to take care of their shit better, then they wouldn't need disc resurfacing machines.

By the way, these machines do a shitty job. You can still see the swirl marks from the buffing pads if you look close enough AND unless the discs are cleaned off gently enough using a clean/lint free microfiber cloth after the process is done there's a distinct 'haze' on the buffed discs.

Moreover, if you're too overzealous with the cloth when trying to wipe off that haze after buffing then the disc will end up with scratches once again.:roll:

And for the record, the Disc Doctors/Game Doctors did about the same job as one of these $125-150 machines but for about $30-40, but the swirl pattern they left was VERY noticeable.[/QUOTE]


A lot of false statements in there. You either don't own one of these, or if you do, you're not operating it correctly.

I actually own one of these machines, and it does a wonderful job. You can't even compare this to the Disc Doctors/Game Doctors...those are toys compared to this machine. I consistently get a new mirror-like finish on all my discs. With patience and the right technique, it's pretty easy to make discs look like new with this machine.

I've done 500-600 discs so far with mine. Just the money I have saved in refurb fees when trading into GameStop has more than payed for this machine. I also credit this machine as a big reason why I have never had one disc rejected from ANY of the trade by mail services (NorAm, DealTree, Gazelle, etc.). I consider this machine a must have if you trade-in or sell a lot of games. Even if you just buy a lot of used games from Blockbuster, Gamestop, or anywhere...it's nice to have to make things look shiney and new again.
 
[quote name='twinton']A lot of false statements in there. You either don't own one of these, or if you do, you're not operating it correctly.

I actually own one of these machines, and it does a wonderful job. You can't even compare this to the Disc Doctors/Game Doctors...those are toys compared to this machine. I consistently get a new mirror-like finish on all my discs. With patience and the right technique, it's pretty easy to make discs look like new with this machine.

I've done 500-600 discs so far with mine. Just the money I have saved in refurb fees when trading into GameStop has more than payed for this machine. I also credit this machine as a big reason why I have never had one disc rejected from ANY of the trade by mail services (NorAm, DealTree, Gazelle, etc.). I consider this machine a must have if you trade-in or sell a lot of games. Even if you just buy a lot of used games from Blockbuster, Gamestop, or anywhere...it's nice to have to make things look shiney and new again.[/QUOTE]
First of all, I don't personally own the machine, but I had enough discs resurfaced when Hollywood Video had their $4-5 sales to know what kind of a job the machine does. Maybe the employees were improperly using the machine or whatever, but EVERY time I had a disc re-done it came out with a light swirled pattern from the buffing pad AND a bunch of light scratches from them being overzealous with the constantly re-used(and not cleaned) microfiber cloth. Maybe you can't see the pattern on the discs you're refurbing in your machine, but I most certainly can.

Second, only one or two of my local Gamestop stores charge refurb fees on games and I avoid those ones like the plague.

Lastly, I don't buy scratched discs at all, unless they're too stupid cheap to pass up. Moreover, I know how to take care of games I get(whether they're new or used) so I don't get the scratches in the first place to 'need' a refurbing machine.:razz:

Best way to keep discs looking like new is A) not buying from Gamestop unless you can fully inspect what you're buying there and/or B) learning how not to use your game discs as coasters or frisbees.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']First of all, I don't personally own the machine, but I had enough discs resurfaced when Hollywood Video had their $4-5 sales to know what kind of a job the machine does. Maybe the employees were improperly using the machine or whatever, but EVERY time I had a disc re-done it came out with a light swirled pattern from the buffing pad AND a bunch of light scratches from them being overzealous with the constantly re-used(and not cleaned) microfiber cloth. Maybe you can't see the pattern on the discs you're refurbing in your machine, but I most certainly can.

Second, only one or two of my local Gamestop stores charge refurb fees on games and I avoid those ones like the plague.

Lastly, I don't buy scratched discs at all, unless they're too stupid cheap to pass up. Moreover, I know how to take care of games I get(whether they're new or used) so I don't get the scratches in the first place to 'need' a refurbing machine.:razz:

Best way to keep discs looking like new is A) not buying from Gamestop unless you can fully inspect what you're buying there and/or B) learning how not to use your game discs as coasters or frisbees.[/QUOTE]

My guess would be that your HWV employees were not using the proper amount of cream, or a buffing pad that needed changed. When done properly, the discs have a nice mirror like finish. You can't even see the buffing pattern under intense light when done right.

All I'm saying, is that for me, it does a great job and has more than paid for itself.
 
[quote name='twinton']My guess would be that your HWV employees were not using the proper amount of cream, or a buffing pad that needed changed. When done properly, the discs have a nice mirror like finish. You can't even see the buffing pattern under intense light when done right.

All I'm saying, is that for me, it does a great job and has more than paid for itself.[/QUOTE]
That's the thing though, the last time I had one buffed was during the closing sales and it was a brand new pad fresh out of the package and they used a good amount of the solution. They even used some sort of finishing solution to 'reseal' the disc and protect against scratches and I could STILL see the pattern.

Maybe I was just looking too hard or something, but you could definitely see the pattern.

But like you said the results will vary based on a number of factors. Don't let my prior response(or this one) come off as argumentative, as I know that the condition of the machine, the experience of the employee and the way they buffed the disc ALL matter.

It is a great deal though for this machine as it beats giving the local shop $2-3 per disc to buff them, but then again they have a huge professional machine that can do multiple discs at once in one pass and I don't recall ever seeing the swirls on those discs.
 
It's a great machine and worth every penny. You can remove deep scratches, you just have to repeat the steps a bunch of times if the scratches are really bad. It's not hard to use, but you might get what looks like a burn ring around the center from time to time that might prevent the disc from playing (especially ps2 discs). If this happens you just treat the ring like a scratch and repeat the whole process again until it goes away. You can sand discs a surprising number of times before they actually get ruined.

Pick up 15-20 games during a BBV b1g1 and it will pay for itself.
 
Those of you who say those machines they had at HWV didn't work just had employees who did not know what they were doing. If you got someone who could work the thing the discs came out looking practically brand new. I had hoped to get one of those machines during their closing sale, but they got snapped up real quick around here so I am still without one. I may consider picking up one of these.
 
Have buffed thousands of discs with this machine. Its not perfect, but it does work quite well and can save most games that aren't cracked/gouged down to the data layer.

1) First and foremost, the fact that gamestop is selling these is the greatest irony, particularly for anyone who has ordered any last-gen games from their site in the last few years. They seriously appear to have been "refurbished" with a nail gun. I've need to buff 90% of those I've received to repair the damage they did "repairing." Gamestop, why aren't you using these buffers yourself?

2) The buffers at h-wood/gamecrazy were the same company, but different model buffers - hollywood used the double-arm commercial-level machines. There are also single-arm machines and these easy pro's.

3) Hollywood employees SUCKED at using the machines (in general). They often used pads much longer than they should have - running them painfully ragged and killing discs in the process. Other common problems - too much or too little buffing paste, buffing a disc much longer than needed, harsh usage of microfiber cloths, etc. The commercial-level machines are beautiful if you know what you're doing.

4) For whatever reason, buying directly from the manufacturer, in this case, is always the MOST expensive. There's a particular seller on the 'bay who has all their products cheaper than buying from jfj (jfj's shipping charges are laughable), and who also runs their own site. I recommend them for buying additional supplies (which you will need in short order, because you only get miniature samples with the machine)

5) The new models claim to fix blu-rays, also. I have no experience with this either way.

6) The jfj website does have an updated faq on using the machine, which any new purchaser should definitely check out.

If anyone has any questions about the easy pro, feel free to ask me.
 
[quote name='King J Gatz']The Play-N-Trade by me does this service for 5 bucks a game. They even saved my Halo 3 disc when a fly landed on my 360 and it gouged a damn circle in my disk.[/QUOTE]

$5 seems steep. I've gone to a few record stores that charge $2 and have shitty machines, and a local chain game store that charges $2-5 but their machine sucks too. I've been trying to find a local shop that actually has a several thousand dollar machine like Blockbuster corporate but nobody does.
 
[quote name='freshzen']$5 seems steep. I've gone to a few record stores that charge $2 and have shitty machines, and a local chain game store that charges $2-5 but their machine sucks too. I've been trying to find a local shop that actually has a several thousand dollar machine like Blockbuster corporate but nobody does.[/QUOTE]

Play-N-Trade used to offer three discs for $5 just last year. Now they bumped it up to $5 for one disc. :roll: Needless to say I won't be using them at those outrageous prices.

As the buffing machine complaints, it really is up the person buffing the discs. I've had an experience when I went to the same store and had two different employees. One employee left the games with a mirror finish - they were extremely scratched up discs that wouldn't even load and they were working like-new again. Another time the next employee seemed to rush the job and there were swirly lines clearly present. So it all depends on who's doing the job and if the machine itself is decent.
 
[quote name='freshzen']$5 seems steep. I've gone to a few record stores that charge $2 and have shitty machines, and a local chain game store that charges $2-5 but their machine sucks too. I've been trying to find a local shop that actually has a several thousand dollar machine like Blockbuster corporate but nobody does.[/QUOTE]

There's your problem right there... You're trying to find a several thousand dollar machine. The chances of a small independently run shop having one are slim. Any ~$500 machine will do a great job at buffing discs. You don't need to have a $2k machine just to buff discs.
 
[quote name='savagepastry']5) The new models claim to fix blu-rays, also. I have no experience with this either way.[/QUOTE]
Once the scratch resistant coating is off of a Blu-Ray disc it's worse than a CD as far as easily getting new scratches goes. I had a copy of Armored Core 4 from BBV's BOGO a while back and the bottom of the disc was so dull and even attempting to wipe a tiny speck of dust off the disc make serious scratches.

Using these machines on CD's/DVD's is ok, but use it on a Blu-Ray and you'll have to start wearing surgical gloves in a clean room enviro to handle it then.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Once the scratch resistant coating is off of a Blu-Ray disc it's worse than a CD as far as easily getting new scratches goes. I had a copy of Armored Core 4 from BBV's BOGO a while back and the bottom of the disc was so dull and even attempting to wipe a tiny speck of dust off the disc make serious scratches.

Using these machines on CD's/DVD's is ok, but use it on a Blu-Ray and you'll have to start wearing surgical gloves in a clean room enviro to handle it then.[/QUOTE]


Ha. That's what I figured.
 
I have one of the Disk Doctors, it works great, I think I paid $40 for it. Thanks to a defective dvd binder that left some weird plastic residue on all our dvds, we have/had about 100 discs that needed to be buffed. The DD worked great for these, they all play fine. It does leave a swirl pattern on the discs, but it does not affect performance in any way, and unless you display your discs on a shelf burned-side out like shiny rainbow trophies, I don't think you'll notice.
 
If you can tell a disc was resurfaced after using a machine, it's not worth buying. I have a low-end Azuradisc machine (which they no longer sell, it was 695.00) and once you resurface a disc with this machine it looks NEW. Visually impossible to tell it's been resurfaced, people don't believe me when I say that, but I've sold thousands of resurfaced discs as "like new" without a single complaint.
 
[quote name='Cmosfm']If you can tell a disc was resurfaced after using a machine, it's not worth buying. I have a low-end Azuradisc machine (which they no longer sell, it was 695.00) and once you resurface a disc with this machine it looks NEW. Visually impossible to tell it's been resurfaced, people don't believe me when I say that, but I've sold thousands of resurfaced discs as "like new" without a single complaint.[/QUOTE]

Right on. It's the BEST machine out there period!!!
 
[quote name='emperordahc']I've only brought one of those back to life (NFS: Most Wanted), and that was after two hours manual work w/ the repair paste and a sponge. Sheesh. Don't even try those. (I'm looking at you, stupid copy of Saints Row 2...)[/QUOTE]

This is my perception of hell. I'll be sitting on a fiery stalagmite for eternity polishing a copy of Madden 2001 for PS2. Every hour or so Satan will stop by to inspect my work..."Just a little more..."
 
Man, I am seriously thinking about getting this. After Game Crazy closed there is no good place around me to get a disc buffed anymore. There is a local shop that charges $5 per buff and when they are done the center spindle of the disc is permanently filled with all that resurfacing cream.
 
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