A good, low-cost choice
Written: Jan 15 '07 (Updated Jan 15 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap and reliable
Cons: DVD-Rs are best for storing large amounts of data
The Bottom Line: Nothing special, but the Verbatim CD-R is a reliable product that is pretty cheap.
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| HawgWyld's Full Review: Verbatim (94554) 52x CD-R Spindle (100 Pack) |
For about as long as I can remember, I've been a cheapskate. Yes, that means I'm out to spend the lowest possible price for a product of acceptable quality. Fortunately, the Verbatim 52x CD-R 100 pack is dirt cheap and offers decent quality.
Of course, some of you may remember back when CD burners first came in vogue. Yes, it seems a few blank CD-Rs cost about as much as a normal CD, thus asking some people to ask the question -- "what's the point, then?" Since that time, CD-Rs have gotten dirt cheap, so the name of the game has been simple -- you want to get a good product, but not pay a whole lot for it.
The Verbatim product fills that need quite well. If we're talking about permanent storage, we want something reliable, right? Well, Verbatim has been around for a long time and built a pretty solid reputation back in the early 1980s when the IBM-PC was a relatively new beast. I can still recall the old "elephant" icon used to promote verbatim 5.25" floppies (an elephant never forgets, see) and was impressed with the overall quality of those old discs. We've gone from floppies as a standard storage medium to CDs and (gasp!) DVDs, but the old Verbatim reputation is, thankfully, still in tact.
There is nothing at all exciting to report about this CD-Rs. What you get is a disc that can burn at speeds up to 52x and hold 700mb or 80 minutes of data. The great thing about this product is that it is cheap -- this 100 pack will set you back around $25 depending on where you buy it (Sam's Club and Office Depot always seem to have some around at a good price), and they're common enough so finding them isn't a chore.
I've had great luck with them, too. Back in the early days, I was familiar with the old problem of burning blasted coasters right and left due to problems that cropped up all the time when burning CDs (bad media, software glitches that showed up from time to time and etc.) Fortunately, those days are over. I can't say for sure if the hardware and software used to burn CDs is responsible or if Verbatim just makes good stuff. I do know that if I burn something on one of these Verbatim CD-Rs, the chances are minor that a bad disc will result (I haven't had one go bad yet -- knock on wood).
And, it doesn't seem to matter if I'm burning audio or data files. Yes, I can burn those old time radio shows in the standard WAV format for my dad (he doesn't have anything that will play MP3 files) or convert a stack of compact discs into MP3 files to play in my car. Heck, I've even burned Colecovision and Atari computer emulators and the files they need to be worth the effort for my beloved Sega Dreamcast. It really doesn't seem to matter. The Verbatim product does the job.
Have I had any problems? Well, yes. There is a problem inherent in burning a bunch of MP3 files on a CD-R. Anyone who has ever handled a CD knows they tend to scratch. That doesn't matter so much when you're dealing with a top-notch CD and a player that can forgive such minor scratches -- it's quite another matter when you're dealing with very compressed MP3 files as a little scratch can wipe out anywhere from several seconds of a song to the entire track. We're still dealing with CDs here, after all, and I've picked up a scratch or two when handling these in the typical manner -- changing them in my car MP3/CD player, loading up discs at work and etc.
Also, bear in mind another problem is the very nature of CD storage. If you want capacity, DVD-Rs are the way to go and they just leave CD-Rs in the dust. That's no fault of Verbatim, of course, but it does give you something to consider. A pack of DVD-Rs isn't that expensive these days, most burners handle both CD-Rs and DVD-Rs at this time and the DVD-R may represent the best bang for the buck if you're looking at transferring huge amounts of data. It's something to consider, at least.
Furthermore, this isn't the thing to consider if you need something you can write to time and time again. I figure that's obvious, but bear in mind that the Verbatim CD-R pack (and, hell, every CD-R) boasts a "write it once, then never again" format.
All in all, this package represents a low cost way to store your music, data and etc. It's from a company with a great reputation and is a reliable product. It's hard to go wrong with that, huh?
Recommended:
Yes
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HawgWyld
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Member: Ethan C. Nobles
Location: Benton, Ark.
Reviews written: 1442
Trusted by: 495 members
About Me:
The oxen are slow, but the earth is patient.
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