Freak369's Full Review: d_Skin Protective Disc Skins (827747020128) Media ...
I had my first run in with a d_Skin when I reserved a movie at my library and it was shipped in from another branch. When it arrived there was a huge orange sticker on the DVD case saying $1.00 fine if SKIN is removed. My eyes lit up like I was a seven year old on Christmas Eve - at last I would get a chance to see how one of these babies performed in my DVD player. I had seem them at Wal-Mart but wasnt sure if they would live up to the hype. Essentially they are condoms for your CDs - they cover the readable side to protect it from scratches, dirt, dust and fingerprints. I had to fight back the urge to purchase these when I saw them - at $17.99 a box [twenty to a box] I didnt want to get stuck with something that sucked. The film that I reserved was Kill Bill, something that my library had in its inventory but it was so scratched up that it wouldnt play. When they ordered it from another library and it arrived with the skin on it, I was thrilled - most people could care less about how they handle these DVDs because they arent paying to rent them. Most of the time they are so badly scratched or covered with fingerprints that you cant even get the menu to come up.
d_Skin Protective Disc Skins20 Pack
If youve never seen a d_Skin its a lot like those plastic keyboard covers that they have at Mc Donalds only it is a hell of a lot more useful. These skins can be used on everything from DVDs to video game discs and music CDs. About the only thing you cant use these on is the mini discs but something tells me that it is only going to be a matter of time before they make them for these as well. After I watched Kill Bill and was impressed by the way the skin acted I decided to purchase a box of these to use on the CDs and DVDs that see the most action in the house. One of my biggest concerns about the d_Skin was whether or not it would harm my DVD player or any of the video game consoles; after using these on the PlayStation 1 and PS2 for a few weeks now I can say that I havent noticed any problems with the games, saving games or the units getting hot from having the skins on the discs. The same goes for the music CDs, when I put them in my stereo and played them they werent hot or warm when I removed them and they played perfectly.
So what exactly is a d_Skin? Like I said, it is like a condom for your CDs and DVDs. It goes on the bottom of the disc and covers the surface to protect it. This wont do anything for scratched or damaged discs, you can try to use a disc cleaner or disc repair kit then apply a skin but this isnt designed to fix discs that are scratched - its there to keep it from getting damaged in the first place. These skins are a must have for anyone that has kids - just make sure you tell them that it isnt a toy or something that they are to take off and play with. Once it is on it stays on! These would also make for a good investment for anyone that carries data discs with them; it will protect them from getting fingerprints on them as well as scratches or dust. No matter how careful you are with discs, accidents do happen. The skins will help prevent most scratches from happening but they arent full proof so make sure you handle them with a little care.
Applying the d_Skin to a disc is simple and takes only a couple of seconds but first you will want to make sure that the disc surface is completely clean. Remove a skin from the package, place it around the edge of the disc and snap it into place. Thats all there is to it. These do have a snug fit to them but after a while you might see a little bit of give here or there; this wont affect the disc in the least but if it bothers you, just remove it and apply a new one. There is no need to remove the skin when you are done using the disc, you can leave it on until it needs to be changed. The snap band around the ends of the skin is small and thin so theres no problem storing the discs in their original cases. You will want to make sure that the tabs on the end of the d_Skin are all in place and if you have any trouble with a disc playing, chances are one of the tabs isnt aligned correctly. Just remove the disc and check them. If you still have problems, remove the skin and make sure that the surface is clean. I neglected to give it a final once over before I applied a skin and there was a piece of hair on the surface; once I removed it and replaced the skin, it played perfectly.
Price
I picked up the twenty count box for $17.99 at Wal-Mart - thats less than a dollar a piece so to me that is a good deal. After I purchased these I saw that they also carried them in the five count metal container box and I got a few of those to give out as gifts at the shop. So far everyone that received them as gifts were thrilled about them and have enjoyed using them. I have no idea what the going price is for these online or at other stores but I am not going to complain about the Wal-Mart price. I can slap these on the kids DVDs that they watch all the time so they are protected from dirt, dust and fingerprints and so I dont have to drag out a disc cleaner when the DVD player wont read one of them. d_Skin is something that everyone can make use of - they are designed to work with any type of CD - be it music, video game or just data storage.
The Bottom Line
While this wont do anything for discs that are already damaged, it will help keep your newer discs playing perfectly. These are easy to apply, can be left on for an indefinite period of time and protect the disc surface from damage. So far I have had nothing but great results from these skins and I am sure that I will be buying more of them in the future. If you find yourself cursing when you find discs laying all over the place or are forever telling your kids to put DVDs away - then the d_Skins are something that you need. I have no idea if other companies are going to start making comparable products to this but I cant see how they wouldnt want to try. As it stands, d_Skin is the only company that makes this type of product and they could price gouge if they wanted to - but thankfully they dont. To me these are worth every penny and they are something that I will definately be buying tons of in the future.
Protective disc skins Protects discs from scratches Snap it on, leave it on, even while it plays Protect your games, DVDs, CDs and data against the cr...More at Amazon Marketplace
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