Resurface discs good, bad, or just ugly, Do you think they bring down the value?

[Robocop2]

I would think a working disc with some swirl marks would be worth more than a disc that was scratched to hell and didn't work

[jperryss]

I would think a working disc with some swirl marks would be worth more than a disc that was scratched to hell and didn't work

Agreed. How can an unplayable game be worth more than a resurfaced one that works perfectly (everything else being equal)?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I can't speak to the question of value/devaluation, but as far as the actual resurfacing process goes, with one of those professional machines, if it's done properly and the scratches on the disc are actually optimal enough to be removed, the surface of the disc should look perfect.

What I HAVE noticed though is that either particles of the surface layer of the disc, or materials from the chemical solutions used during the process occasionally get between the open layers of plastic in the center hole of the disc (I never even knew there were two layers there until I had some discs resurfaced) and its pretty much impossible to get that stuff out without risking damage.

That tends to bother me but it's just an aesthetic thing as far as I can tell.

[understatement]

I have a JFJ Pro and I’ve made a ton of discs look like new. The only time the machine starts to leave a light swirl is when the pads are about a month old and the solutions used dries inside the pads and makes them a bit to abrasive. I’ve been able to extend it to about two months by putting the pads in plastic baggies and taking most of the air out so they won’t dry out as fast.

What I HAVE noticed though is that either particles of the surface layer of the disc, or materials from the chemical solutions used during the process occasionally get between the open layers of plastic in the center hole of the disc (I never even knew there were two layers there until I had some discs resurfaced) and its pretty much impossible to get that stuff out without risking damage.

I’ve had this happen once when I used too much solution on the pads but it has never happened when the proper amount is used, with my machine at least.

The only thing I can complain about is in the same ballpark though, you have to bolt the CD to the free spinning platform and the plastic nut you use puts scratches around the center hole but I’d rather have scratches there then on the disc.

[Shulamana]

When I bought my Game Boy Player, the boot disc had some strange residue on the bottom that iso alcohol wouldn't even touch, took it to a game shop that offers resurfacing, and they managed to get it off.

It doesn't look resurfaced in the slightest, however the guy there said he didn't need to use the abrasives on it, and because of that he didn't charge me for it either.

[goatdan]

I've dealt with a lot of used disc games with the GOAT Store, and I hate the swirl thing that the hand-crank things make on the discs. But, sometimes you get a lot of games from someone that are advertised as "great condition!" and they come in and have scratches all over them and they won't play.

Our local place that resurfaces them and us have worked out a deal, and I take them in there. I don't even mark them as different because I cannot tell the difference myself. They do a perfect job on them, and I have seen games that should have no change of ever coming back from the dead look like a brand new game after they are done with them. I actually had them do a bunch of my PS1 collection that I picked up, and I couldn't tell you which discs they have done and which they haven't.

If you can find a place that knows what they are doing and cares, resurfacing doesn't change the value at all, other than to perhaps make a non-working title work again.

[sloan]

My biggest concern with used game discs is the embedded label-side stickers that the rental outfits put on them. IMO, these do devalue discs, and when I say, "embedded", I mean EMBEDDED. I ruined a Dreamcast disc by trying to use a heat gun and razor scraper to remove one of these rental stickers that almost covered the entire label side of the disc. That decal peeled down to the data layer as I tried to remove it.

[Flashback2012]

How ironic that there's a thread about this. I was browsing GS's website last night for upcoming releases and somehow happened upon this...

JFJ Easy Pro Disc Repair Machine

I've never been one for owning resurfaced games personally. I've always maintained that with proper care, such devices would be absolutely unnecessary. Of course, when I worked for GS, I saw thousands upon thousands of discs that were in absolutely horrible shape brought in from customers thinking they were worth the same as if they were mint. We almost never turned down trades and on every last one of these games we'd charge a refurbishing fee for them. It sometimes amazed me that the customers took us up on the amounts offered after they got butchered with fees.

[Cornelius]

I'm not sure how universal it is, but I've noticed that otherwise perfectly resurfaced discs lose their sharp 'corner' on the data side. Just something I've noticed on some of mine, I'd be curious of some of you guys have noticed the same (or would check yours to see).

For the value question, I only think it matters for the "collector only" type games, and maybe some other high value games. I'm thinking offhand of stuff like Valkyrie Profile, Suikoden II, Snatcher, PDS, and the like. I could see in those cases a working but obviously resurfaced copy bringing less than a working lightly scratched copy. Also, I suspect a perfectly resurfaced (disclosed) copy would bring a slight bit less than a perfect copy, although probably not a big enough difference to see because of normal fluctuations.

[ifkz]

I only buy terribly scratched discs at a discount and then only if they are cheap or rare. I've brought many games back from the grave using the resurfacing tower type machines at Blockbuster or Gamecrazy stores when they were around. I have them to thank for getting the chance to play Lunar 2-Eternal Blue on a real Sega CD, it would not load past the title screen before the resurface treatment. I have had nothing but good experiences with the stores that provide the service. Game Doctors or other methods (like a felt buffer grinder) I stay away from.

I guess if sold they should have a small discount, maybe 10%, but if it's a rare title I'm usually just happy to have it anyhow. Most of my Sega CD collection has been buffed, and I see no problem with that. After all, the good-rare titles on that system don't come up often, and I'll happily add it if a refurb will get it playing 100%.

If bought low, it can do nothing but add value to your game.

[sloan]

I know there are those that disagree, but anything of mine that I ever sell (if that day comes), I will not divulge resurfacing and no one will be the wiser. I even do the same with old game carts, replacing missing end labels on 2600 games and such. They look original, and no one needs to know.

[Tokimemofan]

My biggest concern with used game discs is the embedded label-side stickers that the rental outfits put on them. IMO, these do devalue discs, and when I say, "embedded", I mean EMBEDDED. I ruined a Dreamcast disc by trying to use a heat gun and razor scraper to remove one of these rental stickers that almost covered the entire label side of the disc. That decal peeled down to the data layer as I tried to remove it.

With those it is the luck of the draw, some come off without any trouble others destroy the disc.

[PROTOTYPE]

Wow, a lot of good answers...But here is my opinion if its been resurface, please note this for the collector, Why? Not all buffers are the same, some leave the swirly marks on the discs or make them cloudy.Now can you guarantee me that the resurface disc will play all the way thru the game without any hic ups? How deep were the scratches in the first place? Again, I have no problems with it as long I don't see the stinking marks like I did today. [ ps1 disc ] she did give me a discount to keep the game which was nice.Sometimes I will get a disc that was buff that still has a small scratch or two on it and when the game get's to that mark it skip or froze. Again, they are listing these games LIKE NEW and that is a not true, its been resurface... Please Read what e-bay says about like new condition is, Like You just open it only missing is it's outer wrapper. Nothing about resurfacing? If you list it that way [resurface]and I see no marks on it, fine unless noted. And if I get a game that has the swirly marks on it or cloudy, expect to get a e-mail from me..game over. note: light scratches rarely affect game play. note 2 = there are some e-bay sellers that do list that they are resurface discs and have no marks and guarantee them too.

[Edmond Dantes]

There's a Game Xchange in the next town over that I go to when I want games buffered. The people there know what they're doing and usually the games work awesomely after they're done. The only things they haven't been able to save have all already been near-death anyway.

They do leave swirlies, but who cares?

[bend]

Saying you wouldn't buy a resurfaced disk is like saying you wouldn't buy a car with a light scratch removed by a professional. Good luck telling the difference because you wont if it's done properly. You do realize they use the same processes right? Whether it's clearcoat or the protective layer on the bottom of a disc, it's the same thing.

All the things posters are complaining about are due to user error or the equipment used being insufficient or improperly used. A disc professionally resurfaced properly should look brand new unless there are scratches that are too deep, much like a car.

The first step in resurfacing a disc is removing a thin layer off your disc. This is where abrasives are used. Your disc is like a car. The paint is protected by a clearcoat like a disc has a plastic layer covering the data. Whether it's with a fine grit piece of sandpaper or a some kind of rubbing compound, you're just sanding the top to get a nice even surface. You're essentially scratching your disc in this process but the materials are so fine they are smoothing the surface. Sanding a thin layer is what gets the surface even and helps soften your scratches so they can be buffed out. This is the process that gives your disc the swirly or cloudy look. A good machine should have a constant supply of water. No professional would fix a scratch on your car without a constant supply of water. This is why your hand crank cleaners are garbage. Water helps to protect the layer while you're sanding it and gives you a smoother finish. Without a nice smooth finish, you'll never get the scratches and cloudiness to buff out. That's why most professional disc cleaners have a jet feeding water to the disc surface during this process.

The second step is the buffing. There's a reason why a detailer uses a buffer and not his hands. It's not because of convenience, it's because he needs to achieve a certain amount of RPM's to get a good result. Your discs are swirly or cloudy because you're not getting enough speed and pressure during the buffing, or the surface of the disc isn't as smooth as it could be.

Now the cons of resurfacing a disc are the same as wetsanding the body of a car. Since you're taking a thin layer off that protective surface, you can't get that back. Eventually you're going to hit the paint/data. Resurface a disc too many times and it will be a coaster.

[Parodius Duh!]

Worthless in my eyes. I wouldnt pay a nickel for the rarest disc based game in the world if its been resurfaced.....and when "done professionally" you can still tell, and for every person polishing discs out there, its like 1 in every 5000 people know what they are doing. Good luck finding a resurfaced disc that you cant tell has been resurfaced, thats a rare sight.

[PROTOTYPE]

Looks like a Hot topic, either you don't care or hell no.To me I'm little on the later side.Lets face the facts here, when you get a game that's in mint condition and open the case and everything is what you expected it to look like is a great feeling..but if you notice that its been resurface? your telling me that's OK and you paid big time money for it too. Get real, there is a difference and should be with the price as well.As one person already admitted if he sold them he wouldn't tell anyone WHY? because he knows that it would affect the price.

[jb143]

I think people are talking about 2 different things here. If you have an ultra rare game for your collection then leave it in whatever condition it's in. It's like painting an expensive antique chair so it will look new. That (as I understand) is a big no no in the collector community.

But if you have a game that you want to play but it won't work because it's scratched up then by all means get it fixed... but get it fixed right. The New Super Mario Bros I mentioned earlier I bought at a thrift store for like $10, it didn't work so I took it to a place I knew could fix it right and would only charge me $1.50 Maybe if you take a microscope or an ultra sensitive micrometer to it you could tell...but you could tell that it looked scratched up and wouldn't work before hand with much less effort.

Disc Doctor should be tried for malpractice though, I wouldn't let one of them come within 10 feet of even my most worthless disc.

[kedawa]

It's more of a no-no not to restore old furniture.
Fine furniture should never be allowed to degrade to the point of looking like neglected garbage, but if it has, it should be restored.
As far as rare games go, I would say leave it as is and let the buyer decide if they want to resurface or not, since it's apparently such a contentious issue.

[sloan]

To me, the people who "can tell" that a disc has been resurfaced (professionally that is) are lying. I have literally taken a magnifying glass to the discs I have had properly resurfaced and you cannot tell the difference between those and a factory original surface finish, save a couple where the scratches went too deep for the machine to be able to get them all out.

I think it boils down to a "princess and the pea" mentality. It is THE IDEA that the disc has been resurfaced that offends the "purists". Now, I am not saying that I would ever list a Disk Dr. resurfaced disc on ebay as "very good" or "like new" condition as that would be blatantly dishonest. However, I would venture to say that I could list a professionally resurfaced disc on ebay as "like new" and the buyer would be none the wiser.