I sell a lot of used media and used media is usually in disc form- sometimes it’s blu-rays, sometimes it’s CDs, but it is almost always a flat circle with one shiny side that keeps all the data safe for whatever machine needs it. HOWEVER, sometimes that shiny side become a little less shiny, so here’s 3 machines that you can use to fix video games. I’ve used all these machines, so you’re not just reading some bullshit list made by an idiot trying to pilfer traffic and then redirect it to amazon for affiliate commissions, although these links are going to be affiliate links.

1.The SkipDr

Okay, we’ve all seen these rudimentary tools. When the first caveman lumbered out into the african savannah, he no doubt was carrying a SkipDr. Do they work? In the sense that, yes, that bugger is gonna move when you turn it on, they do work. But will they routinely and reliably fix discs that have scratches on them? No, no it will not. I’d say you’re flipping a coin with this machine every time you turn it on. It costs less than $50, so I think it bring in a lot of customers who aren’t looking to shell out 3-4x that for a JFJ Easy Pro (or 20x that for an EcoPro2).

I am absolutely perplexed as to how it has so many 5 star ratings on amazon. This is the Russian roulette version of disc repair. If you disc is positioned the wrong way, it’s going to screw up the game beyond repair (or at least repair with this machine) but, also, if you’ve got a DVD you don’t really care about, it’s gonna work part of the time, too. I 100% do not recommend this machine, but if you want to be a cheap-ass, you’re welcome to buy it.

2. JFJ Easy Pro

In my opinion, the JFJ Easy Pro is the best entry-level disc repair machine out there. It is going to cost you around $150-$200 new (generally) and about $100-$150 used. I’ve owned several but currently only have one in rotation because, during the lockdowns in 2020, they ran out and the price creeped up to around $300 for a used machine. I sold it to make that money, not because it was a bad machine for the cost.

Back when I was doing truckloads of media, I hired a guy to use three of these machines to refinish discs non-stop, 9 hours a day (instead of ponying up for a $15,000 refurbished fully-automatic machine) but now I am not doing that anymore so the ELM Eco Pro2 is better suited to my needs. That being said, the JFJ Easy Pro is 8-10x cheaper than an ELM Eco Pro 2 so I can understand favoring either. The main issues you’re going to run into with the JFJ Easy Pro are warping the discs because you ran it for too long, and the feet coming off the bottom of the machine, making it uneven and creating a slight issue with the sanding/buffing pattern on your discs. If you’re planning on buying used discs for resale on sites like Amazon, eBay, Mercari, etc.., this is going to be necessary to capitalize on scratched discs that have been sold to you at a discount. It also has a GameCube disc repair accessory that you can use to fix the scratches on gamecube mini discs.

3. ELM EcoPro 2

You’re going to have to excuse the crappy picture quality, I wasn’t able to find an image online that I could use. Whatever, this is the proof you need that I actually own one. The company who makes these is kind of a pain-in-the-ass to deal with and their business model is one where you buy a $1500 machine and then still have to pay for the right to use it (you buy chips that load it with 800 minutes of use, which is about 500-1000 disc repairs) which is an absolute crock-of-shit in my opinion and I am actively looking for ways around it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s the best machine on the market that you can find for under $1000.

I linked to the eBay search because that’s where you’re gonna find it. IMO, anything below $1000 is a good deal, and anything below $750 is a steal, assuming the machine works fine. These are automatic in the sense that they automatically pump polish and water onto the disc to keep it cool/lubricated, but you still need to manually pop in the disc and pull it out once the process is complete. Despite being strong-armed into an “agreement” where I pay to use a machine I already own, which should be punishable by three weeks in the pit, I would recommend this machine to anyone who is serious about growing their media resale business.

So there you go, avoid the SkipDr, buy a JFJ Easy Pro until you’ve made $5000 in profit, then use 15% of that $5000 to invest in a used ECO Pro 2.