CD scratch test

[imported_dickie]

I noticed a post earlier about the abrasiveness of different towels.



The other day I decided to test this out on a some brand new blank CDR`s. Presumably if the cloth you use for polishing or buffing doesn`t scratch the surface of a CD, then it won`t scratch your car. Correct ?



Anyway; I first tried a 100% cotton t-shirt. The really soft kind. Put hairline scratches all over the CD.



The (with a new CD), I tried Autoglym Perfect Polishing Cloths. These are also 100% cotton. They are made from the fine gauze you see used for bandage dressings in hospitals. Same result - fine scratches on the CD.



The I tried some Ultra-Fibre cloths. These are about the only micro-fibre cloths you can get where I live. General purpose ones, sold by most supermarkets. Used for drying, polishing etc. Not particularly soft or anything. But guess what, I didn`t notice any scratches what soever. Only when I put the CDR under a bright halogen, could I make out a couple of very very fine scratches. So I`ve decided to use these for applying and removing wax, polish etc...

[roller5435]

Great posts. I had read about the "cd tests" before, but never seen side-by-side tests and results like you posted. Thanks for the info. :xyxthumbs



That makes me feel much better about spending $50+ on Microfiber towels!! Can`t wait to receive them this week. I ordered some from JTI and some from 4-Star!!



:bounce



Cheers!!

[shaf]

CD tests are interesting, I`ve done a couple now and then to test product`s saftey. The only thing to remember is that even if it scratches a CD, it may not scratch your car because paint is harder. That said, things only get "iffy" if a product scratches a CD.



Some people have questioned the validity of the CD test because of this, but to paraphrase a senior member I think this sums it up:



"If a product doesn`t scratch a CD then it`s safe to use. If it does scratch the CD then more testing is needed."

[roller5435]

Great clarification. I agree that a cd is softer than car paint so even if it shows scratches on cd, it still may not on the car.



BUT, I get the following takeaways from the cd test:

1. It shows good relative scratching tendencies between products - which one is likely to cause more scratching.

2. It shows the superiority of microfiber!! Yippee!





(edited to replace "software" (DUH) with "softer")

[d_o_a96]

I was putting a new guage mask in my car (you know, the clear plastic piece over the guages), and when i went to clean the new one w/ my CMA Viper MF towels (blue kind), it put two very fine scratches on the plastic. I was wondering why it did this? Arent` CMA MF towels the best out there? Only conclusion I can make is that I accidentally scraped the stitching part of the MF towel up against the plastic. The outside edges on MF towels get pretty rough, maybe we should cut em off. Other than that, you can`t beat good MF towels to get the job done.:xyxthumbs

[imported_JetBlack]

"If a product doesn`t scratch a CD then it`s safe to use. If it does scratch the CD then more testing is needed."



Thanks for a great use for all the free AOL CDs I get in the mail, now I`ll not feel too bad when I throw them in to trash bin :D