What brand CD-R disks do you use?

I need to switch brands cause my sony CD-R's have a tendacy to have the mirror coating flake off. I thought it was just a bad batch I had cause a bunch of my older ones started doing this. Then some of my new ones did this after being out of the case after only a few weeks. I liked the sonys because they are very plain in apperance and I don't print off backings just write on them. This flaking is just not acceptable There is a quarter inch hole I can see through on my crystal method cd. What is a more durable brand that has a rather plain apperance I don't like them colorful cd's.

I've been using Memorex for years , can't remember a single coaster. I always purchase large spindles. They are plain silver, with lots of room to write on.

Check out cdfreaks.com

it is generally known that home made disks (cd-r and variants) lose their data after a while, i use tdk disks, they do their job well enough

Unfortunately, it’s not so simple. There are only a handful of manufacturers that make all the CD-R media sold. The quality of the CD-Rs you buy depends on which factory produced them and what dye material was used in their manufacture. Many companies use more than one manufacturer.

Sony discs are made by two companies: Taiyo Yuden and Mitsubishi Chemicals Corp. Taiyo Yuden is one of the better factories manufacturing discs these days. Mitsubishi is so-so. You may have gotten a batch made by them. Some Memorex CD-Rs are made by Taiyo Yuden, but other are made by Ritek, which is known for making some pretty bad stuff. Kodak, TDK, Mitsui, and Pioneer are also quality manufacturers. However as with so many other brands, TDK brand discs have been made by a variety of manufacturers that range the quality scale. The only brands whose CD-Rs are made exclusively by them are Kodak, Mitsui and Pioneer.

Dye material is also important as the physical stability of the dye used in manufacture also plays a role in long-term storage and read reliability. CD-Rs are manufactured using several different dye materials and depending on the color of the reflection layer used with them (which is silver or gold), the recording side of the disc can have several different colors. Green discs should be avoided like the plague as their life expectancy is only a few years. Other disc colors have rated life spans of 20-50 years and are fine for average use. The exceptions are gold and dark blue colored discs. Gold CD-Rs use a gold-colored dye material and gold reflection layer and have the highest tested durability and readability. They are said to have a life expectancy of over 100 years and are the best for archival purposes. Manufacturers of dark blue discs say they are as good as the gold discs.

Bottom line is, unless you want to dig deep into things and consult sites that rate and test media before every purchase, your choices are to buy what you like (such as Sony brand) and roll with the bad batches, or add a margin of safety by buying only gold discs or looking for Kodak, Mitsui or Pioneer brand discs. Of all the discs available, the Kodaks (which are exclusively gold discs) are probably the best.

BTW, I hope you’re not writing on your Sonys with something hard like a ball point pen. The reflective layer and dye material are located underneath the label. It is extremely thin (about 1/100th of the thickness of a CD). Using anything hard can damage the data layer. And be careful if you use markers. Some can seep through a CDs label or plastic and damage the data layer. Sharpie brand markers are said to work well. Leaving CD-Rs in sunlight is also a bad idea because ultraviolet light plays havoc with the dye material.

i use generic Staples brand CD-r's, they've served me well for year nigh a problem, the whole CD is gold, does that mean that they're the 100year ones?

i was told they're made by some brand company and branded staples, but anyway they're awesome disks

just my 2 cents...

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Originally Posted by audio_dude

i use generic Staples brand CD-r's, they've served me well for year nigh a problem, the whole CD is gold, does that mean that they're the 100year ones?

i was told they're made by some brand company and branded staples, but anyway they're awesome disks

just my 2 cents...

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If the discs are gold that means they have PhthaloCyanine as their dye material. This is the best of the dye materials, and yes, it's rated for over 100 years. There a serveral companies using PhthaloCyanine, but this includes some manufacturers that make good CD-Rs and some that make bad ones. It's important to have good materials, but the manufacturing process is important too. Even though the recording layer may last a century, the disc could still fall apart around it if it's not assembled well - as Mark_IDT is discovering.

Some CD burning software, like Nero, will tell you who made your CD-Rs. You can also download a utility like CDR Identifier (http://www.cdfreaks.com/software/40). I doubt the manufacturer was Kodak, but if it was somebody like Mitsui, you'd be in great shape. Just be aware that many generic brands won't stay with the same manufacturers.

Mobile Fidelity makes some awesome gold CD-r's that you can purchase online from them or various other outlets. They are pricy, but very cool!!!