Is Maxell 2x Unbranded really Maxell?

[LFNNS]

Hi All,

I've been using Maxell Jewel Case dvds with great success. So I bought a 100pak of Maxell 2x Unbranded Bulk from SuperMediastore. These dvds look nothing like the quality of the Maxell jewel case dvds.

These Maxell 2x Bulk have light purple dye instead of the dark purple and they are also more flimsy and have excess glue on the edges of the dvd where the 2 pancake halves are pressed together. The 2x Bulk also have this code on the hub - IFPI GZ02. Does anybody recognize this code?

I tried 7 dvds to get a successful burn betwen an ISO image and also A/V TS folders. 6 were at 2x burns and one almost successful burn was at 1x but came up with a "dirty disc" error. The burns show successful but they won't playback at all. Never had any problems like this with the Maxell jewel case dvds!

I'm going to return these to SuperMediastore.com for a refund! Maybe I'll try the Samsung BeAlls that everyone is talking about...

So has anyone else had any luck with using these Maxell 2x Unbranded Bulk dvds??


LFNNS
AO3 - 1.68
Sony NS-300, Pioneer DV-343

[disturbed1]

They have the same media ID code as all other Maxell DVD-R's. Same code as the apple DVDs, and TDK DVDs made by Maxell.

This is apple's
00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 58 0E 11 .B...@....P..X..
98 99 80 00 03 4D 58 4C 20 52 47 00 04 30 31 00 .....MXL RG..01.
00 00 00 00 05 88 80 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 ................


Here's what you posted for the Unbranded (although it is missing the bottom numbers to tell if it's exactly the same)
00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 58 0E 11 .B...@....P..X..
98 99 80 00 03 4D 58 4C 20 52 47 00 04 30 31 00 .....MXL RG..01.




Supermedia store shouldn't sell them in 100 packs. I'd check to see if someone re-spindled them. They could have dust and scratches on the recording surface. My only order from them was a 100 pack of Ritek which were badly packed, and rendered all discs unusable, because they rubbed together and left imperfections.

Maxell offers them in 1/5/50/125/250 packs. Should have a UPC of 25215-62503, the official Maxell item number is 635027.

[LanEvo7]

Maybe they are maxell rejects.

[LFNNS]

Hi D1,

Have you seen the Maxell dvds made for Apple and TDK? Do they have the light purple dye or the dark? My jewel case Maxells have dark purple and burn just fine but these Maxell 2x unbranded have the light purple dye and I just have no luck with them. Maybe I just got a bad batch or something which is why I was asking if anybody else had any experience with these? I would like to use them but so far I haven't found a way to make them work.


Here are the full numbers (I found my old DVDInfo program and used it to get the full info)

00 42 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 50 00 02 58 0E 11 .B...@....P..X..
98 99 80 00 03 4D 58 4C 20 52 47 00 04 30 31 00 .....MXL RG..01.
00 00 00 00 05 88 80 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 ................

They match your Apple codes exactly. That's why I asked about the dye color. Could this be on of those cases where a mfr has recorded a false Information Lead In on subpar media??

I checked my invoice and couldn't find a UPC code anywhere just a SM store item number (DVD01X0068-100). Your right about the poor packaging! My bundle just had a top and bottom protector plate with no rod in the middle to stabalize the dvds. When I opened the box I found the shrink wrap broken and the dvd stack looked like the leaning tower of pisa.

After reading your statement about Maxells not coming in packs of 100 makes me wonder even more if something is not right with these dvds?

Thanks for your help and comments! Maybe LanEvo7 is right and I got a bad batch. I don't want to take anymore chances though!

LFNNS

[txpharoah]

Yes, but as suggested, premium-disc rejects and cheaper-made than branded ones. You get what you pay for.

[-jsl-]

Princo has produced media with fake Maxell (and TDK) manufacturer ID. If the media is bad and cheap it's probably Princo...

[txpharoah]

I use official Princo media all the time, and I couldn't give it a higher rating. Only on rare occasion do I get a bad disc.

I find it durable because of the white coating on top (something found on all official Princo discs), and burns great at the official speed, either 2x or 1x. (I've not used the 4x because they are not coated.)

The simple fact is that uncoated discs are made cheaply, and the uncoated bulk Maxell discs are Maxell-made crap. The consumer demanded cheap garbage, and they've gotten it.

You should really spend the extra cents (or dollars) on better discs.

Even then, I only use Princo when the data is not too important for me. Apple and to a lesser degree, branded Maxell, are what I choose to use when quality and longevity count.

[LanEvo7]

Thats why you should never buy media in bulk before you've tested it out. Buy the minimum allowed to test if it works well then buy in bulk. You probably got some factory rejects since you described the difference in dye colors. Since you got 100, send it back and exchange it for another brand.

On the Princo note, there have been numerous reports of it degrading within a year and a half. A Princo disc came with my a05, but im to scared to use it.