Maxell Spindles?

[Mechworker]

I hear you guys sometimes talking about the 'cakes' of Maxell disks.

I have to admit, I've never bought a spindle of anything, so I don't even know how the disks are packed.

How is it that the disks are kept from rubbing against each other in the spindle? Are the disks in the spindle as good as the disks in the individual jewel cases? I know they both say 'made in Japan', but are they really the same things?

I'd appreciate any feedback from people who've used them. Thanks!

[aggies11]

Spindles in general are fine (the theory behind them that is).

The stack vertically ontop of one another, all on a plastic dowel (a plastic cylinder that shoots up the middle.

I remember reading somewhere that optical discs (CDs/DVDs) are designed with variable thickness so that they can stack easily with no damage?

Either way, you can spin an individual disc on a spindle with no worries of causing scratches (there is little to no friction/resistance from the dics underneath)

As for maxell spindles in general, if you get the right kind, then there is no difference in quality of disc between the jeweled case variety. The only difference is that you don't get a jewel case for every disc, which is where I imagine some of the price savings come from.

I have purchased DVD-R 4x yellow topped, 15pc spindles, that say made in japan, with no trouble. They are the same discs as you get in the 5pk jewel cases.

I have also purchased DVD-R 2x Green topped 15pck spindles that say made in taiwan, that were not the same as the jewel case variety, but were infact RitekG03's.

There have been some reports of getting "fake" or otherwise non-maxell produced discs in other maxell spindles. Traditionally you have more of a chance of "being surprised" when you crack open a maxell spindle, than with the jewel cases. But for the most part, they are largely the same.

I of course can only vouch for the 15pk made in japan, yellow topped 4x -R (try saying that 3x fast!) with the nice coconut smell. I get them from wallmart currently and they are just fanstastic dics, at a cheaper price than the 5pks.

Hope that helps

Aggies

[Hawseman]

I have bought inkjet printable single jewel case to test....awesome compatibility. I reluctantly bought a 50 spindle. They were the same exact media as the jewel case singles - happy camper. I've also used the yellow top branded. These are equivalent to the printables in both singles and 15ct spindles. Good stuff....

[fritzi93]

I remember reading somewhere that optical discs (CDs/DVDs) are designed with variable thickness so that they can stack easily with no damage?
Aggies

Okay, I just took some measurements of the thickness of a DVDR with a fairly accurate digital caliper. (Micrometer's better, but this should be good enough).

Core area: 46 thousandths of an inch
Annular Ridge around Core: 59 thousandths of an inch
Write Area and Outer Edge: 55 thousandths of an inch

For all you out in metric-land, that's:

Core area: 1.1684 mm
Annular Ridge: 1.4986 mm
Write Area: 1.397 mm

EDIT: Just for fun, here are some weights obtained on a digital scale:

Unlabeled DVDR: 16.14 grams
DVDR with Core Label: 16.35 grams
DVDR with large Label (not full face): 17.32 grams
(NEATO matte labels)

[aggies11]

SO what does that mean, heh?

Do they seemed to be shaped with the intent of stacking?

Or were you debunking my rumour? :P

Aggies

[fritzi93]

Uh, looks to me like they're designed with stacking in mind. But I know nothing. Now if somebody will just take the bait on the labeling question...