Karaoke Forums

Okay, here's the deal. After reading the thread on cd damage and the pros and cons of storing your cd is slip cases, I've decided to change out the way I've been storing my disc. The disc are coming out of the sleeves and books and going into jewel cases.
What I'm looking for is a hardshell/roadcase way of storing my disc. Does anyone here use these, and if so, what brand. I've looked at a couple of items on Ebay. Both are made of aluminum/plastic and on the surface look like they will do the job. One brand is called Ebox sold by expressmall, the other is put out by a company called LJTEK-WORLD. I'm just looking for some feedback on what brand is more durable.
Now an added note to the forum gurus. I have in fact looked at several of our advertised vendors and have not been able to find these type items listed. Most are selling cd books/slipsleeve styled or plastic stackable.
As always, thank you in advance for your feedback and suggestions.
James
Maninblack

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I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

Jewel cases here - least amount of wear & tear - no sliding the disc playing AND label surface - being the label surface is the part you want to protect the most, being slid into a sleeve or pocket every night WILL eventually start wearing the label surface down, there is no denying it.  I've tried the binders & the only discs i've ever had die on me were the binders & the speed racks (mini versions of the laser disc holders).  Most of the discs i've had in jewel cases look as good as when they were bought & those are nearly 14 years old now.  
Downside is bulk & weight.  However you can get the slimline cases that will fit 2 jewel cases in the space of 1.  Like these if you don't know what they are.

http://www.jewelcaseonline.com/slimjewelcase.html

Then I would use a sturdy road case such as
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=804714  This particular one holds 320 standard jewel cases which would then hold 640 slimline cases.  It's on casters so you pull it out, tip & roll it in.
Whatever size you would need (remember the need for expansion), whatever the jewel pack capacity is, remember with the slimline case they are doubled.

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Like the sleeves myself (univenture.com archival pockets are my choice)...what's the problem?  Have also bought up a lot of Case Logic "Prosleeves" that also seem decent - I think they are out of production, but FYE seems to get them periodically.

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Sounds Great! Entertainment
Bartlett, Illinois

The problem is surface contact with the sleeves. I've already started noticing wear on certain disc in my collection.  
When I'm doing my rotation setup, I want to be able to take the song request slip, find the disc in the jewel case and have both sitting together ready for the next singer. I'm not limited to being stuck doing one song at a time, with the books, I can have a whole stack ready to roll.
That way when the disc comes out of the player, it immediately goes back in the jewel case, and there's not all this rubbing the sleeve, trying to find the pocket. It also helps in case you get sidetracked, you don't have disc sitting in the open, everythings in it's case except for what's in the player. For me, it means faster selection, better prep, which means faster rotation, which all equals out to more happy customers.
But hey, to each his own, what ever works best for ya. I'm just looking for the best way to protect my investment and streamline the process. That way I can pay more attention to my guest, rather than having to dig through a book half the night.

James
Maninblack

_________________
I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

I also bought a cheap label maker & print labels for each slimline disc for quick reference.

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The jewel cases will take up a much bigger space.   Make copies of you originals and stay with the books.   Scratch a copy, so what?   Sitting on a shelf can not damage them at all.   Oxidation can occur from handling them.  The oil on your hands.

I always make backups regardless. As for the oxidation from handling them, you're gonna handle them no matter what. At least in a case, I handle them from the edges, rather than having them rub across something each time I take them out and put them back in the books.
The space that the jewel cases take is a minimal concern. Like I said, I want to put them in roadcases anyways. I would rather carry around one case instead of having to keep up with numerous books. So not to be rude, the decisions been made, I just wanted some feedback on what type of cases/storage other folks are using. I have all of my other equipment in cases, may as well do the same with the disc.
James
Maninblack

_________________
I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

Check my photo gallery to see how we store our CDs.  We use both wooden cases with trays in them and SKB cases with trays in them.  We dolly them in and dolly them out.  No lifting.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I guess I haven't noticed deterioratoin that I would associate with simply using sleeves.  I do stay away from the binders though as the discs can catch the page edges (not to mention constant page flipping).

Some propoganda from Univenture:  

In all Safety-sleeve® products, the disc is suspended above a soft, non-woven, clean room material which uses no chemical binders and will not shed or form lint. Dirt and minute debris fall through the fabric and become trapped away from the disc.

If space were not an issue, then I probably would consider jewel cases.   Maybe my preference just stems from when I started DJing - the company had been using them for years and never seemed to have problems with their discs.

Just my $.02.

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Sounds Great! Entertainment
Bartlett, Illinois

From my experience in using sleeves instead of jewel cases you'll see
the discs with heavy usage deteriate in about 5 years. If you aren't using
the original discs for your shows I wouldn't want to lug around heavy cases of discs.
I would store your originals carefully though. I just keep mine in sleeves because I have them all stored on a hard drive. I probably will never need them.

The main problem I had with old discs that got used a lot wasn't scratches. I would get problems with my graphics that looked like confetti. We had a discussion in the
technical forum about this. I believe that was caused by the label bleeding through.
Someone said this was more with the older discs made. I don't know what causes this and if it can be remedied by good storage. Lonman?

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right now i still use the ol' cd book (holds 360 cds), but i've been contemplating going to a cd starage bin/rack type of system.  this system can hold cd sleeves or jewel cases.
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=164170&Ntt=cd%20storage&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

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All work and no play make Homer something something

Timberlea, DAYUM bro, that's an impressive stack of tunes you got going there and you've definitely got the right idea as to the way to store them and move them.

No Vocals, I had looked at the same units just last night. I'm wanting to go with more of a suitcase/roadcase type setup. You may want to check ebay as well, as the units you showed me are going for about half the price that Office sells them for.

The cases I've got my eyes on hold about 300 with jewel, have the handle on the end and could be easily moved around with a small dolly/handtruck. They're slim enough that I can slide them right on top of my other equipment, or stand up on end.

Folks just so you know, I drive a small Chevy S10 with a camper top. All my equipment has to fit in that space...
I just want something that I can transport, easily move, store, not have to worry about exposure to the heat and the cold. I've pretty much gotten loading and unloading the truck down to a science. Believe me, every inch of space counts. I mean I can't start putting stuff up in the front seat with me. What if I was to get lucky, where's she gonna ride????

James
Maninblack

_________________
I serve no man and am loyal to only one God.

Being critical of a person's success in any respect speaks volumes about the lack of your own.

Love as though you've never been hurt, Dance as though no one's watching, Sing as though God Himself were listening.

I can respect your priorities.

Unfortunately I can't take credit for our disc storage system.  That belongs to Laurie The Guy.  He's been doing it for 15 years now (I've worked with him for about 5 years) and has it down to a science.  We can set up or tear down within 20 mins working together, about 35 working alone (that's from the van to beginning the show).

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You can be strange but not a stranger

I have two Grundorf carpeted CD cases.  They each hold about 450 sleeved discs with inserts - pretty small footprint (24x14").  I also have a larger custom-made one that holds more but it gets very heavy when full.

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Sounds Great! Entertainment
Bartlett, Illinois

I know you said space is important but if you can spare a bit of spare, this is what I use. I have a bunch of these stacked on top of each other. I carry 3 of them at a time and they are all labeled so I can access them easily. I think this method would not be so effective if you have a lot of discs but it works for me, until a week ago when I went completely digital.

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Seize the day and SING!!!

I stock up on the colored thin jewel cases when they are on sale at CVS.. Sometimes use a coupon and purchase 25 for around $4 per case.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I like that arrangement Eben,  It's quicker.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I used those as well, like the old laser disc speedrack but just for cdgs.  Look at the disc where they actually sit in the sleeve - especially on the heavier used ones.  They are more than likely scratched where they sit - if not, they must've done a heavy redesign.

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Yeah, I think so Steven. It's a pretty good way to protect discs and get to them quickly.  I have an Excel spreadsheet printed out with disc number associated with the each box number and the slot number. I can find a disc and have it ready in like 10 sec. I also like that I don't get them mixed up. What I do is I keep the slot with the currently playing disc open during the performance and I have the next disc slot open and ready to go. It's matter of taking out the disc from the player, put it in empty slot, take out the next disc and put it in. Takes no time and no mistake of putting a wrong disc in to wrong slot.

However, this is a moot point since I went digital with MTU hoster. No more discs to lug around.

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Seize the day and SING!!!