Lomis International Fixity product range

If you've gone DVD shopping in recent months, you've probably noticed Lomis International's range of Fixity repair kits. Strategically placed atop store counters in dinky cardboard stands, they're usually pretty hard to overlook. It's more than likely that a smiling sales clerk has even tried to pimp you one (as if you weren't spending enough money on TV show box-sets already).

Cheap and disposable, these products have 'impulse buy' written all over them, yet the more cautious among you may be hesitant to take the plunge. After all, what guarantee is there that this stuff actually works? Well, wonder no longer. In the following review, we'll give you the low-down on Lomis International's standout products; namely the Fixity Disc, Fixity Lens and Fixity Clean Screen. So, er, let's go.

Fixity Disc (RRP: $4.95)

If there's one thing VHS tapes did better than DVDs, it was surviving rough treatment. Gone are the days when you could casually toss a movie across a room or hire a rental with absolute assurance of it working. Far too often, an innocuous scratch will hamper DVD playback, causing scenes to stutter, chapters to skip and discs to freeze up.

The Fixity Disc pack attempts to extend the life of your DVDs by removing surface scratches and stains. Retailing for under $5, it is one of the more affordable products that Lomis International sells. The kit consists of a cleaning compound sachet (which the box advised us not to eat) and three specially designed wipes. As the tirelessly devoted servants that we are, we scuffed up a few of our treasured DVDs so we could test the product for you. The results were regrettably mixed.

Carefully following the instructions, we applied a small amount of the cleaning compound onto each disc and gently polished their surface. In each case, there was a definite improvement during playback, although some scenes still stuttered along in a jerky, unwatchable fashion. Reapplying the cleaning compound helped to smooth out some of these glitches, but bigger scratches proved impervious to Fixity's touch. Naturally, it all depends on what shape the disc is in. If your DVD has a horrible patchwork of scratches embedded deep within the surface, we wouldn't hold out much hope.

The Fixity Disc kit allegedly works with video games too, although we didn't scratch any discs to test this out (our loyalty to our readers only goes so far). According to Lomis International, one repair kit will repair up to 10 discs; this works out at around $0.50 per repair job. However, the cleaning compound sachet is not resealable, which makes it incredibly difficult to store for future use. We learned this to our chagrin when the contents seeped out all over our DVD shelf. Tsk. (3 stars.)

Fixity Clean Screen with Chamois MAXI (RRP: $39.95)

Unless you're a misogynistic dinosaur who thinks housework is for women (for shame!) you probably have a keen interest in cleaning your LCD screens, be you male or female. Whether it's an expensive high-def television or a plus-sized notebook, the build-up of dust and fingerprints can swiftly diminish its sheen. Fixity Clean Screen has been specially formulated to solve this conundrum. Unlike regular cleaning solvents, it won't fog or damage the antiglare coatings commonly found on LCD displays, which means you can use it liberally and without caution.

The $39.95 kit consists of a 200mL bottle of spray and a Micro Chamois polishing cloth (a 45mL version is also available, retailing for $12.95). Being grotty journalist hacks, our notebook screens were already appropriately filthy and ready to be tested. We applied the cleaning solution as per the instructions and were pleasantly surprised by the difference it made. The display's surface became shinier and noticeably clearer. Likewise, the translucent stains and streaks that marred our screen completely disappeared. All up, we have no qualms over recommending this product, although at close to $40, it is perhaps a teensy bit overpriced. (4 stars.)

Fixity Lens (RRP: $9.95)

Remember those VHS head-cleaning tapes that you're dad periodically insisted on using? Well Fixity Lens is the DVD version. If you buy this product, it means you're in danger of becoming an overly cautious fuddy-duddy like your father, but there's nothing you can really do about that now — best to embrace old age and be done with it.

As its name suggests, Fixity Lens is a multipurpose lens cleaner that can be used on PCs, CD/DVD players and disc-based games consoles (excluding the PlayStation 3). It eradicates dust and other contaminates from the laser lens for smoother, more reliable sound and picture quality.

Using the Fixity Lens cleaner is a bit more complicated than the old VHS version. It involves a two brush wet/dry system which requires you to add a few drops of the provided cleaning solution onto the cleaning disc's brush. We initially felt a bit paranoid about sticking wet stuff in our player, but it turns out our fears were unfounded. After inserting the disc and pressing play, the Fixity Lens disc did the rest, accompanied by some cheerfully bland elevator muzak. Interestingly, after running the Fixity Lens disc, our damaged DVDs from the Fixity Disc test ran more smoothly.

At $9.95, the Fixity Lens represents solid value for money. (3.75 stars)