It seems like a big expense for personal use to me. At the price used cds can be had for, I think I'd just be looking for another copy.

If I end up getting one of these machines it wouldn't be for only CDs. I also do a lot with DVDs and video games, so I hope I could get my moneys worth out of it. In addition to personal use I also frequently take things I don't need or have duplicates of to various second hand stores in my area to get a bit of extra income, and most of those stores are picky when it comes to scratches.

Another future use, and when I may consider something more expensive, is possibly business application. Earlier this year I started my own retail business. At the moment it is online only and I am running it from my home, but in the future I hope to expand my products and services and open an actual store. Currently I am selling comic books, toys and collectibles, along with a few vinyl records that were available from my wholesaler (soundtracks from movies & games). In the future I want to expand to offering music, movies & games across various formats, and also consider doing buyback and selling used media. I've even thought about offering refurbishing/restoration services and digital conversion, but I need to get a lot more practice to perfect my abilities there before I can consider asking people to pay me for it.

Long story short, I guess I am dreaming big and looking at future applications that may or may not ever come when I think about purchases like this. In the short term it would just be for personal use, which is why I am looking at the cheaper options for now.