Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!ut-emx!nghiem
From: nghiem@ut-emx.UUCP (nghiem)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Formatting 3.5" Diskette
Summary: "Lifetime warranty" == marketing gimmick
Keywords: akcs.amparsonjr@vpnet.UUCP (Anthony M. Parson, Jr.) writes:
Message-ID: <24223@ut-emx.UUCP>
Date: 8 Feb 90 03:21:10 GMT
References: <7439@shlump.nac.dec.com> <1622@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> <25cb2e24:4164.6comp.sys.ibm.pc;1@vpnet.UUCP>
Reply-To: nghiem@emx.UUCP (Alex Nghiem)
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 34

In article <25cb2e24:4164.6comp.sys.ibm.pc;1@vpnet.UUCP> akcs.amparsonjr@vpnet.UUCP (Anthony M. Parson, Jr.) writes:

>0 bad.  It doesn't even start to format at all.  We will now see how well
>MEI Micro follows through on their (is it "lifetime"?) guarantee...

All magnetic media will last its lifetime. There is no such thing as
unlimited lifetime. In my experience, it is not worth the trouble to
send for a replacement for a disk that costs less than a buck. The
term "lifetime warranty" is in essence a meaningless sales pitch. In
the end, only a fraction of the diskettes (or cassettes or video tapes) 
that fail will be returned and for those that are exchanged the
cost to the company is miniscule. How a diskette actually performs is
much more important to me. (Also, there is the issue of head wear, but
that is another story. Cheap diskettes usually == greater head wear.)

My place buys name brand diskettes in bulk from the lowest bidder. Lately,
we received  Maxell diskettes in bulk. In my experience, about one diskette
out of 100 will fail on a virgin format. (I do remember one time when
seven out of a box of 10 Maxell diskettes failed on the virgin format, but
honestly that is not the norm and I will throw out this instance.)
About three out of this 100 will eventually fail at some time in the future.
These diskettes simply go into the trash, no questions asked.

However, I've never experienced a Sony diskette (3.5 or 5.25)
failure. (:->)
__________________________________________________________________________
This article is posted for factual information only. Any misrepresentation,
if any, is purely unintentional. Any opinion expressed or implicit in
these remarks are solely my own.

nghiem@emx.utexas.edu
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