Brasso.
Yes, Brasso, the same metal polishy stuff that will remove the laquer from your brass buttons, and used by band-nerds to clean their trumpets and trombones. This household compound can be found in nearly every grocery or drug store, and is very inexpensive ($4.99 for an 8 oz. bottle).
Professional repair kits use better compounds and more pressure, which is why they are “professional” kits. Your $20 consumer device is meant to be gentle, so it doesn’t put that much pressure on the disc. You will get much better results than the included compound on the first cycle, but you’re going to have to run the disc through 3 cycles before it is perfect. No matter how many times you buff a disc with the original solution, you will never completely fix the disc.
Cleaning
The included cleaning solution is nothing more than rubbing alcohol, as I’ve previously stated, and this works fine. If you are really a Cleaning Nazi, then you’ll want to use methanol (a wood-based alcohol used by professional photographers to clean their lenses). Methanol dries almost instantly, so there is absolutely no streaking. If you’re ever near a professional photography store, pickup a bottle of Eclipse. If your local store doesn’t even have Eclipse, then they’re not a “real” photography store (and be sure to tell the 18-year-old behind the counter that in a haughty “mightier-than-thou” tone).
Summary
Use Brasso instead of the included rubbing compound. The only way you’ll do better is to spend $500 on a professional cleaning system. You’re going to have to put your discs through 3 cycles. You should clean your discs after repair, else the compound will continue to do its work. Methanol is better if you have it, but rubbing alcohol works just fine.
Congratulate yourself… you’ve just saved $475.
