anyone with experience of the "CD lathe"

I have had one for three years. I used it on all cds and sacds that I could find the time to cut. I found that blackening the outer edge also helped. Presently I copy all redbook onto black cdrs using the RealityCheck burner and have found that black cdrs seem to gain no benefit from having the AudioDeck trimming.

If you buy a used one that has been heavily used, you may need to buy a new cutting head.

...Surely manufacturers would try to deal with this problem if it were real>>>> I believe Krell used green led's in a transport of theirs at one time. My Wadia transport also uses green on the clamping mechanism. Seems the problem is real...

I read about it and thought that it sounded like a really bad idea. This is because it might cause your CD to rot.

As you know, CD's have a thin aluminum layer sandwiched between a plastic layer and a layer of lacquer. In the early days, the aluminum layer went all the way out to the edge of the CD. This layer would be exposed to air, causing the aluminum to oxidize.

Read more about it here:

http://cdrot.com/info/why-are-cd-rotting-how-it-happens

Amfibius, I think cd rot is an urban myth despite the webpage you list. I have several cds bought in England before they were available in the US. No evidence of any problem in any cd of the 4000 I have. There are also statements on some cds saying to not use liquid cleaners. I have always ignored them and never had any problem.