CD Jewel cases - Over 20 years and no improvement

Fatparrot, I couldn't find a blue flame pin-point lighter, but the local Army Surplus store just made me a sweet deal on a backpack style flame thrower. I think I have the flame fully pin-pointed and nice-n-blue. I now should be able to scortch an opening into shrink-wrap at 30 yards, and I won't have to mow the lawn for a while now either. But I blew the new cd buying budget on this new tool. So would anyone like to loan me some of their new cd's for opening?

Sorry Audiobugged, I .. uh .. can't seem to locate any unopened cd's right now. You know, I was thinking about switching to all vinyl; maybe I'll go that route so no need to look in your mailbox for any cd's from me ;-) LOL at your post!

Audiobugged
I don't have any new cd's BUT - You can come "mow" my lawn. :-D LOL!!!

Ever since hearing about the "disconnect lower hinge, flip cover up, peel away security sticker" procedure, I no longer get angry opening CD cases. My life became much more blissful and relaxed, and I owe it all to audiogon.

Unfortunately, my problem now seems to be DVD center locks--those funny plastic thingamabobs that hold the DVD in the actual case... I believe you are supposed to press down on the center while removing the CD. Since I'm usually standing in front of my CD/DVD holding the case in one hand, performing a push in the center and pull on the outside lip with one hand invariably seems to result in bending the DVD into a U shape. I'm surprised I haven't broken one. Maybe my fingers are just too fat.

The second and third sticky tapes on CDs should be called anti-consumer tapes. CD manufacturers who insisted on using three sticky tapes instead of just one are either mentally challenged or seriously sick.

In the comfort of my own home and with all the time and all the tools at my disposal, I still rarely ever managed to peel off one of those wretched tapes without it breaking apart into annoying little pieces that had to be removed individually. If a shoplifter can overcome a sticky tape and remove the CD in a store without being detected, he/she deserves a free CD. And if one sticky tape can’t stop a shoplifter, how are three going to do it? On the other hand, if the intention is to torture CD buyers for as long as possible, three tapes are perfect.

I’ve noticed that most CDs from Europe have just one sticky tape or none at all. Does Europe have less talented shoplifters or could it be that CD manufacturers over there are smarter than here?

Tvad: You’re right. The little tool to cut open the anti-theft sticky tapes is fantastic. Unfortunately, pealing them off is still a pain in the neck. The wretched thing still rarely ever comes off in one piece. And the sign that says “peel here” is a sick joke. You can peel anywhere you want and the tape still won’t come off easily. Note: on DVD, peeling the tape off with your finger nails usually damages the plastic cover underneath. Brilliant design!

Adiobugged/Edesilva: The technique you discussed—opening the taps—really works. A Border’s employee showed me how to do it. I have used it successfully on CDs with one sticky tape. But with three tapes, we are back to square one!

Prpixel: I’m with you. The first person to invent a device to efficiently remove those sticky anti-theft tapes should receive a Nobel Prize, or may be two. Assuming that there are 500 million CDs sold worldwide annually and 5 minutes are wasted on each CD to get rid of those nasty tapes, the device would prevent 40 million man-hours of frustration and restore over 40 million man-hours of lost productivity per year which would be a significant contribution to world peace and prosperity.