Zip Disks were at one time a tiny miracle; 1996, 100MB of storage sounded endless. Well, the name is back, but the spelling is different and the purpose is nearly unrecognisable.
The Rotozip ZipDiscs are a pair of 4-inch abrasive wheels designed to scuff up surfaces when preparing them for welding or finishing. They attach to a rotary saw, and they store no data whatsoever.
The $US8 “medium,” model, composed of 85 strips of aluminium oxide, can remove rust, corrosion, and blemishes at up to 15,000 RPM. The $US12 “coarse” model comes across in the press release as a bit more heavy-duty:
A nonwoven, silicon carbide abrasive design removes paint, rust, corrosion, blemishes, mastic, thin-set and adhesive from wood, metal and concrete. The versatile disc is unique in that its porous formulation can handle sticky materials, like thin-set and mastic, without compromising the integrity of the wheel or the material surface.
Pretty amazing, if you have a bunch of metal you need to shape up. But if you’re looking to find a single coaster-sized drive to hold a copy of Warcraft II and Duke Nukem 3D, you’re in for a major disappointment.
[Rotozip]