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Cinema Product Reviews

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Film-Tech Media Pads
Manufacturer:  Film-Tech
Grade:  A
Reviewed June 2000 by Joe Redifer

Are you sick of taking normal media pads and rewinding them over to the keyed plastic cores so you can use them again and again with FilmGuard?  Are you tired of the media that has pre-existing cuts, folds, and even sewn together splices in it)?  Do your hemorrhoids flare up at the site of the other pads?  Do you have nightmares like this poor guy who uses the other pads?

Well, in their infinite wisdom, Film-Tech has come up with their own brand of media pads.  First and foremost, they come already wound on the “Easy To Drop” (EZ2D) plastic cores, so you don’t have to fret anymore over days and days of lost time spent transferring pads over to them.  You just plop them onto your cleaner and that’s it.  Couldn’t be easier.

Have you been noticing that recent Kelmar pads have a wandering width, meaning that they are skinnier at one point of the roll than the rest, sometimes being narrower than the film itself?  The Film-Tech pads have a very consistent width.  You can tell just by the picture above.  This puts an end to scratching of the digital soundtracks.

Of course, these pads are “Crystal Blue” colored.  You can stare at them for hours on end.  Each pad claims to have a guaranteed minimum running time of 3 and a half hours, and so far that seems to be the case in the testing scenarios that have been performed.  So that means they will be appropriate for even Kevin Costner flicks.  Also unlike Kelmar’s pads, they are thinner, meaning that they don't waste as much FilmGuard when you soak them.

The pads were tested in one scenario running dry (no FilmGuard) on a ten second test loop for 3 and a half hours.  The loop was weighted down with an interlock accumulator to simulate tension coming from a platter.  The test loop was clear film.  After the loop had run its course for the allotted time, it was removed and inspected.  There were no scratches or dirt of any kind.  Try that with other media running dry.  This media sure is soft!  In fact, Film-Tech claims that it is soft enough to clean your lenses.  That’s pretty soft.  I tried it and it is indeed true.  You can clean your glasses with them as well (if you wear them).  Tonight I will try taking some home and wiping my ass for the ultimate softness test.

The pads are also coated with an Anti-Static coating to help reduce static when run dry.  But of course they work best with FilmGuard, as that’s what they are designed for.  And since the media is slightly thinner, it actually uses less FilmGuard.  Basically that means your FilmGuard will last longer and the worry of oversoaking your prints is now gone.

Basically this stuff is the best media out there.  Nothing can compare.  The fact that it’s on the keyed cores already makes it the perfect solution for FilmGuard users.  The fact that the price is less expensive than other brands makes it attractive to the money men.  And the fact that this is the highest quality media available makes it the perfect choice for everyone.

Bottom Line:  I dare you to find better media than Film-Tech media.