All of this is well and good for collectors and archivists, but the jewel box was foisted on the public at large with no choice in the matter. From that perspective, a very bad design!

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On Nov 6, 2013, at 12:00 PM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Agree they should have used a less-brittle kind of plastic, but I'm sure the cost factor figured in. Also remember that in the early CD days, discs were sold in cardboard long boxes, so less likely you'd get a damaged jewel case. If you break one at home, replacements are dirt-cheap.
> 
> I really like the soft plastic Gaylord boxes that libraries use, but they are frosted semi-opaque, which makes reading the spine harder.
> 
> As a matter of course, one should handle their CD collection with care because so many discs are now out of print. Fingerprints are toxic, and circular scratches often cause fatal read errors