NEC 18X burner as a replacement for my 3550?

[thesmallelder]

Has anyone tried this new burner?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152076

I'm looking for a replacement for my NEC 3550, but found that Newegg doesn't sell them anymore. Instead, they have a different model which I'm assuming is the updated version (it has DVD-RAM and 18x capability unlike the 3550). Only thing is that as far as I know it's a cooperation drive between Sony and NEC. NEC is a great company, but I weary of Sony products and the reviews on Newegg aren't as promising as the NEC 3550's.

So, does anyone have this drive and can comment on the quality of it? Thanks!

[Chewy]

to get bitsetting for dvd+r you have to use hacked firmware and initial
reports show the drive to have flaws at writting over 8X in speed

the new samsung and liteon's have problems also but the 18x models show a little more firmware maturity

Sony really had little to do with the drive

LG is another good company

[thesmallelder]

Thanks for the info Chewy! I only burn DVD-Rs (TY -R is better than any other +R) and never burn higher than 4x, so I'm guessing it's safe to say that this drive would produce just as quality burns (if not better than) as my 3550?

What LG drive do you recommend? I've only had experience with NEC drives and they've always worked well for me, so I never looked into other companies.

[Chewy]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827136108

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151133

I just look for a lot of good reviews but would wait for free shipping if possible