Using Mikro-Smooth w/o Scratching

I've seen several people complain in this forum that they get tiny scratches on their CDs from using Mapleshade's Mikro-Smooth. I had the same problem and thought it was from grit on the polishing pads, so I ordered some new pads. Unfortuately, the scratches continued. I was about to give up on the product when I decided to try a new approach--skips the pads altogether and spread it around the CD with my index finger (after washing my hands).

The result was 1) no scratches 2) improved sound. So I decided Mikro-Smooth is a keeper. I follow it up with Optrix spray and the Ionoclast, but I might experiment with Vivid and Auric Illuminator instead of Optrix. Has anyone tried one of these latter combos?

Tony