[ana_geo_s]

Hello there CXT. I think I can help you a bit with your problem.
Firstly, PLEXTOR is always PLEXTOR so don't be afraid os bad products. On the other hand TDK is an O.E.M company which means that it resells units made from SANYO, PLEXTOR and lately RICOH. As for the TEAC, I can tell you that it's a great burner but it can't backup SD2 protected games (only partial). None of the companies you mentioned does successful SD2 however. I know that my burner (the TEAC you want to buy) is fully compatible with CloneCD, as well as the PLEXTOR and the TDK. However, if you want my opinion, I'd go for the ACER 1208 since it can backup everything (except for DC games of course and PSX games but I'm not sure about this one).
If you definitely want to buy a PLEX, a TEAC or a TDK go for the TEAC since it is way cheaper than the other two drives.

By the way, no current burner can do DC games nowadays and the reasons are many...