Repairing a cracked phone screen

Sooner or later it happens to the best of us: Your smartphone screen cracks. A professional replacement can be expensive, so Consumer Reports wanted to try some cheaper DIY repair kits to see how easy it is to go from shattered to smooth.

It would cost $129 to get the screen of an iPhone 6 repaired at the Apple store.

Consumer Reports rounded up some cracked iPhone 6's and fixed them for about $50.

So what does it really take to fix your own screen? A lot of patience, and some skill.

In addition to removing the screen, you need to disconnect the tiny connectors for the home button, camera, sensors and microphone. Not to mention, melt adhesive with a hair dryer without damaging the phone.

You'll also encounter lots of really tiny screws, that are very easy to strip. Anyone who's built anything or taken anything apart knows how aggravating stripped screws can be but imagine having to deal with those screws and having them be nearly microscopic size.

Once the repair was done, the phone works but it's not the same. There is a dark, shadowy image in the upper left corner of the screen.

Consumer Reports' take: fix at your own risk!

If you want to save money on an older phone and you're up for a challenge these kits can give you everything you need.

The kits Consumer Reports used are available online. The iCracked repair kit is from a smartphone repair company and cost about $50. The other kits, the URepair and the RSTH, both cost between $40 and $45 and are available on Amazon.