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Record cleaning machines

M

matt j

pfm Member
Wow, can't believe I haven't picked one of these up sooner, what a cracking bit of kit!

Not wanting to sell off any internal organs to fund one, I went with the Project VC-S Mk2 at £299 delivered.

I recently picked up a cracking copy of Joy Division - Still, only issue being it was filthy, mouldy and no way going anywhere near my cartridge, even if it is only a modest one. One pass on this thing and it looks like new! Chuffed to bits with it.

Only downside being it's a tad on the loud side, thankfully one spin with the hoover on takes only a few seconds and for the money I can't really complain.

Are the expensive ones much quieter?
 
I went from a noisy (as in everyone left the room) Moth RCM to an acceptably quiet Clearaudio RCM and am really happy to be able to clean a couple of LPs / singles without having to look for industrial-grade ear protectors.

The extra outlay does bring appreciable benefits in terms of reduced noise and perceived build quality.

Not sure the Clearaudio actually cleans the records any better though; having said that I would not go back to a basic noisy RCM.
 
I'm sure I read somewhere (i.e the internet) that the Clearaudio RCM is the same as the Okki Nokki but with better casework.

I use an Okki Nokki and I've cleaned about 800 LPs on the thing. I'm very impressed although when I got it I had to spend some time adjusting the platter to make it rotate on a flat plane.

I don't think it's too loud but my dog sure does.
 
I also use the Pro-Ject & it does the job very well indeed. The Moth is even louder. I wouldn’t bother changing from the Pro-Ject to any other model. Really, all you are doing is applying a fluid that loosens dirt & lessens static build up, leaving it on for a bit & then vacuuming it off. As long as the suction is strong enough & no damage is done to the record record in the cleaning process, job done. The Pro-Jects build quality could be improved, the bearing can sound a bit graunchy but it does the job.
There is possibly more benefit to be gained from trying different cleaning fluids, but then again the Pro-Ject stuff does work very well.
 
I changed from a Moth Pro to a Keith Monks Discovery One. Quite apart from the fact that the Keith Monks is very quiet, it does a far better job of vacuuming the records clean. The 'lips' on the Moth (and Project etc) all left smears on the LPs if more than two or three records are cleaned at a time. The thread system used by KM avoids this, and leaves the records spotless. The fluid dispenser pump and built in cleaning arm & brush are also a nice bonus over the Moth where everything is manual.
 
htm_1968 said:
I changed from a Moth Pro to a Keith Monks Discovery One. Quite apart from the fact that the Keith Monks is very quiet, it does a far better job of vacuuming the records clean. The 'lips' on the Moth (and Project etc) all left smears on the LPs if more than two or three records are cleaned at a time. The thread system used by KM avoids this, and leaves the records spotless. The fluid dispenser pump and built in cleaning arm & brush are also a nice bonus over the Moth where everything is manual.
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Never had this problem with my trusty old Moth. I did clean a hundred LPs in one session once (an interesting collection of ancient classical vinyl, kindly donated by my uncle). I admit I lost the will to live after fifty or so, but my Moth's not as noisy as the standard one - built it myself, using thicker Contiboard than stated in the instructions.

I've read many claims regarding one wet-type machine cleaning records better than another, but I don't buy this. It's impossible to prove anyway, and as long as all the fluid's sucked off then job done. Big plus with these machines is the fact they stop static build-up in the vinyl, something that's never been explained to me fully.
 
Previous record cleaner was the pro Keith monks machine which did a good job but doesn’t achieve the results that the systeme glass does.
 
I use a Loricraft and it's not that noisy, a bit like a loud aquarium pump.

I have tried to refine the technique over the years that I have owned it; currently I use L'Art du Son. I fill the little supplied bottle to the top line with distilled water and add 5ml of L'Art du Son, give it a good shake, set the record running, squirt on a few bands of liquid, spread it with the supplied brush, setting the rotation CW/ACW/CW, and leave it for a minute (longer on a dirt record) and then vacuum it off. I leave the record on a little stand that I have, until the next record and then I sleeve it in either a Mo-Fi or Nagaoka.

Elimination of static is one of the biggest benefits.
 
I've a Moth RCM (all I could afford at the time) and have no complaints about its cleaning ability. A pair of industrial ear defenders are a necessity for ears and sanity :)
 
wylton said:
I use a Loricraft and it's not that noisy, a bit like a loud aquarium pump.

I have tried to refine the technique over the years that I have owned it; currently I use L'Art du Son. I fill the little supplied bottle to the top line with distilled water and add 5ml of L'Art du Son, give it a good shake, set the record running, squirt on a few bands of liquid, spread it with the supplied brush, setting the rotation CW/ACW/CW, and leave it for a minute (longer on a dirt record) and then vacuum it off. I leave the record on a little stand that I have, until the next record and then I sleeve it in either a Mo-Fi or Nagaoka.

Elimination of static is one of the biggest benefits.
Click to expand...

Same here and I agree about the static. I just couldn’t rid my records of it until I got one of these machines.
 
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