Can anyone share experiences of record cleaning machines

[Mike Reed]

also have a vpi 16.5, which is great - will never sell it...

Ditto. It's cleaned my complete collection >1250 records + many others. Whereas an ultrasound probably does clean better, most don't vacuum/dry (except by dubious fan), which rules them out for me. My 16.5 is 21 y.o. and going strongly, not that I need to use it much any more.

 

[Mullardman]

I bought a VC-E or worrever a few months ago. It works. I've always looked after my records and still have my first ever LP purchase from 60 years ago, but they benefit from a clean, and the difference with some ex- library and s/h discs is impressive.

 

[FranzD]

I have had my Nitty-Gritty 1.0 cleaner since 1985, and it still works fine. It doesn't do very much, other than provide a platorm for manual brushing, and sucking.

Isn't it that what most (all?) of them do? I have a Clearaudio Smart Matrix, which does exactly that. I have it for 15+ years together with a friend. I have no idea how many records we have cleaned. It is still going strong.

 

[Yank]

Isn't it that what most (all?) of them do? I have a Clearaudio Smart Matrix, which does exactly that. I have it for 15+ years together with a friend. I have no idea how many records we have cleaned. It is still going strong.

The NG does not turn the record, you have to rotate it manually. The only motor is for the vacuum.

 

[nobeone]

I have had my Nitty-Gritty 1.0 cleaner since 1985, and it still works fine. It doesn't do very much, other than provide a platorm for manual brushing, and sucking.

Here's an internet picture of one:

It's very basic and not very attractive. As you can see, it sucks from underneath the record, so you have to apply the fluid, spread it, scrub, soak, and then turn it over to remove the fluid. And there's no turntable motor, you must rotate the record by hand.

Still, the results are quite good.

If it ever dies, I'll replace it with an Okki Nokki or ProJect unit. But it steadfastly refuses to fail. In the 37 years I've owned the unit, I've only had to replace the lip gasket twice, and the center clamp once.

The current production Record Doctor machine is based on Nitty-Gritty "technology", and is probably the cheapest entry point into a proper vacuum cleaner. Compared to the motor-driven cleaners, it's a trade-off of price vs. convenience.

Positively posh ... now here is a manual hair shirt job:

 

[chris@panteg]

I have the bigger project machine, wouldn't be without it.

 

[antinchip]

Positively posh ... now here is a manual hair shirt job:

I have had a KAB EV-1 for a few years now. Imported from the USA it was a low-cost option at the time but works very well. I have replaced the "velvet" strips just once and have spares to keep it going.

 

[Yank]

Positively posh ... now here is a manual hair shirt job:

Same thing except for having to use an external vacuum.

 

[paulfromcamden]

the difference with some ex- library and s/h discs is impressive.

Speaking as someone who is rather fond of rummaging for ancient grubby vinyl in the £1 box, I don't know how I managed without a RCM for so long. Absolutely essential.

 

[RobFTM]

There are multiple threads on record cleaners so I hope I've chosen to revive the correct one!

I'm looking at a Humminguru - a degritter is too much. However on the HG site they are £300 or so https://humminguru.com/products/humminguru-ultrasonic-vinyl-record-cleaner-2
but from Amazon they are £500? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BHYNRNYW/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

What am I missing? Is there import tax or something, VAT perhaps, not on the HG website? The costs seem massively discordant but I can't see why. Anyone got a clue?

Thanks.

Rob.

 

[guey]

There are multiple threads on record cleaners so I hope I've chosen to revive the correct one!

I'm looking at a Humminguru - a degritter is too much. However on the HG site they are £300 or so https://humminguru.com/products/humminguru-ultrasonic-vinyl-record-cleaner-2
but from Amazon they are £500? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BHYNRNYW/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

What am I missing? Is there import tax or something, VAT perhaps, not on the HG website? The costs seem massively discordant but I can't see why. Anyone got a clue?

Thanks.

Rob.

Under the Customs tab:

The customer will be solely responsible for the import fees & tax, customs duty, and commissions/handling charges imposed on the goods. Please note that NO refund if the recipient fails to pay the import fees/tax/customs duty/third party commission charges/any additional handling charges in full before or on delivery that causes the abandonment of the package or return of the goods.

 

[Locheeboy]

Humminguru has a UK distributor (see homepage) ...call them...

Bugger de-gritters and mains cable and £300. My Spin-rite cost £52, fully manual...

 

[RobFTM]

Under the Customs tab:

The customer will be solely responsible for the import fees & tax, customs duty, and commissions/handling charges imposed on the goods. Please note that NO refund if the recipient fails to pay the import fees/tax/customs duty/third party commission charges/any additional handling charges in full before or on delivery that causes the abandonment of the package or return of the goods.

I missed this! I thought it would be customs but even so it can’t cost £200 the difference between the two prices.
And thanks Locheeboy, I’ll give them a call.

Thank you.

 

[clivem2]

The ideal for myself is (was) ultrasonic plus a suction cleaner. Air drying just can’t be right…there can easily be debris left in the grooves, a good localised area suction machine (eg Loricraft) is probably best for drying and removing remaking debris. I had a Kirmuss ultrasonic RCM, very effective indeed though I used my PRC3 for drying. Having cleaned my collection I’ve sold the Kirmuss, this has freed up a lot of space and I have reverted to using the PRC3 to keep my records clean, I hope to not need really deep cleaning now that the Kirmuss has been used. I could be tempted by the small footprint HumminGuru at some point, I would pre-treat with surfactant…again no air drying for me…PRC3 instead.

 

[Mike Reed]

so I hope I've chosen to revive the correct one!

Revive?. That RCM states that it also dries (7 to 10 min's overall procedure; is that both sides? If so, not bad at all). This facility in an ultrasonic is a real bonus, though I wonder if it simply uses a warm air fan and/or some vacuum function; I can't find this under 'spec's'. Price is competitive for ordinary RCMs, even at £500. Although I think a warm-air fan is dubious at best, I wonder if there's a caveat somewhere. Does it use any formulation of fluid?

 

[clivem2]

Under the Customs tab:

The customer will be solely responsible for the import fees & tax, customs duty, and commissions/handling charges imposed on the goods. Please note that NO refund if the recipient fails to pay the import fees/tax/customs duty/third party commission charges/any additional handling charges in full before or on delivery that causes the abandonment of the package or return of the goods.

I thought that under recent U.K. rules the vendor is responsible for paying tax and duty.

 

[NickofWimbledon]

Borrowing an RCM is still cheaper and avoids Customs Duty completely...

 

[James Evans]

I'm impressed with the Porject VCE I bought recently. No idea how it compares to other RCMs. I bought a record off discogs and it was unlistenably crackly on both sides. One run through the RCM and all the crackles vanished. Not sure if that was static as it certainly didn't look dirty. Other newly bought records I have that are persistently crackly I'm having less joy with, and I can only assume they are just crap pressings.

 

[Mark McA]

Similar experience to James, I bought a project vc-e a few months ago and have only cleaned 20-30 records, all look like new, some sound much better others less so but they might need another clean. Don’t know if the project supplied cleaning fluid is the best option for the more difficult jobs. The machine itself is very easy to use if a bit noisy (like a very noisy vacuum cleaner which I suppose it is!)

 

[Mike Reed]

I thought that under recent U.K. rules the vendor is responsible for paying tax and duty.

Not if the vendor is overseas, as here.

Borrowing an RCM is still cheaper and avoids Customs Duty completely..

Okay if you only have a very small collection and that's it; oh, AND if someone will loan you one. Buying from the U.K. doesn't involve customs duty for the end purchaser. Otherwise, two choices; buy new and suffer depreciation but have a guarantee, OR buy used and be able to pass it on down the line for little or no loss.