Record Cleaning Machine Reviews

And I wouldn't wanna be without one.

I also own a VPI 16.5 machine that I wouldn't wanna be without either. But the fact of life is that you're still gonna get dust on your records even after a trip through the cleaning machine.

I usually take my carbon fiber brush and spin the record around on the platter then take the In The Groove roller and zap up the pile of dust.

It cleans up easily with warm water and paper towel and it works like new. A bit of advice with the paper towel is to have it slightly damp or the dry paper is gonna stick.

$20 well spent in my humble opinion.

Mike:

Perhaps a worthwhile first pass on the grimy ones before enzyme step and main clean?

Oh yeah.

Clean your home in a quicky with the shticky!

https://schticky.com/

Somewhere, in the attic or buried deep in a closet, is my yellow Nagaoka record cleaner I got back in the 80's.  If I recall, the sticky compound was developed in order to clean NASA's Space Shuttle tiles and windows.  

Ah, the 80's...Naim pre and amp, Rega table, Mission tonearm (with that liquid silicon reservoir), Denon 103, Mission 770 speakers, Dark Side of the Moon...sorry, having a flashback.

I've been using this for over a year and have found it very handy for a lite dust removal of new records that just have to be played now.  Also, previously cleaned records that have been cleaned on the VPI 16.5 collect new dust that needs spot cleaning only.  I have found that this product does produce static pretty easily so I try to limit its use.  I use mine while holding the record so don't have to bend over.  I use a brush while rotating the record on the platter, then push the dust over the edge, but collecting it as JC1957 does seems like a good way to keep the turntable cleaner.  Static continues to be my biggest frustration in spinning.  I've been tempted to try the Furutech static "wand" that Micheal says is effective and although the price is steep at $350.00 it probably would be the wize choice in the long run.  I did see an another brand version of what looked to be an identical device for a hundred less, would appreciate suggestions  from anyone who's conquered static.  I also saw this anti-static copper sulfide infused brush, video here, Thunderone http://www.sleevecityusa.com/Sleeve-City-Thunderon-Conductive-Record-Bru....  

"Yes, you should first clean new records on your cleaning machine before playing but who can wait?"

No kidding!

I wonder if this doodad would be good for cleaning the inner groove ("dead wax") and outer groove areas (outer edge before the music begins), which usually don't get cleaned by my Nitty Gritty RCM?

Check out the reviews of this product on Amazon.  Several people report problems including static and residue being deposited on vinyl that is difficult to remove.  Stanley Taub, the inventor,  has a response/excuse comment posted on every negative review.  He also sells other cleaning stuff on QVC like the "iRoller".  Looks like a hustler to me and I will not try this.

I am one of the negative reviewers of this product. I was given one as a gift several years ago, and used it on many, many records. At the time, I thought the only negative was the static issue. Then one day when the sun was coming through the window by my turntable, I noticed strange squiggly lines on my supposedly clean record. I soon discovered it was a sticky residue that had come from the In The Groove cleaner. Nothing would remove it, until in desperation I tried lighter fluid (naphtha). That removed it, but when I played the record, there was a hellacious amount of surface noise. After maybe a single minute of play, I looked at the stylus, and there was a huge glob of crap on it. I later figured out that the naphtha dissolves the residue, where it runs deep into the grooves of the records. Only playing the record several times and using my stylus like a trowel would remove the crud. After 2 or 3 plays, stopping to clean the stylus every minute or so, then the record would generally be okay, though some never recovered and were ruined. Unfortunately, they were rare, valuable records that could not be replaced, and I was a fool to use a cheap product like this on them. 

So, to summarize, if the sticky residue ends up on your record, you first must clean it with lighter fluid, then clean on record cleaning machine, then rinse twice. Next, you must play the record through at least once, maybe 2 or 3 times, stopping every minute to clean the crud off your stylus. I found that for every record so afflicted, it took at least 2 hours to restore it, if it could be restored. I still occasionally find a record in my collection with the telltale swirls on it (esp visible in the deadwax), and my heart sinks. 

To his credit, the inventor/seller did try to contact me to say they had redesigned the product to not leave a residue, and offered to send me one for free. I declined, and certainly don't recommend anyone risk their valuable records on a $19.95 "wonder" cleaner. I'm glad he's not my surgeon. 

That would not demag your cart and not be a smart move next to your delicate, electrical phono cartridge. If you zap yourself (or a loved one's tushy), it really hurts!

There's some serious energy coming out of that device (unless you've used it a lot, and losing its efficacy). It works alright as an anti-static device in most circumstances though. 

You want to zap the record and/or the platter, and follow the correct procedure.

StaticGuard spray on the carpet before your stand is what I've heard MF using for some defense. We as humans are also very obvious conduits for static electricity, and I've seen the brass disc in use before on some racks to ground before touching equipment. Something I needed a decade ago! 

I've truthfully had some very harrowing experiences with my then-brand-new power amp that involved walking across carpeting during the winter, and literally blew out the left channel and the left speaker woofer, after a cable-sized bolt of electricity jumped from my forefinger and to the amp On switch.  Much rage and gnashing of teeth! 

The Acoustech brush, with or without the grounding cord, is pretty ineffectual in my experience, and was a big disappointment for me.  At the price it's at now, it's a rip off. The AQ carbon fiber or the Hunt EDA are more effective at reducing some static, but not great.  

We're all fighting some serious fight when we love our vinyl.  It ain't easy!  

Michael, how do you feel about washing real problem records in mild dish soap and water?

I have had good luck getting ground-in grunge out using diluted Palmolive or Ivory liquid and a worn Last record cleaner brush.  (The pile on the used brushes is cleaned and somewhat renewed by a pre-wash with the diluted soap.)

This has made very playable, and enjoyable, several heavy-vinyl 1960s or 1970s pressings, such as an early copy of Derek & the Dominos' Layla.  No standard cleaning has been able to match it, though as said, I only reserve this for very bad (but unscratched) records that are worth the record and the gamble.

The washed records take some time to "cure," or thoroughly dry out.  I usually wash a few at a time once a year, then lean them on edge against a wall in a storage room in my house, leaving them for about 7-10 days until the labels and grooves dry.  Then I put them back in their packaging and let them sit about a month.  When I next do an ordinary record brush cleaning, a line of white or grey dirt and dried soap comes up to be brushed away.

The result is often spectacular, and more records are saved than junked.  Once I found an LP of George M. Cohan songs that I had as a boy, but never saw again, in a Salvation Army store.  It looked unscratched, but was as grey and caked with dirt as if it had been used for a floor mat.  I washed it and dried it out three times in the course of a year - and after two disappointments, I got the line of dirt up on the third go-round.  The record played, and still plays, as if it were released this year.

Am I damaging my records any by this method?

Guess I'm just old school... love my 16.5 VPI RCM, use an artist natural hair paint brush at my tables (implemented with the end of bristles toward the approaching grooves), don't even care much for the carbon-fiber (ridiculously priced) brushes, and I humbly recommend JUST SAY NO to putting anything sticky on a record that you care for.

spammers suck!

Happy (no stick) Listening! ;^)>

Yes, Pierre's hyperbole gets tiresome and some of his products are goofy, but Mapleshade's phonophile brush is a winner as is the no-longer-available Ionoclast.  The grounded phonophile is the best dust / static brush I've used in 40 years of spinning vinyl.

I'm relatively new to vinyl, and started with a Rega P3-24 about two years ago.  Midwest winters with radiated heat are conducive dry conditions, which exacerbate static.  I tried the Milty Zerostat and the Maplesahde Phonophile brush, and didn't notice much difference with either.  (The Zerostat does work to an extent - I've used it with more success on grounds in the coffee grinder - it just didn't make a huge difference for me on vinyl, even with multiple treatments.)  I tried treating the system with Nordost Eco3x antistatic spray, and didn't notice much, if any, difference.  I also use a Spin Clean, which some users report reduces static, but it did not have much effect on static in my system.  At one point, using humidifiers, I introduced enough humidity into the listening room that it felt like a tropical environment in the middle of winter.  This also failed to help.

I'd read that an external ground cable could help lower noise and reduce static on the Rega, but I didn't want to do a tonearm rewire with the Incognito or other kits.  I'd also read a review of the acrylic platter at Groove Tracer, where a user reported elmination of static in his system when switching to the acrylic platter.

Ultimately, I bought VPI's limited edition Scout SE, which retrofitted the old HW-19 acrylic platter to the Scout platform.  I know Mr. Fremer is not a huge fan of acrylic platters, but as I listen to a lot of classical, I was eager to try something that might reduce or elminate static.  Of course, the VPI also has an external ground cable.  Whatever the reason, this seems largely to have resolved static issues.  

I claim no expertise - this is anecdotal evidence at best - but platter material and/or having an external ground cable may make a difference in reducing static.  The effectiveness of platter material at reducing static may also depend on environmental conditions.  Your mileage may vary.

I'll never forget the day I received the reissue of Weather Report's Heavy Weather at 45rpm and Monk And Coltrane at Carnegie Hall on a beautiful Mosaic pressing. In the same shipment was the "In The Groove" cleaning roller, which I promptly rolled over both records. After several cleanings I can still see the roller marks in the wax.

Michael,

Please comment on removing static from your cartridge.  The Zerostat appears to be an effective device for record and/or platter surfaces, but maybe not a good idea for cartridges.  What do you recommend?

I also use it to clean my platter (Sota Nova). It leaves the platter absolutely pristine.  I've noticed no residue left behind and no additional noise on my LPs.