VPI HW-16.5 vs HW-17 record cleaning machines

I had a VPI 16.5 and thought it was a good cleaner. I prefered it to the Nitty Gritty cleaners. After several years with the 16.5 I sold it and bought a SOTA LPC which is a better built and more versitile machine.

A friend bought a VPI 17 which I had the chance to use, after using it a few times I sold my Sota and bought a VPI 17 and after nearly a month of use I think it is fantastic. It cleans much better than the 16.5, works faster and is MUCH quieter.

It would be worth the upgrade.

I just bought one of the VPI HW-17F cleaning machines that recently came onto Audiogon. I owned a HW-16.5 for 10 years or so. Both do a great job. Since the HW-16.5 utilizes a manual brush, you can give the record a better scrubbing. The HW-17F is quieter to operate and I think I read that it has a stronger suction motor. Overall it is a more refined machine that for me is worth the extra money.

About all I can offer, Steve, is that I've used the HW-17 for almost 20 years and I've enjoyed the added convenience it offers. Now I use it with Disc Doctor fluid and Disc Doctor brush (with manual scrub), but I continue to use the -17's fluid applicator to apply the distilled water rinse and then vacuum. My cleaning results have never been better, and the convenience of the HW-17 makes the application and rinse process a breeze. (Of course, many people are doing similarly with the HW-16.5 and find that combination very successful, just have a somewhat messier rinse process.)

The only change in the model over the years, as best I understand, has been the introduction of the fan to keep the motor cooler (the HW-17F). I have the original version without the fan and it works great, even after all these years. Without the fan, you just have to limit your cleaning to about a dozen records per session. I'm sure a fan can be added to my older unit, I've just never felt the compelling need, and I've used it across literally thousands of records.

Is it worth upgrading? Dunno. I think it depends on how many records you're continuing to add to your collection each month and what cleaning regimen you've chosen to adopt. I certainly wouldn't trade my HW-17 for anything else now that I have it.

You should check out the discussion archive here on Audiogon referring to "RRL" vinyl cleaning solutions. These made the records cleaned on my 16.5 sound the best ever.
Completely compatible with either the 16.5, or the 17.