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Best value record cleaner/cleaning system

Thought I would ask the group -- when I was last in the analog game some 12-15 years ago it was a VPI or Nitty Gritty for record cleaning (that and the wood-handled Discwasher pad with red-bottle liquid, Zerostat and Decca CF brush for just before playing an LP)... are these still the go-to standard units, or has the state of the art / ’value’ options advanced to some other kits in the present? I see cleaner units now from Pro-ject, Music Hall, Spin Clean, etc etc.

In my case I am not trying to ’deep clean’ mistreated, flea market or recycled recors store records... just good hygiene maintenance-cleaning of a treasured collection - 80% regular records, 20% ’audiophile’ pressings.

Thanks in advance.
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xjjss49
fbpearce
51 posts
 
I use an old plastic Technics table with the belt removed for record support while I apply Disc Doctor cleaning fluid and scrub using the Disc Doctor cleaning pads. Then vacuum on the KAB EV-1 and back to the table for rinse using reverse osmosis H2O (Whole Foods) and then back to the EV-1. This process makes up for the only deficiency that I see of the EV-1, lack of lateral support while scrubbing. Have done hundreds of records like this. 



bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,400 posts
 
After graduating from the Discwasher to a Nitty Gritty when it was first introduced, and then to a VPI HW-16, I much preferred the VPI. Not only does the VPI Vacuum suck the LP dry much quicker (in two revolutions) than the NG, but its platter provides solid support for the LP whilst (gettin’ above my raisin’ now) you scrub it, a must with used LP’s. To keep the just cleaned side from becoming contaminated when you flip the LP to clean the other side, use a second platter mat. The HW-16 (now 16.5) is well worth it’s price, but I sprung for the even better HW-17F, about as good a cleaner as you can get outside of the osmosis type. I’m waiting for their price to come down.
jjss49's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jjss49 OP
6,601 posts
 
okee dokee i bought an okki nokki from audio advisor... :)
wolf_garcia
6,592 posts
 
I still think the method of covering the LP with peanut butter and letting maggots eat it all off is the way to go.
alpha_gt
155 posts
 
Spin clean and fiber wipes are of no real comparison to a good vacuum machine. I  used to have a VPI 16.5, but it leaked so I recently got the new Pro-Ject VS-C, a superior machine to the VPI, Okki, and Nitty Gritty. Quieter, greater suction, bi-directional, ease of use! If you have a collection of an size, it's well worth the cost to get a real RCM. And the difference in sound quality is nothing short of amazing! I have albums I've owned for 40 years, I thought were old and worn out, lots of surface noise, pops and ticks. A thorough cleaning and it's new again! No surface noise at all! Jaw dropping results. Records don't wear out, they just get dirty. 
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