Vinyl “Pops & Clicks” eliminators


I’m betting a polarizing topic, but I ask the question as a truly curious audiophile who has just not honestly had the opportunity to do any real research on this category of products....so, am not asking as either a proponent nor opponent of this technology.   So, a few obvious items: (1) it’s best to work with clean, unblemished LP’s (for multiple reasons) and (2) obviously a product designed to “remove” an audible defect is also going to affect the audible spectrum; but in what ways, exactly, both desirable and undesirable do these devices affect the music?

I’m talking specifically about devices like the Sweetvinyl Sugarcube SC-1, but I’ve literally done zero research so far on how many devices like this even exist.   The “Sweetvinyl” box comes to mind only because I see their ad in TAS mag, but I don’t know if there are other companies with similar products.   
Question is....we all have LPs in our collection that we acquired and for whatever reason were not kept “clean” and have scratches resulting in audible pops/clicks.   Are these devices — essentially selective filters — selective enough to do their job on imperfect records without destroying the surrounding harmonics?    Or do we just discard & reacquire any scratched records we own?   Or is this a “better” solution?

I’m gonna guess that literally 10% maximum of the Agon’ers who reply here have ever owned/heard these products used, so maybe let’s all just mention whether our opinion, our response, is based on real-life observations, or just theoretical replies.    Both have value, but for different reasons.

Best,
Jim
jhajeski
mijostyn

Soundsmith says the contact area of it’s line contact stylus is 50um2. 1 um2 = 1.55 e-9 inches2. This means 50 um2 = 0.0000000077 inches2. 2 grams = 0.004 lb . 0.004/0.0000000077 = 51,948lb/inches2.52 thousand psi. So now guys lets do the same experiment on cleed but we will put 52 thousand pounds on his head. We can skip the metal rod.
You’ll need to double-check your math. First, Soundsmith defines the contact area not as 50um, but 6 x 50 um. "Rather than providing a small circular 'dot' contact point with the groove, the more complex shape of the Shibata allowed a long vertical line of contact to be achieved with the groove wall."
Details here.
Math is just that, Math. Math allows us to predict what will happen in real terms.
Ok.
I tried a common sense test by lowering my stylus onto my finger. I left it in place for more than a minute. If it was true that the stylus exerted anything near 52,000 psi on my finger, I’m sure I’d have been in pain, especially given my low tolerance for pain. But I didn’t feel any discomfort at all. You’ll need to double-check your math.

I keep a dust cover on my VPI while playing, and I have not observed any degradation.

To keep uncovered exposure of my vinyl to a minimum, my dust cover is suspended on string cabling and counterweighted, so I can just lift it up then pull it down without having to move it to a separate resting place.  Yes, I would have preferred a hinge, but none was available.
cleeds. half way down is a chart showing the contact area of Soundsmith's styli.   https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information The Line Contact stylus is listed as 46.7 micrometers squared. 6 X 50 micrometers defines the tip shape of the stylus not the contact surface area. I rounded out the 46.7 to 50 for simplicity's sake. The reason that the stylus does not perforate your finger is that skin is soft an flexible. The tip become buried in your skin which then also contacts the rest of the stylus and the cantilever spreading out the contact surface area by several orders of magnitude. If I took a very sharp sowing needle and used the tip to apply two grams of pressure to the tip of your finger I promise you will not be a happy camper. Common sense does not work very well. Scientist design experiments for just that reason. If you continue to use "common sense" as your principle metric in life I guarantee you will make one mistake after another. 
jameswei, add the sweep arm. It is only $20.00. Your records will stay even cleaner as they will not hold any static charge so will not attract duct on their way back and forth to the record cover and any incidental dust on the record will be swept out of the way of your 52,000 psi stylus.
I see SweetVinyl will be an exhibitor at Capital Audiofest this weekend.  I may stop by and check out the SC-1 and SC-2. http://capitalaudiofest.com/exhibitors-and-brands/