Vinyl cleaning - Ultrasonic vs. Walker products

I was using one of the Nitty Gritty cleaners for years, then got a deal on a VPI HW-17. Much easier to use. You might want to get the VPI 16.5 though. No point in using the liquid dispersal pump. Just squirt 3 or 4 lines of fluid around the record. (This can't be done with the Nitty Gritty, as it cleans the bottom side). VPI cleaners clean the top side. Much morelogical. Quicker too. A bit less noisy, and cleans in both directions. Plus, one rotation with the vacuum and it's done.

I haven't used US cleaners (except for my airbrushes). To me it's about how long it takes and ease of use.

The answer to your question depends, primarily. upon your answers to these questions:

Do you plan on keeping those records and playing them for your own enjoyment?
Do you have a good quality turntable & cartridge to play them on?
Do you plan to sell the records and make the most money you can on the sale(s)?
How much money are you wiling to spend getting them clean?

There is no question the cavitation or ultrasonic cleaning method is best but don't take my word for it. Visit Michael Fremer at Analog Planet. If you don't know who he is, find out. He's forgotten more about records than most humans on this planet will ever learn.

Generally speaking, the least expensive and easiest record cleaning machine is something like a Knosti Antistat or Spinclean. If Spinclean still uses cleaning pads, get the Knosti. It uses brushes that will get down deep into the grooves. There's no sense using pads, even high quality microfiber cloth pads, to, essentially, push microscopic dirt particles around the grooves. Quality, non-abrasive brushes get down deep into the grooves and get the crud out, rather than pushing round & round.

For a few hundred bucks more, even less on the used market, get a vacuum machine system but something that does NOT have the record(s) bottom sides on a flat surface while you're cleaning the top side. The last thing you want to do is clean one side and then flip it over and put it on a contaminated flat surface while you clean the other. What's the sense in that?

The most effective approach is cavitation or ultrasonic cleaning and you do not have to spend thousands on a machine like this. Check out the "CleanerVinyl" site. You can put together a system like this for considerably less than a grand.

Finally, I would encourage you to do some research and read all you can about "Last" record preservative and "Last" products, in general. No pun intended but "Last" is the last step in my cleaning process. Additionally, if you plan to keep and play those records or have a vinyl collection you care about keeping in great shape, there are a few things you should be doing. For example: learn how to handle & store records properly; use good quality anti-static poly sleeves instead of those funky paper ones; insert the record in the sleeve and, then, into their respective jackets so the openings are not exposed to the air; use a good quality carbon fiber record brush and safe stylus cleaner, like an Onzow, before & after every play of every side and use a good quality record clamp.

These are the basics and don't require as much time & fussing as you might think. If you love music and care about getting the best sound you can, it's a minor labor of love.

Thanks so much to everyone for your input. I have been reading a lot over the last week. So much info out there, reading is way faster than trying everything you guys have learned. I'm going to keep all of the records and use them for my enjoyment, at least the ones that are actually listenable. In addition to what I just got, I have a small collection of about 300 that I've bought since 1975. Even though I use my Discwasher, many need a good cleaning too. I moved to the CD media, but have gotten back into analog again. Some have mentioned carbon fiber brushes. Is an Audioquest record brush better than say Discwasher and are they really soft enough not to damage the record grooves? It sounds like I should replace my daily cleaning brushes do to the wicking of the fibers. Going to do more research, but think I need several new cleaning supplies. US, Walker and more. Of course a bunch of anti-static sleeves to replace the ones that still have paper.

I use a Vinyl Stack single cleaner with a drying stand. I wipe off using old undershirts, very soft cotton, or the Vinyl Stack comes with a microfiber. I use a goat hair brush, I believe it was from Sleeve City. In a spray bottle, I have a solution of  water and Triton X-100 (water initially hot for mixing, then kept at room temp). Run faucet. I am adding a carbon water filter underneath my faucet. Water takes care of most static.

After, I do use an Aerostat, and a Mapleshade grounded stainless steel brush (silky soft).

For the stylus, I use the Onzow, etc., but usually a watercolor brush ordered from Zem brushes w/distilled water in mini bottle. The poor man's Onzow is Blu Tack or similar, and that works well. These stylus tricks are adapted from Peter Lederman's Soundsmith website. Lately, I have been experimenting with Last stylus protector. 

I think there are almost as many ways to clean records as there are audiophiles. If you are considering ultrasonic, n.b. that Vinyl Stax offers a spinner which can be used with any ultrasonic bath of a certain size. 

Lastly, after you clean, I've found it best, in most cases, not to reuse the old sleeve. I purchase new archival sleeves, 3 mil. If a record was dirty and staticky coming out of an old sleeve, why would you put it back into the potentially dirty and staticky sleeve? 

I use out sleeves for records that have especially nice, or damaged, covers. 

Once the record is on the table and static has been removed, I use this record dust brush: https://www.amazon.com/Record-Stylus-Cleaner-Anti-Static-Cleaning/dp/B07C1J9QPJ/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1. Sometimes, I follow that with a camera lens blower: https://www.amazon.com/Giottos-AA1900-Rocket-Blaster-Large/dp/B00017LSPI/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&key. Lastly, I use an LED light or high-powered LED flashlight to inspect the record. Sometimes, a record looks mint under regular lamplight, and you will hear artifacts or skipping even after cleaning. Often, when one inspects under LED, one sees otherwise invisible scratches or marring that explain the noise heard and rule out insufficient cleaning. 

"For a few hundred bucks more, even less on the used market, get a vacuum machine system but something that does NOT have the record(s) bottom sides on a flat surface while you’re cleaning the top side. The last thing you want to do is clean one side and then flip it over and put it on a contaminated flat surface while you clean the other. What’s the sense in that?"

I purchased an inexpensive rubber TT mat for my Okki Nokki to use when flipping the clean side down.
Eric