Interesting information from Analog Planet on Stylus Cleaner Onzow Zero Dust.

I had custom acrylic dustcovers made for my 2 turntables to keep dust out. But I can't use them when playing. 

I used to use a brush with Last with dry brushing first. Then got the Orzo and I won't risk stylus damage with my new cartridges.  So I am now lost as to what is the definitive best cleaner.

And now Fremer says you have to use a carbon fiber static brush like the AudioQuest or Clearaudio etc. But why if you use a Loricraft or Ultrasonic before every record is played. 

I need to find the consensus!

@daveyf    “Maybe a better question would be to ask..and verify, IF a reduction in SQ is heard by any of these ’deposits’.”
 

+1 Yes, my first thought as well. 
 

I will admit to being lazy. I want to do the least amount of work as possible (I worked 75 hours / week for over 45 years)… if I see some fuzz on the needle I’ll use my KAIU Anti-Static Turntable Stylus Gel Cleaner. I use as infrequently as possible. Don’t really notice a difference before and after. I used to use Last, never lost a needle.

I was surprised to learn from the articles, that the DS Audio left residue also.

I believe their gel is “clean room” quality + the flat surface seemed safer to use than the Zerodust. I’ve stopped using both ( for now) in favor of a brush used by professional photographers. 

Yes! This is certainly disconcerting news for those of us vinyl heads who never liked free-handing stylus brushes. Every time I did that, I channeled a special ops sniper holding his breathe before squeezing off a round! The Onzow and some of the other goop stylus cleaners, handled appropriately (i.e. not free-handing, as some instructions advise, but locating a safe, non-movable spot at the correct height so as to allow just the tip of the stylus to contact the goop; not the cantilever and using the TT cueing device to lower & raise the stylus into & out of the goop), seemed like the perfect solution! DAMN! Now, it's back to channeling the special ops sniper?

Some have criticized Mr. Fremer and WAM Engineering for this sort of half-baked alarm. However, half-baked notwithstanding, I would rather know about stuff like this before continuing to use my Onzow. The first article stated: "An analysis of the residue shows it is not silicone but rather a polymer of some sort." Then, in the follow-up article Wally Tools said: "I got more news from the lab yesterday (it is coming in slowly) and the material is an oligomer, not a polymer, so it can't be polyvinyl chloride." I'm not a chemist. So, I Googled "oligomer". Some sites say it is a polymer. Some say it's a polymer intermediate. Well, is or are the residual deposit(s) still "not silicone"? Isn't the Onzow and some of the other goop cleaners silicone or silicone-based? If it's "not silicone" would it be reasonable to conclude these residues are not coming from the Onzow and silicone-based goop cleaners? Is it possible use of these goop cleaners cause, in some or any way, the build up of these deposits? Seems, to me, we need to know where this or these deposits are coming from and exactly what they are. At this point, we are all chasing our tails. It also would be instructive to know if this or these residual deposits are all the same from one stylus to the other. There are simply not enough controls, thus far, to come to any hard & fast conclusions. It would be great to hear from Onzow, DS Audio and the others.

Just thought I'd post this as a follow-up, for what it's worth. I got tired of waiting for people like Michael Fremer, WAM Engineering and J.R. Boisclair to do the obviously right thing under the circumstances (i.e. ask the manufacturers or makers of Onzow Zerodust and other gel stylus cleaners for their feedback or response). So, I took a stab at it. I was hoping for more detail. However, I'm just some guy, some audiophile out there in the great ether asking general questions about their product. I would assume someone with considerably greater stature in audiophile circles would get a more substantive or in depth response. I would think Michael Fremer, at least, owed that to his readers & followers. I hope Onzow Labo takes the time to read the articles published in Analog Planet and respond directly. Anyway, here's the response I got from Mr. Akira Ishibashi of Onzow Labo of Yokohama, Japan:

"Thank you for your inquiry:

We carefully select resins that do not build-up residue from the beginning of develop ZERODUST. No residue build-up to the stylus. The materials are completely different from the products of other companies. ZERODUST has no adverse effect on vinyl records too. This is because ZERODUST is made of material with the same properties as mold release agent used when pressing records. Please use it with confidence.

Sincerely,

Akira Ishibashi

Onzow Labo"