We Vinyl Ultrasonic or Vacuum Cleaner?

@audphile1 The Okki Nokki has a choice between small and large platters. I use the small one that supports in the label area. Roughly 4 inches across, the same size as the clamp. The vinyl grooves touch nothing. 

Even the used albums I buy are free from pebbles and twigs, so there is nothing of significance that is going to be caught in the felt. I have owned a VPI for years and years, and never once had a scenario you concocted come up. The user can lift the wand out of the machine, and inspect and rinse the felt pad you know. 

My decision to use a vacuum dry process is two fold. One its much quicker, and gets the vinyl drier. If you leave a record out long enough to air dry, you are allowing dust to deposit again. My ultrasonic machine has a fan dry stage, and that works well, but that is still time consuming. 

Secondly, I am not convinced that all particulate is pulled off a record in an ultrasonic bath, or that a small amount does not flat and redeposit when the record is removed from the bath. A final rinse and vacuum step removes that possibility. 

@neonknight ah that makes sense with a smaller label size platter on the OkkiNokki. I was going to mention Pro-Ject machine that uses a label size platter but sounds like you got that aspect covered. I agree about ultrasonic potentially leaving some garbage stuck in grooves. I’d just use the okki with good solution and a brush. Vacuum it and enjoy a new record. 

@neonknight 

I would find a good carbon fiber brush, not like those audioquest ones and all their clones. I used to like the Hunt EDA MK6 but MusicHall bought the rights to produce it and goofed it up! I don't know if they corrected the problem since because I never bought another one. I replaced that brush with an Ersa Major which is just seven rows of carbon fiber bristles in a solid aluminum and hardwood handle. Combine something like it with a silicon roller to use on new records. I know there is a lot of chaff on new records from the inner and outer sleeves but its easily removed with the above implements. Don't believe the lore about mould release or residues from the stamping process because you're dealing with images as small as a micron or less cut in to the lacquer that if there were any foreign matter were present on the stamper it would create intolerable levels of noise. The only thing that's going to reach down into the groove and bring foreign matter to the surface is your stylus and is easily removed with the silicon roller after a side is played. Clean your stylus before every play and give the stylus one swipe with the dry stylus brush before playing the second side.

As for used records get a Spin Clean, follow the manufactures instructions implicitly and only use the products included in the package as well as only distilled water. Clean the brushes thoroughly under warm running water after every use and allow to air dry. Discard the distilled water/cleaning solution when you're done. If your unit comes with the large bottle of cleaning solution, it'll probably last for decades.

You don't have to go overboard because vinyl is inherently quiet!

I clean ALL my records, new and used. New ones come with all sorts of gunk from the pressing process in the vinyl. Used ones I assume are dirty. I also purchased a very cheap vinyl vac for my vacuum cleaner. 

I set my USM at 50C - hot, I know, but after much trial and error, it works!. 10 minutes at 50C and then vinyl vac it. If it's still dirty, then another 10 minutes in the USM, give it a good scrub with cleaner and brush of your choice, rinse with hot tap water, and 2 minutes in the USM and vinyl vac again. If that doesn't work, get a new copy!

New records CAN be dirty and noisy - I have experienced this first hand, so now I just clean everything. BTW, check the bottom of your water tank after you have cleaned 10-20 of your new, sealed records. You will be amazed at the gunk there.

Enjoy!

@vinylshadow 

my friend has the loracraft and I have used it. It does a great job but a high quality ultrasonic tank produces a record like a clean piece of jewelry when it comes out of the bath.  A rinse with distilled water then air drying gets great results with little to no surface noice but it is vinyl so you can’t avoid imperfections pressed in the grooves.  Regarding ultrasonic damaging the grooves the only way that happens is if the water temp gets too high    The cavitation bubbles certainly will not damage anything as they just burst.  
Hope this post helps you 

thanks