We Vinyl Ultrasonic or Vacuum Cleaner?

OP…As in most things hi-fi the answer is BOTH….Using both give you the best vinyl listening experience possible for a given record.

FWIW Chad Kassem was asked if he cleans new records prior to their initial play. He stated that he brushes his records and does not use another method initially. It was not clear whether he was referring to Analog Production products only. Interesting perspective. 

I changed my technique around a little bit this weekend, and trialed a couple of previously cleaned albums that were marginal. 

I start with the US bath with a 9 minute clean at 31C. Then i take it to the Okki Nokki for a two revolution pass to remove the fluid. I then do a cleaning on the Okki Nokki with their fluid(at this time) and a scrub and leave the fluid sit for 1 minute. Then a dry with 4 revs in each direction. 

Results have shown improvement in several records, with some being excellent, and those with inherent damage are better but still going to be replaced. 

Next step is to add a distilled water rinse but need another brush to distribute the water. Either that or have a small dish of water that I can rinse my brush in.

The positive point is that it appears the current ultrasonic tank can remain in use. At least that is my perspective so far. That can always change.  

A few months ago I got a Vevor US. Run a full batch of 9 records for 30 minutes at 40–45C, using RO water from home tap (TDS ~40) with a drop of dishwashing liquid. Then vacuum off excess water, a bit of airdry while I load up the next batch.

I noticed drop to zero random small clicks (= small dirt particles) and background noise compared to vacuum only. I don't think the esoteric vinyl cleaning solutions make any audible difference, particularly, as 99% is vacuumed off. I used up some of that stuff I had from before, no difference to dishwashing soap. Noise floor cannot drop below zero. Those recipes with all sorts of alcohols (plus additives in what you get at the store), photographic wetting agents etc. is a needless complication, as far as I can tell. That also suggests that rinse in DI is not necessary given concentrations of chemicals in the washing solution. Residual is of <Å "thickness", meaning there are scattered molecules on the record surface, a few orders of magnitude below what a stylus can detect. Additionally, our listening environments are not ISO certified clean-rooms. Surgical cleanliness is pointless.

And FYI, I have done plenty of PCR/DNA sequencing and SEM, where chemical concentrations and small scale cleanliness matter. That has also taught me to put things into perspective. Just enjoy the music, that's what all this is about, allegedly.

Yes and no. I have long believed that obsession about water used to clean LPs is pointless, for reasons you state. But I’ve heard no difference between LPs cleaned on a good US machine vs VPI HW17. And both alcohol and nonionic detergent help provided you rinse thoroughly before vacuum dry. And I’ve done some molecular biology too.