Stylus cleaners
I used to use Onzo ZeroDust with my first few cartridges years ago. With the last two cartridges, Hana ML, I have only been using the included Hana brush for every side of LP and the MoFi LP-9 liquid stylus cleaner (I get as much fluid out of the brush by pressing it against the neck of the bottle before I clean stylus) every 3-4 records.
Onzo is collecting dust especially since the Fremer’s The Tracking Angle article.
I’ve been looking at DS Audio ST-50 but at $80 I’m not sure it will do anything better than my current cleaning methods.
What’s your stylus cleaning routine?
I use BluTack at the recommendation of SoundSmith (who rebuilt my B&O MMC20CL cartridge). It works very well if you use it like the "Onzo" product. I like to pull the cartridge and check it under a microscope every couple of months and do a deeper cleaning with distilled water.... Even when there is something that looks like tar on the "front" of the stylus that the BluTack didn't remove, all that I've ever needed is a bit of distilled water on a stylus brush to get it clean. |
FYI on the alleged controversy with Onzow. Old news but news travels slow here, opinions reign supreme. The advice in the article should be followed no matter the brand of "gel" cleaner used. Keep the lid on it. Do not heat Keep out of sunlight (no D3 needed) Clean with water only and let dry for 30 min. https://trackingangle.com/features/the-onzow-zerodust-controversy-concludes-here |
I've been around the block a few times with different stylus cleaning approaches, having used ME (dunk), Onzow, Blu-stuff and various dry brushes. I have not used an ultrasonic (electronic) type. When I had Lyras, I used their fluid. I never found the Onzow any more effective than dry brushing. Have not tried the DS. I eventually stopped any "dunk 'em" out of fear of torquing the cantilever. My current method is a long bristle stylus brush and back to ME, but using the "scrape" method. I use the latter only for deep cleaning, not routine cleaning. I also have a bottle of Jim Pendleton's AIVS stylus fluid which he claims will not damage the adhesives used. I never encountered any damage with the "dunk 'ems"--only my paranoia given the high cost of top tier phono cartridges today. I inspect routinely with a modest magnifying illuminated headset, and when I want a closer inspection, use a high quality jeweler's loupe (the one I use now set me back 40 or 50 bucks a decade ago) with good optics. Getting much over 10X leads to distortions and doesn't really seem necessary. If you cut the ME in a pretty thin splinter, the amount of risk is lowered substantially in the "scrape" mode. Jim's "juice" will also leave the stylus sparkling but I'm always reluctant to apply liquid to the stylus tip-- and do so very sparingly and infrequently. Brushing is essential after any use of ME. But, like everything else in this hobby, opinions vary. |
