View Full Version : $80 record cleaner - whadda-ya think?
atomicAdam
10-28-2010, 01:49 PM
Price is right, but does it do the job better than cleaning w/ a towel and solution by hand?
http://www.needledoctor.com/Spin-Clean-Record-Washer
02audionoob
10-28-2010, 02:07 PM
I would think it does the job more conveniently, for one thing. I also think there is an advantage to fully soaking the record, as opposed to only wiping it. Vacuuming should be better than either one - soaking or wiping.
JohnMichael
10-28-2010, 06:49 PM
I have read good things about that system. I am considering one for my records. Better than dry brushes or the old Orbitrac system. When I finally purchase one I think I will be more comfortable buying used records if I can get them clean cheaply. The Canon 50D just arrived so I am going to slow down a little with purchases.
dakatabg
10-28-2010, 08:42 PM
It cleans both sides at the same time! It is not bad especially if you have hundreds of records to clean!!!
Poultrygeist
10-29-2010, 04:24 AM
I've thought about using my bath tub and my wet/dry shop vac. Is that crazy thinking?
poppachubby
10-29-2010, 09:55 AM
I say...keep saving. Most guys will tell you to skip the Nitty Gritty and keep going to the holy grailm but I disagree. Save some cash and the nitty gritty is a good way to go. There are alot of new machines popping up on the market, keep your eyes peeled. Alot of VPI wannabes which may be a good thing for us little guys, hard to say yet.
02audionoob
10-29-2010, 09:57 AM
I've thought about using my bath tub and my wet/dry shop vac. Is that crazy thinking?
I use a wet/dry vac on mine. I just covered the crevice nozzle with velvet. If you need label protection while you dip the record in the tub, some people use dent pullers on opposite sides of the record.
Mr Peabody
10-29-2010, 07:35 PM
If it really works $80.00 is a bargain compared to a VPI 16.5. And, some simple brushes are half that price. I'd be willing to give one a go.
thekid
10-30-2010, 01:42 AM
I know a local audio enthusiats who has that cleaner and I have seen it in action. The concept of the machine is very basic. The cleaning solution is poured in at the base and you use a hand crank to spin the record on series of rollers. It is very effective at cleaning and the results are so far above the spray/wipe hand cleaning system it is not even close. You still need to dry the record afterwards,he uses a regular plactic dish rack and a couple of shammie cloths.
I think given the amount of plastic it is very over-priced but the price listed in your link is about $40 less than what people were paying for it last year. His price included a much larger bottle of cleaning solution than the one shown but honestly I think a combo of distilled water and rubbing alcohol would work just as well as anything they might try and sell.
Might have to bite the bullet and pick one up at that price.
Mr Peabody
10-30-2010, 11:06 AM
I recommend checking online for record cleaning solution recipes, all of them I've read use alcohol only in a very small, diluted amount.
02audionoob
10-30-2010, 02:07 PM
I've been using a 4:1 water/alcohol ratio, recently. It also helps to have a surfactant of some kind. Many people use a tiny amount of dishwashing detergent for that purpose. I use Jet-Dry.
hifitommy
10-30-2010, 08:20 PM
the gem dandy unit by george merrill seems to be a great idea for cleaning and maybe a nitty gritty from KABusa that you use a shop vac with might be a great combination using the kab unit to suction off the fluid.
who knows, a spin clean could be good but too bad theyre not motorized for that price. still, it seems you need the vac to remove the juice.
atomicAdam
10-30-2010, 08:32 PM
I know a local audio enthusiats who has that cleaner and I have seen it in action. The concept of the machine is very basic. The cleaning solution is poured in at the base and you use a hand crank to spin the record on series of rollers. It is very effective at cleaning and the results are so far above the spray/wipe hand cleaning system it is not even close. You still need to dry the record afterwards,he uses a regular plactic dish rack and a couple of shammie cloths.
I think given the amount of plastic it is very over-priced but the price listed in your link is about $40 less than what people were paying for it last year. His price included a much larger bottle of cleaning solution than the one shown but honestly I think a combo of distilled water and rubbing alcohol would work just as well as anything they might try and sell.
Might have to bite the bullet and pick one up at that price.
Great feedback 'thekid'. I'm getting closer to pulling the trigger.
-adam
poppachubby
10-31-2010, 07:03 AM
the gem dandy unit by george merrill seems to be a great idea for cleaning and maybe a nitty gritty from KABusa that you use a shop vac with might be a great combination using the kab unit to suction off the fluid.
who knows, a spin clean could be good but too bad theyre not motorized for that price. still, it seems you need the vac to remove the juice.
Exactly. kid you know I love ya, but if the end result is to simply wipe the solution off, what's the point? Allowing the solution to fully air dry is a bad idea.
Perhaps the Spin Clean in combination with noob's vaccuum method would work. I suppose for $80 "why not" but I think if a cleaning machine is what you really want, continue to save and buy the real thing.
If you buy the Spin Clean, you will most certainly need to buy something better down the road. You will grow tired of it's fully manual, non vaccuum ways, just as you are with hand cleaning.
Adam, have you Googled any DIY machines?
02audionoob
10-31-2010, 07:35 AM
Exactly. kid you know I love ya, but if the end result is to simply wipe the solution off, what's the point? Allowing the solution to fully air dry is a bad idea.
Perhaps the Spin Clean in combination with noob's vaccuum method would work. I suppose for $80 "why not" but I think if a cleaning machine is what you really want, continue to save and buy the real thing.
If you buy the Spin Clean, you will most certainly need to buy something better down the road. You will grow tired of it's fully manual, non vaccuum ways, just as you are with hand cleaning.
Adam, have you Googled any DIY machines?
I've thought about that, too. But then I decided I don't want both sides wet at once. When I handle the record to vacuum it, the side I'm not vacuuming is better off dry. If I upgrade, I too will hold out for something better. I suspect the upgrade bar for me is set at least at the VPI machine.
hifitommy
10-31-2010, 09:33 AM
well MY way of doing this is really basic. these brushes are directional just like a discwasher brush but you can get them at 99cent store for.....GUESS......99CENTS!
method: in the kitchen sink, you wet the brush on ine side and dip you finger in some dawn dish detergent (or equivalent) and rub it onto both sides of the brush (down the middle area, the whole brush isnt going to contact the record surface. it doesnt matter which way the fibers are facing.
then wet the entire record with the sink faucet. most labels wont be deteriorated by this. if the label is porous such as the nillsson schmillson record one that i ruined, then this method is NOT for that disc.
after you wet the record, take the brush in hand and apply it across the grooves and brush. the suds will cover the record as you sweep around the disc going back and forth several times. turn the record over and repeat, theres enough suds to do that. you will notice that the bristles cause you to follow the groove path.
then rinse and use your fingers to lightly rub (dont worrry, the grooves will not be damaged provided you dont hold sandpaper at the same time. do this until theres no longer any slippery feel from the dawn soap.
THEN take the dish sprayer (i hope you have one hooked to the sink) and spray the daylights out of both sides. this usually makes a splattery mess in the kitchen so you may want some old bath towels toput on the surrounding areas and floor. i dont, i just clean up afterwords.
dry the records off with a paper towels thoroughly and place them in the dish drainer for a while.
then they are ready for play. its is VERY effective.
IF you have a nitty or similar, it can be used to vacuum off the water and the record will be ready immediately.
H & L Russel Clothes Brush Double Faced, Red Velvet with Blue Handle <noscript>http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/3190p4kOkQL._SS400_.jpg
</noscript> http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/3190p4kOkQL._SS400_.jpg
thekid
10-31-2010, 04:23 PM
Let me clarify my original comments. There are brushes on the Spin clean which more or less replicates the traditional hand method of spraying cleaning solution on the record and then moving a brush or similar device across the surface. The real advantage that the Spin Clean has is that the set-up allows you to repeatedly clean the record until you are satisfied and it cleans both sides at the same time. The brushes do remove and dry much of the cleaning solution but as Pops mentioned it is a little bit of a drawback in that you still need to use a cloth to dry them. My friend uses a drying rack because he cleans about 5 records at a time and stores them in the rack until he wipes them down.
I am not trying to be a shill here just giving my opinion. When I have looked into record cleaners most of the motorized ones cost a pretty stiff amount. If you are fairly handy I am pretty confident you could make your own version of the Spin Clean. The question is could do it for less than $80 when you consider your cost for materials and time?
poppachubby
10-31-2010, 04:30 PM
kid you could never be a shill! I don't like the fact that you even feel the need to say that. You are my friend and your opinion ranks super high with me. I was just playing devil's advocate, but mostly just telling Adam to think about the bigger picture in terms of down the road.
80 bucks, while "cheap" is roughly one sixth the cost of a VPI, so saving and moving up the ladder is a thought.
OK, let's hug it out little guy...:cornut:
thekid
10-31-2010, 04:57 PM
kid you could never be a shill! I don't like the fact that you even feel the need to say that. You are my friend and your opinion ranks super high with me. I was just playing devil's advocate, but mostly just telling Adam to think about the bigger picture in terms of down the road.
80 bucks, while "cheap" is roughly one sixth the cost of a VPI, so saving and moving up the ladder is a thought.
OK, let's hug it out little guy...:cornut:
Hugs...... :D
No sweat PC I just wanted to differentiate this piece of gear from other manual methods of cleaning.
I understand your thought on saving up for the real thing so to speak but there is no way I could sell that type of outlay to the wife. She pretty much tolerates my audio addiction because I more or less have kept it on the cheap even though the cumulative total does add up after awhile...... :2:
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