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My travels and travails with record cleaning machines

Posted by ecl876 (A) on October 20, 2023 at 12:05:06

Over the past 25 years, I've had a number of record cleaning machines. I started with a VPI 17. It was an excellent and dependable machine that never broke down and gave me good service. In those days I used a Disc Doctor brush and solution. The cleaned lps were much quieter after cleaning. But, as is the habit with obsessives, I thought I could do better.

My next machine was a Nessie Vinylmaster. Esthetically, it was a nice looking machine but that didn't last long. The black top surface was easily marred and scratched and after a few months looked considerably older. Functionally, it was just OK. It had a built-in cleaning brush and vacuum. I don't remember whether the fluid was dispensed automatically. However you could brush by hand as well and this proved to be necessary because the installed brush didn't do that good a job. After wetting and brushing, you'd press the vacuum and it would do a couple or rotations in opposite directions and then stop. If the disc remained slightly wet, there was no way to just turn on the vacuum. You had to go through the whole process again. This proved to be very annoying so it was on to the next machine.

Enter the Pro-Ject VC-S2. This is just a vacuum machine. It had a strong but noisy vacuum, but it did the job. However, after a few months, the motor was making very loud sounds and clearly was in distress. The platter was starting to wobble. Irritated, I threw the machine away. Research showed that many people had the same problem with this machine. It was cheaply made and the worst of the cleaning machines.

My next adventure was with the Clearaudio Smart Matrix Silent. This was the most expensive machine at $2800. It is clearly well made. But here, too, there are problems. In this machine, the liquid is dispensed automatically and you have an option for more liquid by pressing a button. Though the cleaning is automatic, I always used a brush as well; it did a better job than the installed brush.. The arm that supplies the liquid is also used for vacuuming. When you're ready to vacuum, you push a button and vacuum as long as you want. This machine is definitely quieter than the others largely because the vacuum is WEAKER! It normally takes me about 40-45 seconds to dry thoroughly. If you should find wet spots after stopping the vacuum, there is no way to use the vacuum alone. You must go through the whole cleaning process again. This is a definite disadvantage.

On to my latest purchase: the Degritter Ultrasonic Mark II. I love this machine and think it does a thorough job cleaning the record. AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN THE ROOM! Just pop the record in the slot, set the times for washing and drying and come back when the record's done. The records I've cleaned with it were clearly improved. I won't say it's a panacea; it really doesn't get fingerprints and some other marks out too well, but it does seem to clean the grooves. It won't make damaged grooves silent.

Really, the best, most thorough cleaning would involve scrubbing by hand with a vacuum machine and the using the ultrasonic. But if the record is mostly silent, I don't bother.

Clearly, there are many choices in record cleaning machines. If your records are new or NM, obviously a quality vacuum machine will probably do the job adequately. Since, I don't have a microscope, I really can't tell whether the ultrasonic is better than vacuum cleaning. And what does BETTER really mean? If the disc is quiet, that's all I ask for. And you can achieve this many ways.

One method I will never use is the Kirmuss Restoration. It may do the greatest job in the world but the time it takes is way too long. If you love cleaning records, here's to you. Go to town! And, while you're at it, view a few Kirmuss videos. You'll be able to throw away your Ambien almost immediately!

Edits: 10/20/23 10/20/23 10/21/23 10/21/23 10/21/23

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