Update. The latest synthetic inner rings:
I was surprised, being an original registered customer of the VinylFlat , that I wasn't sent an email from them when this new option came out. I just recently received it.
I was having an issue after years of use with the original groovy rings that had become "not Flat" when compressed.
The new synthetic option seemed logical.
I've noticed for quite some time that several vinyl records have pronounced height in the very center portion. So much so, that when using a VPI center weight, it doesn't sit flat on these lps. This logic transfers to the VinylFlat's effectiveness as well.
My solution which is working rather well, was to trim the outer edges of the synthetic material to 11+ 3/4" diameter and using a 1&1/2" hole punch on the very center to remove that portion of the material that can interfere with the overall flattening of a lp. I also use (2) 1 &3/4" fender washers on the outer plates as a replacement for the standard washers.
So far this seems to work very well. Having the outer 11& 3/4" diameter still works well for outer edge flattening without going so far over as to overcompensate for this problem.
