What record cleaner is the most bang for the buck??

https://groovmaster.com/

this one. Clean them in the sink. And no, I’m not kidding.

I have a “system” consisting of microfiber cloths, distilled water, Dawn, and a cheap dish drying rack FWIW.

In my opinion, people make wayyyyy too much of record cleaning.

As long as you have a Dustcover and put your albums in their sleeves, a clamp cleaner (especially effective on those from the used bins), careful handling, and a Big Brush are all you really need.

Believe me, I’m one of the most neurotic and fastidious people I know…allthat cleaning simply isn’t necessary ( in fact those frequent cleanings with wet (and gritty) roller brushes are ruining your albums!)

Disclosure: I had the deluxe Discwasher set back in the day too 😆 No shame, we learn we grow ; )

I would never own a turntable without a (convenient to operate (I.e hinged)) dustcover partly for this reason!

I know that’s a dealbreaker for some (we must choose our battles).

I would not use Amazon as my first filter.

Look at VPI record cleaners. That was my first one, for over twenty years. Really loud and large. But did a good job.

My second was a German Nessie. I got mine around $3,500. Well worth it… very quiet, small, beautifully constructed, and more fully automated.

In retrospect, it is something you are likely to, have a long time and spend hours over… a good one is a good investment. Some of the folks with cheap ones put ear plugs in to get away from the noice. Wish I had thought of that with my VPI.

I use the KAB EV-1. It's like the top section of a Nitty Gritty record cleaner that you hook up to your own vacuum cleaner. I like that it sucks the waste water off the bottom of the record rather than fighting gravity. It only costs $149. It's sold by KABUSA.com.