@whart, Bill as always thank-you for the kind words and the acknowledgement and of course your efforts as editor and publisher.
One of the problems with record cleaning is that there are no clearly defined cleanliness criteria. I address this in some length in Chapter XI but it's very technical. Absent the criteria, the market is ripe for all forms of exaggerated claims by vendors selling what will be the latest and greatest cleaning agent and/or way to clean a record and the Edisonian technique of trial and error can be screwed by perception and bias.
Here are 3 different power ratings for a new 40/80/120-kHz UT transducer model #CCH-4039D-120/80/40, PZT-4
35W - China 35W 40k 80k 120k Triple Frequency Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducer - China Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Transducer (chinax.com)
50W - 50w 40k And 80k And 120k Triple Frequency Waterproof Ultrasonic Transducer For Cleaner (ultrasoniccleaning-transducer.com)
60W - Aluminum 60w Multi Frequency Ultrasonic Transducer For Cleaning Tank (ultrasoniccleaning-transducer.com).
So, one of the challenges in putting together record clean processes is to understand the user's threshold - how much convenience do they want, how many records do clean? If you are a power-user, the manual method is not practical. How much money are they willing to spend - there is a big difference between an Elmasonic P-series UT and an inexpensive Chinese made UT tank. But I can tailor a 'process' to accommodate the equipment differences. But designing a process using a multi-frequency 37/80-kHz, high power Elmasonic P-series with multiple operating modes affords options the lower price equipment does not afford and is much easier with a near guaranteed success rate. The only hick-up was very high throughput users where we had to install a radiator with the filter system to keep the tank temperatures under 100F (the Elmasonic P-series are powerful units).
So what have I learned from working with many people is how to work-around pretty much whatever limitation may be presented - be it the equipment or what cleaning agents are available; and obtain the best results from the equipment they have. Does better equipment yield a cleaner record, that all depends on the process being used. A weak UT tank can be overcome by a good pre-clean step; but your throughput can suffer. Or we can increase the chemistry in the UT tank provided a post rinse is used. So, after all is said and done, the best cleaning process is the one that is best for you.
Take care, and best wishes for the Holidays - wishing all peace on earth and good will to all.
Neil