Ultrasonic Record Cleaner 40 v 80 v 120 kHz

I've had a DeGritter for 3 or 4 years, have cleaned hundreds of albums through it, and no vinyl has been 'damaged' - rather, it's been 'cleaned'. I don't even use record cleaning solution, just distilled water. 

I've been very pleased with my Klaudio US cleaner. Simple, one-button operation makes cleaning easy. For the rare occasion that I have a really dirty LP (such as one bought used or one that I'm cleaning for a friend), I clean it first in an original generation Nitty Gritty machine.

Neil will come and give you the low down before long. One consideration is that the size of the cavitation bubble that forms (as well as it's energy) is related to the frequency of ultrasonic vibration. 120kHz bubbles are likely to clean the bottom of a vinyl microgroove, whereas I believe 40kHz might not do such a thorough job in theory. Does that make a practical/audible difference? There's the rub, as there's a lot of money to be saved with a 40kHz machine. I have a MkI Degritter and I'm completely satisfied with it, used after a vacuum clean on a Loricraft.

Thank you all for the reples.

Yes, I agree with you dogberry, one can spend considerably more for a 120 Khz machine vs. a 40 kHz machine, the latter of which can be purchased for $200 from China. 

I am considering the Degritter (120 kHz only I believe) or a machine from Cleaner Vinyl, now selling triple frequency machines.  

https://www.cleanervinyl.com/shop-multi-frequency-cleaners.html  

George Merril also sells an inexpensive machine - $200. He claims it is as good as US. Relies on a jet of water from your faucet. 

Part of me thinks an ititial manual cleaning using the Merril machine followed by a US cleaning at a higher frequency is the way to go. But this is just a hunch. I need to do more homework. 

@jwr159,

First - recommend reading this article awad-reprint II (crest-ultrasonics.com), and the take-away is that for record cleaning, much above 80-kHz has no real benefit.  

Second, if you read this post - Ultrasonic Cavitation & Cleaning Explained | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com) pay attention to the basic rules regarding kHz vs power.  Quick takeaway, is that a low powered 120-kHz is not going to clean very well.

If you are going to do the UT-DIY, the best UT tanks are the Elmasonic P-series elmasonic_p_gb.pdf (vwr.com) dual frequency 37/80-kHz with a variety of operating functions and are well powered by real power.  Most people with the Elmasonic P-60 or P-120 operate 10-min auto-cycling between 37-kHz and 80-kHz; then 10-min at 80-kHz.  Some of the other UT tank reported power levels are a bit optimistic.  

But going the DIY path, there is a lot of details to get it right such as the spinner speed, number of records, bath management, filtering, etc.  If you want to explore this further this free book Chapter XIV does a deep-dive - Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition - The Vinyl Press.

Otherwise, the general precision aqueous cleaning process is based on two steps, pre-clean and final clean.  New records can go straight to final clean, but used records generally need a pre-clean step, and you have many options.  The book above has a simple manual sink method using multiple chemistries, but there is also the option of vacuum-RCM, and combinations followed by UT final clean.  Keep in mind that except for the $$$$ Clearaudio unit, vacuum RCM do not clean the record - you clean the record with the brush and chemistry.  Vacuum-RCM adds convenience with speed to dry.   But, the UT record specific HumminGuru, Degritter & KLAudio all have the benefit of convenience - drop the pre-clean record into the slot and push start and ~10-min record is clean and dry or mostly dry with each having its own pros & cons.  If curious I did a comparison between the DG and KL here Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition | Page 13 | Steve Hoffman Music Forums.

But, let me stress that as far as I am concerned, there is no best cleaning process.  The best process is the one that is best for you.

Good Luck,