Record Sleeves - Which ones and where?

Well I got my order today from Music Direct. I got 300 outer sleeves and 100 poly lined paper inner sleeves (to start*). The outer sleeves were advertised as 6 mil, and are very nice. Double albums fit with little hassle. It's easy to see the album covers through the sleeves. These are well worth the investment if your album covers are in nice shape and you want to preserve them. The inner sleeves are fine too. The paper isn't much heavier than a normal paper sleeve, but the poly lining makes it nice. I think I'll get a couple of samples from Sleeve Town and compare. *My thinking is that I can get more inner sleeves comparable to these for less $$$. The one thing I wasn't ready for is the time required to change out all the sleeves! I've been at it for a couple hours now and I've got a long way to go........but they're worth it.

Spenceroo: Shouldn't you be washing your albums before putting them in clean sleeves to minimize the dust from the stock cheap paper sleeves?

Please post what you think of the comparison of other manufacture sleeves as I'm going to have to do this with my small collection.

Cytocycle,
I've been giving the albums a dry brush treatment before putting them in the new sleeves. I'll do a thorough wash when I get my Kab EV-1. I'm going to get some sample sleeves for a penny each at Sleeve Town and compare. I'll post my findings when they get here.

Hello Spenceroo,
To tell the truth, I'm unsure what these Japanese Outer Sleeves were in thickness, and perhaps I was correct the first time with my rememberence that they were 6 Mil? lol

Anyhow, they are nice, aren't they?

Sadly, all these little goodies we buy are somewhat expensive. I just ordered some RRL Cleaning products, and I know they are very good, but it does hurt when you think for a second that these liquids cost $100 to $200 a Gallon! And we thought Gasoline was expensive.

Do let us know when the KAB EV-1 Machine arrives, and how you like it. I'll be interested to hear how it works, and it's ease of use. Mark

Spenceroo,
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My experience with Sleeve City (Sleevetown) has been much different than that of Emailist.

For me they have been terrific and give great customer service. All of the sleeve sellers by in bulk from manufacturers and can have production or packing problems from time to time. I have been working with Sleeve City for 4 years now, had one problem (I mis-ordered) and they took back the sleeves with no hassle and replaced them with what I meant to have ordered.
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They will also give you a bit of a discount (around 10-15% , can’t remember exactly) if your make a larger order.
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I have tried several inner sleeves and found the MFSL to be by far the best. They also have a nice advantage of having some printing on one side that directs you to the opening in the sleeve (seems small, but a nice convenience). They are a bit more expensive, but well worth the money.
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The best outer sleeves have been the Poly pro 5 mil polypropylene. They are clear and large enough to let the LP’s easily drop in and handle the double LP’s as well. They happen to be on sale now.
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Below are links and the product description they list on their website for both the Inner Sleeves and Outer Sleeves that I have recommending.

Information for the Inner sleeves

http://www.sleevetown.com/lp-sleeves-inner.shtml

Mobile Fidelity Master Sleeves - These are the same high-quality inner sleeves used by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab for their vinyl releases. They are imported, three-ply, anti-static, premium sleeves (similar to rice paper) and work with both LPs and laser discs. Back construction consists of a paper layer sandwiched between two sheets of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a translucent HDPE front. This equals or surpasses the discontinued VRP inner sleeves.

Information for the Outer sleeves

http://www.sleevetown.com/lp-sleeves-outer.shtml

SALE! Ultimate Outer 5.0 - a clearly better outer record sleeve that doesn't get cloudy. Manufactured from crystal 250 micron clear polypropylene, sleeves fit loosely over outside of jacket, 12.75" X 12.75". Our heaviest weight outer sleeve, yet it retains the sparkling clarity of polypro. Price decreases with quantity. Get a sample for only a penny!