GEM Dandy Record Cleaner - Has Anyone Tried It ?

All this info is good for those that are entering the arena of LP playback and looking for alternatives to clean records.

I owned the Nitty Gritty, two VPI's (including the 17F) and now the best one I've ever seen or used, the Odyssey RCM from Germany.

Still, not everyone has been into listening to records for as long as I have, nor do they necessarily know how deep they want to get into it. I agree that the vacuum based machines are probably more effective, but there are people who will be excited about the GEM Dandy and I don't want to be the one to crush their excitement.

Just like the (very long) Lenco thread, it brought a good number of Audiogon members over to the fun and excitement of LP playback and we NEED more young guys in the hobby to keep it alive.

I'm all for entry level solutions, that's exactly where I began when I was a kid.

Albert, you really think young guys are going to emerge from their baptismal experience with this thing with a huge desire to continue using it? I'd say it's more likely to put a, er, damper on the whole idea of record cleaning :-)

My son would find it fun to use, I'm going from personal experience, that's all I've got.

How many people would buy a 40 year old Lenco, clean, tweak and repair it, only to have to construct a 60 pound custom base before it delivered full potential? Judging from posts here at Audiogon, quite a few.

Many things in high end audio are a hassle, or shall we soften that to "a lot of work." Some people enjoy it, some don't. The reason I have a $6800.00 record cleaning machine is because I deeply believe in the LP format and want the best possible. When I was a kid I would have been a lot more excited about the potentially affordable $100.00 one.

I just don't want to ruin it for someone who might be where I was many years ago. I think the review pointed out the advantages and disadvantages. There are people who play LP's that have never been cleaned, or think they are clean because they bought a record brush.

In that case, any of the machines discussed in this thread would be an eye opening experience. I'm trying to not close the door for anyone who's interested at ANY level.

Well, I sorta agree, which is why I was recommending the sub-$100 approach that doesn't require you to don a wet suit. Those who would prefer to don a wet suit are, of course, encouraged too.

As to how many people, etc., a lot fewer than might get into record cleaning if it were hassle-free. IMHO, that is. :-)

Wet suit? Do you think it would be that bad? I don't know how good the guy is that reviewed the GEM Dandy, but I think I could do fine with it in our sink and create no more mess than rinsing dishes.

Then again, I have not tried it. Just supporting those who contribute to LP music playback.