GEM Dandy Record Cleaner - Has Anyone Tried It ?

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.

The report or review that I read (can't remember where) suggested that it was pretty messy to operate. Maybe it takes practice.

So far nobody in the responses has tried this thing. I'm going to go out on a limb and buy one. I have to say, I really like the theory behind it quite a bit. Imagine a stucco wall with 30 years of dirt in the grooves. Would you rather scrub it with soapy water and then go to it with a wet-vac, or take a power-washer to it?

Or better yet, scrub it and then take a power washer to it.

I'll report back.

-Dusty