Loricraft Record Cleaning

So now opinions on cleaning products and how many processes do you use?

There is a claim from one manufacturer regarding the enzymes that are used in most cleaning products that is, these enzymes have a short “shelf life” so the gallon of fluid you made up last year in not as effective or even useless,
True or false?

I found the joy of steaming using a VPI for the initial cleaning (applying the fluid) then adding steam before the vacuum and then a polish with a micro fiber cloth.
For my cherished vinyl the third step is second cleaning using TTVJ Gold spray and more steam before a final vacuum and a micro fiber polish.

I have also tried the Gruv Glide on some noisy LP’s but I am skeptical about the results I did not hear a discernable difference in the reduction of noise.
This has been covered in various threads with opinions on both sides…. me I gotta go with “Didn’t hurt, but didn’t work” opinion

But the steam I am sold on, that process really did quiet down certain problem LP’s I had.

I do still have massive static problems (Living in Florida) sometimes I lift an LP from the deck and POP! As the charge hits the stylus.
I guess a Zero stat gun would be one way to go unless there are other suggestions.

I was considering replacing felt strips on the VPI pick up tube with some micro fiber cloth any thoughts?

The Hannl Micro arrived, and my 1st impression was WOW! I had seen the Nitty Gritty and the VPI and they look functional, the Hannl looks like a "high end" turntable. It has a gloss black and brushed aluminum finish and you don't have to hide it in the utility room when you are finished cleaning.

The power cable plugs in the bottom and there is a master power switch next to it. The front panel has the on-off switch with built-in led. There are two front panel push-buttons to spin the aluminum platter left or right. Two more push-buttons control the five speeds of the platter, and led's light at the highest and lowest speed. The final two buttons are for the vacuum motor, and it also has five speeds with the highest and lowest marked with led's.

The full size aluminum platter has a rubber mat to hold the record, and comes with a very heavy record clamp with built-in rubber gasket to prevent fluid from getting to the album label. The platter motor has incredible torque... feels like a winch motor. The platter would rub your fingers raw before you could slow it down.

The vacuum pickup is nicely made with soft velvet strips that contact the record. Two additional replacement sets are included. The vacuum pickup sits above the record on soft rubber rings which allow you to gently push it to the record surface and then it springs back by itself. The vacuum pressure can be set at five different levels and of course the noise of the vacuum pump is at five different levels as well. The noise is much less than the VPI machine and you can easily talk to someone standing next to you. I don't think it is so quiet that I could enjoy listening to music while cleaning a record, but I don't play my music really loud.

Additionally, they supply a record cleaning brush, a small squeeze bottle to apply fluid, a large micro-fiber cloth and a bottle of X2000 cleaning solution. Not sure what the X2000 is and I bought a bottle of L-Art du Son.

Cleaning a record is really fun with this machine. Place a record on the rubber platter mat and use the clamp/record protector to hold it down. Apply some fluid, brush a few revs to the left and a few revs to the right to scrub and loosten the dirt. Then vacuum to the left one or two turns, and to the right one or two turns. Voila... a nice clean record.

I cleaned a few clunkers first to test the results and they were better than I imagined. Next was a good one, the Thelma Houston Sheffield recording. I'm not sure what she is doing these days, but for about 15 minutes she was right there performing.

I'm sure I will give some steam cleaning with the RCM a try one of these days, but for now I'm more than pleased with the results of the machine.

Finally... a tip of the hat to Cytocycle who made me aware of the Hannl machine, also Joe at The Cable Company for friendly service, fast shipping and a great price, and the Audiogon list members... without you I'd still have dirty records!

Pkubica
Thanks for reporting back to us on this great record cleaning machine.I think I am going to buy one as well.
George

I posted earlier about not knowing whether the Loricraft would be worth the extra expense compared to the VPI 16.5...well, I still can't say much about that, but I can tell you that the cleaning process is much more pleasant and thorough. The additional suction the Loricraft has gets that record dry! I always found the VPI left things a little damp (maybe using too much solution?).

My feeling is the record is more thoroughly cleaned, too. It may be also be a combination of using all the great cleaning solutions that are sent with the machine.

Records cleaned with the Loricraft are quieter on my turntable and appear cleaner to the eye.

Well I just did some very smart or very stupid - depending upon one's perspective. It seems yesterday the price of the Loricraft went up 20%.

I snuck an order in for a PRC3 with the hinged cover at the last moment (maybe too late now but it's worth a try).

Speaking with one of the folks at SmartDev - it seems that the sucking pressure at the tip between the 3 and 4 model is negligible, since the tip can only flow so much. The info I got seemed to indicate the better pump is balanced into 2 halves, so it is smoother, and would have a longer life.

This would not have an effect on fluid trails left, though getting some on the lead out and in area is normal, and can just be dried with a paper towel.

Wow, this is way more than I thought I'd ever spend on a record cleaner, but a 20% price increase just makes it even more out of reach, and the chances of getting one here used are slim. They mentioned that only 1 unit has ever been returned within the 30 day return policy and that was due to cost, not performance. Once I started investigating an upgrade to my 16.5, the price just kept creeping up closer and closer to the Loricraft, and in the end I'd just end up with something that functioned similar to the 16.5 I already own- though about 40-50% quieter.

One thing I did find out about the Hannl is that the cleaning tube is easily removable, so you can have 2 for different fluids. The Clearaudio could not do this, so it was scratched from my list.