Another vote for the KAB EV-1 manual system. Hooked up to my Oreck canester vacuum, it does a fantastic job cleaning filthy records from shows and garage sales. I apply the fluid manually, and spread/scrub with the supplied brush. Hard to beat for the money, IMHO.
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mapman, the KAB cleaner is here: http://www.kabusa.com/rcleaner.htm. I have no affiliation, just a satified user. |
Clearly there is no one option best for everyone. Otherwise there would be a consensus on technique, equipment and fluids. I was a long time Nitty Gritty user. Prompted by a major upgrade to my vinyl system, I decided to see if other record cleaners would do the trick better. I compared the VPI, Loricraft and ClearAudio Matrix cleaners. I was hoping that the Nitty Gritty would be as good as the others because...well because I'm cheap. Unfortunately for my wallet, to my subjective ears, the Loricraft was clearly the best. I'm intrigued by steam cleaning but have been too lazy to try. I'm already usingthe 3 step AVIS system and don't want to spend more time cleaning each record! My only regret is that I didn't buck up and purchase the Loricraft sooner. IMO, a good record cleaning system is as important as any component in the vinyl chain. My point regarding value on the previous post was simply that if you have a lot of money invested in your records, many of which are extremely expensive to replace (if they can be replaced at all), then spending the money for a good RCM is definitely worth it. I have ~2500 records, including numerous out of print Mosaic box sets and 45 rpm reissues and mono jazz LPs that bring the cost per record to a reasonable level (~$1/record). If you have a small collection, the cost per record rises, possibly to a point of not justifying the cost of the RCM. |
Jazdoc, This last post of yours probably makes the most sense of all, and I agree with you 100%. We all seem to take some different routes, and some are quite truly "unique", or really "odd" routes I note of other "vinylphiles". Just like our audio gear, I can wholly understand the "relativity" of everything audio, and how each, and every one of us have different systems, different aspirations, and goals. There's those, who are big vintage fans, with a Garage Sale Table for $15. Then there's those, who went all the way to the "Walker" route. I can of course understand as well, those wishing to experiment with those Partridge Family, and Milli Vanilli Records. In most eyes. they're no loss. Yet, I don't understand the "few" who shorchange themselves, after buying a $1400 VPI 17F, then resort to Dawn Liquids, and Kodak Photo Flo as a cleaner, and see the truly good commerical, award winning brands as snake oil? Mark |
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