Which VPI LP Cleaning Machine?

Sayas - If truly pressed I could probably come up with a dozen or so reasons why someone would want to clean more than one or two records at a time and still not find themselves in your "production" category. Just a few are:

Someone with a larger, older record collection who wants to clean them all and doesn't want to spend 5 years to complete the task.

Someone who doesn't want to haul the machine out everytime they listen to a record that hasn't been cleaned one-by-one.

Someone who frequents garage sales and picks up 10-20 Lp's at a crack on most weekends (including a pristine Brubeck "Time Out" last weekend for four bits)!

I happen to fit into all three categories. I bought the 16.5, having resolved myself to cleaning 5-7 LP's every day until my collection of 2,000+ are done. The reason for NOT buying the 17 WAS to save money, given that I have more time than money. And, the $600-odd dollars saved DOES go towards buying more vinyl, having already bought a cartridge. As for your third option, I would suspect that one who trots out so crude and inane a reference as blowup dolls likely has a pair stowed one's bed.

ouch!

17 is a really nice machine...

I've got an equally large and older collection sitting waiting to be listened to, and the luxury of a room that is convenient and accomodates the machine and also have Time out and yes it is a great recording, i hope your aquisition is in excellent condition.

hope your future cleaner purchase is rewarding!

For what its worth I bought a vpi 17 for a great price last winter and it has been a delight to use. I would strongly recommend it. Fluid cleaning type is another question. I started out using no alcohol but when this lot is done I plan to use some and compare. Good luch

I use Torumat cleaning fluid with great result. However, I would be most grateful if someone can reveal a good secret formula for low-to-medium income audiophiles to buy the chemicals and produce the solution ourselves. After all, how hard can it be???

For many years I have used the following simple solution with very satisfactory results, and, most importantly, no harm across several thousand LPs:

20% Isopropyl Alcohol (91%), with no additives
80% Distilled water
12-20 drops of Kodak PhotoFlow per gallon (to reduce surface adhesion)

Mixing this up is simple: Buy a 1 gallon container of distilled water, pour off a little more than a quart into a separate clean container, then pour 1 quart of isopropyl alcohol into the gallon container, add the PhotoFlow, and top off the gallon container with some of the distilled water you poured off at the outset.

Some people contend that a surfactant should also be added as a "detergent" agent to be effective, but I've yet to find a recommendation with which I've felt comfortable so I've stayed with the formula above. There is also some contrary opinion about the use of the PhotoFlow, but I've not observed any problem in over 15 years. In my experience the PhotoFlow is necessary to get the fluid into the record grooves.

One can work multiple options on how pure should be the alcohol and distilled water. I've always used what I find in the local drug store.

VPI 17 record cleaner still going strong.