As my vinyl collection keeps growing I’m finding myself in need of a good way to give everything a nice cleaning. Has anybody tried something like the" Happybuy Ultrasonic Cleaner 6L Ultrasonic Vinyl Cleaner"? You can find it at amazon.
I like the idea around it, basic, no-frills, just a tank, and a separate motor to tun the records. Are they terrible, and I should spend a bit more to get something that looks nicer?
Thanks!
What you should know is, that the higher the ultrasonic frequency, the smaller the exploding bubbles, but the weaker their exploding energy and the opposite for lower ultrasonic frequency.
Smaller bubbles mean, they go deeper into the groove and clean the grooves more thoroughly but can’t remove harder, less loose dirt there. Larger bubbles mean, they can remove harder, sticky dirt better, but rather on the top of the grooves than deep in them.
Cheaper cleaners have lower frequencies. Kirmuss for example recommends heavy manual cleaning with microfiber cloths accompanying the ultrasonic cleaning process (probably because only that ensures proper overall results). The same for also still too low frequency cleaners like the Glaess, which additionally uses circulating kind of brushes inside which help, but still don’t go deep into the grooves.
More expensive cleaners with high frequency and small bubbles like the Degritter (I think it’s the only higher frequency cleaner except custom made’s currently) clean deeper in the grooves but can’t properly clean older records with somehow more baken-in dirt.
Every cleaner, no matter if expensive or cheap ultrasonic or cheap vacuum cleaners are good enough for new records. For new records, no one needs a cleaner over 800$. The only problem are older, used records, originals etc. In my experience they can be best cleaned with the Hannl Mera professional Vacuum cleaner using a rotating brush (which is also expensive).
Due to the limitations of small or big bubble ultrasonic cleaners, Degritter is shortly offering the first ultrasonic cleaner using two different frequencies to cover both, small bubbles to get deep into the grooves and large ones to provide the necessary energy to remove more heavy dirt. This cleaner will probably be well over 4k I guess.
So if you mostly just clean newly bought records, it doesn’t really matter for cleaning results, which cleaner you choose, it’s rather a convenience decision.
Thank you for the very thorough explanation. I have a mix of new and old records so it’s not gonna be a clear choice on what I end up with. In the meantime, I’ll be saving some cash 
Thank you again for the great reply
I just looked at it. 80C? Is it a good idea to heat your records? And to 80C?
If you want a good quality machine at a low price, I would suggest a used VPI 19. I’ve seen them for $400. They’re simple, reliable, not nearly as good as a good quality ultrasonic. But they’re hundreds, not thousands of dollars. AND they are made in New Jersey. You can get any part you might need.
And new records are often filthy. I wash every record.
I have a HummingGuru Ultrasonic Cleaner, which is about $400. I have had mine since it came out as a Kickstarter Project. After using it for a year and cleaned 100+ records, I am very pleased with this unit. There is no way a Degritter works 8X better for $3000. The HG is a steal for the money.
I should add that I had a VPI 16.5 for about 15 years before buying the HG.
I missed the 80C bit. Thats crazy.
Thanks, that’s the feedback that I needed. I would love to get the Degritter but the HummingGuru seems like a better fit for my budget.
You might want to check out these videos…
Might as well stick 'em in the dishwasher
Another happy HummingGuru user. I know the YouTube video states that it’s not a real ultrasonic cleaner, but quite frankly, it gets the records clean and it’s simple to use. Relatively inexpensive to boot. Absolutely no complaints and I’m happy with my purchase.
I’m sure a DeGritter is better, but for $3k… no thanks!
Thank you for the response. It’s so nice to hear from actual users. I’ll be ordering one in the next few weeks.
You get what you pay for.