It’s about time for me to order some inner records sleeves for my vinyl collection, and I have narrowed it to three choices. All are made from polyethylene.
Mobile Fidelity Polyethylene (approx. $20 for 50): These are an old standby, but I have read some reports of them leaving a film of something on the record over time. These reports seem to indicate that it could have been from a defective batch, but I haven’t found confirmation one way or another.
sleevecityusa.com (Diskeeper Ultimate Audiophile LP Sleeve 50 Pk $26.99): These have rice paper on both sides with a cutout so that you can see the record label, vs. only one side on the Mobile Fidelity sleeves.
MA Recordings Inner Sleeves ($33 per 50 pk): These are woven from a blend of two polyethylene based microfibers. They are strong and semi-opaque and porous to avoid trapping moisture in the sleeve.
I am interested in opinions from people who have tried any or all of these sleeves as to any pluses or minuses you have found.
I have no experience with the MA Recordings sleeves. Both the Mobile Fidelity and the Diskeeper Ultimate are good. I typically buy in increments of 100 sleeves, and tends toward value. Therefore I have not purchased the Diskeeper sleeves recently. Another consideration especially if you need a large quantity are the QRP sleeves from Acoustic Sounds. They are equivalent to the MoFi sleeves and are a bargain in large quantities; 250 for $72.50. I have not had any issues with MoFi sleeves leaving a film on my records.
Here’s a vote for the sleeve city Disc Keeper Ultimate. Perfect stiffness such that they slide into the outer sleeve without bending corners,(unlike the MoFi), very low static attraction. I’m replacing all my old MoFi’s with the Ultimates.
I use MF for all vinyls that did not come with similar type sleeves and have not had any issues; I also use their outer sleeves as well, no issue either;
Have been using MFs sleeves for years and have never encountered any residue whatsoever left by them on my vinyl. In fact, I just refreshed my stock with a new package of 50.
How do you all store your LPs when they have a cover? Lately I have been using those thin Japanese sealing outer covers with the opening at the top, album cover with spine pointing out on the shelf for easy reading and inner sleeve with opening upwards outside the cover at the back. This allows me to easily grab the record without having to pull the cover out and eliminates pressure on the sleeve at the edges. It also makes it easier to slide in and out with the opening at the top. Any new LP with a hard card inner sleeve gets left in the cover and replaces with a standard inner sleeve to reduce scratching.
+1 for MoFi, never had an issue with them, bulletproof imho.
I also use the Nagoaka for smaller single sleeves that can’t fit the MoFi’s and they’re also great, although much harder to get the record into as they are a fiddle to get open. But they’re equivalent to the MoFi quality without the paper backing for stiffness.
