This method of packing is also supposed to prevent seam splits on the outer jacket in transit. Makes sense to me.
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Since I have just started getting back into vinyl after 35+ years and am not prepared to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a record cleaner, what would people recommend for less expensive cleaning methods. Are there brushes that are good at cleaning records and will get me 90% of the way there? The two inexpensive brushes that I’ve bought (Pro-Ject and Audioquest - same brush but company branded) are good at collecting dust but not removing it. They also induce a lot of static (even though they are supposedly anti-static).
It would be nice if owners of ultrasonic record cleaners could report on their experience with these devices: Worth the price? effective? pain in the ass? Would you buy it again? This is very important information for those who really collect vinyl.
I have an Audio Desk System unit, current retail starting about $4000. Excellent at cleaning any record. It’s drawbacks are that replacement cleaning rollers and wipers are fairly expensive, as they contact the disc, and wear out. A similar product is the Degritter. It retails for about $3000, and apparently has no contact cleaning, so no parts to wear out. From what I have read, they both are about as effective as the other at cleaning. If there is an edge in cleaning, the nod goes to the Degritter. The Degritter also, apparently, has significantly quieter operation. That all being said, I would go with the Degritter. In fact, I am considering getting one to replace my six year old Audio Desk.
Al - I have one. It’s fantastic. If I could I’d issue one to every record playing audiophile. It’s a game changer.
For vinyl that look like they sat uncovered in an opium den for twenty years, I clean them first on a VPI 16.5 using a cocktail of Osage cleaning products.
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I keep a magnifying glass in my glove compartment and one in my suitcase for inspection as well. There are plenty of shops that have turntables for testing, but that often requires me to put their headphones on. I am a bit of a germaphobe, so it’s rare I take advantage of the shop’s gear.
I have the ultrasonic cleaner shown below and have been quite happy with the results. If you have a large collection to clean you might opt or the (6) or (12) record batch options. You’ll also need to purchase the ultrasonic cleaner tank for around $160 as I recall. This is way better than the half assed old TT turned record cleaner I had fashioned ages ago. If your records are filthy it might be worthwhile to get something that has both u-sonic and mechanical cleaning.
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I’ve been collecting vinyl for 50 years and stubbornly resisted buying a vacuum cleaning machine for too long. I tried about every brush, roller, and steam cleaning protocol out there before breaking down and spending the money for a Nitty Gritty vacuum machine. I shouldn’t have waited, there’s no comparison between the cleaning job a vacuum machine does with a manual brush method (with records that need a good cleaning) IMO. I will say that the less expensive methods I used in the past did preserve the new records I purchased pretty well. After much play time the records I cleaned with Discwasher brushes, etc. for many years still sound excellent and considerably quieter after running through the Nitty Gritty. I imagine a “Spin Clean” system would be ok to clean brand new records but to clean used records that need revival, I think you need something more powerful to be maximally effective. It is unfortunate that the price of lower tier vinyl vacuum cleaners has risen so much over the years.
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My Nitty Gritty was ten times better than my Discwasher Brush. My VPI 16.5 was ten times better than my Nitty Gritty. Now my AudioDesk Systeme is ten times better than my VPI. WARNING!!: All estimates of improvement may or may not be exaggerations based upon the smile on my face with each upgrade!!
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I’ve been using this guy:
It’s cheap and killer.
It believe it was an excellent purchase and I would not like to be without it. It is worthy. If you want to save a thousand hold your nose and buy a Degritter. You might end up in front with it.
Hi, Fats! I’m fully inarculated as well. I’d love to hear your system and a convincing demo of the superiority, or even competitiveness, of vinyl on such a revealing system. I’m pretty much available 24x7. Does 24x7 work for you? 
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The new flooring just got Installed today and the trim board goes up Saturday. Want to come over anytime Sunday after 12. My analog is a Rega p8 with Hana ML and the PS Audio Stella. Waiting for the Techdas III PREMIUM to arrive in a couple of weeks. That will be connected to a Gryphon Legato Legacy Phono pre. Mask free baby!!!
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On the vinyl, I think I’m just gonna be reeeaaaaally discriminating at the local shops, and keep trusting my repeated sellers on discogs. But I just need to get over my snobbery of buying new, and that it’s ok to do so. They were all new once, right?
On the Degritter, I have it and love it. At the time I bought it, it was probably the most expensive piece of audio gear I owned. (My Harbeth 30.2 XD’s now have that title.) But it was certainly a leap of faith.
Do I think it’s overpriced? Yes I do. I can’t understand what makes the thing worth $3000.
But do I love it? Yes I do.
My previous cleaner was the old SpinClean, with the two pads and you rotate the record manually, three times in one direction, three times in the other. Then find a good soft microfiber cloth to dry it. First-world hassle, yeah, but it certainly wasn’t one of those things that I looked forward to. And you couldn’t just do “one” record. Well, you could, but it would be silly.
The Degritter is nice in that you can choose heavy/medium/quick cycles, and you can leave the water in the tank for up to a week. And you can conveniently clean a record right before you play it.
For really nasty records (of which I plan to have very few more), I have done an initial wash in the spinclean, and then put it into the degritter. Seems to work great.
There’s a 50+ page thread on the steve hoffman forums about the degritter, and alternative cleaning solutions, and techniques. I participated for a while in that, but my eyes started to glaze over after a time.
Anyway, if you can justify the cost, I recommend it.
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I’ll have to let you know about a Sunday. I have a tee time if weather is decent. Thanks for the invite?
Sounds good. I won’t be free until around 230 Sunday. Was a member at Hazeltine until the Ryder cup. I golfed 80 rounds a year and was still a double digit handi so I called it quits. Started spending the golf dollars on Audio instead.
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You’re heading in the right direction 
But note that in record collecting speak VG is very average condition, may show noticeable wear, various noises etc.
A few bucks spent on a higher grade is often worth it.
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Thanks!! Could you give a short sum up from your memory of the results of users comparing among ultra Sonics and with normal machines like VPI 16.5 or Loricraft?
Does proper cleaning need both?
Does the degritter also clean physically (is a kind of brush inside) and does it dry the record without residue?
Not even a little bit!
It’s been a while since i visited that thread.
I pretty much just use the degritter for 99% of the cleanings. I’m more discriminating when buying albums these days. Most I get from discogs, and I’d say 75% are sealed copies now. I’ve found a really good seller called “Pop.Market” and they have over a hundred thousand albums, and some interesting pressings… sometimes multiple pressings of the same album.
If I buy used, I make sure they are near mint. Been having really good luck lately. By default, I do a “heavy” clean in the degritter for anything used.
I still have about 50 albums that I’m planning on SpinCleaning first, then into the degritter. Old stuff. Stuff I thought amusing to buy, but might not really spend much time on a nice turntable. (I have an old technics belt drive with a cheap cart that I can pull out for these novelty items.)
No brush inside the degritter, I don’t think. It’s strictly cavitational cleaning.
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It seems to me that an ultrasonic device would work well for particulate debris but some sort of solvent or detergent application would be necessary to remove organic films. Perhaps a combination of both would be ideal for used records and the latter for new ones.