Best Record Cleaning Machine:$700-$800 range

I completely agree with Dan_ed thay build your own is the best solution until you get to a Loricraft. I use my shop vac (which is much more powerful than the VPI) and a modified crevice tool with a slit cut in it and velvet ribbon on double stick tape as a surface on either side of the slit to use against the record. The velvet ribbon was an interesting recent discovery I will share. I use the LAST 10 packs of record brushes to distribute the record cleaner. These have a strip of what appears to be a white microfiber brush attached to the plastic. While they are not extremely expensive, I discard them as soon as they get a little dirty and use a different one for the 3 different solutions I use. In this way you can use them up quite quickly so I searched for a way to replace the fiber brush (it is easily pulled off the plastic handle). I found, at the local fabric store, that they sell rolls of "velvet ribbon" that under magnification appear to have the identical structure to the LAST brush and costs pennies an inch. I just cut and reglue to the handles.
(P.S. the shop vac also comes in handle for lots of other chores!!)

machines are nice but not necessary, i have two disc doctor brushes and cleaner, use my old platter on a lazy susan with mat, a small shop vac and 3 cotton cloths, distilled water, and 2 small bowls, wrap 1 of the cloths around a 4" vac attachment, put lp on platter, mix your disc doctor and use a small amout on 1 brush, spin lp while holding brush, take cloth 2 and wipe excess, wet other brush in bowl 1 apply to lp and spin platter, rinse brush in bowl 1 and then put in bowl 2 and hit lp again, get cloth 3 and use for getting up most of the water, get vac put on lp and spin to dry, put lps in a dish rack till all are done, takes no time and you dont spread the dirt to all of your cleaning divices, total cost, about 100.00, been doing it this way with no problems, cleaned my lps that were under katrinas flood waters for 2 week and most still play fine, i use this for new and used lps, they come out quite and clean,

Sota makes a pretty decent machine. Everybody has has the VPI 16.5 & so do I. Don't forget the orbitrac to not allow the cleaning brush on the machine to get too dirty.

The best RCM in this price range is to make your own. This can be done for under $100 and will work as good if not better than the commercial RDM's in this price range. If this is not an option for you then I'd say pick up a VPI 16.5. The VPI 17 is not, IMO, worth the money. Another option is to save up some more until you can get a Loricraft.