Durable record vacuum cleaner recommendation?


I am looking for a durable record vacuum machine. Any recommendations?

Ideally will also do 10" and 7", and be on the quieter side. Should be able to handle some volume without breaking.

Background: my Project VC-S is busted; vacuum motor got noisy to 95dB at 1 m, a bit much, IMHO. ~$250 motor part with no returns and no guaranteed compatibility is a non-starter. This is already a replacement unit for one with bad gears for the platter. So Pro-ject is out of the running.

In the last couple of months, I used the unit quite a bit (around 1K records vacuumed) as I got an ultrasonic and go through my entire collection.

Thanks for any leads and recommendations, particularly if you have run a few thousand records through your unit with no issues.

oberoniaomnia

Showing 4 responses by oberoniaomnia

Thanks everybody. VPI gets a solid recommendation. I see one problem: when I take record out of ultrasonic, it is wet on both sides. The VPI has a platter that supports the entire record (12") not just the label. So the platter will get wet every time I put a new record on.

Or is it possible to get a label-size platter? @joenies How do you deal with that as you also do Ultrasonic followed by vacuum?

Re noise, yes, it is a vacuum cleaner. Well understood. What I am experiencing with the PJ is well beyond a vacuum cleaner.

The Loricraft is a bit over the top, IMHO. The point suction arm is of no concern to me after ultrasonic cleaning. And price is also a bit steep.

@billstevenson good luck with surgery! Thanks for your input already.

I noticed that the MW-1 cyclone is allegedly quieter, so that is a big selling point. Is it possible to put a small spacer (say 3–5 mm: vinyl, acrylic, leather, wood) on top of the VPI cork platter to give the record a bit more space? Not sure how much hight variation the vacuum tube can handle.

Or can the platter be removed and replaced with smaller diameter one? Is it screwed on or welded?

@joenies Thanks for your procedure. I want to take the record out of US and dripping wet right away onto vacuum. Otherwise any suspended particles in groove have a chance to settle again onto vinyl. I also use RO water (have whole house RO, so is "free") and by quickly removing dirty RO water with vacuum should remove all particles. Listening test have found the RO/Vac cleaned records to be dead quiet. I actually want to do some trials and look at records with scanning electron microscope to see if there are any differences with respect to RO/Vac vs.+DI/Dist.-rinse. I doubt it. 

@bdp24 Re Pro-ject, see first post. Two of those died on me in ~1000 records, so will not buy a third one. But you are right, this is what I am looking for.

Re adding disposable paper on the cork platter, not practical doing 50–100 records in a day.

@howardlee 40 years is pretty good, IMHO. Record doctor with manual spinning is not a good option for cleaning lots of records (50–100/day). Appreciate the pointer, though!

@howardlee Thanks for the clarification on the RDX. I did not notice the V vs. X differences at first. The dual side is certainly a plus. One down side is that it does not handle 7/10". Don't have that many but something to consider. Rick from Joy Of Vinyl seems to be happy with it.

@joenies I looked at the CA. The motorized fluid application is a bit over top IMHO and also not needed in my workflow. Certainly nice if that is the only cleaner.

@daveyf Re Nessie looks similar to the VPI, but indeed could not find a US source. 

Currently leaning towards RDX. price is right, dual side action is a big plus. Have my reservations re durability, but may take a gamble.