Audio Intelligent #6 works well as a 1-step fluid. The best? I don’t know, but it will serve until you find one that’s better. I happen to like Audiotop, but that contains alcohol. And it is on the expensive side.
Mint LP Solution
I always been curious why this product has not had more publicity. Just out of curiosity and the desire to save some money I decided to give the Mint LP Solution a try.
I have tried many cleaners over the years but the ongoing upward cost and time involved was just getting to be a bit much. Mint even offers a free sample so I took the plunge. The neat thing is you only use one VPI suction wand during the whole process.
First of all, the cost of Mint is very reasonable. A 430 ml bottle cost $13.00 and will clean 25 to 30 lps. The matching Mint LP brush is $8.00.
Secondly with each bottle of Mint you get a free pair of velvet strips to replace your existing velvet strips on your suction wand. The LP Mint velvet strips looks and feels finer than the stock VPI velvet strips. I’ve notice that they seems to dry the lp quicker and more thoroughly. The cleaning procedure is very straight forward and quick.
First Step -you pour some of the cleaning fluid on the LP, spread it over the entire lp surface, let it set for 30 seconds with no scrubbing then vacuum of.
Second Step-you do it again and this time you very lightly scrub the entire surface and then vacuum off. Third step - you rinse with distilled water and vacuum off. I used Raegent Lab grade water which works beautifully.
The sound of an Mint cleaned lp is clear, quiet, dynamic and natural sounding. Mint Lp Solution is as good as anything I’ve tried so far including some of the more expensive 3 and 4 step products out there.
The Mint LP website will give you all of the details but this is a quick and inexpensive way to clean vinyl with excellent results. Highly Recommended.
I have tried many cleaners over the years but the ongoing upward cost and time involved was just getting to be a bit much. Mint even offers a free sample so I took the plunge. The neat thing is you only use one VPI suction wand during the whole process.
First of all, the cost of Mint is very reasonable. A 430 ml bottle cost $13.00 and will clean 25 to 30 lps. The matching Mint LP brush is $8.00.
Secondly with each bottle of Mint you get a free pair of velvet strips to replace your existing velvet strips on your suction wand. The LP Mint velvet strips looks and feels finer than the stock VPI velvet strips. I’ve notice that they seems to dry the lp quicker and more thoroughly. The cleaning procedure is very straight forward and quick.
First Step -you pour some of the cleaning fluid on the LP, spread it over the entire lp surface, let it set for 30 seconds with no scrubbing then vacuum of.
Second Step-you do it again and this time you very lightly scrub the entire surface and then vacuum off. Third step - you rinse with distilled water and vacuum off. I used Raegent Lab grade water which works beautifully.
The sound of an Mint cleaned lp is clear, quiet, dynamic and natural sounding. Mint Lp Solution is as good as anything I’ve tried so far including some of the more expensive 3 and 4 step products out there.
The Mint LP website will give you all of the details but this is a quick and inexpensive way to clean vinyl with excellent results. Highly Recommended.
5 responses Add your response
@circleman , now that Yip seems to be out of business (no reply to my email over the last 10+ months, did you find any other alcohol free alternative? I'm looking for the best out there. TIA. |
A frequently asked question about Mint LP Solution is how long should one soak the LP with it before vacuum dry? Before answering this question, let me clarify that Mint LP solution contains no strong agent or harmful chemical and a long soak time will do absolutely no harm to your LP. However, in our findings, there is little or no benefit from a long soak time over a shorter one. In fact, Mint LP solution, or any other water base fluid, will begin to dry up on a LP surface in about 1 minute. Hence leaving a thin film of solution for 30 seconds on the LP will be fine. For really dirty LP, we suggest to do a "clean-play-clean" cycle every fortnight and in about one round or so, the positive result will prevail. A lot of testing and research went into developing Mint LP Solution and it is certainly not a new product by any means. Back in year 2000 when we first developed this water-base cleaning formula, Mint LP Solution went through stringent testing with a group of vinylphiles before we finally sealing the formula and begin commercializing it in 2005 via the Internet channel. Yip Mint LP Solution/Best Tractor |
Firstly Circelman, and the rest of us fine A-Gon Brothers,and Sisters, I'd like keeping this thread civil, and as well educational-beneficial to all. Yip in Hong Kong is certainly a fine fellow to deal with, as I have, for the MintLP Protractor. A fine craftsman, and businessman I will say,and of course, all others will chime in, with agreement. But, Yip is a 1/2 a world away, not exactly a convenient souce for my cleaning products. There's too much variance to fully guarantee that "mr y" is correctly using another product to make a solid judgement about any cleaner being currently marketed today. With some saying the L'Art Du Son, doesn't clean as well as so, and so, or Mo-Fi cleans better than brand Z, etx. There's lots of proponents here of the Walker Prelude system, and they claim it is the best available. I have little doubt these gentleman don't know what they're talking about, and that Walker Prelude is a world class cleaning system, specifically designed for the finest analog playback systems. Same with AIVS Products, these are both cutting edge products, and the variance, will of course be "how" you use them. I do firmly, and personally belive, that the multi-step system will never be surpassed, nor improved upon, these systems make totally logical sense to me. And as others will agree, the rinsing step is very highly important to compliment any cleaning system, whether multi-step, or a single step cleaner. Time is a critical factor with a cleaner. Yip says 30 seconds. Why 30 seconds? Is this long enough with his cleaner? It might be, and this might mean also, that 2 minutes is too long, thus enabling damaging effect to take place with his cleaners? This I don't of course know, I've never used MintLP cleaning products. And then there's the quaetion, can we treat each, and every one of our records the same? Can I trust Yip's cleaner to be just as effective with a 30 second soak, on one of my mint, well cared for Mo-Fi's, as I can with a $1 thrift find? I'm kind of thinking no, that I cannot expect any cleaner to be totally effective at doing it's job under these varying sets of circumstances. Mark |
Thanks for the info Circleman. I have, for quite a long while, been mixing my own solution. I purchased a Gallon of LAST cleaning fluid, and have been diluting it with the highest grade alcohol solution (laboratory grade). This, along with my self-manufactured cleaning brush, and my trusty Loricraft, has been working miracles on all my vinyl. I have tried steam, which works great, and have also self-manufactured an ultrasonic cleaner. The cleaner is designed to have half of the record submerged while manually rotating at my preferred speed. I’m happy to say that my cleaning solution/brush technique is as good as the steam and ultrasonic setup. Just not as messy. Cheers! |