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Options for ridding records of static electricity

I am getting back into vinyl, listening to “garage sale” finds and also new albums that I have been picking up. I have a nice old Linn Sondek LP12 with the felt mat. Every time I go to remove a record from the spindle or flip the record, static electricity grabs the felt mat and it sticks like a magnet. I have to very carefully flip the felt mat at the corner with my finger but one of these times I’m going to slip and smudge or scratch a record. 

I’ve seen the “Milty Zerostat” and seem to remember this product from back in the day. I see that it is still made and there is one eBay vendor that has them for $77. Is this my best bet? I thought Michael Fremor talked about these in one of his videos. 

Are there other products I should look at to reduce static electricity on my records? Thanks for any help you can give.
masi61

Showing 2 responses by bdp24

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,436 posts
 
IF the OP wants to continue using the Linn's stock felt mat, the Furutech DeStat III is imo the best solution for static. Much better than the Zerostat, but considerably more dough. Not ridiculous though---under $300 I believe (I got mine for less on ebay).
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,436 posts
 

The Zerostat is imo somewhat tricky to use (if you squeeze the trigger too rapidly, it "clicks"). I long ago found a better static eliminator---the Nagaoka Kilavolt No. 103---but it is long out of production, and rarely seen for sale.

If you don’t mind spending a little money, there is a great one now available---the Furutech Destat III. It’s the best anti-static device I’ve owned and used. Good on CD’s, too!

I’ve always hated felt mats, and though Linn insists theirs is essential to the Sondek’s complete design, I see no reason for that deck to be unique in that regard. I would consider trying the Herbies mat and/or slaw’s. Both are very reasonably priced, and I believe offered with a money-back guarantee.

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