I have a Nitty Gritty Mini-Pro and a VPI 16.5. My Loricraft PRC4 Deluxe arrived yesterday, and the couriers had bashed it around between the UK, the dealer in Vancouver and me in eastern Canada. The pump had come off its mount and its hoses had detached. Ignoring the 'no user serviceable parts' warning as I wasn't willing to courier it back to Vancouver for a simple fix (and possibly more damage in transit), I took it apart. The pump was easily reattached to its base, and the hoses plugged back on their spigots.This machine does a much better job of cleaning than the NG and VPI machines. The other thing that occurred to me as I figured out how to disassemble it and repair the damage was that I could understand why it costs as much as it does. It is complicated inside, and well built. Lots of screws, bolts, sound damping insulation and custom machining, not to mention the pretty brasswork on the 'tonearm'. I'm rather glad it came as it did, as I would have wondered whether the price was just based on small sales, but now I know it is entirely justified given the work inside, never mind the performance for which I and others have bought it. To call it a cheap copy of the Monks machine is either an enormous tribute to the Monks machine or a downright slander, and since I don't have a Monks I can't say which.
Record Cleaning Machine - Loricraft PRC-3 vs. 4?
The Loricraft record cleaning machines look very promising, using a small point vacuum as opposed to a vacuum slot.
The PRC-4 has a stronger vacuum pump compared to the PRC-3, but is it really a significantly better choice in practice? (the difference in price, amortized over years of use and 1000's of cleanings, is less of a concern).
The PRC-4 has a stronger vacuum pump compared to the PRC-3, but is it really a significantly better choice in practice? (the difference in price, amortized over years of use and 1000's of cleanings, is less of a concern).