Tonearms without anti-skate, damage to records?

Dear @mijostyn : No, I did not but that was not the issue why posted VPI and I would like to know what HW was thinking when designed his tonearm with out AS mechanism.

Now, yes I like to put at minimum developed distortions by the roomsystem and I like to do it when exist some certainty that in reality " those " distortions are at minimum but in the AS subject it’s a losted " figth " before that figth begin. To many variables and " if’s " . You ca't have certainty of any " thing " that is constanty changing alomost groove after groove all over each one LP grooved surface where does not exist two different scores in LP’s recorded exactly with similar groove modulations at the same places all over the LP’s surface. We can’t really know if distortions are at minimum with that AS of 0.15gr. against none.

For now I don’t like to " figth " in something that defeats me before I begin against it. Just my common sense on this specific AS subject.

You are fine with what you have and me too with what I have and maybe just maybe the quality sound differences between that 0.15gr and none could be inaudible at least in my room/system and yes with my ears.

For me and taking in count all what I posted about it’s futile/useles to worry about AS. Today I’m really happy not to have be worried because that imposible to fix AS, yes that’s me and my opinion.

R.

The only certainty is that skating is devoloped.

I have read Peter Lederman's comments on AS and stylus inspections he has done and also understand that skating force is real.   So I go with a little goes a long way.   I typically use around 1/3 of the tracking force for AS force setting.   It does seem that I can hear when it is right.  

I use a vinyl with no groove, and check if the tone arm do not move, and stay at its place, and the beginning, centre and end of that no-groove vinyle.  Another trick is that your cartridge at the very end of grooves (of a normal vinyle), the arm should move slowly to the centre to exit.

Has anyone performed Peter Ledermann's recommended AS method (set to permit slow centripetal progress on smooth vinyl) and compared the resulting AS force to standard recommendations? My experience with doing it on two or three cartridges is that it comes out to about half of the VTF (though how much VTF affects skating force on smooth vinyl isn't obvious to me: presumably VTF acts through force on angled groove walls).

One thing I am pretty sure of is that Decca cartridges sound their best with little to no AS set, which perhaps isn't surprising as their armature, triangular in shape in the horizontal plane, is relatively resistant to sideways movement. That's probably something I should explore further in a Decca forum.