Ultrasonic record cleaners

I'm interested in the Vevor ultrasonic cleaner for the $200 as I would not use it constantly but have a VPI 16.5 also. What do the users of this cleaner have to say about its cleaning ability, ease of use, dependability, use of any surfactant or wetting agent with the water or some other type of liquid?

When trying to restore a poorly cared for older record, this is what I have found works best.  I clean the record with an ultrasound bath using whatever cleaning formula you prefer.  I use plain alcohol and water per the Kirmus recommendation, and a few drops of Photo Flo surfactant.  I find the Kirmus machine to be the best bang for buck if you are not a DIYer.  Ignore all the steps, put the records in the bath and push the button.

Next give it a quick rinse with tap water and dry it.  Now for the important part…play it.  The stylus, especially the line contact variety, penetrates deep into the groove and will dislodge stubborn grunge (especially mold) that the ultrasound cavitations may not have gotten to. After a couple of playbacks reclean the record.

It is the post cleaning playback that contributes to the gradual, final restoration of the record.

I bought the KA-RC1 (Kirmuss) on the cheap but soon grew tired of the process outlined in the manual and the Kirmuss surfactant leaves residue in the grooves. Gave up on the machine for a good while. Then realized I could just use the ultrasonic cleaning device with surfactant added directly to the US bath. I found a recipe online and concocted my own cleaning solution using Triton X-100 and 91% Iso.

Once the record was cleaned with KA-RC1, I rinsed it, twice, with pure distilled water and vacuum dried it with my Okki Nokki RCM. The results were very very good.

I have a very noisy Pink Floyd record. Tried cleaning it many times before (using both Kirmuss solution and Okki Nokki) but couldn’t get rid of the noise but the last clean did the trick. Not a single click, pop or crackle. I had to play the record twice to make my self believe that its the same noisy record.

Hope this helps.

Whart - Yes, your cautionary message is correct. You do need to be careful of the alcohol. I only use a small amount in the mixture. About 1/2 a cup in close to 1-1/2 gallons of distilled water in a vented area.
Some people don’t want the alcohol at all and that’s fine too. If not rinsed off the alcohol can dry out the vinyl but it does help clean well. So find a method that you are happy with. The cleaning mixtures that companies sell are usually expensive and are probably 90-99% water depending on the company. Find what works for you and the best that you can afford.

I use mine a couple times a month.  I usually buy 3-4 used records each month and also re-clean a couple or so that need it while I have the water and unit set up.  I do about 8-10 records per tub of water mixture.  Then just dump the water, dry the machine and store it in the garage.  I almost built up a water filter system for about $100 or so which would clean the water down to .5 microns and used a little 12V pump but soon realized it just wasn’t worth it.  6-10 records is as much as I ever do and the small amount of water is cheap so what’s the point.  If you run it more then I can see filtering it.

I think even a cheap ultrasonic cleaning system is much better then the old vacuum type systems. Although it would be great to have a vacuum unit to suck the water and any residue off the record after the process!

@Harpo75- just a word of caution- isopropyl alcohol fumes can be explosive in an ultrasonic setting. Glad so many people have found Neil. Be well.

I have one but rarely use it...just takes up space.  Not worth the time or expense of having it.  It may provide a very slightly positive difference but only if you concentrate on the sound...I concentrate on the music

See @stringreen chimed in with a pearl of wisdom, NOT!

I have 2 US cleaners. A cheap one and the KA-RC-1 Both work the Krimuss more effective and I have a vacuum system also. 

KA-RC-1 Ultrasonic Record Restoration System - A Division of Kirmuss & Associates, LLC (kirmussaudio.com)

When I got back into vinyl a few years ago (and so glad I did) I broke down and purchased a Vevor 6L ultrasonic cleaning machine directly from them on sale Less then $200 and we’ll worth it! Years ago I had the upper level Nitty Gritty machines and they were good but don’t get that deep down dirt. The ultrasonic cleaners really work great to get the deep down dirt that is in used records and great to have around to just re-clean a record from time to time. I use (after reading tons of forums) a mixture of distilled water, few drops of photoflo solution, a little alcohol and a couple drops of dish washing soap. Then use a waterproof label protector and rinse the record in tepid (not hot) water. Then let them dry. Seems to work fantastic! I’ve purchased VG and VG+ records cheap that had a little surface noise, cleaned them and they were much quieter and very listenable. Brought some up to EX quality.

These cheaper machines only do 40kHz and it would be great to have a 60kHz machine but it still works great. I know the expensive machines will do an even better job but $2k, $3K or even $4k isn’t in most peoples budget. So for a couple hundred you can get a very good cleaning system. Then read the forums to figure out what fluid mixture you want to use. Distilled water is cheep. Buy a small “eye dropper” bottle to hold the photoflo solution and some ultra soft towels (like car polishing rags) to handle the records with. Some people don’t want to use the alcohol but if you do get the 91% stuff. I only use about 1/2 a cup per tank of water and about 3-5 drops of photoflo and 2 drops of dish washer soap. Everyone has there opinion of what to use. Some people just use the water and will freak at my mixture. Others go even further. If you do use alcohol or a mixture like I do you should rinse the records under the facet. This is inexpensive and really brings records back to life. If you’ve got thousands of records maybe invest in an expensive more convenient system.

When looking for an ultrasonic system, I concluded that value only comes from a system that actually cleans and not just bubble.  That requirement makes ultrasonic costly.  If you are needing better cleaning on a couple of dozen records, send them out.  If you want to buy used records, spend the $3000+.

@pindac , Thanks for the info @; PACVR-3rd-Edition

My first record cleaner was the Project VC-E and it did a great job but if you had several records to clean if became your full time job. It could take 45 minutes to clean 6 records. I decided to get a US machine and researched them all. I decided on the KLlaudio which has an external tank with pump. Yes it was expensive but is sure is convenient to just turn on the unit and drop in a record and it is cleaned in no time while I do not need to stand there. I use RO water with a few drops of photoflo solution. 

I use the Audio Desk Systeme.  It has its issues.  But I think the rotating brushes, added with the Ultra Sonics work great for older dirtier LPs.  I have noticed many of my high school buys sound great after a cleaning.  And I do like the ease of use and the thorough drying.  I drop the next LP in for a cleaning when listening to side 2 of the LP that is playing. It is much quieter than any Vacuum system, which is a plus.  I will seriously check into the Degritter when I have to replace this system, but the external tank is a problem for my space.  But, I am sold on US cleaning.  A must in my book if you have a discerning audio system.  No way I would go through the hassles and steps involved with Kirmus approach.  Plus, don’t want to purchase a lab coat!

Replaced a Ultrasonic cleaner I used in combination with a Project VCM with a Degritter.  I clean all records, new included. Then place in MoFi anti static sleeves. The Degritter is definitely a better system. Totally satisfied with the Degritter. 

Recently purchased a Furutech Destat III. The Destat has helped eliminate any remaining noise caused by static and dust. Using the Destat allows the brush to remove any remaining particles from the surface of the record that static would tend to hold on to. I rarely here any type noise when playing records since adding the mentioned devices.

I bought a VPI cleaner from a friend who was done cleaning his modest collection and used it for a couple of years, but found while this type of machine gets rid of the worst of the offending grit, falls short of getting at the stubborn stuff.

I decided to go the ultrasonic route, but they were out of my price range.  Then I happened upon the CleanerVinyl Easy3 Audiophile Kit.  I got the 6 liter cavitation tank they offer from Allendale Group of England.  I have been totally pleased with the results after having cleaned about 70+ records.  I use a couple of drops of Photoflo as a wetting agent. 

I use the Neil Antin Manual Cleaning Method, combined with a few tweaks offered up by individuals that are using the same methodology. It suits me just fine for a few reasons.

I like the personal input to showing a care for Vinyl that has been owned for 40ish years and less.

It represents a method used on past manual cleaning attempts, but the new method is offering an end product that is unrecognisable to older used methods.

I now have a method in place that enables six LP's to be cleaned in not much more than a 30-minute session.

I don't refer to Cleaned LPs as the end product, I refer to them as Purified LPs, resulting from the impression made during a replay.

The solutions that Neil advises on to be produced, are in my mind able to dissolve deep in the groove and lift out residual / particle that has once been in contact with a styli. 

I have a USM that can mount Six LP's, it remains boxed and unused, even though I did consider for a Brief Period to use it as a device for a rinse cycle during the manual cleaning methodology, the end result of the manual cleaning does make this seem unnecessary.

The Solutions that Neil suggests being mixed, might help produce a much-improved outcome on your RCM available for use. The Manual Clean Method can also be carried out as a Comparison.

Neils has a solution mixture also for a USM, so if this method is selected, very useful Tank Fill Solution will already be at hand.    

PACVR-3rd-Edition

 If you are careful, and use the methods listed that Neil has outlined, i believe that you can be successful with the process. 

 Since you have a limited number of albums, also consider sending them off to 'Perfect Vinyl Forever' as I did a year ago. The service is as good as it gets and the value is most worth it. I wasn't so much trying to increase the quality of playback as I was the longevity of the vinyl. What I did find is that a couple of older albums were reduced in surface noise, an appreciated outcome.

Most of the art/science of record cleaning is in method and good practices. It doesn't hurt to have robust equipment that you like, but a lot of very effective cleaning can be done manually, at low cost.

I've been poking around at this subject since around 2012 or so and have done some field trips, including to the Library of Congress, gotten with people that knew much more about archival preservation and/or restoration or in one instance, developed Mil-Spec methods for cleaning the 02 systems on naval submarines. (That's Neil Antin, whose name some of you may know). 

I had a VPI (an ancient one that started life as a 16 and was modified to a 16.5) which did a fine job, especially once I figured out the simplest of steps- a good fluid (I used to use Walker but switched to AIVS #15 years ago), a rinse step using some level of purified water (you don't want the minerals) and separate wands and applicators for both steps.

I eventually got an Audio Desk and was delighted with the ease of using it. No more slaving over a noisy vacuum machine. Thing was, the AD could not clean certain records effectively. Granted, most of you would say, just replace the record, but these were fairly obscure Vertigo Swirls that commanded money and were not easily replaced. 

So I did the opposite of what @Lewm asked about-- where ultrasonic didn't do the job, I resorted to manual cleaning on the VPI. And after several passes, including more US, was able to get some, not all of these "problem" records to a high state of play. 

Cleaning will obviously not salvage damaged records, including those suffering from "groove chew" (records that got played on old, misaligned equipment). I started to use the combination of manual cleaning and ultrasonic for these problem records-- 10/1 I'm buying old pressings so the ability to clean (and to flatten, where necessary) is important to me. 

I did up my game on equipment- I use a big Monks Omni (the old style with the thread) and a KL that I bought some years ago and is still chugging. But it is still down to method. 

Here's a cookie for gear porn: 

If you want to start at the very beginning, in terms of chemistry, materials science and how to get records clean using industrial chemistry, Neil's work is invaluable. (I published it but he's gotten tons of feedback from users-- the most current edition is the 3d. It is not a light read but it is extremely well organized and is encyclopedic in scope). You'll find it under the title Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records-3rd Edition. (I don't make any money from this, nor does Neil). 

If I had to choose one machine-- it would probably be the Monks. It is a better all-arounder for my purposes. For those of you who have only pristine records that have been well cared for, you may be able to get away with US cleaning only, with only the very limited need to engage in manual cleaning. 

I'm not a scientist and claim no guru status. I do value quiet record playback and seek out hard to find records that interest me. My conclusions are based mostly on my experience, combined with input from some of the much more knowledgeable people I've talked to about the subject over the years. 

Good luck, have fun. 

I used to own a VPI machine… the big one. It died a couple years ago and I bought a Nessie… a way better, quieter, more sophisticated machine that I think does a better job. I have many albums I bought from the 60’s and 70’s that cleaned up perfectly despite their incredible abuse. Then there is one in forty or fifty that is noisy… and cleaning just does nothing. Occasionally it is a new album. I think this is the observation the OP and a couple other folks here made as well.

I have not used an ultrasonic, but my Nessie is good and I suspect… but have no proof whatsoever that running these through an ultrasonic would not clean them up much better. I would love someone here to say I am wrong… and that x-brand will clean them up. I would definitely put that machine on my list to use in the case where my normal machine fails.

Cheep Ultrasonic cleaner from the net, does 6 LPs @ once.

 For used LPs, I just found a product called G3 by Groove master. No affiliation, just a happy consumer. Beats anything I've tried in the past 50 years. 

Just buy a cheap one and modify it for easier use.

I used a Nitty Gritty vacuum for years. Night and day difference with distilled water and a few drops of surfactant.

Just do batches of ~50. Fan dry while cleaning 9 @ time.

I’ve tried/bought a Kirmus ultrasonic cleaner and it worked well, heard blacker backgrounds on many LP’s, not all but thought it did a good job. Problem was it has so many steps involved in the cleaning process the machine just sat around and I never used it. Bought a Keith Monks RCM and have been extremely happy in it’s ability to clean LP’s, it’s quick and very quiet and only takes around 2-1/2 minutes per side. I use it almost daily without issue.

Who among us has first cleaned an LP in a conventional RCM, listened to it, and then cleaned the same LP again, in a good US machine, and then listened to it again?  I have done the experiment with a few LPs that seemed to resist conventional RCM cleaning, to no avail; the US machine was not a revelation.  Before investing thousands in a good US machine, it is best to understand the limitations of LP cleaning.  It cannot undo prior mistreatment or groove damage.

While I’ve heard great things about the expensive US cleaners, I couldn’t justify the 3k price, given I only had a few hundred LP's, so I bought the VEVOR for $200, and it seems to do an excellent job. I don’t know how it would compare to other cleaning systems, like the VPI.

The defroster is 3700 dollars.  I am thinking more in like e with my mc cartridge price of 1100

If the Degritter or other $3,000+ ultrasonic is beyond your means, check out the HumminGuru, priced at around $400.

Have first gen Disc Doctor and Degritter.  Used purchases go through DD and a heavy cycle in Degritter.  New purchases medium setting only Degritter.  Great system.

If you are cleaning used LPs of indeterminate history, be advised that some LPs just don't get any better even with a good cleaning, which the VPI HW16 is capable of, if used correctly (I don't know what is in your cleaning solution, for example).  I use a VPI HW17, and I have found that a rinse with distilled water, after having used a cleaning solution of water + isopropyl alcohol + Tween20, is very beneficial.  But otherwise, some LPs just don't respond.  I've tried cleaning noisy LPs a second time with a US machine, usually with no better results.  US machines can work fine, but they don't repair damaged LPs.

+1 for the Degritter. Pricey but effective and easy to use. I’ve owned a nice Clearaudio vacuum LP cleaner for a decade but seldom got around to using it. Cleaning that way is its own time-consuming project, so I’d save up LPs to do in a batch, which usually meant going months. The Degritter sits in my walk-in closet ready to go; I just drop in a record and it’s cleaned while I’m listening to music in the next room. Love it. The Clearaudio is still handy for scrubbing very dirty used vinyl, but I’ve pulled it out only once in the 2 years I’ve owned the Degritter.

a waste

Before you go to the expense of making a Purchase of a Machine that has been thought of as affordable.

There are Vinyl LP Sales Outlets, that offer Services that will clean a LP in a US Tank. I have pointed this out a few months' past to another member. 

Some of these services have machines that have cost a few thousand $$'s. This could be a very good way to see how the Top End Devices used for US Cleaning can improve your LP, that is not achieving a standard of a clean you would like to see.

It should certainly help you decide, if a US Bath is worthwhile pursuing. 

I use a Degritter ultra Sonic record cleaning machine, and I find it to be very effective with older LPs, and it is very easy to use.  I have hundreds of older LPs I "inherited" from various people when folks were discarding their LPs in favor of CDs back in the late 1980s or early 90s so I have considerable experience using the Degritter on old used discs.  I find that if an LP is not scratched at all a heavy cleaning with the Degritter usually makes them quite listenable.