What is your experience with the Spin Clean?

Thanks antinn!

So the only difference between the two is the 7 and 10 adapters?

Is the rinse step before or after the HG? or both?

Also,any idea what their return policy is? Couldn't find it on their website.

@jjbeason14: Great info and advice from Neil (@antinn). I would get a pack of the replacement parts (filters, pinch rollers) while you’re at it. Yes, the only difference is the inclusion of adapters for 7" and 10" discs.

And be sure to read Neil’s treatise of record cleaning, which contains everything you need to know. In it you will read about doing a pre-cleaning in your kitchen sink, a step I now include in my LP cleaning regimen.

In that tome you will also find advice and recommendations for cleaning and surfactant (to reduce water tension) chemicals: the former being Alconox Liquinox, the latter Talas Tergitol 15-S-9, both readily available at reasonable cost on the internet.

Anyone deciding to go for a Spin Clean type product, be sure to check out the Knosti Disco Antistat (goofy name!) mentioned by @oldaudiophile. I did, and deduced that it is a better version of the same idea as the Spin Clean, in that in place of the SCs "pads" uses very fine camel hair bristles instead.

The Knosti is available for under a hundred bucks, but for far less than that you can get the plastic LP holder that Neil recommends (I got mine on ebay for under twenty bucks), and wash LP’s in your kitchen sink, using a paint brush pad (for getting into corners) or your favorite brush (an old Discwasher?) to get the surface gunk off, then rinsing with tap water (at this stage of cleaning tap water will suffice). When putting your dirty LP’s directly into a Spin Clean or the Knosti, all the removed gunk is released into the water in their tanks, rather than going down the drain in your sink. Even if you use one of those cleaners, do a pre-wash in the sink first. That will keep the water in your Spin Clean or Knosti (or Humminguru, for that matter) tank cleaner.

Thanks BDP

Good info!

My budget is $500 however.

You can get the Humminguru, the spare parts, and all Neil's recommended chemicals, for $500.

Cool!

Thanks again.

@jjbeason14,

WRT to a return policy, I highly doubt that if you buy from China, they are going to give you a money back return policy.  

Read the HG manual to understand the device - HumminGuru_HG01_Owner_s_Manual_English_Version.pdf (shopify.com)

The purpose of the rinse tank is dependent on the cleaning process you use, such as:  Read Post #62 - HumminGuru - an inexpensive desktop RCM | What's Best Audio and Video Forum. The Best High End Audio Forum on the planet! (whatsbestforum.com)

If you use only a 'no-rinse' cleaner concentration, then you 'should' not require a rinse tank.  There are other people such as Groovewasher 

 that sell 'no-rinse' cleaning solutions.  What are they, what is the actual concentration who knows.  

This is really good info!

Thanks antinn!

Not wanting to be a fly in the ointment but I do want to mention that on at least some forums, and on some reviews, the Humminguru at $500 or so wasn’t seen as being "all that". For those of you with one and are happy with it, that’s great.

I did read that any US cleaner powered by a wall wart simply can’t produce the same amount of cavitation bubbles with the same amount of cleaning power that a "real" US cleaner (yes, a far more expensive device) can do. No surprise there.

I think it is a matter of setting your expectations. The reason I say this is just to throw out the question of whether the OP would be better off with a $500 vacuum cleaning system instead of the $500 Humminguru?

I mean, if you are going to be buying only one machine, which one then? Or maybe keep the Spin Clean as an adjunct to the Humminguru as others have suggested?

Much will depend on what records he has (new, lightly used, or really crudded up).

I also note that Frank Landry of "Channel 33 RPM" on YouTube had some quality control issues with the Humminguru he bought and had to manually replace some parts TWICE over a period of a few months. He said their customer service was great though, sending him out the parts with clear instructions.

I too have a Spin Clean and have had mixed results with it. Not bad but not great either. Maybe that Knosti with the better brushes would be better. So I’ve moved up to a vacuum system based on the Vinyl Vac, but by the time I bought all the things necessary to construct it (including an automatic rotating turntable), the drill bits necessary, the wood to make a platform, etc., I had invested as much a buying a Record Doctor VI, however I expect my "homemade" system to be better and last longer. Some reviewers say the Record Doctor V and VI are constructed of plasticized cardboard, so it definitely won’t stand the test of time.

One of the vacuum systems by Pro-Ject might be a better choice long term.

Hey, 

I have new and lightly used records.  No 'crudded ups'

@jjbeason14 if new and lightly used, the Humminguru might do just fine along with using an anti-static brush. Good luck with it.  And yes, even new records do have a mold release agent on them that should be cleaned before playing. Replacing any paper sleeves with rice paper ones will help keep your records clean and free of some static electricity as well. Have fun.

Can I use an old discwasher instead of the anti static brush?

Good points @moonwatcher. As I already have acquired an ultrasonic tank (Vevor 6L, 50kHz) and LP spinner (the discontinued VinylStack), I have no need for or interest in the Humminguru. I also have long owned and used a VPI HW-17 (which I like much more than the Nitty Gritty it replaced), and still use it in conjunction with the ultrasonic.

Lots of amateur reviewers have found the Humminguru ineffective at removing fingerprints and heavy soiling. If one buys only new LP’s that may not be a problem, but for buyers of used LP’s it certainly is.

I now pre-clean used LP’s in the kitchen sink (as per Neil’s suggestions), then deep clean (hand held brushes, cleaning fluids) on the VPI (why I like it's LP platter), then into the ultrasonic, then back onto the VPI for a final rinse with pure distilled water (what I fill the VPI’s reservoir with) and dry (two revolutions on each side is all it takes. Any more than that and static may be created), and finally into a new Vinyl Storage Solutions inner sleeve. Perfection!

Thanks guys!

Fear not, the HG produces cavitation - Interesting All-in-One Ultrasonic Cleaner - HumminGuru | Page 38 | Steve Hoffman Music Forums - see Post #930.  

The HG only has 350-ml of fluid, so it does not need a lot of power and the lower kHz, the lower the power required for cavitation.  With the HG, the two 40kHz transducers (~30W ea) are located one each side, very close to the record; located exactly where the big hole is in the aluminum foil.

Just got a HumminGuru. Will try it out this weekend.

Been using a Spin Clean. Hoping the Guru will be faster and easier for one record at a time as needed. 

Depending on how many records you plan to clean, not sure about second tank for rinsing. I change my cleaning solution after about 100 records. Thats when my pmm reaches 50. I use a ppm meter to check how dirty my water is getting. I use 4 gal. distilled water, 4 oz 100% isopropyl alchol, 4 ml kodak photo flow 200. 5 min 100 degree F seems to do the trick. Then I air dry in a dust free area.  

I made the mistake of leaving about 400 records in my basement...for yrs, they were in boxes and I had to peel the lps from the covers, thought they were gonners

most were covered in...yuk...great test for my set up...I took 10 bad ones and cleaned them with spin clean, then dried them with the record doctor....the reservoir in the spin clean got dirty pretty fast.....then I played them...WOW...they were ok and looked good too.....I saw a video of a guy with this combo who had like 15k records and felt it got close to the big buck cleaners.

It makes sense....you wash your clothes...then dry them.....wash your records....then dry them....I have done about 80 lps...all with great results

and these were in bad shape.

Hey

superH have you tried to use the Spin Clean alone and if so what were the results?

Cleaned my first 3 records today with the new Guru and it’s a big thumbs up. The records sounded phenomenal. These were 3 old releases from 60 years back . One was a used copy of “Music of Leroy Anderson Vol. 2 on Mercury Living Presence, a phenomenal golden age of vinyl recording, that I picked up used a few years back and only played once in that it did not sound great. Couldn’t tell if it was just dirty or damaged. Anyhow after a spin in the Guru it sounded pretty close to immaculate.

Been eyeballing US record cleaners for awhile and was waiting for one that would do the job well, be easy to use, and not cost a fortune. So far so good with the Guru. I like that I can just press a button and it cleans and dries automatically in just a few minutes and is ready to go. Just what the doctor ordered! Seems to be well designed and the manual was very helpful getting off to a good start. Very exciting to be able to easily get my records clean again without a major production.

Nice mapman!

👍

Thanks @jjbeason14 I’ll probably hold on to the spin clean as a backup if ever needed. I did add just a few drops of the cleaning solution that came with the spin clean to the hguru water. Didn’t try without it yet. I’m sure there are many record cleaning solutions that might help in small doses. I used to use a very low concentration of Shaklee Basic H when manually cleaning records and that always worked well.

Helpful thread. Thanks to all.

To the OP, yes I used the Spin Clean by itself, it did well, to me it just takes it up a notch adding the Record Doctor, but by itself it was impressive, especially for the money.....like I said the water got pretty dark, so it was doing what it was meant to.