ZeroDust still the best?

Lak,
Thanks for posting my article. The original can be found in the Threads beneath my signature, but the version you posted looks like my regularly-updated Word doc. I only added that Wiki link within the last year or so.

Philjolet,
The ZD removes dust, as the name implies, but there's more to stylus cleaning than that. Read the explanation by Jonathon Carr in Lak's post. I've rehabilitated over a dozen styli that were badly grunged up despite regular ZD-ing. When the owners got their cartridges back, truly clean, most of them said it sounded like new again.

Nothing in the ME is likely to migrate up the cantilever. Read Dan_Ed's post and check out that Wikipedia link.

However it can and does shed abrasive microscopic particles. Therefore, as Dan_Ed, Audiofeil and I have always warned, you must dry brush after using the ME to remove those particles before playing.

Thafler,
It doesn't matter what the bristles are made of. You're just brushing to remove stuff already loosened (or shed) by the ME. If Bill likes camels, that's his business!

Doug

Stringreen,

You're right. The ME is just a higher tech version of Linn's sandpaper. The concept is the same, abrasion, and they both work.

The ME's microfibers are more flexible than sandpaper, so they reach all stylus surfaces better. That makes the ME better for regular daily maintenance.

OTOH, I've received cartridges for inspection that the owner's claimed were "worn out", even though they were 2-3 years old or less. Of course they weren't, they just had gunked up styli. The ME rehabilitated most of them, but one or two seriously neglected cases needed something a little stronger. I tried a sliver of ultra fine grit sandpaper used for auto paint work polishing and that did the trick.

So, ME + brush or ZD for non-neglected styli, super fine sandpaper + brush or ZD for really gunked up ones. I've never seen a stylus that one of these couldn't bring back to life.

Glory,

Try what Rushton said ^^^ Stick the ME sliver on a toothpick for a handle, and hold that between thumb and one finger only, delicately.

If the stylus still doesn't look crystal clear under magnification, step up to the super-fine sandpaper technique Stringreen and I discussed just above. That and a brush will clean anything I've ever seen on a stylus.

With either tool, be slow, gentle, patient, undistracted and chemically un-altered. No caffeine or other fun juice. It's also a big help to have something sturdy as a wrist rest while you clean.

If a stylus is gunked up and you make it notably cleaner, the improvement will be instantly audible.