Best ultrasonic lp cleaner in 2020 and what surfactant best?

I bought a degritter a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that, I was using an old nitty gritty I bought used on agon. I was happy with it but kept reading about the ultrasonic machines being so much better. However I couldn’t get past all the problems people had with them plus the cost just seemed crazy and hard to justify. Finally COVID craziness got to me and I broke down to buy one. Apparently they are in very high demand and many dealers sell out quickly. I will have to say with my brief experience I am very happy with the purchase. Most of my records are very clean so wasn’t sure if it would make that much a difference. But now I would highly recommend the machine  before upgrading any of your equipment. It really makes a difference even on records you think are in perfect condition.

Bought a Degritter this year after using a VPI 16.5 for almost 10 years.  I used 3 steps (enzyme, cleaner, ultra distilled water rinse each step with its own brush and vacuum wand) with the VPI and had very good results,  but the time for each album was almost 30 minutes... the Degritter, using their surfactant additive, requires at the most 10 minutes (usually about 5 minutes) and I am not participating in 95% of that time.  The results are better than my previous three step process.  Highly recommended. 

Triton X-100 contains compounds with aquatic toxicity and is being phased out by the EPA. Recommended alternatives include Tergitol 15-S-9 or Ilford Ilfotol. Tergitol 15-S-9 requires less concentration to do the same job as Triton X-100, which means it is more efficient and leaves less residue. Ilfotol is similar.

I use Ilfotol because it also includes a biocide and has anti-static properties. Ilfotol: 0.9 tablespoon in my ~3.3 gallon Elma p120h tank. I also use 1.3 cups IPA (3%). Otherwise for Ilfotol use 20ml per 1 liter distilled water. Available from photographic supply stores such as B&H.

If you want to learn more about various chemicals for record cleaning, and vinyl cleaning processes generally, take a look at Neil Antin's paper: Precision Aqueous Cleaning of Vinyl Records.
https://thevinylpress.com/precision-aqueous-cleaning-of-vinyl-records/

@jtimothya 

The ILFOTOL contains no 'anti-static" ingredients. It contains only a non-ionic surfactant and a biocide. The wetting by the surfactant dissipates/removes any static charge that may be on the record.

Otherwise, for those that may be using Tergitol 15-S-9 or Ilford Ilfotol in an ultrasonic tank, both of these products can produce foam. Degassing the tank prior to adding the chemicals will reduce the development of foam. There are a number of different chemistries available for defoaming. Most are associated with an insoluble component be it a hydrocarbon oil or a silicone oil.

Tergikleen which is a blend of Tergitol 15-S-9 and 15-S-3 does not foam, and the reason is the water insoluble 15-S-3. Because the 15-S-3 is not water soluble, you may leave a film on the record if you do not rinse.

However, I was working with someone who was using a blend of ILFOTOL and Kodak Photo-Flo 200 and they were not seeing any foam, but the solution was not clear. Kodak Photo-Flo 200 is a blend of 10% non-ionic surfactant and 30% propylene glycol. The non-ionic surfactant in Kodak will foam and has a low cloud point, but the propylene glycol is a weak solvent, is a preservative, is very water soluble and can act as weak defoaming agent. Propylene glycol is also very hydroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air) so you will see where it is used for humidors. Note that 100% propylene glycol is not compatible with records, but diluted sufficiently is safe.

So, the best (and cheapest) ultrasonic cleaner 'may' be a blend of the following two ingredients. Just he advised that I have not actually tested this blend. It will not harm the record (the Hansen solubility analysis shows 100 ppm propylene glycol to be essentially the same as water), but you may need to adjust the Propylene Glycol concentration for best defoaming results.

Tergitol 15-S-9 at about 0.01 to 0.02% (100 to 200 ppm). The Tergitol 15-S-9 is 100% concentrated, so 0.01 to 0.02% = 0.1 to 0.2 mL/L; which is equal to 2-4 drops/L. If you are outside the USA, use ILFOTOL instead. If you add 0.9 tablespoons (= about 15 mL) of ILFOTOL to 3.3 gallon of water you will get 62.5 ppm on non-ionic surfactant.

Propylene Glycol USP/EP (PG USP/EP) CAS # 57-55-6. This is a concentrated pharmaceutical/food grade version that is quite cheap, very safe and easily purchased - such as Propylene Glycol - 250mL (8.45 oz.) - USP Food and Pharmaceutical Grade - Highest Purity, Humidor Solution, Humectant, DIY, Cosmetics: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific   Adding to get 50-100 ppm Propylene Glycol may do the trick to control foam (and act as a preservative) and this would be 0.005 to 0.01% or 0.05 to 0.01 mL/L or 1-2 drops/L.

FWIW - when mixing chemical, you may find disposable LDPE pipettes to be very convenient. They are very cheap -   100pcs Plastic Disposable Transfer Pipettes - 3ml Plastic Calibrated Graduated Eye Dropper Suitable for Lip Gloss Transfer Essential Oils Science Laboratory Experiment: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Hope this is of some help,
Take care,
Neil

I as using a VPI 16.5.  I did not look for a discount (dont believe they are out there).  Its a grand cheaper than the others on the market and better so I jumped on it.