Opinions please

VPI 16.5 owner for 6 years...not one problem...retail is 499, but they sell a "package" for a few dollars more thats a great value..inner sleeves, cleaning fluids... i also use record research labs products...other nice feature is the ability to adapt to clean 45s...im not sure if other brands offer this...as for static, i use the zerostat milty gun...it works...for example if i dry brush a record while its is on top of a plastic inner sleeve, then pick up the record, it usually sticks like glue to the sleeve from static. with the Gun, a few squeezes of the trigger and the record comes away freely from the sleeve.

If you do not have a big collections (100 or so records), you can use the manual procedure.

But If you have a bigger collection than that, you only need the VPI 16.5 its very sufficient and an excellnt RCM.
Now If you want you can put in more money but every RCM will do the same work but for more money.

Now I woud suggest that you invest a spare brush and vaccum tube for the VPI and use the Disc Doctor silution and follow their procedure. I have over 5000 records, LP's and 78's. I have used multiple RCM's from different brands but have found that the 16.5 does the same thing as the rest but for less money.

I hope this will be helpful

Had a Keith Monks RCM which I sold for a friend here on Agon and it was fantastic. It was also expensive as hell. I own a VPI 16.5 which does a fine job with almost zero effort on my part and it cost me around $300, also here on Agon. It's loud, but since I don't actually live in a library, it is of no concern at all. Hard to beat it for the price. Hand is great, RCM is easier.

I think, there is probably a misunderstanding: The Problem is NOT how to clean them (manual with a brush or with a motor), or how long you want to leave the cleaning fluid on the surface, the REAL Difference is the way to remove the fluid. Here are big differences and I think, that's the reason why there are so many opinions. And real clever solutions (Best is K. Monks, Loricraft copied it) have their price.
Good Luck.

Ditto the above. The major advantage of the VPI 16.5 is (relatively) low cost. The major disadvantage is the noise that it makes, which is pretty much like that of your vacuum cleaner. If you want the RCM to be in your listening room, you might want to spend extra bucks for the higher priced units that evidently are quieter. I keep my 16.5 in my basement workshop with no problems. I use a homebrew cleaning solution based on VPI recommendations (isopropyl alcohol/distilled, deionized water/non-ionic detergent). This works great, but I recently discovered in a controlled experiment that Walker Prelude works even better.

As far as the comment that hand-washing is as good as or superior to machine washing, I find that hard to believe. The vacuum-ing step is when most of the solubilized dirt, etc, are actually removed most effectively. You can't duplicate that action with any amount of rinsing by hand, IMO.