Best inner sleeves to use for LPs?

Same here. After cleaning the LP I put it inside a new Nagoaka 102 round bottom sleeve and then put the LP and Nagaoka sleeve inside the original inner sleeve.

 

I've been trying for a long time to find some bright white poly lined sleeves that would substitute for Classic Records inner sleeves with split seams but the ones I've tried have always been defective. I've tried Nitty Gritty twice but in both consignments the hole was way off-centre - the poly lining stopped the LP reaching the bottom of the paper sleeve. I've tried Sleeve City but the hole was slightly off-centre and the sleeve would distort and form a big ugly ruck - you can see both faults if you look closely at the picture on their website. I've tried Bags Unlimited and their sleeves are well made and fit well but they are a bit weird and don't look like a normal LP sleeve - for example the poly liner is completely transparent instead of slightly opaque. So, please tell me, do the Needle Doctor sleeves lie flat, and does the window line up with the label, and are they similar in feel and quality to the Classic Records inner sleeves?

 

They are incredibly expensive too!

 

Another vote for the Mofi sleeves here. They're sturdy and they keep their shape well but they're also thin enough that you can transfer the LP to one of them and still keep the original sleeve in the cover, which I like to do for my older records (just for completeness' sake.)

They also really do seem to keep static to a minimum - something many sleeves promise, but not all deliver on.

 

"Yellowed or brittle" = acid damage.

You might find this useful:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue38/lp_sleaves.htm

 

Nice but the article also incorrectly addresses issues in emphasizing the frailties of paper. Paper acid damage is damage to the wood fiber that makes up the body of the paper. It does not transfer acid damage to vinyl anymore than food you cook would cook your clothes if it touches them. (it may leave something else behind though!)
The issue with paper absorbing water is also a red herring. Water vapor present in your home atmosphere, if it is going to condense, will condense using whatever is handy. Whether your sleeve is paper or poly, or has a vinyl surface...it won't matter. But if they are talking about paper getting wet in a literal sense then lets face it: if the paper sleeve holding your record is wet...you're problems are far bigger than just a wet inner sleeve. An issue common to plastics, polys and paper - and highly dependent on the environmental conditions they are stored in - is out gassing, which presents it own issues. Most bleached paper gassing is washable and water soluble. Meaning, if you have a forty year old record that has (likely invisible) residue from paper out gassing it can be cleaned with normal water and a mild cleaner like iso alcohol. Outgassing from poly and plastics, depending on their chemical composition, may not be so easy to clean off the vinyl and can result in what we record collectors call bag rash. I have never seen an article touting audiophiles sleeves address that issue.

For what its worth, I have hundreds of 1960's LPs that used original poly inners and I've found no relation with age and deterioration. Same thing with paper sleeves. I am fastidious about my Lps having an original sleeve no matter how bland the original, and have no problem with deteriorating or damaging sleeves. I have handled exact records, with the same age, where the poly liner clings to the vinyl and leaves a permanent rash to the surface. I highly suspect this is caused by prior cleaning(s) that left residue on the vinyl which then interacted with the poly liner based on environmental conditions.

Incidentally I like to use audiophile inners in some of my records so I'm not knocking them, only pointing out that not having them does not mean your records are going to get ruined.

Remember, there are 100 year and more books that use acidic paper that look like new while the commonly found one has browned pages. This illustrates its not the media per se, and, the importance of environment to your records. Something as simple as having pets indoors or your home heating system and the fuel it burns can have an effect on items residing inside your house.

Keep your LPs and CDs indoors in a stable environment, away from temperature and humidity fluctuations, away from direct light, and away from home smoke and dust - to the greatest extent possible.

 

I think you misunderstood me.
The sleeves I have been using from Bags Unlimited ARE ACID FREE and have NOT yellowed or become brittle. I was speaking about "vintage" paper sleeves and the relation to my experience that they don't cause vinyl damage. The article you cited speaks about non-acid free paper sleeves which is not what I'm using. Again, this is only my opinion, you can happily use whatever you like.

 

They do indeed lie flat, and so far the holes (and I've bought about 300 so far), do line up with the record label. They are similar in feel to the Classic Records sleeves, but they are clear rather than slightly opaque.

 

+1 on the Ultimate Inner Sleeves available from Sleeve City.

And for your double LP albums, the Double Audiophile Inner Sleeves are great. At $13 for 25 sleeves you are able to store 50 total LPs, making this a cheaper option for storing your double LPs in very high quality sleeves.

And yeah, shipping is a bit pricey from there, but they do have pretty regular sales that'll bring the total down a bit. The SPRING12 code may still be working, and if it is you can get 15% off your order.

 

Another fan of the Mofi inner sleeves here.

 

I appreciate the black arrows telling me where to stick it !

 

I do a variation of this, except I (usually) put the Nagaoka 102 sleeve INSIDE a MOFI sleeve (rotated though 90 degrees to keep the dust out). The trouble is, I've run out of Nagaoka 102. I found some similar ones (from Elusive Disc, I think), but they're not quite as good as the Nagaokas. In the absence of that, then yeah, count me in the MOFI sleeve camp also.

Can anyone point to a reliable source of the Nagaoka 102 sleeves? I bought 1,000 of them years ago, but I've now run out... :-(

 

You're not going to believe this, but there's a thread on where to order the Nagaoka sleeves just about 15 slots down below this thread currently.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=283039

 

Thanks Joe, I appreciate it. I think I'll give them a miss - the completely clear windows don't seem quite "right" to me. I wish I could find the ordinary polylined sleeves the record labels use.

Well you can't be too careful. Though, I'd be the first to admit, you can come very close!!!

 

I use mostly ordinary paper sleeves. No scratches on the records so far.

 

Im using these plastic (Poly) sleeves and love them http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Inner...URJ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334787679&sr=8-3 . I just hate handling paper, the whole texture of it. That being said I have Mofi Silver Stevie Wonder and the sleeve is nicer than these but these are very good as well if you want something similar to MoFi but not as good.

 

Very interesting indeed. I asked the same question to members in another thread about the problems encountered with MFSL inner sleeves bought recently. Do we have any scientific proof that Mofi or Diskeeper types of inner sleeves are better for antistatic, even improve sound of our LPs? Aren't those polylined paper sleeves that you use just as good for our LPs as Mofi, Diskeeper and such sleeves?
I'm not talking about a matter of money here, don't get me wrong.
What do other members here think, people who have been collecting vinyl for years, testing different solutions for their vinyl?

 

I'm in the process of inner/outer sleeving all my records. I ordered 1200 of the above and it worked to be a bit over 8 cents a sleeve including shipping. They're pretty nice and they don't seem to crumple up like some of the sleeves I've used. I've tossed a lot of smelly paper sleeves the last few days.

 

Those Sleeve City sleeves look pretty nice and look to be a good deal.

I use a similar sleeve supplied by soundsourcecd. I use them for LP's with hard card sleeves. Many new releases have this type of sleeve. I just ordered 300 and they worked out to be about 24 cents each including shipping.

 

Quality Records Pressings inner sleeves from Acoustic Sounds. Gorgeous.

 

Aren't these just the same as the Mofi sleeves? And with some of the same reported problems as the Mofi sleeves thread?

 

Chris, they might be the same. But i reckon they feel slightly thicker. I'm talking a very small difference.
I guess i can only comment on my experience and they've been sensational for me and i haven't had any issues.

 

Frosted 3mil inners stiff enough to fit into covers without bunching up, less static than QRP/MSFL inners and thicker too.
I have been using these for 5+ years, the local used record stores use them around here, $10 for 50 inners.

sean