Okki Nokki RCM makes me hang my head in shame

No, it was called the Smart Matrix. The new unit is/was called the Smart Matrix Professional but they may have dropped the word "Professional" from the title. I'll have to check that.

Edit: It is still listed as the Smart Matrix Professional

 

Right. I saw that. The Smart Matrix Professional is the one I would consider getting. The "Double" is too rich for my blood.

 

Okki Nokki build few machines and supplies are sporadic even in Europe. Been waiting months for a 7" vac arm. Don't understand why they can't step up production to meet demand.

 

I waited months for a spare wet brush and replacement vacuum pads. The supply problem is why Sumiko is dropping the line.

 

I bought a 7" vacuum arm for my Okki Nokki and found it was so much faff to clean 7" singles (generally, and with the 7" arm especially) that I decided to use the 12" arm for singles and put a sacrificial LP between platter and single when cleaning. I now have possibly the most frequently cleaned side of "Ommadawn" in the world...

Disclaimer: I mean vacuum arm for 7" singles, not a vacuum arm that's 7" long, of course...

 

Regarding 3000 LPs to clean, wow, that's like a lifetime project. I got my Loricraft in April and jumped into my collection to give it the treatment as soon as the machine arrived. It was previously cleaned with a manual Nitty Gritty, so I didn't have dusty/dirty record in line. I went throught ~100 LPs so far and I must be something like 20% done from my whole collection. That means I have 400~500 LPs awaiting plus 100 7". A 3-step routine in a Loricraft doesn't help much when it comes to get the job done fast, it's actually the opposite: you'll have to take your time, let the machine do its job. The results, on the other hand, are amazing and worth the money and time spent, some of it comes from the fact that the machine doesn't rush and do a meticulous work compared to less expensive ones. I've read, prior to purchasing the RCM, that it's a much more worthwhile investiment than upgrading to better cartridges and/or turntables. Also read that people tend to invest in $2000 cartridges but neglect the importance of a high quality cleaning routine. I ended up finding those statements to be true and the PRC4 played a great part on it, specially when compared to my now retired Nitty Gritty. The records were already clean, but they were like automatically upgraded after the PRC4 went in action, putting the quality in the same (or higher) league of the rest of my analog equipment.

But the amount of records to be cleaned should be taken into consideration, IMHO. 3000 LPs in a Loricraft will request a big chunk of your time (and your life), but there's people who won't consider it a life waste (mostly do). Take a good look at the possibilities before pulling the trigger.

 

I've already cleaned about 2500 of those 3000 LPs on my Okki Nokki. What I was talking about was maybe moving to a Clearaudio Smart Matrix if/when my Okki Nokki fails.

 

I oerdered the Okki Nokki. After researching I like the positive reviews for this machine. I ordered two extra 12" vacuum tubes and several sets of strips. Just stocking up. Even though Sumiko is dropping the make I'll take a chance. With the popularity of vinyl and this machine perhaps someone will pick the Okki Nokki up. Life is a gamble. The poster above has cleaned 2500 records on his Okki Nokki and if I can clean half that many before my machine craps out I'll be happy.

 

I have to qualify my claim of cleaning 2500 LPs. I got my Okki Nokki in July, 2011. A year later, the power switch for the vacuum went bad. Sumiko gave me an entirely new unit as a warranty replacement. That is what I have been using for the last year. I believe I mentioned this much earlier in the thread. About two months ago the replacement unit blew a fuse. I do not know why it happened, but usually fuses blow for a reason. I replaced the fuse and bought some spares. So far, I have not had any more problems. Knock on wood.

So those 2500 LPs have been cleaned on two Okki Nokki RCMs, not just the original one.

 

Thanks! I'm willing to take a chance on the Okki Nokki. For the price if it will hold up for a year I'll be happy.

 

I did a search around the net and there seems to be quite a few units in the US still. Some stores are selling them on Amazon along with extra supplies. I always got the impression that Okki Nokki was a pretty small operation though. I think if they can get their manufacturing, distribution and marketing together they can do quite well. It's a great machine at a great price in my opinion.

 

Good luck. It is a great machine, works well, and is not too noisy. I use two sets of brushes and vacuum tubes. One for cleaning fluid and one for water rinse. By using a separate tube for rinse, I never have a problem with it leaving a fluid line on the record that has to be wiped away.

 

Did they say why?

 

No he didn't. I didn't ask though I assume it's due to supply problems.

 

Mine will be hear on Monday from Acoustic Sounds. I'm going to try Disc Doctors one step wash. I buy mostly new records or NM/sealed used records so I'm hoping the one step cleaning will work. Has anyone tried the MFSL one step washing solution or the Okki Nokki solution?

 

That is what my dealer said. Sumiko was having too may issue getting product. I experienced that myself with a 3+ month backorder on accessories.

 

I was planning on getting one in the near future.

A local shop had stock a couple of weeks ago and my nephew in Seattle had to trouble finding one recently down there (he loves it).
But if replacement parts are an issue then I may need to re-think.

 

I talked to Acoustic Sounds before I ordered and they told me they have a good inventory of accessories. When those are gone it will be different story but I'm stocking up on strips and a few extra vacuum arms. Okki Nokki shows up tomorrow and my old Spin-Clean gets a well deserved rest. The SC is a great cleaner for the money.

 

The only really supplies you will need to replace are wet brushes and vacuum tube pads, and those you can get in abundance from other brands. I now use the Disc Doctor vacuum pads and Clearaudio wet brushes. I never did use the Okki Nokki fluid and still have the bottle it came with.

 

I just wanted to say thank you Josquin. based on your comment about new pads i did order them and replaced them today. less than 5 minutes with some goo-gone and then dawn dish soap. it now makes me realize the original pair that was on it when i purchased it had a wrinkle in it and was not perfectly aligned. i put the new ones on parallel with the slot as close as i could get. now it vacuums far better/cleaner than it did before.

 

Okki Nokki has arrived. I have a four day weekend coming up so that will be my first opportunity to use it. Since all of my records have been ran through my Spin-Clean, except for four new MFSL records, I'm going to try the AVIS one step cleaning solution and the Disc Doctor one step wash. I might try the MFSL one step wash too. All in all I'm impressed with the build quality of the machine.

 

So far so good. I'm still getting used to using the Okki Nokki after years of using a Spin-Clean. I'm trying out two one step cleaners, Disc Doctor and AVIS solutions and they both work just fine cleaning the record well and leaving no residue. I'm impressed with the build quality and how easy it is to use. Very quite too.

 

I bought my Okki Nokki two years ago and went on a mission to clean all my 3000 LPs. Yesterday I got down to less than 200 remaining. Sweet!

After that I have some old rock and my Dad's old MHS collection to catalog, but I will probably only clean that if and when I listen to them. I also got two boxes of jazz, classical and misc LPs from a neighbor who's moving. I still have to go through those...anybody want some Yiddish folk music?

 

I've got a lot records I need to clean. All of them have been cleaned using my now retired Spin-Clean so they're clean but the Okki Nokki really shines them up. The SC is great for the money but the Okki Nokki really takes the cleaning to a new level. As I'm sure most RCMs do.

 

I am strongly considering an Okki Nokki this week, and had a question about swapping the cleaning tubes for those that do this--using one tube for fluids and a second for the rinse, is it fairly quick and simple to switch one tube out for the second? I have watched the YouTube videos, but that doesn't tell me if I am going to wear out a spring or a clip or otherwise hasten the death of the machine and its parts by constantly removing and replacing the cleaning tube. And are there less expensive replacements/substitutions for the strips that go on them? How do you long-time owners perform routine maintenance on these replaceable parts?