REVIEW: my new Spin-Clean

My new Spin-Clean arrived yesterday and I've so far cleaned about 20-25 LPs, with the willing help of my 10-year-old daughter who thought it was 'fun' and 'cool.'

The first few that I did were LPs that I had recently hand-cleaned using Dawn, tap water, and a nylon paint brush. I wanted to see for myself if any more dirt would come out. Right from the very first disc, I saw some funk land on the bottom of the Spin-Clean well!

I next cleaned a batch of filthy thrift store records, and they came out spotlessly clean. By the end of the cleaning session, the water was grey and cloudy with dirt.

I listened to some of the cleaned records and I am VERY impressed. Even on the previously hand-washed LPs, surface crackle was SUBSTANTIALLY reduced. I especially noticed that records that used to be very noisy in the lead-in area around the outside of the disc are now perfectly quiet there.

Right now I am listening to a completely hammered, formerly filthy 45-year-old Percy Sledge LP, and while there are still some pops and clicks from scratches, the record is more listenable than one would expect.

Some observations:

• The cleaning solution dries very quickly; by the time the last of a batch of 10-15 LPs was placed on the drying rack, I was able to begin sleeving the first of the cleaned discs.

• Besides being more effective, the Spin-Clean is a heckuva lot quicker and easier than hand-washing.


This is one product that has exceeded my expectations. Despite its toy-like appearance, this cleaner is the real deal. Absolutely highly recommended!

 

Very good to know. I've been eyeballing this one for a while.

 

Thanks for the post. I too have been thinking about one of these as a much cheaper alternative to other cleaners.

dan c

 

Great review, thanks. Do you hand-spin the disc or is it motor driven? Do you need to use a lot of solution?

For under $60 it sounds like the real deal.

 

It's 100% manual - you fill the tank to a certain point with distilled water, add just 2-3 cap-fulls of their concentrated solution, slide the disc between the velvet brush pads onto the edge rollers, and spin it by hand. Wipe the disc with microfiber clothes and place the disc on a rack to dry (or use the vacuum drying method of your choice).

And it is adjustable to work with 7", 10", and 12" discs!

 

They've jacked up the price to $79.99 and it only comes with 4 oz of fluid. Not such a good deal anymore. This thing has been sold for decades, it's not a new product. All of a sudden, Fremer reviews it, likes it, tons of people start buying it, and the price shoots up. Simple economics, really, but I don't have to like it!

To get the one with 32 oz of fluid, it'll cost you $124.99.

 

Check Amazon for discounted pricing.

 

Does using this machine damage the record labels by the water and cleaning solution getting all over them?

 

I know they recently had to change the manufacturing process due to demand. That might explain the bump in pricing.

 

Here's a video demonstration of the Spin-Clean.

 

If you are careful, the labels will not get wet. The record is suspended above the vat of water/fluid, keeping the label from submersion. However, when you pull a soaking wet record out of the vat, technique will dictate just how dry your label will stay.

 

Correct, this isn't an issue.

Incidentally, as an indication of the Spin-Clean's effectiveness, the drying towels had zero dirt stains even after wiping about two dozen thrift store discs!

 

I just got one myself, and im also very impressed by how well it works and how fast it is to clean records consistently. I got mine before they jacked the price up. I have a copy of Black Sabbath Mob Rules (R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio) that i ran through the spin clean that sounded terrible with surface noise, and its now quiet. Great machine. IT gets my recomendation.

 

i've been washing by hand and it's time-consuming, messy, and has unsatisfying results. I'm very close to ordering one of these.

 

I use it to clean 45's. Works very well. Me likes.

 

Buy it, you'll be glad! Who knows how long before every retailer raises their price?

 

Thanks for your review AP. I've been doing the Dawn, tap water, paintbrush method also (With VG results!). To see that this cleaner got those records you did this way even more clean was impressive to hear!
Sure looks like it might be worth getting this cleaner...

 

I've already dropped hints for Father's day. I gave up the the P9, P7, & P5, or the Beemer long ago. lol I'm just sayin....

 

I like mine a lot! I bought mine discounted because it had a color blemish (I'm colorblind, so that's not an issue).

 

Thanks for the review! I've been on the fence about this for a while and just ordered one.

Besides the obvious price difference between this and vacuum models is the physical space difference; I don't really have the room to store a VPI but it looks like this will store away in a small space.

 

My only real problem is that it looks to be basically a hunk of cheap plastic. It just seems to be a bit too expensive for what it does and how it is constructed. For the time being, at least, my wet record cleaning (at least, the rare times when I decide to do it instead of just using my dry Hunt brush) will continue to be done in the kitchen sink.

 

That was my initial concern too - it's mainly just molded plastic.

If most of your records come factory sealed or are in generally minty condition, the sink method might be good enough.

But if you are like me, and buy a lot of dirty old records in thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, etc., then something like the Spin-Clean is way better.

 

Holy moley, right now I'm playing a copy of the rare "Barrel Full of Monkees" comp that I found in a thrift recently. Until yesterday it was covered with 39 years of dirt and fingerprints. Today it plays without any ticks or pops - just some very faint crackle from scratches.

The Spin-Clean really does work wonders!

 

No Rinse??

From what I can see, this product does not rinse the records after they have been cleaned. Thats a deal breaker. The Rinse part is critical.

In my hand cleaning method, I cover the labels with rubber washers, clean by hand with the Music Direct record brush and then rinse under high pressure water. The results are amazing to say the least.

The rinsing is what gets RID of all the nasty gunk. That part is THE most important part of any cleaning regimen in my opinion. Without it, the gunk thats been forced out of the grooves goes back into the grooves, and it looks like thats happening with this product.

 

According to the YouTube clip, the fluid takes the dirt away from the LP and doesn't leave any residue, so, rinsing isn't necessary.

With all the positive comments, I decided to order one ($69.99 shipped). 4oz. cleaner fluid probably won't go very far. 32oz. bottles of fluid go for $30... making this a $100 purchase. If it works well for me, I think it will be a good investment.