Spin Clean review

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Andreugv, Mar 20, 2016.

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  1. Andreugv

    Andreugv Member Thread Starter

    I am not the most active user (in terms of contribution), but I do use this forum a lot to look up for information, and I feel like I owe something. This week I get an Spin Clean, which I am sure has been reviewed several times (I even have read some reviews), but I will try to write a real world review that could be useful to someone in the future.

    What I bought?

    Spin Clean MKII pack. This comes with some spare accesories, like an extra 32oz bottle cleaner, extra pair of brushes, and some extra cloths, plus the usual 8oz cleaner bottle, pair of brushes, pair of rollers and system.

    I got it from a seller in Amazon at an amazing price of 62 US $, and I had a few credit , so it really set me back 55$ with 1 day shipping. It arrived really well packed. Price has came up since my order (got last one in stock) and now shows at over 100.

    Review of the product:

    Let's be clear, it is cheap plastic. I mean, cheeeap. That being said, it works great! In the past I always washed my records with some spray cleaner, cardboard to protect the labels and the Mofi brush. It was a pain when doing more than 10 at a time. With the Spin Clean, I did close to 50 records in one morning, I spent a lot less cleaning liquid, and evend the records look cleaner than what I achieved doing it by hand. Win-Win.

    The bad: Some users have noticed this as well, the plastic roller don't fit as well as someone would prefer, and it is a little trickie to rotate (spin :) ) the record without these going out of place if you are not spending 10 minutes on each one. But this is easily solved by spinning with the appropriate hand. This is Right hand for counter clockwise cleaning, and left for the other way around.
    It gets dirty. It is bad, but good as well. Yeah, it cleans a lot. You can see all the filthy thingy going to the bottom of the system, and after some records, it can get really messy. Spin clean suggests cleaning 25-50 records. I would say 25 max if the records are really dirty. Today I used all that records that you just buy without even looking at them. You know, cheap box in a yard sale, full of old records for 2$. I had a nice bunch of these and thougth it would make a really nice test. Guess what. After 20 records I changed my water and cleaned the brushes, got back working and finished the other 28. Total time spent: 3 hours and a half. Doing that by hand would have taken me several days. And it did a great job.

    Another bad thing: The cloths that come with the pack are the worst. They lose a lot of fibers that will just replace the dirt you took out cleaning. Get better ones.

    So, how did I clean my records?

    If the record is OK, 3 counter clockwise turns, 3 clockwise, take out, dry by hand, and dry an extra 2-3 minutes.

    If the record is filthy, same thing, but letting it soak for about 20 seconds at every 1/8th of a isurn for the first full spin, and then add another 1 and 1 spins at the end. This has cleaned some records that had everything stuck to it. I recovered an old Gloria Jones Windstorm that I thougt it was garbage and looks like new.

    Why do I think you should get one Spin Clean?

    It works great, it is cheap, and moreover, you are still doing the work, which I do enjoy. Seeing how the record is washing makes you enjoy it even more later. At least, it did to me.

    This wasn't meant to be an extremely extensive review, I just want to provide you with some feelings about the spin clean, and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.
     
  2. Eduardo Denaro

    Eduardo Denaro Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota
    Mine was delivered on Friday afternoon. I spent the better part of the weekend working my way through certain shelves. Definitely cleaned over 200 albums. Cleaned everything more often than probably necessary but am very pleased with the results. I've been reading about the crud stuck on new vinyl for a long time now (albeit skeptically) but am a believer now. No new record will ever hit the table before it gets cleaned first.

    I had the radio blasting beautiful tunes most of the time and just enjoyed doing something so simple and rewarding. I told my wife it's so easy a caveman could do it and that I was living proof. Get one if you haven't already. It's worth it.
     
  3. mikeyt

    mikeyt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    To avoid debris possibly getting stuck on the brushes and scuffing the LP, I rinse off really dirty records in the sink first and check for any crud that's stuck in the grooves. Nice review; I've had mine for a while and it's essential. I'd like to have a cleaning machine someday but in the meantime the SC is more than adequate.
     
    Andreugv likes this.
  4. Daniel Thomas

    Daniel Thomas Forum Resident

    I just used my Spin Clean tonight for the first time. Very impressed with the device, and can appreciate its design. I definitely cleaned a lot of dirty records, and they sound quieter as a result.

    Given that more expensive models run $500, this is extremely affordable and effective. It's better than using the old brush, or worse, running records under the kitchen sink. I'm impressed!
     
  5. tiger roach

    tiger roach Forum Resident

    Thanks for the review.

    I have been pretty happy with my Spin Clean. I also sometimes have the problem with the rollers wanting to pop out instead of spinning, and have been completely baffled on how to fix it (since most of the time they work perfectly well). I will try your suggestion on using the correct hand.

    I do find the whole wet cleaning process to be kind of a big production...I would love to get a sonic cleaner, but they cost more than my turntable and cartridge so I'm not sure that would make a lot of sense. :p
     
    Andreugv likes this.
  6. Use my Spin Clean for newly bought records or ones I haven't cleaned in awhile. Use microfiber cloths to dry--agree the ones that come with the unit get soaked too quickly--then cover a bed with towels and lay the clean records on the towels. I do 20-30 records at a time so the bed gets covered with them quickly. But for the money I feel the system is well worth it
     
  7. rich100

    rich100 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle of England
    I would suggest getting a plastic coated wire dish rack, I have two that hold about a dozen records each upright and the plastic prevents scuffing, place this on top of a plastic tray of some sort to catch the drips (I use cheap gardening planting tray lids) - I only wipe the area around the label with a microfibre cloth to try and prevent the label getting too wet. (I use the Knosti washer - same principle in cleaning I think - but I do ten half turns each direction).
     
    FJosh and PearlJamNoCode like this.
  8. Raider4life

    Raider4life Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wenatchee, WA
    I have one but I felt I had better results with my hand cleaning method, but it does make an excellent rinse tank after my hand cleaning method.
     
    Licorice pizza likes this.
  9. MikeK

    MikeK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minneapolis
    My Spin Clean is essential to my two step cleaning process. I run every record new or used through the SC and then vacuum dry with my Record Doctor. Then I use AI #15 solution with a Mofi pad to clean the record and one last vacuum. The results are very good. I think and some point I'll add a distilled water + vacuum as a final step at some point.
     
  10. CrewU

    CrewU Forum Resident

    Location:
    Johnson City, TN
    I love the spin clean, along with the VinylVac there isn't much more I could ask for. I also don't clean a ton of records at a time so this set up works wonders for my application.
     
  11. No Static

    No Static Gain Rider

    Location:
    Heart of Dixie
    I use my Spin Clean to clean dirtier vinyl and my Nitty Gritty machine to dry them. Keeps the NG pads cleaner longer.

    I've also had occasional problems with the rollers trying to pop out but have learned that if you keep the tank filled with your solution to just above its fill line it happens a lot less.
     
  12. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    I'll second what@No Static said about the rollers. They pop out if they're not lubricated well enough, just fill it up a bit over the line and it should work as designed. I've had mine for a year and a half and am always impressed with the results. I just cleaned around 40 records yesterday morning following a successful Saturday used record shopping spree plus another stack of recent purchases from the Firum and elsewhere.
     
    Bill Why Man and superstar19 like this.
  13. wakemaniac

    wakemaniac Forum Resident

    I've cleaned many, many records with my Spin Cleans and I think it does a very good job. I've found that it helps to get a "grip" on the records if you wear lightweight latex or vinyl gloves-- the cleaning solution itself isn't irritating but you can spin the records a lot easier without slipping.
     
    HiFi Guy likes this.
  14. renderj

    renderj Forum Resident

    I'm another fan of the SC. I even traded in my old Nitty Gritty machine because I didn't use it anymore. I felt I was getting better results (clean and no static) by using the SC and leaving the vacuum alone.
     
  15. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    I time my spin clean sessions for when the bottom rack from the dishwasher is free. :)
     
    johnny q and Andreugv like this.
  16. Andreugv

    Andreugv Member Thread Starter

    For what I have seen, 30 seconds air cleaning is more than enough, the cloths do a pretty nice job and the records are almost dry. I did check with a 25X magnifier and the distilled water+cleaner mix evaporate fairly quick. I rather don't leave my records out of the sleeves to collect dust more time than necessary.

    It worked great for me. I try to do like 1/6th of a spin each time, pushing just with one hand.

    About the sonic cleaner... If you have pets they will go crazy, take a lot os space, and the thing gets hot sometimes. I don't know if a lot of people uses it, but I would think about it twice before trying.



    I am happy so many of you answered and with great ideas and suggestions! Thank you all.
     
  17. groovelocked

    groovelocked Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus OH (USA)
    Summer sale for the 'retro' brown model going on right now- $50 (half off reg price!) and free shipping on everything. They have a 'delay due to overwhelming demand' notice posted but I ordered late Friday night and it arrived yesterday (Tuesday). I wasn't even notified it was shipped so i wasn't expecting it for a couple weeks.

    I suspect the sale (and 'retro color') is to compete with the very similar but cheaper Crosley model. I know it works well but this thing should cost $20 or less shipped.
     
  18. Trashman

    Trashman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Instead of just filling the water slightly over the line, be sure you fill the water high enough that it gets into the bottom of the groove that the roller turns in. That will lubricate the roller and keep it from popping out. The records will turn much more easily too.

    I also tend to have a second set of brushes that I reserve for really dirty records, especially old 78s caked in dust and residue. That way I can keep the other set of brushes clean for LPs and 45s that aren't very dirty to begin with.

    The OP stated that his drying cloths have left a lot of fibers on his records. That has not been my experience after using my Spin Clean for several years. Perhaps the cloths were a little dirty from the factory. I would wash them first, then dry them on their own (with any fabric softening sheets) or with only certain cotton items. While it's possible that they may have changed the type of cloths they are using, the replacement ones I ordered last year were the same as the ones that originally came with my Spin Clean.
     
  19. Burning Tires

    Burning Tires Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I like that it's quiet and cleans both sides of the record at the same time. You can easily clean a while listening to other records.
     
  20. culabula

    culabula Unread author.

    Location:
    Belfast, Ireland
    The rollers will also pop out if too full.
     
  21. ToddH

    ToddH Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mansfield, Texas
    I have washed close to 1000 records with mine and have never had the rollers pop out.

    My concern with the spin clean is should I be spinning in both directions? For the longest time I did, for the past 150 or so records I have not after reading that spinning counter clockwise is going to put stuff into the grooves. So I have been spinning clockwise.

    I use a towel over a dish rack and allow two records to dry at a time. It takes a while but its worth it.
     
  22. cdash99

    cdash99 Senior Member

    Location:
    Mass
    Whichever way you spin, there is always one side of the record going counter clockwise, so this should not make a difference.
     
  23. dmesserly

    dmesserly Forum Resident

    Location:
    Potomac Falls, VA
    Just thought I'd add my technique that is getting good results. I saw some reviews that likened the process as washing your hair but not rinsing out the shampoo.

    I did a few the first time with one cycle and thought it was an improvement but then decided to do a run od 20-25 with the cleaning solution then run them through again with just distilled water. I'm very happy with the cleanliness and significant noise reduction on a lot of dollar bin stuff I have.
     
  24. P2CH

    P2CH Well-Known Member

    I'm an older guy whose been around records all of my life. I have records that go way back which I have never cleaned. I've had more brand new records that needed cleaning due they're so magnetic that they had to be washed to remove the static.

    But, what is the deciding factor for those who clean their records so religiously? I might wash one record every once and while. I've thought about getting a cleaning machine but I don't like doing something if it isn't actually needed.
     
  25. 62vauxhall

    62vauxhall Forum Resident

    I too acquired records for a long time. I got a lightly used SC a couple of years ago and cleaned over 2000 LP's so far. But the first "project" was my assortment of around 400 45's. Those were very dirty from handling and improper storage. Although not all were restored to noise free playback, the results were much better than I expected. Next were some 78's. It was not as effective on those as I thought it might be. For those, perhaps the cleaning pads would need to be less like velvet and more like bristles.

    That said, it works just fine for albums. Too bad it can't fix scratches or skips.
     
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