Spin Clean review

I used to have that problem. I noticed that if I filled the Spin Clean just a bit past the line within the reservoir that the rollers stayed in place fine. Just eyeball it to keep it in that magic spot between the recommended line and the record's label.

Since I've been doing this, the rollers have given me no trouble. They just need a little more submersion to "grease" the wheels.

Be sure to only use distilled water—even when cleaning it. That should most crackling issues upon playback.

Cheers,

Bill

 

I tried that, but it didn't work for me.

 

Hmm...Maybe you just need to break those wheels in a bit more. Try contacting the company for some advice. Or maybe they're just lousy wheels that the company should replace. Sorry, my man!

 

Hello,

I think, a good and less pricy alternative is the Knosti disk washer:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0LRLM...QQ81PPH7M2MG4NG60&ie=UTF8&qid=1504251964&sr=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knosti-130...ie=UTF8&qid=1504252085&sr=8-2&keywords=knosti

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knosti-Ant...ie=UTF8&qid=1504252093&sr=8-1&keywords=knosti

Best regards

 

I have a Knosti and it should be sold with a big label warning against driving or operating heavy machinery after using it. The cleaning solution contains so much alcohol my head was spinning after cleaning 3 records.

 

You need to use the correct hand depending on the way you rotate.
They used to jump out all the time but now i know exactly which hand to use and what pressure to apply for them to stay in place.

 

You can use your own recipe of cleaning.

Best regards

 

I have one question regarding the labels.
When you spin the record, isn't there any liquid that get's onto the labels and wets them?

Best regards

 

Not for me, the liquid does not drool from top of the record but rather through the grooves.

 

Same experience here. The last time I tried to use it, it was nearly impossible, and none of the "cures" to keep the rollers seated would help. I was about ready to chuck the thing in the trash.

 

No, that has never been an issue for me.

 

I've noticed that some people use a combination of the Spin Clean/Knosti with the Record Doctor V vacuum machine as well.

 

When rotating clockwise you need to turn it by pushing your left hand to the right. Your hand must be placed left of the record just above the angle of the device.
Basically you push the record against the right roller, making it spin.

 

I'm aware of this, as well as the having-water-above-the-waterline idea.

 

Wouldn't know, i never have water above the line...

 

For those having good luck with the spin clean, how many 'pushes' per one album rotation?

 

Hmmmm. I'm in Houston, too.

 

Three, maybe four usually.

 

They're more pulls than pushes, honestly.

 

I had the problem with the wheels staying in the grooves too. I was able to fill the reservoir a bit higher which alleviated the issue temporarily. But now after 500-600 records, they stay put no matter where the water level is.

 

When I got back into vinyl about three years ago I immediately noticed just how dirty an old record (even from the 1980's) could be, even from just sitting in a box or on a shelf for 30 years.
So, soon after my first few used record purchases, and foraging through the basement to find where my old collection had gone, I set out to find a really good method of cleaning records.

Well, I found machines that cost several hundred dollars, and I found contraptions that people invented themselves on-the-cheap. I didn't have the money to buy these, nor the ambition (not to mention space) to put together someone elses idea. (works for them, but for my situation and space...)

It seemed too expensive at first, for something so simple, but I took a second look at the Spin Clean. I decided it was exactly what I needed, if it worked like people claimed it did.

The Spin Clean is the best thing I ever did for my record listening enjoyment. It may be cheap plastic, but believe me, what you're paying for isn't what you're getting, but what you can do with it!

Yeah, throw out the towels it comes with, and make your own solution after the cleaning fluid is gone. It's still worth it, because the tank / rollers / carbon fiber brushes configuration is the true product here, and like me, you will be bringing back to life records you never thought would sound so good after 30 years in the basement!

 

I love my spin clean and it works great...even the towels that come with it ( after a few trips to the washer/dryer).
My only complaint? It's a lot of work! And there's no point in getting the whole thing set up and ready without about 10-20 records to wash. And then you buy records and are anxious to hear them but you have to just file them as "clean once enough have accumulated". Then once you have 10-20 records ready to be cleaned...it's a major chore! You look at the stack and go oh man this is an hour of hard work! The results are worth it though and if you have a Sunday afternoon and a bottle of wine then you just play some tunes and get washing.

What a chore though.

 

I recently came across Groovewasher, the successor to the original Discwasher, and it works fine as a cleaner for the initial play of an impulse purchase. I'll still use the Spin Clean, but this approach gets me by.

 

When I first got the Spin Clean, the rollers did not behave exactly as expected. At the time I attributed it to the fact some records had a sharper edge than others and those were what did not seem to interface well with the rollers. But, after repeated usage, I now believe I was pushing down to hard while rotating.

BTW, I rotate the record in 1/4 increments. So I grip and turn 12 times in one direction (3 revolutions) then repeat in the other direction - a total of 24 times per cleaning cycle.

After 3,000 or so albums, I believe I've refined my technique. And those rollers probably do need some breaking in. A few hundred albums should do.

Personally, I don't think Spin Clean's are time consuming at all. My estimate is about 1 minute per record but I air dry mine in a rack. I have used the drying cloths occasionally but only if I want to play something right away or there is something on the surface that needs a bit of elbow grease or something a bit stronger than Spin Clean fluid. I play music while engaged in the process and actually enjoy the ritual. It's very Zen. I do not clean just one or a few records at a time but wait until there are enough to make the effort worthwhile. It also affords me the opportunity to repair outer jackets on the spot and/or scrounge up an inner sleeve.

I've watched, on occasion, a fellow in a shop I visit , use an RCM. Granted it sucks off most of the fluid but not all so cleaned records still need air drying or towelling off. Little if any time saved that I could tell and the thing is as loud as s small shop vac.

 

Some people prefer the hand job.