I saw other people mention their backer numbers and I didn't know mine, but, found it today. I was/am backer 58.
Looks like it will be for sale to the general public on November 18. US prices appears to be $380. I may buy one to use on some stubborn LPs where brute force of 40 kHz ultrasonic cleaner is needed over the finer cavitation at 120 kHz. HumminGuru Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner | RCM | Recording Cleaning Machine
I asked HumminGuru these questions and received these responses: 1. Does the water need to be replaced per every LP, or, for every cleaning session? It depends on how dirty you LP is. If it is very dirty record, we do recommend changing the water after the cycle. If it is only a quick cleaning for your record, it might not necessary to change every single wash. Kindly look at the water tank and see if it is cloudy. If it is, changing the water is recommended 2. The instructions state that the HumminGuru should cool down for 30 minutes for every hour of use. Does that require turning off the machine, or, just not using it more than an hour at a time. Is it okay to leave it on, but, just use it sporadically during the day, or, is it based on the machine being on for an hour? Just not using it for more than an hour. We do recommend turning off the machine if it's not in use for safety purpose.
I have one coming I’m excited to throw it in the mix with VPI + Degritter either as a final rinse or a preclean before the degritter.
If you read the manual - they are pretty specific about using distilled (deionized) water only. HumminGuru_HG01_Owner_s_Manual_English_Version.pdf (shopify.com). And if you thought my book had a lot of cautions, I counted no less than 38 different "DO NOT"
Manual instructions and warnings aside, can anyone see a reason not to use a surfactant and/or detergent with the HumminGuru? I know that KLAudio says to use only DI water, also--perhaps as a caveat for warranty coverage--but I've certainly read of others using cleaning agents with that machine with no problem.
Wonder if it's related to amount of water (400 ml) and precaution against foaming if a surfactant/detergent is used in case it overflows in the machine internals, either whilst cleaning or draining into the water tank?
Interesting. I'd assumed it was b/c of the possibility, however slight, that any kind of cleaning agent would eat away at or corrode the steel on the inside of tank.
I believe most cleaners/surfactants are slightly basic whereas vinegar is acidic. Tergitol 15-s-9 per the msds is 7.1 ph in water, so ever so slightly basic (7 is neutral). 1% solution of Alconox is around 9.5. I would assume the tank is stainless steel, which forms a passive layer to prevent rust/corrosion. If it's plain steel, then that could be an issue.
Alconox Liquinox pH is 8.5 concentrated Liquinox_tech_bull.pdf (alconox.com). Diluted to 1% will be essentially neutral pH. Generally, neutral is accepted to be pH of 6-8. Alkaline detergent cleaners are generally pH >9 such as Alconox Powder - Alconox_tech_bull.pdf which is pH 9.5 @1%. Acidic detergent cleaners are generally pH <4 such as Alconox Citranox Citranox_tech_bull.pdf (alconox.com). Carbon steel actual likes an alkaline environment; and boiler water chemistry control uses alkaline chemistry. Carbon steel will corrode in acid, but acids are used to dissolve rust. For the range of pH discussed above - stainless steel is fine. When I watched a video of the unit operating I noted it appears to use a pump to pump-down the unit. If so this could present a number of issues with foaming and loss of suction, and pump damage. Also, surfactants/detergents come is so many variations and foul/clog the filter (some detergents contain ingredients that are not soluble), rotating mechanism plus forming a surface scum-line noting that the Degitter has a surface skimmer as part of its filter system to mitigate that.
thanks for clarifying, Neil, on the Alconox...I guess I didn't note the tech bulletin that came up from google was for an Alconox other than Liquinox.
Backer number just under #500 here - just got the first FedEx notification overnight (shipment is scheduled to be sent tomorrow).
Thank you to those that have given their feedback so far! I'm hoping that the rest of those with pre-orders continue sharing their experiences for us fence sitters! I'd really love to see a breakdown of how this machine deals with new LPs, "clean" used LPs, and dirty thrift store finds. I suspect that really dirty records will still benefit from a pre-clean of some sort before going in the ultrasonic.
Used the 10" record adapter yesterday for the first time. Worked well. A bit fiddly at first but effective. I'm still pretty impressed with the overall design and usability of the unit. I don't have another RCM to compare it too as I hand washed prior to owning this. I also took the time to remove the drain filter at the bottom of the tank and the rotation wheels. Both easily removed. I cleaned the drain filter and replaced it. There was no other reason to remove the wheels other than to try it out. Very happy with the unit so far.
yeah, but looks about the same price as a Chinese Ultrasonic tank off ebay/Amazon + a vinyl stack (no longer available as they closed down).
Already sold out Hopefully they get more soon! Pops is looking for something like this as he doesn't want to spend 3k for the degritter. Might make a nice Christmas present
The news in April was : "return to base for repairs on this means USA/AUS/EU-->Hong Kong, at your expense".
I too am pretty happy with machine. I am only comparing it to manual cleaning. I did have one inherited a LP that I thought was beyond HumminGuru’s abilities and it came out very nice looking. I expected that I’d also have to manually clean, but, I did not need to. It does leave fly away static items on the LPs at times, but, these are easily brushed away. I’m guessing some of the ash looking substance is from the ultrasonics. The time savings is incredible. I’m able to clean while doing anything else. Every time I’d previously read instructions on the expensive cleaners, it seemed like it was going to end up being harder more time consuming and more expensive to clean records. The HG is definitely an improvement. I may have already said this part: I’m using the one touch auto setting for new LPs. Two touch auto setting for older LPs and manual clean followed by two touch auto cleaning for worse condition LPs. So far, so good.
I was backer 79. The box shipped October 18 and had been in limbo for some time. But it looks like it's finally scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Yay!
