Spin Clean for Life

Also, any lint that comes off of the cloths can easily be cleaned with a dry record brush.

I swear by mine, it took at least 5 albums (new) that were unlistenable before and now they are all perfectly playable

 

Same thing - if there is any lint or strays, the brush cleans it right up before a play

 

"Spin Clean 4 Life" would make a great tattoo.

 

How about "SPIN CLEAN LIFE" like 2Pac had "THUG LIFE" across his torso

 

Forehead.

Go all in (the solution bath) or go home.

 

Has anyone compared Spin Clean to their competitors? such as:

https://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-Styl-G...F8&qid=1530221608&sr=8-17&keywords=spin+cleaN
or
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GOOAEVK/ref=dp_cerb_3

 

I haven’t tried either competitor, but the Studebaker has a nice price attached to it that would make a great rinse bin after cleaning with my Spin Clean!

 

That actually sounds like a reasonable combo purchase.

 

How long does it take until your rinse cycle vat becomes dirty?

 

My Spin Clean secret?

Dry with cloth baby diapers. Super soft and absorbent.

While I do believe the cleaning solution sort of wicks away debris in the vat of water, I do try to keep the cloths fresh. Just a quick, light swipe on either side, and then let the disc dry in an Ikea dish rack.

 

I've been using a Spin Clean for about 4 yrs. now. My procedure has evolved to where I don't use any cloths at all. I pull the record from the solution and immediately spray with distilled water, then vacuum dry with a homemade wand on a mini vac. I've found that this gets the record cleaner than rubbing with the supplied cloths or a microfiber towel.

 

LOL... I kinda like those crappy cloths. They absorb well, and have been (at least for me) lint free. I've used nice microfiber towels in the past, and they are OK, but not as absorbent. Once the crappy cloths start to lose their "fluffiness," I'll buy another batch of them.

 

I started off with the Spin Clean. I cleaned a bunch of records, then the brushes/pads started coming apart. So I ordered another set. Cleaned a bunch of records , and the brushes/pads started coming apart. These buggers are kinda expensive to replace. I did not replace the second set. I moved on to using the vacuum method. Recently I read that these brushes are supposed to be good for cleaning 4000 records. I figure I have 1500 records or so, and used up two sets of brushes. Has anyone else noticed how many cleanings they got out of the brushes before they started coming apart?

 

As a note, the Spin Clean is made in the USA. The Studebaker and Vinyl Styl are made in China or Taiwan, IIRC. Therefore, the build quality and the cleaning formulation will very likely be different versus Spin Clean.

 

So, is it safe to say the Spin Clean is worth it at its priced locked $79.99?

 

IMO it is. And I'm another who likes to use the included clothes, they've given me better results than the microfibers I used. I recently stepped up to an ultrasonic but still use the Spin Clean as a final rinse as part of that process.

Another advantage is the sheer simplicity of it. No power cords, noise from motors, nothing. Perfect if you need/want a quiet environment.

 

I think so. I resisted it for a while and tried to DIY myself but those methods while cost effective are slow and a pain in the butt. Spin clean is fast and does the job. At some point I may get a better cleaning system as my turntable system is upgraded. But for a first record cleaning kit it can’t be beat.

 

I appreciate quality products and typically understand the pricing for such things. It's just I've seen the SC several times in person and always thought, why is this $80? But if the VC believes in the product, then I'm listening.

 

I like mine. I was reluctant at the $80 price point but have no regrets after a couple months of use. Never realized how dirty some of my records were.

 

Did you take them out of the water when you were done cleaning ?

 

I'm now doing the same as you Shawn. Using the ultrasonic and my spin clean for final rinse with even better results then just a spray and dry with micro cloth.

 

The Spin Clean fluid includes a floculant which takes the debris to the bottom of the bath. Certainly cleaning too many records in one session can lead to cloudy water and then what you allude to may actually occur.

I generally clean no more than 20 records before a fluid change and a clean of the brushes.

 

I do between 10 and 20. Sometimes new records are dirtier than the old ones

 

My experience is the SC does a good job at cleaning records....say 75-80% of what is possible. I change fluid after about 20 LPs. I liked my results using a SC. I previously used a basic Nitty Gritty machine that was somewhat cumbersome to use properly.....separate space to scrub each side then transfer to the NG etc. so I put it aside. Then I decided to try the NG AFTER using the SC. My results improved to what I would estimate to be 85-90% of what is possible. LPs were cleaned more effectively and had less background noise. Then I investigated Ultrasonic Cleaning. I spent several months casually researching the process and eventually constructed a DIY US kit. Initial results were mostly excellent with just a few issues to solve. Then I combined all steps. My current process is SC using SC fluid as a pre cleaner to remove surface dirt. Rinse. US clean using "Rushton's" formula. Rinse. NG dry. My results are outstanding !! LP backgrounds are now mostly silent and the limitation is the noise floor of my system. I can hear the master tape signal trail off to nothing, or abrupt cutoff from a very low level when the engineer cut the gain. Uncanny. I hear better FR extension, and much better transients response. My theory is that a microscopic layer of dirt becomes bonded to the LP groove by time and repeated playback. SC then US cleaning is able to dissolve this layer of grunge and expose the very small portion of the groove containing leading edges of transients and the subtle air and environmental cues that are easily obscured by dirt. Before adding the US step I could still hear a low level scraping or "shhhhhhhh" sound from many LPs. After US this sound is gone. There is always room for improvement, but I feel I am achieving at least 95% of what is possible.

My ears tell me the addition of US cleaning improved my results. My eyes tell me the same thing. I notice effluent in the bottom of my US tank after cleaning a batch of LPs. This represents dirt NOT removed by the SC.....and the SC tank is very murky after a cleaning session. US gets the dirt left behind.

My experience only....yours may vary. If you get different results, then report back so we can all benefit.

PS- Mr. DG MONO, I am looking forward to reading about your experience of using a (mono) cartridge tracking at 3g !

 

Yes. Took them out and rinsed in distilled water. Dipped in distilled water and squeezed out two or three times, then placed on a shelf in a cupboard.