Perhaps inevitably, Michael 45rpm Audiophile has got one of these and the extras: The trouble with the Audio Desk Systeme is that it just wasn't expensive enough
Everyone with a KLAudio insists that you don't need surfactant but what they don't say is that surfactants aren't supported, which I believe to be the case as they interfere with the sensors on the unit. And honestly I don't know how you remove greasy oily deposits without a surfactant or solvent. Would seem about as effective as cleaning dirty pots with warm water only?
In my experience the KLAudio unit does not effectively remove greasy spots like fingerprints, etc. by itself. After I discovered that, I went back to using my modified VPI 17f wet vac scrub, rinse, dry method to get the grease, then followed by a cycle in the KLAudio machine for pristine, non-static results.
Just learned then that KL Audio is offering this cleaner. I have the original (internal tank) which is still working well (more than 1000 records cleaned). I agree that oily deposits can be stubborn so I make sure to pre-clean such if needed but after that, the cleaning process seems pretty effective and way less labor than anything I used before. Just saw the price though...WOW!! That's a hell of an increase. And another $3k for the 5 disk loader? I shall not be 'upgrading'...ever!