squeakycleanvinyl.com MK-III Record Cleaner

Thanks for this excellent review @Vansen. I enjoyed your thoughtful comments, and as an owner of the MK-III, all I really need to say is "yeah, what he said".
If I may, I would advise, from experience, to be careful with starting out at full suction (with vent closed on wand). I cleaned the first few records this way and it left a mark (two parallel lines) on the vinyl that I can't get off. It doesn't seem to affect playback.

All in all, the best inexpensive way to clean records.

 

I've posted about this cleaning system before and I love it! I have no desire for a more expensive vacuum based cleaner.

 

Do I understand correctly that they don't sell finished cleaners...only DIY kits?

 

I couldn't find the page to order them. Wouldn't be the first time I've overlooked something obvious

 

This looks like the ordering methods here: http://www.squeakycleanvinyl.com/home.html

If you would like to order please email me [email protected] with your Postal or Zip code and I will respond with a shipping quote and total price. If you want to proceed I will send a Pay-Pal invoice

You can also purchase on eBay http://www.ebay.ca/itm/3D-Printed-R...to-life-/152303254962?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

 

Much thanks @Dino!

I was skipping a lot of the text and just looking for the order button/page.

 

I've been using a SCV kit for a couple of years and even after trying Ultrasonic (ebay tank, VinylSpin agitater), I keep going back to the SCV system. I have two wands - one for cleaner, one for rinse, and I use the Osage Audio brushes to agitate but the ergonomics of it and the great vacuum performance leaves me wanting nothing. I use it in conjunction with Audio Intelligent cleaners. AI #15 for really bad stuff, followed by a PureWater rinse, or just AI #6 for general purpose cleaning.

I have found that a couple of wands have been a little inconsistent in their suction. The very first one I got is very powerful if I close off the airflow completely. Makes drying a breeze.

 

I'm officially a fan. I bought my squeaky clean several months ago but only finally got around to cleaning my entire collection...it took about 3 hours in total to clean about 90 discs.

The results are pretty spectacular and I'm kicking myself for every buying the Spin Clean back in the day.

Several of my records that I thought unplayable have been brought back to life in spectacular fashion.

I'm using a home brew solution that I also feel comfortable in recommending:

https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/for-audiophiles/home-brew-cleaner-for-vacuum-rcms/

No need for a rinse with this particular solution, which speeds things up significantly.

 

Just used one for the first time last weekend, after an ultrasonic cleaning. Got through 85 records with a deep clean. Love it. More to come this weekend.

 

Finished about 50 more records, and have about 70 left to do. Got pretty efficient with the SCV, so I hope to have time this weekend to finish the others.

Currently listening to a squeaky clean Genesis - Three Sides Live. I have had this album since I was about 17, and this is the first time I have listened to it in a million years. What a great live mix on this album. Sounds great with vinyl => Sol + MP110 => Mani => Torpedo 3 => HD650.

 

Hi guys, I just ordered one, the guy had them on sale for cybermonday! But I do have a question about this...

I also ordered the Knox Cleaning kit ( Spin clean type cleaning kit), I read somewhere that they recommended cleaning them with something like the Spin Clean and then do a Vacum thing... like the MKIII...

Should I cancel the Knox cleaning system ??? Is it even necessary if you have something like the MK-III ???

 

I’ve not needed more than the Mk. III personally. It’s very thorough.

 

Nice to see a product that is great value that just works at a more than fair price. Deserves a nomination for a Golden Schlong award if there was a category for accessories.

 

Chiming-in as a more recent buyer. I ordered in January and got around to buying a cheap shop-vac two weeks ago. Can confirm that the previous comments and recommendations in this thread are still accurate. I've cleaned 20-ish records very easily and effectively. I can't imagine a better vinyl cleaning solution for $150 all-in.

 

I finally got mine after being lost in the postal system an additional 2 weeks. Forgot I needed to buy a vacuum so I need to wait for that arrive since the local ones here are overpriced. I plan on leaving mine behind the record stack, leaving it attached and running it through a wireless switch so there is no need to reach around back for the turn on and off every time.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WX2NBWR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_dl_D5G9MYCT2BNJCZFBCQ8B

Once this is up and running my spin clean is probably out of here.

Planning on updating this post when it’s all ready to go.

 

But then you can't use the vac for other things, which significantly degrades the value proposition

Ran my c. 200 records through in the Spring. I haven't used a vacuum system before so have no comparison, but I'm stunned at the difference it made even to records I thought were pretty clean. Playing vinyl a lot more now, and every future used LP purchase will go through the process (it's quick to set up, and the box it comes in is a good size & shape for storage at the back of a closet).

It's convenient that the seller is now including small bottles of Ilfotol in the package, so with some isopropyl you can cheaply make a decent quantity of the London Jazz Collector cleaning solution linked in Skyline 's post above. Retail bottles of that stuff are min. 1 litre, not terribly expensive but a waste if you don't have 1000 records. Anybody in Vancouver needing some, let me know.

 

I agree completely and now clean every record that comes in before I give it a first play. I find it makes a noticeable difference in surface noise & static even if the record is brand new from a reputable pressing plant like QRP. Why take the chance? I've also taken some vinyl from my late grandfather that hadn't been played since the 80's but had been beat to shit before then, ran them through the process and they played clean enough to enjoy without issue.

I made a bottle of cleaner with the formula you referenced - 5 ML of Ilfotol, one part 99% isopropyl and three or four parts 3X distilled water and then a separate bottle of 3X distilled water for the rinse cycle. Both sides of a record take about two minutes total to clean. I'm not experiencing any vinyl nervosa about this ritual and dearly hope no one introduces causes for concern.

 

I picked up one of these record cleaners this week, and I'm pleased with the results I'm getting. Including shipping to the US, I paid $145 for mine, which I think is a pretty good deal. Performance-wise, I don't have too much to add beyond what has been said. It's a huge upgrade over any non-vacuum cleaning process that I've tried. Just in case anyone else is considering one of these, here are some thoughts and links:

• I didn't like the material on the lips of the vacuum wand. The stock material on mine wasn't felt, but something that looked sort of coily/hairy. So I swapped it out using replacement strips from Disc Doctor. They sell 4 replacement strips for $17, which was a convenient add-on for me since I was buying cleaning brushes from them anyway. Here is a [link to the Disc Doctor stuff from Acoustic Sounds].
• I'm finding that you don't need a shop vac with insane suction. Something small fits the bill just fine. I was originally looking at bigger models, but landed on a 2.5 gallon Craftsman sold through Lowe's. I paid $40, and have been pleasantly surprised at the build quality. As a bonus, it can also be used as a blower. There a good number of shop vacs on the market that will fit the bill for the Mk-III, but the quality per dollar ratio of this one is pretty high. Here's a [link to the Craftsman at Lowe's].
• Nick, the owner of Canfab3D, seems like a super nice guy. I reached out to him with a question via email and he replied within a couple of hours. It's always nice to support small businesses, sort of like buying a PI2AES from @Michael Kelly.
  
• Did anyone else notice that the center weight is made from a hockey puck? It's a clever design where the puck sits inside a little 3d-printed housing. Nick could probably make a few bucks selling a slightly modified version that actually sits on your spindle during playback.

That's about it. Between upgrading to the Mani 2 and picking up the Mk-III, my digital setup is seeing a little less use these days.