VPI HW 17i Record Cleaning Mac vs ClearAudio Smart Matrix Professional Record Cleaner

[jdandy]

[ame=http://youtu.be/F4jsr13V6ao]Record Cleaning Machines: Okki Nokki vs. VPI 16.5 - A Comparison - YouTube[/ame]

[Josquin des Prez]

Any comparison to Okki Nokki is kinda moot now. Sumiko dropped their distribution of Okki Nokki. There is no longer a U.S. distributor, so whatever stock dealers have now is going to be the last of it.

From what I heard Okki Nokki has too many problems supplying product. I was on the receiving end of that last year when I had to wait several months for some standard accessories (like a brush and replacement pads for the vacuum tube).

[1KW]

Here is a picture of what the current VPI 16.5 looks like. the toggle switches are simillar to the oki noki now, the record clamp is bigger. I have no trouble closing the top with the suction wand pointed toward the middle. I did originally try to buy a oki noki but after waiting a few months gave up. So far I am happy with the VPI and the noise is not really a issue since it takes about 10 seconds to suction a record.

[JRSBat]

I bought a 17i early in the year. I agree that a hand held brush would probably do better than the machine's brush. However, I also know I would normally pass on scrubbing if I had to break out all of the cleaning stuff. With the 17i I can clamp down the record, scrub, vac and be playing music in a very short amount of time. It is painless - so I use it a lot more often than I would another machine.

I use the three step MOFI enzyme, cleaner, rinse with three separate MOFI hand brushes for new albums or flea market albums. I also use three separate vac tubes. I keep around 4oz of the VPI concentrate/distilled water in the machine for all of the quick clean-ups before play.

[1KW]

I have been using the spin clean first to get off the surface dirt and debris, let air dry then use the VPI RCM. My records have never sounded better

[miketuason]

Originally Posted by jdandy

HW-17 Cleaning in a Kitchen - YouTube

Cool video thanks Dan

[OldTex]

I'm about a month behind this thread. After spending the better part of today with a Spin Clean and some LPs that go back to the late 60's, I knew there had to be a better way. The Spin Clean was doing some good just based on how dirty the water got after a while, but I was still getting the occasional pop on new records. I even had a brand new Diana Krall LP that had a skip on it after being cleaned right out of the jacket.

[miketuason]

Anybody knows how to remove the platter on the HW-17?

[John49]

Originally Posted by miketuason

Anybody knows how to remove the platter on the HW-17?

The Irish screwdriver?

[miketuason]

Originally Posted by miketuason

Anybody knows how to remove the platter on the HW-17?

Never mind, I figured it out.