Stylus cleaner

starkiller

Trying to find one of the following 3 stylus cleaners:

1. Denon AVC-1

2. Audio-Technica AT-637

3. Discwasher SC-1



I am watching the AT one on ebay right now but it will need to be shipped from the U.K.

Thanks!

hearingimpared

Might I suggest the Onzow Zerodust. It does a great job, easy to use, easy to clean, there is no danger of bending your stylus or cantilever or fouling your cantilever suspension with stylus cleaning fluid that can creep up the cantilever.

starkiller

Thanks for the suggestion, I have read good things about the zerodust and the magic eraser but would prefer one of those 3 i mentioned. Reason? I am aquainted with them and used them back in the day when I had over 4,000 albums and most of them I kept in pristine shape with my D4 system and the ultrasonic stylus cleaner. I am going to get a spin clean though since the albums that I had back then were either brand new or at most 10 years old. Now, alot of them are pushing 30+ years and most folks did not keep them very clean

hearingimpared

starkiller wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion, I have read good things about the zerodust and the magic eraser but would prefer one of those 3 i mentioned. Reason? I am aquainted with them and used them back in the day when I had over 4,000 albums and most of them I kept in pristine shape with my D4 system and the ultrasonic stylus cleaner. I am going to get a spin clean though since the albums that I had back then were either brand new or at most 10 years old. Now, alot of them are pushing 30+ years and most folks did not keep them very clean

I've never used or heard of the Denon and I've been in this hobby since the '70s.

I recently gave away the Discwasher set and I also owned the Audio Technica ultrasonic cleaner. Of those two I would go with the AT. The Discwasher IMHO is to dangerous as is any of the stylus brushes of that nature. I don't think they do a good job of cleaning the stylus and as I got older and started using higher end cartridges I just felt like that pulling motion from rear to front of the cantilever/stylus isn't good for the suspension.

I've found the Audio Technica was an easier to use and less dangerous stylus cleaning system but I found it worked best dry. I never did like using any stylus cleaning fluid because IMHO they left residue and as I stated in my previous post the fluid can tend to creep up the cantilever and find its way to the suspension and cause it to dry rot or if wet not track properly. I also found the brush hard to clean and am not confident that it won't transfer the dirt back onto the stylus.

I understand that you are familiar with these and feel more confortable using them but I reiterate having used those two, I feel the Onzow Zerodust to work the best, safer and easier to use. You simply set the Onzow on the platter and let the stylus drop onto the center of the bubble. You can lift the stylus and move the bubble back a little and let it drop again it will get the dirt off the back of stylus and cantilever. Lift the stylus again then move the bubble forward and rest the stylus on the bubble again ensuring the front of the stylus is cleaned. After using it (I use it after each side of an LP played) when you look at the bubble you can see the little dots of dirt and grim on the bubble. This dirt and grim stays put on the bubble so that when you use it again it doesn't transfer it back to the stylus. When it gets full of dirt & grime dots you simply take the bubble out of the case and wash it with warm water and dish detergent, shake and air dry it place it back in its case and it is clean as whistle and ready to go again.

That being said, I think you would be very comfortable using the Onzow and you don't have to be anal with it like I am and just simply drop the stylus on the center of the bubble a few times without moving the bubble and it will get the job done. No vibrations, no danger of bending the cantilever, no danger of ripping the cantilever out of the suspension, no residue and no cross contamination.

The Magic Eraser on the other hand will only cost you a couple of bucks and pretty much do what the Onzow does. I never used it but have had many conversations about it with people who do. I'm just not convinced that it doesn't leave residue on the stylus plus I don't like using something that was made for cleaning something other than a stylus. This is my opinion only with no experience with it. My friends swear by it.

Just a side note . . . I use a ZYX cartridge, it's pretty high end. What came with it to clean it is a longer, softer haired brush that one would run from rear to front of the cantilever and stylus. I didn't feel this got the dirt completely off.

One last note; as I've gotten older, my hands aren't as steady as they use to be so to me the Onzow is the way to go because there's no action involved in moving it around the stylus to clean it. I realize the same holds true for the AT but for reasons stated above, IMHO the Onzow is much better.

Boy you would think that I am getting commision on Onzow sales!:D

madmax

Not that its any of my business but the Onzow is awesome! When it gets dirty you can wash it off. It would last a lifetime I believe. The best cleaning investment I've made yet.
madmax

thsmith

Thanks Joe, I am ordering a Onzow Zerodust right now.

I have the same brush and I know it does not remove all the dirt as I use a microscope to look at the stylus.

I do find the LAB 9 cleaning fluid works very well and I have always used it such it would not run into the body but I like the simplicity of the Onzow Zerodust.

hearingimpared

thsmith wrote: »

Thanks Joe, I am ordering a Onzow Zerodust right now.

I have the same brush and I know it does not remove all the dirt as I use a microscope to look at the stylus.

I do find the LAB 9 cleaning fluid works very well and I have always used it such it would not run into the body but I like the simplicity of the Onzow Zerodust.

You're welcome Tracy, it is a great and easy to use product. I'm not familiar with the LAB 9 fluid, but again, I'm always afraid, like silicone, it is going to leave a residue and creep up the cantilever. I guess I'm stylusfluidphobic!:D

AudioGenics

I'm pretty sure I have just the SC-1 stylus brush.

let me know if you are interested.

thsmith

hearingimpared wrote: »

You're welcome Tracy, it is a great and easy to use product. I'm not familiar with the LAB 9 fluid, but again, I'm always afraid, like silicone, it is going to leave a residue and creep up the cantilever. I guess I'm stylusfluidphobic!:D

Here is a link. It works great and I always tilted the cart such that the fluid would not run into the body but then there is the dry brush which is of sorts like the zerostat.

http://www.gcaudio.com/cgi-bin/store/showProduct.cgi?id=30

With my new Virtuso cart I think the zerodust should be better

starkiller

Well, just ordered a ZeroDust so will see next week how well it works

hearingimpared

starkiller wrote: »

Well, just ordered a ZeroDust so will see next week how well it works

You going to love it and its effectiveness and ease of use.

starkiller

hope so, and $47 isn't too bad I guess....

hearingimpared

thsmith wrote: »

Here is a link. It works great and I always tilted the cart such that the fluid would not run into the body but then there is the dry brush which is of sorts like the zerostat.

http://www.gcaudio.com/cgi-bin/store/showProduct.cgi?id=30

With my new Virtuso cart I think the zerodust should be better

Well given my history and experience with MFSL I know they don't sell crap and make sure their products in no way do any harm so the fluid being sold under MFSL would give me confidence that it wouldn't foul up the suspension.

Although, I had to do a lot of reaserch on their MFSL Super Deep Record cleaner to find out that if you don't followup with a rinse of either their Super Record Wash or other record cleaning fluid such as VPI's I would have never found out that if you just used their Super Deep Cleaner with no other forumula rinse it would lead to the groove walls becoming brittle. They should come right out and say that in their product literature but no body or company is perfect.

hearingimpared

starkiller wrote: »

hope so, and $47 isn't too bad I guess....

I hate to tell you what I paid for mine a couple of years ago. $47 is a steal!:)

BTW that $47 investment in that product is a real steal in that it will last forever unless of course your cat or dog starts chewing on it!:eek::D

starkiller

Well, the tabld is in the computer room system which is barricaded off from my cat chloe due to some previous "pee" problems so no problem with it being chowed down on...:)

hearingimpared

starkiller wrote: »

Well, the tabld is in the computer room system which is barricaded off from my cat chloe due to some previous "pee" problems so no problem with it being chowed down on...:)

Hmmmm . . . I wonder if cat pee would enhance the cleaning properties of the Zerodust?:eek::D

PSOVLSK

Where did you find it for $47? Cheapest I can find is $69.

hearingimpared

PSOVLSK wrote: »

Where did you find it for $47? Cheapest I can find is $69.

Hahaha, you know I meant to ask the same question!:o

starkiller

A'gon fact is, he is going to ship it to me first and then I pay...ya gotta like it and that includes shipping too...

hearingimpared

Now that's a nice snag! I'll have to consult with you the next time I need to get something expensive but at a budget price.:);)

starkiller

No problem and thanks for the warm fuzzies

hearingimpared

Right on!