Knosti Disco Antistat?

msg

Any of you vinyl guys have any experience with the Knosti Disco Antistat?
It's a bit like the Spin Clean, but uses brushes instead of felt pads?
Also has a "clamp" to help seal the label. Small drying rack. Looks like a neat kit.

mrbiron

Buy it and take it for a spin.
It only costs money...

kharp1

Like the idea of the brushes instead of the pads. Might be worth a try.

gudnoyez

Looks like a better Idea than the Spin Clean, what's it cost?

tonyb

You'd think the brushes would be better to get in the grooves, no ?

msg

Yeah, that's what I was thinking re: the brushes.
Casually reading some reviews and other forum posts.

Oddly having a hard time actually finding a place in the US that sells them. So far, I've seen them on turntableneedles.com, which seems to be out of Oregon. Looks like around $70, and they're importing them from Germany without the cleaning solution to avoid the chemical import hassle, apparently.

Knosti Disco Antistat Record Washer System

muncybob

Reviews I've seen for the most part state it works well but you need to change fluid after every 5 records or so. Makes sense, the crud from a dirty record is going to be suspended in the small tank. In my 6 litre ultrasonic tank I can only get about 15 records cleaned w/o filtering or changing the water(depending how dirty the first15 were).

I guess if you make your own cleaning solution it may be worth a shot?

msg

That makes sense.
I read somewhere at some point that they also recommend using coffee filters for the cleaning solution if you're re-using it in between cleanings.

Re: the Ultrasonic, how did you know the water needed changing?

muncybob

I will filter the water thru a large coffee filter 1 time. I do this when I notice some crud accumulated in the bottom of the tank. Depending on the condition of the records already cleaned this will be 15 to 30 records later.

After filtering the crud is gone but the water is not as clear as a fresh batch so I'm assuming there is stuff suspended in the water. I will make a fresh solution after that filtered batch so I'm making new solution every 30 to 45 records. With proper care I figure I'll be going a long time before having to wet wash again.

msg

This is a good report, Bob, as I've noticed this as well with the Ultrasonic method. I notice that the cleaning solution seems cloudy.

I've also noticed the "sludge" at the bottom of the tank that requires cleaning with a shop towel or cloth after draining the tank. Makes me wonder what that stuff is. It's obviously "oily/sticky" enough to adhere to the bottom of the tank.

muncybob

perhaps tergitol that never fully dissolved?

jdjohn

I've got the older version of the Knosti (bought from a friend), and it works well. The bottle of cleaning solution was long gone with mine, so I make my own DIY cleaning solution cocktail.

msg

Not sure on the dissolving; I staged it - dissolved in alcohol before adding to the distilled water. I don't remember it looking cloudy before.

Good info jdj - what's your recipe?
Do you use anything else for cleaning along with the Knosti? or simply the Knosti wash and air dry method?

jdjohn

I always do a pre-cleaning on 'new-to-me' records coming into the house with a handheld pad-brush and few drops of cleaning solution. I feel safe playing them after that. To justify getting the Knosti out, I have to commit to cleaning at least a dozen records, and all of them would have *probably* already received a pre-cleaning by then. If I get a box set of classical records that look to have never been played, I might not pre-clean them before using the Knosti.

The cleaning solution reservoir holds a liter of liquid, and here's how I fill it:
60ml isopropyl alcohol (although denatured alcohol is my new friend)
5ml Triton X-100 (basically same as Tergitol)
1ml Kodak Photo-Flo
Remainder - distilled water

After cleaning and drying (I give a quick wipe with microfiber, and then put the records in the drying rack and have a small fan blow on them), I clean the reservoir (and brushes) out thoroughly, refill with only distilled water, and then do a rinse cycle with the records.

I've never noticed any crud in the bottom of the reservoir, nor any significant cloudiness in the leftover solution. This may be because I do a pre-cleaning, and I religiously brush records before playing every time, so depending on timing, records washed in the Knosti may have been brushed/cleaned a few times already.

I was lucky in the kit I bought, in that the previous owner had purchased two extra label clamps, and an extra drying rack. This allows me to clean about 16 records at a time.

gidrah

It looks a lot like the Vinyl Styl Deep Groove cleaner. I have one and like it, but the clamp is mighty inconvenient.

msg

jdj - sounds like a good process

gidrah - ah, yes, I'm remembering now. It was the Vinyl Styl that led me to the Knosti. I happened across a "vocal review" on Amazon where the person was saying the VS came from the Knosti design. Good heads up posting with this.

It seems to me that one of the biggest benefits of the VS over the Knosti is that the brushes are removable on the VS. And replaceable. My understanding is that the brushes aren't removable or replaceable on the Knosti.

Personally, I'd want to be able to pull the brushes out for cleaning and drying.
Replacement brushes - goat hair - are around $11.

I'm also reading that with either design, one should not rely wholly on the record clamp to keep the labels completely dry. No biggie there.

L'Art du Son is also coming up in my reading as a recommended, superior cleaning agent. Personally never used it, trying only the VPI solution and diy similar to jdj's, but am intrigued by the (pricey) L'Art du Son, as some seem to imply that it can do what other solutions can't.

I'd probably try the Vinyl Styl unit for the easy Amazon return option if it proves defective. One reviewer mentioned that the brushes were loose and came out too easily. Being thin metal bound, I wouldn't want this happening. Maybe this is why the Knosti brushes don't come out? gidrah, can you comment on the security of the brushes, and ease of insertion and removal? Are the oe ones goat hair, as the replacements are?

For either system, with the complaints I'm seeing in solution recovery, a turkey baster is a recommended tip I happened across.

The reservoir seems to hold such a small amount of fluid, I'm not sure it would be a problem to only get 15-25 records cleaned before having to replace it. The ultrasonic holds 6L (~1.6gal) of cleaning solution, and even with a drain valve and tube, I've found it a pain getting the fluid recovered and filtered. Mixed in this quantity, it's a lot more expensive if you're doing frequent changes. One of these little dual-sided goat hair spinny cleaners with a vac finishing step is intriguing.

Vinyl Styl Deep Groove Record Washer System; $70

msg

Here's a link to the L'Art Du Son solution.
Recommended use with vacuum units, but if not, they just say to use a distilled rinse after. I'd follow those rinse instructions, too, as there was a guy over on Steve Hoffman who reported that it ate through a cheap milk jug he was storing it in. Who knows what the story was there; could've had a pinhole in it.

L'Art Du Son Record Cleaning Fluid; $45

msg

Here's what MusicDirect says:

The premiere product from L'Art du Son is a new and revolutionary Record cleaning solution developed after years of research by founder and analogue devotee Martina Schoener.

What you’ll hear:

• Dramatic increase in dynamic contrasts from LP playback
• Improved bass response from LP playback
• Vast improvement in overall soundstage clarity from LP playback
• Increased stage depth and sense of musical ease from LP playback
• Substantial reduction in LP noise floor, improved clarity and instrument definition

Concentrate makes up to 5 liters of cleaning fluid when added to distilled water.
Contains NO alcohol (Alcohol can damage LP's!) Increases LP longevity
Uses environmentally friendly formula components