Studebaker Vinyl Record Cleaning System with Cleaning Solution and Soft Pads Included

Really cleans the record, but you have to exert quite a bit of energy to spin the record.

Most people want to know if this is worth buying over the spin-clean. First off, I used to own a spin-clean. Did it work? Yes. It did the job nicely if used properly. The rollers went bad over time, just like the rollers will go bad on this cleaner as well. The brushes also went out due to use. The brushes will go bad on this one as well. Cross that bridge when you get there. The spin-clean brushes and rollers will work in this one as well. There are a few simple tips I can give you if you are in the market for this studebaker and are on the fence. The cure to the water issue that some have mentioned in these reviews, get some Kwik Seal (clear), I had some already (free). Clean off the area where the reservoir meets the box with rubbing alcohol. Allow to dry. Spread the kwik seal into the gaps between the wood and the plastic and on the joints at the corners and over the little plastic caps that cover the screws for the reservoir. Use your finger to spread it into the gap to create a seal. If you're really looking to make it super water tight, peel up the caps over the screws, remove the screws, remove the reservoir and lather the kwik seal all over the edges where the reservoir seats and set the reservoir back down in the box pushing it down to allow the kwik seal to ooze out of the cracks. smooth out with your finger. Allow it to dry for 2 hours. Water problem solved. Next, get the "amazon basics" yellow, microfiber towels sold by amazon ($4) (comes with 3). The towels included with this kit will work great for cleaning my glasses. Next, get a bottle of the spinclean record washing fluid ($9.99). Throw out the fluid that comes with the kit. Get some distilled water at the grocery store ($0.99 per gallon). Fill the reservoir with the distilled water and add a cap full of the spin-clean record washing fluid. Insert the record into the washer. SPIN LIGHTLY. 3 times clockwise, 3 times counterclockwise. You don't have to wail on it. Next, use the microfiber towels to dry off the record. Also, once the rubber gasket fails on the rollers, file out the roller a little wider so the record will fit in the empty space where the rubber gasket once was and you're back in business with the rollers. Also, use a "small" amount of grease in the area where the rollers meet the reservoir to aid in spinning. Done. For ($45) you have something that will last as long and work as well as the spin-clean for almost half the price but is much nicer and cooler looking than the DMV yellow spinclean.

Good value for money compared to other options. Everything is solid and appears well made and high quality.Works very well. Cleaned about 50 discs after it arrived, many of them from my dad's collection that were in pretty bad shape. These disks from the '50's and early 60's are now a delight to listen to. A really remarkable improvement for just a little time and effort.That said, the cleaner is a little fussy to use. As a record is rotated through the brushes the roller on the "uphill" side of the rotation tends to pop up out of its slot quite easily. When it pops out the cleaning process is interrupted and the record needs to be moved around to allow the roller to be reinserted in its place.All in all a good value that does an amazingly good job at cleaning old records and restoring them to really darn good condition. This is not snake oil. This makes a real and meaningful improvement in sound quality.

Records are gross. No, seriously. They’re dirtier than you realize. I used the Studebaker to wash around 140 7” records and let me tell you. Ew, ew, ew ew ew. Just look at the pic.The Studebaker itself is pretty straightforward to use. The rollers fit in three positions for different sized records (no 6” option). The rollers have a soft silicone o-ring in the middle for the record to rest against, but I did notice that the o-ring could shift slightly and the record would get wedged between the o-ring and the plastic of the roller. This happened almost exclusively on the side where I was pushing the record down, and rarely—if ever—on the side where I was pulling the record up (imagine steering a tiny ship to the right). Not a big deal, but it did cause the roller to fall into the water a number of times. I also imagine these o-rings will wear out and lose elasticity at some point, but o-rings are cheap. Two microfiber brushes fit snugly against each other so the record has full contact on both sides as you turn it. One thing about the brushes; I noticed that they get pretty close to the label, so it’s possible that some cleaner and/or water will contact the label. If you leave the record in the contraption, the label could soak up some liquid. The first few records you wash will probably cause the brushes to pull up out of their spots when you pull the record out since they’re so snug against the record, but that problem stopped after a number of washes.Someone already mentioned that the instructions do not mention anywhere to put water in the thing, but it holds water well. I used distilled water, mostly just because. No leaks or spills. There’s quite a bit of excess water on the record itself when you pull it out (some of which wanted to drip down across the label), so I kept a microfiber cloth handy to wipe the record mostly dry before putting it in a rack (recommended if doing any sort of bulk washing). I recommend keeping the clear plastic top to prevent evaporation. It seems a little flimsy like it’s part of the packaging, but it’s useful.I have not used any other record washing system, so I cannot compare. However, I am satisfied with this one and do not plan on buying a different/more expensive brand. I’d recommend this product for anyone who collects old, used records, especially anyone who plans on buying/selling on any marketplace like Discogs or… Well, anywhere else you can buy used records.Five stars, even with a few design flaws.