New ultrasonic vinyl cleaner in the works: Humminguru

I’m not sure what the price of the unit used to be, but they charged me $85 (670 hkd) for shipping!
During the kickstarter campaign it was $340 shipped but that was the price when buying two units. Then another $20 each to add the extra filters. One of the nice things about pledging for something like this is the add ons (free 7” and 10” adaptors and lower price) but then again we were the Guinea Pigs.
 
Yes they both say "exit" BUT THEY DON'T LEAD TO THE EXIT WINK WINK
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I have a Record Doctor V, but then I bought a HumminGuru. I firmly believe that the HG does a much better job cleaning than the RDV. And it is undoubtedly far more convenient to use. I have recleaned hundreds of records in the HG that I had previously cleaned with the RDV and observed a significant reduction in surface noise in many of them. I have also used the RDV in tandem with the HG on a few especially problematic records, but it didn't help, as the records are likely damaged.

I have wondered if my vacuum cleaning method/technique was flawed, as the RDV is very hands on. Others might get better results than I did with a vacuum cleaner. But for me, the convenience and results of the HG have been awesome.

Regarding a wetting agent, I have cleaned both with and without Kodak Photoflo ($12 for a 16 oz bottle at a local photography supply store) added to the distilled water. I can't say the results were better with the surfactant added. It also made the water a little bubbly/soapy, which I didn't like. I have switched back to just distilled water and have no complaints.
Okay - I’m feeling the Humminguru vibe today. What are the negatives/drawbacks you have experienced with it?

When I drop a load on this, I better have my story straight when my wife sees how much a paid for a “toaster”! That is, unless I buy her jewelry, too. 😂
 
Okay - I’m feeling the Humminguru vibe today. What are the negatives/drawbacks you have experienced with it?

When I drop a load on this, I better have my story straight when my wife sees how much a paid for a “toaster”! That is, unless I buy her jewelry, too. 😂
Negatives and drawbacks? It does make a noise, kind of a high-pitched whine or squeal, but it doesn't bother me. And the noise is much more tolerable than the vacuum cleaner noise, that thing is loud.

I really can't think of anything else that I have experienced. I love mine. It's extremely easy to use and it does a very good job cleaning.
 
Okay - I’m feeling the Humminguru vibe today. What are the negatives/drawbacks you have experienced with it?

When I drop a load on this, I better have my story straight when my wife sees how much a paid for a “toaster”! That is, unless I buy her jewelry, too. 😂

The join between the basin and top isn’t sealed so you have to be careful not to fill too high up or it leaks. That’s about it though, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive.
 
Okay - I’m feeling the Humminguru vibe today. What are the negatives/drawbacks you have experienced with it?

When I drop a load on this, I better have my story straight when my wife sees how much a paid for a “toaster”! That is, unless I buy her jewelry, too. 😂
Frame it like this, "but honey, I'll have so much more free time to spend with you because the records clean themselves!"

That is if she can hear you over the squealing ultrasonics...
 
I’ll share what is “tipping’ the scales” for me today. On another site, a commenter was doubting the content of record dust. I recalled this little gem from Shure and thought, “Is my Record Doctor actually getting all of this crap out?” Ultrasonics seem good for diamond dust.

An excerpt from the monograph below:

LIFE TESTS OF DIAMOND STYLI

… One of the chief causes of record and stylus wear is abrasion caused by the material worn off from the stylus itself. These particles worn from the tip become lodged in the record groove and act as an abrasive which accelerates the wear on both the record and the stylus tip. The diamond, being harder than other older stylus materials, like sapphire, does not wear as rapidly and thus does not deposit as much material in the record grooves. This results in less abrasion and consequently less wear. …

DUST AND GRIT

The presence of dust, grit and particles worn from the stylus tip itself not only can damage records and reduce stylus life, but may affect tonal response. An analysis of the "dust" removed from a number of stylus tips, which had been used on dirty records, showed that it consisted of approximately; 12% jagged silica particles, 35% diamond dust, 40% miscellaneous particles, including soot, grit and particles worn from the record groove itself. The remaining 13% consisted of fibers and lint.

https://service.shure.com/s/article/stylus-wear-and-record-wear?language=en_US
 
I’ll share what is “tipping’ the scales” for me today. On another site, a commenter was doubting the content of record dust. I recalled this little gem from Shure and thought, “Is my Record Doctor actually getting all of this crap out?” Ultrasonics seem good for diamond dust.

An excerpt from the monograph below:

LIFE TESTS OF DIAMOND STYLI

… One of the chief causes of record and stylus wear is abrasion caused by the material worn off from the stylus itself. These particles worn from the tip become lodged in the record groove and act as an abrasive which accelerates the wear on both the record and the stylus tip. The diamond, being harder than other older stylus materials, like sapphire, does not wear as rapidly and thus does not deposit as much material in the record grooves. This results in less abrasion and consequently less wear. …

DUST AND GRIT

The presence of dust, grit and particles worn from the stylus tip itself not only can damage records and reduce stylus life, but may affect tonal response. An analysis of the "dust" removed from a number of stylus tips, which had been used on dirty records, showed that it consisted of approximately; 12% jagged silica particles, 35% diamond dust, 40% miscellaneous particles, including soot, grit and particles worn from the record groove itself. The remaining 13% consisted of fibers and lint.

https://service.shure.com/s/article/stylus-wear-and-record-wear?language=en_US
I don't know (nor do I really care) about any of that, but as I've noted before in this thread, the HumminGuru is one of, if not the best investment I've ever made in the pursuit of audiophile nirvana. No drawbacks experienced.
 
Okay - I’m feeling the Humminguru vibe today. What are the negatives/drawbacks you have experienced with it?

When I drop a load on this, I better have my story straight when my wife sees how much a paid for a “toaster”! That is, unless I buy her jewelry, too. 😂
as a perspective HG buyer, the one thing in the back of my mind is no domestic warranty repair & parts.

positively Ultrasonic seems to get a extra layer of deep cleaning on records, and this unit seems to be of good value.
 
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as a perspective HG buyer, the one thing in the back of my mind is no domestic warranty repair & parts.

positively Ultrasonic seems to get a extra layer of deep cleaning on records, and this unit seems to be of good value.
i'm of the mindset that if i use it for 2-3 years, i've already gotten my investment's worth. you can buy almost 7 HGs for the price of 1 Degritter.
 
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