KAB EV-1 RCM Review

js1138 said:
Mine has no velvet or pads on the wand, and has a full platter to support the record while applying the fluid. It's the same price as this KAB, and is motorized.

*Edited for spelling.
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Yes, I'm aware of your design, and gave it mucho praise. but like anything, it might have its advantages, and disadvantages.

I would gander a guess that there have been designers who have come before you, that implemented a very similar design principal, and walked away from the design for whatever reasons.

One shortcoming I noted watching the youtube vid of your machine. I seen on some warped records (or maybe not so warped?) that there seemed to be some small areas of the record, where fluids were being left behind.

In those cases, that will be a problem. While I'm not saying that the wand, or slot types are necessarily superior methods, because with those designs you have physical contact, which IMO can be an issue of a cause of damage.

But, if any fluids, and the suspended contaminants are not being picked up, this too is a problem.

What I have noted with my own VPI 16.5 from 3 years of useage, is uniform pickup on virtually all records.

I should state though, that my collection posesses no deadbeats with substantial warps, so my claims may be void?
 
that there seemed to be some small areas of the record, where fluids were being left behind.
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Warped records are a problem with any wand. My wand does not consistently dry the record in one revolution. On records where drops remain, I give it two revolutions and the use a dry brush or paint pad to spread any remaining drops. Since I have an original Discwasher I use it.

In terms of cleaning, I tried the MoFi pads, and while they allow faster drying, the cleaning results are the same. I still have the modified wand, but don't use it. It's certainly an easy, low cost mod, and it's reversible.

The cleaning is done by the brush and fluid. The vacuum mainly just prevents crud from drying on the record.

I've found some used records with some greasy residue. I assume from lubricating fluids. Because I don't have to turn the record over to dry it, I can wet and vacuum several times.
 
I don't see how I did without mine!

Now you're going to start looking at the different (liquid) cleaners, the 3 step processes....

One thing always leads to another.
 
js1138 said:
Warped records are a problem with any wand. My wand does not consistently dry the record in one revolution. On records where drops remain, I give it two revolutions and the use a dry brush or paint pad to spread any remaining drops. Since I have an original Discwasher I use it.

In terms of cleaning, I tried the MoFi pads, and while they allow faster drying, the cleaning results are the same. I still have the modified wand, but don't use it. It's certainly an easy, low cost mod, and it's reversible.

The cleaning is done by the brush and fluid. The vacuum mainly just prevents crud from drying on the record.

I've found some used records with some greasy residue. I assume from lubricating fluids. Because I don't have to turn the record over to dry it, I can wet and vacuum several times.
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I would assume the efficiency of a clamping system would be an aid to helping to flatten slightly warped, or dished records. Reckon there would come a degree of warpage, that perhaps the only machine designs that might be able to deal with it, is the Nozzle Point machines such as the Loricraft, Keith Monks.

The vacuum process of course is supposed to remove the dirty cleaning fluids, that have the dirts-contaminants suspended in them. But do they truly?

I feel that with any machine, no matter who's, yours, mine (VPI 16.5), a $4000 Clearaudio, or a $6,000 Keith Monks, I would believe that no matter what machine and method of fluid removal, that a small degree of residues-contaminants will always remain behind in the groove.

I liken such to like washing clothes. Let's say we wash our clothes, and only spin dry them, and use no final rinse. That there will be remnants of detergents, and dirts left behind. Same I believe with a record.

With clothes washing, a finishing clear water rinse helps remove "some" of those things I mention, but again not all. Again, another clear water rinse will leave behnd less.

One reason why it is felt a pure water rinse when cleaning records is a very important step. That no matter the machine, cleaners used, or techniques, the omittance of a pure water rinse will have a lower cleanliness effect on the final results.

Sorry perhaps I didn't write-word some of this right, I'm tired, and ready to hit the hay. Mark
 
markd51 said:
One reason why it is felt a pure water rinse when cleaning records is a very important step. That no matter the machine, cleaners used, or techniques, the omittance of a pure water rinse will have a lower cleanliness effect on the final results.
Mark
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That would be like washing your dishes with soap and water and not rinsing them. The last step in my process is always a pure water rinse & vacuum.
 
I would point out an advantage of a cleaning machine that vacuums from the top. You can wash and rinse without turning the record over multiple times. You can also apply additional solution during the vacuuming. In the case of really dirty used records, several rounds of vacuuming improve results.

If the record is accessible during vacuuming, you can do this in one operation.
 
Do any of you guys hit your LP with a carbon brush after vacuuming before play? I'm just curious if RCMs induce static. Probably going to grab a KAB soon, maybe mod it with my VPI arm and wand so it would vacuum from the top and the bottom.

Aerobat said:
A medium-sized shop vac would probably be fine for the EV-1. The Hoover I use is pretty powerful and it seems to work well. Records are bone dry after a run through it. The whole process is very neat and tidy, no mess, no drying records with towels and a dishrack, etc.
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I think mine will be fine. This is a pretty small shopvac, I really don't think any stronger than a slightly stronger household vacuum. I like the sound of no drying records with towels, I hate using microfiber towels, no matter what I do with them stuff always falls back onto them from the drying process. I'll use a carbon brush after but still...
 
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No static from the KAB and as far as the the velvet becoming contaminated, KAB suggests making use of the vacuum slot to clean off and dry both brushes.
Do that and follow up with a clean cloth.
 
I have one and am very happy with it. I use one of those 1-gallon ShopVac minis with it and it doesn't seem to be too powerful.

I have found that I do have some static buildup with some records. Not all, for some reason - strange, I know. I use a grounded carbon fiber brush and an Ionoclast, if I have static.
 
TJLitt said:
yes, it is....;)

Mark, I will no doubt have some questions for you......
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Ask away!

On another note, I've been cleaning records one at a time before playing them. Since I have 500+ records, I bought some very small stick-on labels, and each time I clean a record, I put one of the labels on the jacket. That way I know which have been cleaned and which haven't.
 
Aerobat said:
Ask away!

On another note, I've been cleaning records one at a time before playing them. Since I have 500+ records, I bought some very small stick-on labels, and each time I clean a record, I put one of the labels on the jacket. That way I know which have been cleaned and which haven't.
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excellent tip #1!!
As I said, that little cleaner struck me, when visiting last weekend. Given my current household situation, with two small kiddies loose, I have little time and less space for the whole Spin-Clean process to be used efficiently. I forsee using the KAB as you do. Clean them before play, note the cleaned ones with a sticker and date, keep everything out of reach of little hands. Should work well. I ordered a bottle of the KAB/Nitty Gritty LP fluid to start out, but am more than open to suggestions of superior cleaning solutions.
 
Aerobat said:
Ask away!

On another note, I've been cleaning records one at a time before playing them. Since I have 500+ records, I bought some very small stick-on labels, and each time I clean a record, I put one of the labels on the jacket. That way I know which have been cleaned and which haven't.
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I do something similar for the same reason. I use a red sharpie. All my lp's get a rice paper inner sleeve and a plastic outer sleeve. I put a little red circle/dot in the lower right corner of the outer sleeve. Easy enough.
 
I picked up an EV-1 used and it is excellent. I use a small shop vac without issue and bought replacement velvet pads from kab for about 15 dollars if memory serves. Highly recommended!
 
I got an EV-1 for Christmas last year. I haven't used it much because the collection of records I've been listening to are all very new, most of them unplayed. However, I recently picked up a collection of DJ'd records that are a mess. (I listen to electronic dance music) Not only are they quite finger smudged and dusty, but almost half of them aren't even in the right covers! Anyway, I had bought a small shop vac from Vinnies but it didn't work worth a crap. Not enough suction..at first I wasn't too sure if that was just the way the EV-1 worked.....but I figured it HAD to work better than that due to all the positive comments out there. Plus, that shop vac was downright rudely loud.
So this week I went out shopping for a new vac. I ended up splurging for a little 50% off Oreck jobby at the local Sears. Apparently it was a customer return, but it was pretty much new. Still cost me $75...more than I wanted to spend, but the Mrs. liked the idea of a small portable vac for the odd jobs around the house/car/etc.
What a difference! This thing works great now! Seriously, if you want to step up to a vacuum based machine but can't swing a VPI/etc, don't think for a second that you will be "settling" for a lowly EV-1. It works.

However, if I did not already own an EV-1, I'd probably buy a Vinyl Magician.
 

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The Oreck sounds about right. You really don't want to use something that's too powerful and causes a lot of drag on the record when rotating it. It only needs to be strong enough to dry it after 3 rotations.
 
Just thought I'd bump this thread with a pic of the cleaning fluid that comes out of the EV-1. That came from records that looked perfectly clean to start with.

RCM%20fluid%20003%20%281024x576%29.jpg
 
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