Last or Audio Technica Stylus cleaner

vmartell

vmartell

Active Member
hello

have an onzow zerodust, but frankly i have always worried of how the stylus feels to be trapped in the jelly... and how it feels like you are pulling it out by force... so decided to try a brush wet cleaner... quick search, ordered the Last stylus cleaner... then got a bit worried, and now doing what I should have done before buying... ask here

1. what do you think of the Last cleaner?
2. have you found it to be safe for your stylus?
3. how long before it dries and you can play a record?
4. my other option was the Audio Technica stylus cleaner, also wet and brush based. What do you think of that one?

thnx!

Victor Martell
 
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can't answer to either. nothing should attack the diamond. the glue holding it in is a different matter. most cantilevers are aluminum. aluminum doesn't do so well in chlorinated water.
I use ronsonol lighter fluid on my discwasher brush
 
I use a three stage stylus cleaning regimen. I use a high density stylus brush between every record play. (one similar to what came in the package with some Stanton and Pickering cartridges with lots of bristles packed close together) I then dip it in the Onzow if the brush doesn't get all the grime off the diamond. Reserved for the stubborn dirt is the Audio Technica liquid stylus cleaner solution (which works great). I don't like using any solvent-based stylus cleaners unless absolutely necessary so as to preserve the glue holding the diamond to the cantilever mounting system.
 
I use the Onzow Zerodust. IMO it is the best stylus cleaner available. Once in a great while I'll use the Audio Technica fluid with a brush, but not very often. I've never tried the Last fluid. The fluid cleaners dry almost immediately.
 
Yikes, that's pricey - I'd look for a Discwasher SC-1 on E-bay - Also don't forget the Magic Eraser
 
dzkfraser said:
Yikes, that's pricey - I'd look for a Discwasher SC-1 on E-bay - Also don't forget the Magic Eraser
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I used the old Magic Eraser trick for a while based on it being talked of so highly on this and other forums. Well, that was until it pulled a very nice nude hyperelliptical diamond right out of the cantilever of a Shure N110HE stylus. Never again. Majic Eraser has been relegated to household cleaning applications from now on.
 
I use the AT fluid with a brush. I play a record immediately after cleaning. No problems at all but I don't break out the fluid that much. I use 3 kinds of brushes, Onzow, AT fluid, blue tak and magic eraser. I like to mix it up!
 
I have used LAST products for years (decades)--both the stylus cleaner and the stylus treatment and they have worked well for me. Not cheap, but I'm still on those first two little nail polish sized bottles, and my styli are clean. Never felt the need to really look elsewhere.
 
marcmorin said:
every stylus i've inspected for folks who use magic eraser, has all kinds of crud and fibers stuck to the diamond. all those who use onzow have impeccably clean stones
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Agreed. I tried the ME before buying an Onzow (when the price was reduced from $70 to $25). I could not believe how much black crud came off the stylus after using the Onzow for the first time. No more Magic Eraser for me.
 
Onzow was designed for stylus cleaning. The ME was not. Which would I rather use.... Onzow no questions. I would also add that liquid cleaners are specifically mentioned with some cartridges as a no, no. Some manuals specifically state that it will harm the adhesive. I'd be cautious and take the time to understand what the OEM recommended.
 
MRL_Audio said:
Onzow was designed for stylus cleaning. The ME was not. Which would I rather use.... Onzow no questions. I would also add that liquid cleaners are specifically mentioned with some cartridges as a no, no. Some manuals specifically state that it will harm the adhesive. I'd be cautious and take the time to understand what the OEM recommended.
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generally what they state harming the adhesive is an alcohol base.
 
I use the Onozow for cleaning between album sides. Every few days I will give it a good scrubbing down with Last Stylus cleaner and the hard bristle brush. The combo works good for me.

Cheers
Mister Pig
 
I think the magic eraser simply scrapes the sides of the needle, that's it. This can push some crud up and not remove it, I would surmise. No big deal if you mix it up to clean the stylus in different ways.
 
I use stylus brush and isopropyle alcohol for wet cleaning, and only dry brush for regular dust clean. This is AT little brush what came with new cartridge in box.
 
I'm sorry, but I just use a dry brush, the one that comes with the Audio Technica cartridges. I do certainly have a concern with chemicals and its effects on bonded stylii.
 
So no one is worried about the onzow pulling down on the stylus cantilever? That is always my worry, but then I've never tried it. I have the AT lighted Ultra sonic stylus cleaner and a couple of Discwasher stylus brushes I use. Usually dry. I've been thinking about Last since styli are getting so ridiculously expensive. If my wife ever finds out I spent $320 on just 2 "needles"....
 
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