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Okki Nokki vs. Spin Clean

Jeff Hooper

Jeff Hooper

New Member
Hey all, I'm looking to up my record cleaning game and am trying to decide if spending the extra $$ on an Okki Nokki would yield a significant improvement over a Spin Clean/Shop Vac method.

I'm currently using a DIY cleaning mix and a small shop vac with a vinyl hose attached (and piece of soft fabric covering the hole) that I use to vacuum with ok results. Works ok for new records, but not so much for used records.

I'm hoping for better results with either of the two RCMs. I'm about half way thru the "record cleaning: you're doing it wrong" thread, and plan to use the Triton mix as a cleaner, followed by a rinse of distilled water.

I know the Okki Nokki's are made in China now, and have read up on Spin Clean methods as well. Would anyone with experience with both cleaners like to chime in with some results or opinions? I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
-Jeff
 
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Sound's like you need a new shop vac, new vinyl wand, your cleaning mix isn't up to snuff, or not mentioning a painters pad to distribute fluid and get in the grooves; might be the issue. Any sort of vacuuming system will always surpass the SC method.
 
Hi and welcome to AK. I have an Okki Nokki and it was the best thing I did to upgrade the SQ of records. Well worth the money. I got the MK2 and they seem to have corrected the early problems ,platter not being level with the vac wand. I've mine for over 1 1/2 yrs cleaned 400 to 500 records. Some have taken 2 or 3 washes.The results have been surprising, some records I thought were shot are very enjoyable now, some were too far gone to play with my good carts.Remember it does not repair the skips. You are on the right path with that thread and the Triton. I use it too. I also use a 3x5 in painters pad and don't be afraid to scrub hard. I I put the cleaner on rotate the platter CCW give it a good scrubbing for a couple of rotations.Let it sit for a minute or so set it to CW give it a anther good scrubbing for a couple of rotations then vac till dry. Then to the TT when done a new anti static sleeve is a must. I also found packages of blue, yellow and red dot about 3/4 in diameter. These tell me the condition of the record at a glance Blue good to go , yellow wash again or is worn , red only use the conical stylus. I also always use a dishwasher brush when the record hits the TT. As for the spin clean it just seems to me wrong to clean a few records and each one goes into water dirtier than the one before it. Hope this helps
 
To be honest except for one person here at AK that the noise bothered him every other person said why did I wait so long to get a RCM, ON/VPI/NittGritty. Another common saying it's like a major component upgrade with the improvement in sound quality.
 
Yes I agree with majick47! Also there are other RCMs.You have not stated your budget but ON run around $500.00.It also depends on how many records you have.If you only have a few say 200 your cost is 2.50 / record plus cleaner supplies and new sleeves. If you have 2000 it drops to .25 cents plus extras. My wife who also loves music says it’s one of the best things I did to improve the SQ. One last thing the cleaner the record the longer your stylus last,the more expensive the cart the more important this is.
 
Another thing I forgot to mention was that the sound quality on excellent, near mint and mint records equals my CDs. Even a few lesser condition records move up a grade or two after being cleaned on the VPI 16.5 rcm.
 
This is the first time I hear about Okki Nokki, but I own Spin Clean, which produces much better results than the method of cleaning with soft cleaner soaked sponge and water jet spray. No connection to Spin Clean whatsoever.
 
If you're throwing $500 beans at a RCM, you're damn near already at ultrasonic record cleaning system level.
 
From somebody who has *two* record cleaning machines (one homebrew, and one VPI Typhoon), just get the Okki Nokki and you won't regret it.

Easier, faster, and often better results - no brainer!
 
I just can't see doing one half of a record at a time.
Especially after throwing that much at an RCM.
 

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Go with the rcm or like someone else said if you have $500 to drop on the rcm your pretty darn close to an ultrasonic machine which gets down to the micros of cleaning your vinyl. I use the VPI 16.5 and it was the best move I could make for raising the bar in sound quality on my vinyl.

Audiofreak71
 
Jeff Hooper said:
Hey all, I'm looking to up my record cleaning game and am trying to decide if spending the extra $$ on an Okki Nokki would yield a significant improvement over a Spin Clean/Shop Vac method.

I'm currently using a DIY cleaning mix and a small shop vac with a vinyl hose attached (and piece of soft fabric covering the hole) that I use to vacuum with ok results. Works ok for new records, but not so much for used records.

I'm hoping for better results with either of the two RCMs. I'm about half way thru the "record cleaning: you're doing it wrong" thread, and plan to use the Triton mix as a cleaner, followed by a rinse of distilled water.

I know the Okki Nokki's are made in China now, and have read up on Spin Clean methods as well. Would anyone with experience with both cleaners like to chime in with some results or opinions? I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
-Jeff
Click to expand...
Spin Cleans are definitely better than no cleaning but swishing your records around in the same dirty water does not seem to be a good idea to me. After 3 or 4 records there is just too much garbage in the water and turning the record through the liquid just keeps the dirt in suspension. If you added a filter and pumped the fluid through it would be a big improvement. Vacuuming the liquid after rinsing is really a requirement if you want clean.
 
Thunderbox said:
Spin Cleans are definitely better than no cleaning but swishing your records around in the same dirty water does not seem to be a good idea to me. After 3 or 4 records there is just too much garbage in the water and turning the record through the liquid just keeps the dirt in suspension. If you added a filter and pumped the fluid through it would be a big improvement. Vacuuming the liquid after rinsing is really a requirement if you want clean.
Click to expand...
The cleaning solution has a flocculating agent in it that causes any solids that come off a record to clump together and settle to the bottom of the tank. That said, I find my first generation Okki Nokki to be a great RCM.
 
EB4C98F7-DA73-466D-A4CE-F901C9665B84.jpeg Thank you all for the replies! this is exactly what I was hoping for in terms of responses.

Here’s a pic of my vacuum set up FYI.

I should probably mention that I'm just getting into vinyl and have <100 records at the moment. To me, the whole point of listening to records is the great sound quality they provide. Having a dirty, poppy, crackly record pretty much negates the sound quality advantage in my opinion, so having a good clean record is pretty important to me as I get into this expensive, but satisfying hobby.

Currently my system is a Nagaoka MP-110>SL-1200>Schiit Mani> either: Onkyo receiver>Bose 301 speakers or a Schiit Fulla II>Sennheiser HD-600 headphones.

I realize the cost of an ON could go towards more records, but to be honest, at this point that $500 would go towards equipment upgrade (speakers and amp) vs new records.

I haven't used the Triton cleaning mix yet, and have some on order that I'll try with my current cleaning set up before I buy either the SC or the ON. I'm also hoping to find a local shop in the SW Chicagoland that has a RCM I can use to see how it does on one of my more stubborn records that I haven't been able to get clean. If that goes well, I'll most likely go for a ON. If it gives similar results to what I'm already seeing, I'll probably just hold off and use the money towards some new speakers (speakers first? or new amp then speakers?).

Thanks again for all the responses, I do appreciate it.
 
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ssmith3046 said:
The cleaning solution has a flocculating agent in it that causes any solids that come off a record to clump together and settle to the bottom of the tank. That said, I find my first generation Okki Nokki to be a great RCM.
Click to expand...
Flocculating agent is just another reason to not use the Spin Clean. The more chemicals you put into the solution the more important the rinse and vacuum is afterwards.
 
If you do not want to spend the $500 on the ON, the canfab3d or KAB EV1 is less than $200 however you need to supply your own vacuum (which you already have). I have been using a nitty gritty for over 20 years and it still work well however when it is time to replace it, I have been eyeing the KAB EV1.

An even lower cost option is to use your current set up and purchase the following nozzle for your vacuum (which I think is an improvement over your current soft fabric over the hole.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...fl_title_50?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1DS7LD8E2M1IH
 
pyoung272 said:
If you do not want to spend the $500 on the ON, the canfab3d or KAB EV1 is less than $200 however you need to supply your own vacuum (which you already have). I have been using a nitty gritty for over 20 years and it still work well however when it is time to replace it, I have been eyeing the KAB EV1.

An even lower cost option is to use your current set up and purchase the following nozzle for your vacuum (which I think is an improvement over your current soft fabric over the hole.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...fl_title_50?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1DS7LD8E2M1IH
Click to expand...


Y'all do realize that AK has bartertown, and you can find quite a bit of stuff made by AK members, and usually much better deals on it to boot. Not to mention, there's equipment for sale/trade, media, etc. It's probably the best $25 bucks I've ever spent.
 
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