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Okki Nokki vs. Spin Clean

I’ve picked up a couple Nitty Gritty machines for good prices, both in need of minor repair and both now working well. You can sometimes see them sell for around $200, just needing a little attention..
My favorite and most used is a 30 year old 3.5Fi model that looks like an oak coffin. It needed a new electric pump motor, so I adapted a cheap & tiny Chinese diaphragm pump and put in a bigger fluid reservoir too. Works super!
 
Like MisterDK I purchased two NittyGritty 2.5FI off of Ebay that needed work for short money, repaired both sold them to fellow AK members for a small profit, fixes were easy and buyers happy.
 
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...


Yes.


But you can get the Record Doctor V for $200 and accomplish the same thing.

Here's my pitch. The difference is that with Spin Clean, the fluid is only truly clean when you clean the first record. Further, there's no way to remove the fluid from the record other than air drying, which may leave particulates in the solution that came off the record (or the records before it) on your record--and when the record is dry, that dirt remains on your record, or you can towel dry them, introducing whatever filth is on the towel. Only vacuuming off the fluid while the particulates are still suspeded in solution will get your records truly clean.

I'm a huge fan of Audio Advisor's Record Doctor V. I've had mine for 3 years. It's $200 USD shipped, is a nice, compact unit that takes up a small footprint and is unobtrusive in my living room, unlike some gaudy plastic thing that looks like Playschool built it and requires one to leave their vacuum lying about. It also is designed so that nothing ever touches the clean side of your record. I've always found it was somewhat pointless to take a spotless record and flip it over onto a platter that just was touching a filthy other side.

The only thing I can say is that the supplied fluid is so-so...I use Sound Solution brand record cleaner which is made near me by a guy I trade records with occasionally. It works very well. Also, toss the applicator and use a 4" paint pad from a hardware store.
 
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DustyOldPile said:
Yes.


But you can get the Record Doctor V for $200 and accomplish the same thing.

Here's my pitch. The difference is that with Spin Clean, the fluid is only truly clean when you clean the first record. Further, there's no way to remove the fluid from the record other than air drying, which may leave particulates in the solution that came off the record (or the records before it) on your record--and when the record is dry, that dirt remains on your record, or you can towel dry them, introducing whatever filth is on the towel. Only vacuuming off the fluid while the particulates are still suspeded in solution will get your records truly clean.

I'm a huge fan of Audio Advisor's Record Doctor V. I've had mine for 3 years. It's $200 USD shipped, is a nice, compact unit that takes up a small footprint and is unobtrusive in my living room, unlike some gaudy plastic thing that looks like Playschool built it and requires one to leave their vacuum lying about. It also is designed so that nothing ever touches the clean side of your record. I've always found it was somewhat pointless to take a spotless record and flip it over onto a platter that just was touching a filthy other side.

The only thing I can say is that the supplied fluid is so-so...I use Sound Solution brand record cleaner which is made near me by a guy I trade records with occasionally. It works very well. Also, toss the applicator and use a 4" paint pad from a hardware store.
Click to expand...

Agree with everything said here, except for the gaudiness; went a tad dramatic on that part :dunno:
 
I have both the Spin Clean and the Okki Nokki.

I've had the Spin Clean for a few months; the Okki Nokki arrived today.

I like both, but it seems logical to assume the Okki Nokki does a better job than the Spin Clean - especially if rinsing with distilled water after a wash cycle with the Okki Nokki.

The Okki Nokki makes it easier, and I rarely - if ever - have to let a lint-free cloth touch any of my LPs after they've received the Okki Nokki treatment.

I haven't timed how long it takes to clean a record - 2 cycles, wash and rinse - but it doesn't seem to take very long at all (and I'm deliberate).

Benefits?
  • Obviously, the record gets cleaned. All my records have been through the Spin Clean at least once, and when I washed a dozen today, the waste water from the Okki Nokki was slightly cloudy, with some floating debris present.
  • There appears to be less static when a record is cleaned and played after the Okki Nokki treatment than there is when it is Spin Cleaned and cloth dried.
  • Efficiency - If I only wanted to wash a record, it would be faster with the Okki Nokki than with the Spin Clean. However, since I wash AND rinse with Okki Nokki, I think washing a single record is just about a push from initial wash to being able to spin some vinyl.
I am still a fan of the Spin Clean, but if you're serious about vinyl, have the space, and can spend $500 (more, if including cleaning supplies, extra wand, extra brush, acrylic lid, etc.) without dipping into savings or putting it on credit, I wholeheartedly endorse the Okki Nokki. The only question I have about it now is, "How durable is this thing? Will it give me years of trouble-free cleaning, or will it sputter and die out after a couple of years (or less!)?"
 
luckybaer said:
I have both the Spin Clean and the Okki Nokki.

I've had the Spin Clean for a few months; the Okki Nokki arrived today.

I like both, but it seems logical to assume the Okki Nokki does a better job than the Spin Clean - especially if rinsing with distilled water after a wash cycle with the Okki Nokki.

The Okki Nokki makes it easier, and I rarely - if ever - have to let a lint-free cloth touch any of my LPs after they've received the Okki Nokki treatment.

I haven't timed how long it takes to clean a record - 2 cycles, wash and rinse - but it doesn't seem to take very long at all (and I'm deliberate).

Benefits?
  • Obviously, the record gets cleaned. All my records have been through the Spin Clean at least once, and when I washed a dozen today, the waste water from the Okki Nokki was slightly cloudy, with some floating debris present.
  • There appears to be less static when a record is cleaned and played after the Okki Nokki treatment than there is when it is Spin Cleaned and cloth dried.
  • Efficiency - If I only wanted to wash a record, it would be faster with the Okki Nokki than with the Spin Clean. However, since I wash AND rinse with Okki Nokki, I think washing a single record is just about a push from initial wash to being able to spin some vinyl.
I am still a fan of the Spin Clean, but if you're serious about vinyl, have the space, and can spend $500 (more, if including cleaning supplies, extra wand, extra brush, acrylic lid, etc.) without dipping into savings or putting it on credit, I wholeheartedly endorse the Okki Nokki. The only question I have about it now is, "How durable is this thing? Will it give me years of trouble-free cleaning, or will it sputter and die out after a couple of years (or less!)?"
Click to expand...
If it’s built anything like the VPI rcm’s then you should have many years of cleaning ahead of you .

Audiofreak71
 
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