Finally ordered a record washer

[jc_the_trucker]

Right before I went back on the road I decided to order a new stylus for my system. Not that there was anything wrong with the old one that I could put my finger on, I just wanted a new one . Anyway, I got to thinking I probably ought to get a record cleaning machine to make it worth my time. Hopefully extend the life of the new stylus, quieter playback, etc.

So after some research here and elsewhere, I settled on the KAB EV-1. It seemed to be the best value for money, being the only vacuum system under $200 short of DIY. It also made sense to me to not get one with a built in vac, motors and a ton of moving parts. After all, who wants to deal with fixing such things when they inevitably break.

The bad news is that KAB emailed me saying it was "in production" and won't ship til late next week. The good news, I won't be home to use it til the end of the month. I'm just happy their customer service department isn't asleep at the wheel as is the case with so many companies these days. I'm excited to see if this will live up to or exceed my expectations.

I do have a question though, their website says not to use a shop vac because they are too powerful. Is this true? I just don't want to ruin my Hoover with wash fluids. Will the KAB machine capture all the fluid reliably?

[JaS]

I've no experience with the KAB, but if your shop vac has some way of reducing the suction I'd be tempted to go this route rather than using a dry only vac?

Regards,
JaS

[kingdhansak]

I have owned a Kab for a few years now. I've praised it on this very forum many times, as it is a brilliant little machine, as you will see.

Regarding your concerns about the possible vacuum damage, the Kab collects any waste fluid inside itself which you can then drain away once your have finished cleaning. I have never had any problems with fluid escaping into the vacuum cleaner. I'd imagine an industrial/shop vac indeed would be too powerful for this, however I find it is important to have the max suction possible on a domestic machine for best results. In my case, it simply tends to work better when the vaccum bag is empty and filters cleaned.

Also, the cleaning brush that they provide is ok, but not brilliant. I'd recommend purchasing a Mofi(Mobile Fidelity) cleaning brush to do this. It covers a larger surface area, is easier to grip and really gets deep into the grooves.

[jc_the_trucker]

Thanks for the information guys! I'm not sure if my shopvac has any way to vary its suction level, but it isn't a big high power one either. I guess I could put my hand over the hose and see if it feels significantly more powerful than said Hoover. Also, with two golden retrievers in the house, having a fresh bag and filters are about as common as finding a goat in my back yard, so maybe using the shopvac would be closer to the necessary amount of power anyway.

Thanks for the brush suggestion as well, that should save me some time and frustrations later!

[ripblade]

Use an adapter with a hole in it to reduce the suction.

I don't have the KAB unit, but this was recommended by someone who does.

With my diy setup the idea of having too much suction is alien, so I love my shopvac for this job, it's better even w/o the filters.

[jc_the_trucker]

Use an adapter with a hole in it to reduce the suction

A clever solution that I could probably make with some PVC pipe and a drill. Thanks!