Okay so let me walk you through this whole record cleaning machine hunt. Been collecting vinyl for years and frankly my cleaning methods sucked - microfiber cloths, those cheap brushes, even tried the wood glue trick once which was a damn disaster. After finding scratches on my original pressing of Rumours last month? Yeah that hurt bad enough to make me actually research proper cleaners.

First, I gotta be real about what I need

No fancy audiophile lab here, just a small shelf with maybe 300 records. I spin them maybe twice a week. Wasn't looking to drop a grand on some space-age contraption. My main gripes? Stubborn crackle that wouldn't quit after a wet brush scrub, and visible dust stuck deep in the grooves. Needed something dead simple - plug in, clean, done.

The "Let's Drown in Online Reviews" Phase

Hopped online and wow, opinion city. Every forum post feels like a holy war between brands. Narrowed it down fast after filtering out the crazy expensive stuff:

• Spin-Clean Basic Kit: Looks like a plastic salad spinner crossed with a record player. Manual labor though - gotta turn the record myself. Cheapest option.
• Pro-Ject VC-S2: Vacuum thingamajig everyone raves about. Looks like a tiny sci-fi pod. More buttons and hoses, but promises dry records right after.
• Ultrasonic Cleaner (generic brand): Some DIY guy on Reddit swore by dunking records in a cheap jewelry cleaner bath. Sounds weird, but results looked promising.

Taking the Plunge & The Messy Reality

Couldn't decide between Spin-Clean and Pro-Ject, so... bought both. Yeah my partner rolled her eyes hard. The Ultrasonic route felt too janky for now. Setup:

• Spin-Clean: Easy. Pour fluid in the tray, drop the record in, turn the brushes, flip, rinse repeat. Drying rack included, but oh boy is it SLOOOOW. Cleaning 10 records meant my coffee table was a vinyl graveyard for hours waiting for them to air dry completely. Got the job done, definitely quieter afterward. Annoying dust bits floating in the fluid though.
• Pro-Ject VC-S2: Felt fancier unpacking it. More parts - vac hose, power unit, cleaning arm. Assembly wasn't bad once I stopped forcing pieces together wrong. My first try? Used too much fluid, vacuum couldn't suck it all fast enough, got a slightly damp record. Adjusted (less fluid!), and bam. Drop record, swivel arm, press button, vacuum sucks while brushing. Done in like 2 minutes and record feels bone dry and smooth. Major win... until I kicked over the fluid bottle. That stuff ain't cheap!

So Who Won?

Honest truth? Both kinda did, but for totally different moods.

• Spin-Clean: Great price, cleaned well. It's like washing dishes by hand – effective but time-consuming. My weekend ritual now for batches.
• Pro-Ject VC-S2: The lazy Sunday king. Slap a dirty record on it, press a button, flip, done. Dry immediately. Cost more, but speed and ease? Totally worth it for me. Just guard that fluid bottle like a hawk!
• Ultrasonic: Still tempting maybe later. But watching them spin in water gives me anxiety. Maybe for thrift store rescue records covered in mystery gunk?

Bottom line? If you spin records regularly and hate waiting, get the vacuum one. If you're patient and cheap, Spin-Clean works. Neither are magic, but god does a clean record sound sweet.