Humminguru - Ny ultralydvasker til US$ 349,-

[JMM]

I used the Knosti Disco Antistat myself for a couple of years, way back. The VPI was significantly better and Humminguru is another step up. Probably the last step as far as I'm concerned, since I consider its performance essentially perfect for my use. A more powerful machine (i.e. one with more powerful transducers) may be more effective on properly dirty records, but as I only buy records which are new or graded NM there isn't really anything more to be had from a more expensive/powerful machine in my specific case.

I can't remember exactly what I ended up paying, but it wasn't far off NOK 3500. I was a Kickstarter-backer though and I'm not sure how the current price compares to what I paid. However, if you call it NOK 4000 you can't be too far off I think. Others will no doubt know more exactly.

 

[Milkplus]

My use case is the same as yours - new or NM. The occasional filthy second hand LP but then I can run it through the Knosti a few times first.

Sounds like the Humminguru is the right choice and glad to hear you're having such success with it. I just wish they had a local distributor for warranty purposes but it wouldn't be first time I've imported something haha

 

[JMM]

I wouldn't be too concerned about the warranty situation, as Humminguru (the company) appears to be quite helpful when problems show up, from what little I've read on forums here and there. Also, the construction is simple enough that if everything works on arrival, it should go on working for a long time. However, as always there's a chance of receiving a flawed product, with the associated annoyance of getting stuff sorted out when the manufacturer is located at the other end of the world, with no local representation.

Anyway, personally I was quite positively surprised at the quality feel of the Guru when it arrived, especially given the low price. Of course it's all plastic, but it's not cheap plastic and it feels sturdy and very well built. Everything fits perfectly, with no gaps, assembly glitches or rattles when it's moved. It feels, quite simply, like a quality product.

I must have put 300 or so records through mine by now and there's no difference in performance from day 1.

 

[Milkplus]

Very encouraging to hear that you're having such success with it. And that it seems sturdy enough to handle such a sizeable number of records without signs of wear and tear.

Are you using a surfactant in the process? I realise that doing so will void the warranty but I've been reading that people have had success with this...

 

[JMM]

I tried, briefly, without a surfactant and to put it succinctly - it did almost f*ck-all. Hence I'd say a surfactant is essential, not optional. The difference is literally night vs day.

I use the battery water I linked to earlier, mixed with (very) roughly 30% isopropanol and (equally) roughly 7ml Ilford Ilfotol wetting agent per liter of finished solution.

In my experience the actual ratios are not at all critical, but I would say 20% isoprop and 5ml wetting agent is about the minimum to aim for. Much less and performance will be impacted, but more (over and above what I currently use) won't really make any appreciable positive difference. At least this is my personal experience.

As far the device is concerned there is nothing inside it which can be damaged by either ingredient, as neither is harmful to rubber, plastic or metal.

Regarding wetting agents I've seen warnings on several forums regarding the use of products from Kodak. I certainly can't verify them, but it is claimed that e.g. Kodak Photo-Flo contains additives which can/will stick to and coat both the machine and the records.

Again, no idea if this is true or not, but the easy fix is to go with something else, like Ilfotol. After 300+ records I believe I can attest to it being perfectly safe.

 

[Milkplus]

Ha yeah, it always struck me a bit odd that they say not to put anything other than distilled water in the machine, but I suspect that is more to cover their asses because people make vinyl-cleaning concoctions out of anything and everything and it would be tricky to account for it.

Anyways, I went ahead and ordered a Humminguru this morning. So, now beings the wait! It worked out a little over 5k with import taxes but that's still the same as the higher-end vacuum machines which I think as less effective.

Your solution recipe seems solid, although it's definitely a higher concentration of isopropyl than I normally use. Interested to up the amount and see what difference it will make. As a surfactant I have also ordered some Tergikleen, which has received good reviews online. In the future I may switch to Ilfotol as it is more readily available in Norway.

Thanks against for your help and recommendations, am looking forward to cracking on with some cleaning soon.

 

[JMM]

Happy to be of assistance. As to the isoprop concentration I did start at roughly 20%, but there were still some damp areas after the drying cycle. Increasing the share to 30% negated this problem and they can now be put straight in the inner cover.

Also, I would *highly* recommend picking up this funnel and 200 micron mesh filter from eBay. It vastly improves the filtering of the used solution and thereby drastically reduces the amount of cleaning solution used over time. In addition it makes pouring a lot faster. The included filter is OK, but no more than that, whereas this filter is extremely effective and captures a great deal more. Consequently the solution stays very clean for a long time, with no need to discard it.

I've gone from discarding the cleaning solution every 6-12 cleaning cycles, depending on how dirty the records were, to now discarding it when I feel like it. That's rather less than definitive, but I would say that I now swap solution maybe every 30+ records. Basically I've gone from using a lot more solution vs with the manual VPI, to using quite a lot less with the same cleaning results as before.

All credit for thinking of and finding this excellent fix goes to member Ru-arnt; I just picked it up and adopted it.

 

[Milkplus]

Takk for tipset! Consider it ordered. So, the idea would be to pour the solution out of the HG container back into via this funnel rather than the in-built one? The more milage I can get out of the solution the better for sure.

Good to know that it sorted out your damp spots. That's an issue I've been having with my Knosti, would be nice not to have to use a microfiber cloth to dab up the few remaining stray droplets.

Can I ask if there's anything specific you store your solution in? I'm always worried (likely needlessly) about the alcohol breaking down the inside of a plastic bottle slowly over time and leeching chemicals into the solution.

 

[JMM]

Pretty much. You discard the filter in the HG container, put the funnel in the HG tank and pour the solution into the filter/funnel. Because the original filter in the container is gone the pour is a lot faster and the new filter is vastly superior.

As for storage I just use the 5L water cans. I've got a few empty containers lying around, so I decant about 1.5L water into one and replace it with isoprop and add about 35ml wetting agent. A little big of jiggling the can to mix it well and job done.

I've zero concern about leeching personally, but you could always pick up a large container in some other material you consider more suitable if you consider it a risk. I have quite a bit of solution stored (15L or so), most of which has been in the cans for months and I see no evidence of leeching or any other possible problems, such as clouding of the solution or any kind of impact on the cans.

 

[Milkplus]

That sounds sensible enough. I think I'm just being a bit overcautious with regards to the leeching. And I suppose you change out the solution after 30 or so cycles so it's not necessarily sitting there for months or years on end.

Any particular isopropyl you recommend? I bought some from my local Apotek 1 - it didn't mention what percentage it was on the bottle, which I thought was a bit odd, but the employee looked it up on the computer and confirmed that it was 99%.

Btw, do you heat your solution before use? I've read on various places that this could be helpful.

 

[JMM]

I just picked the cheapest alternative (inc. shipping) I found on Prisguiden.no,which turned out to be "Blårens". Can't remember from where. A pharmacy is about the last place to look, as they're just about always the most expensive alternative. Assuming that price matters of course.

No heating here, I want my life to be as easy as possible and the records can't get more pristine than pristine anyway, which they do without heating. It might make a difference with really stubborn dirt I suppose, but I've yet to encounter anything which isn't shifted perfectly efficiently by room temperature solution.

 

[Milkplus]

Ahh, I looked into blårens at my local hardware store but couldn't seem to figure out what the concentration of isopropyl in it was. I can't know for sure, but based on the price and the fact that the bottle made it look like it was for cleaning floors, I suspected that it wasn't over 90%. Maybe you know different?

 

[JMM]

Sure do. The last sentence in the first paragraph of this product description states that "Blårens contains pure isopropyl alcohol". So basically 99.9?%.

 

[Milkplus]

Ahh fantastic! Should have gone for the translation I was just searching around for a % sign haha. Cheers for that

 

[Milkplus]

Sure do. The last sentence in the first paragraph of this product description states that "Blårens contains pure isopropyl alcohol". So basically 99.9?%.

My HG arrived yesterday in record time! It really is a well put together piece for the price.

Just wondering what mode you run it on for the best results with your mixture? And do you do a rinse cycle with just distilled water afterwards?

I'm using Tergikleen as the surfactant and it recommends rinsing afterwards

Lastly, once you're done with a cleaning session do you filter the solution from the HG tank back into the 5L bottle or do you just discard it?

Sorry for all the questions! But it sounds like you're having such success with it that I'd like to get my system as close to yours as possible

 

[JMM]

I run a 5 minute cleaning and 5 minute drying cycle. No rinsing - I've zero indication that it's necessary to do so (no residue on the stylus after playing records, no sonic clues that anything is off kilter) and it would frankly be far too much faff and bother. I don't know Tergikleen though, so I can't say whether that changes things.

As mentioned before, I have discarded the included filter and use this one instead. When I'm done cleaning I simply leave the solution in the tank until the next time, or I throw it away if I've cleaned a lot of records or a number of quite dirty records (though the latter is unlikely). I don't have a real sense of how often I discard the solution, as that depends purely on gut feeling. With the linked filter the solution always looks completely clean, whereas with the included filter you can clearly see the particles suspended in the solution after it's been used a few times.

No worries about the questions; taking 2 minutes to reply ain't gonna break me. I should think I'm probably getting the same results as most other users, as there's not a huge amount of wiggle room available. The main things are to get rid of the original filter, both for the sake of filtering efficiency and ease of use (doing so significantly shortens pouring time), and to find the right solution.

 

[Valentino]

Da har også jeg bestilt @Ru-arnt sin trakt med filter. Tusen takk for repetisjonene!

 

[Seskage]

Da har også jeg bestilt @Ru-arnt sin trakt med filter. Tusen takk for repetisjonene!

Den trakten er helt genial! Sparer mye søl og tid når vaskeren skal fylles. Og man ser at filteret fjerner det som slipper igjennom filteret i oppsamlingskaret. Billigste, og beste oppgradering jeg har gjort tror jeg

 

[JMM]

Helt enig og mange takk til @Ru-arnt som først nevnte det!

 

[Milkplus]

I run a 5 minute cleaning and 5 minute drying cycle. No rinsing - I've zero indication that it's necessary to do so (no residue on the stylus after playing records, no sonic clues that anything is off kilter) and it would frankly be far too much faff and bother. I don't know Tergikleen though, so I can't say whether that changes things.

As mentioned before, I have discarded the included filter and use this one instead. When I'm done cleaning I simply leave the solution in the tank until the next time, or I throw it away if I've cleaned a lot of records or a number of quite dirty records (though the latter is unlikely). I don't have a real sense of how often I discard the solution, as that depends purely on gut feeling. With the linked filter the solution always looks completely clean, whereas with the included filter you can clearly see the particles suspended in the solution after it's been used a few times.

No worries about the questions; taking 2 minutes to reply ain't gonna break me. I should think I'm probably getting the same results as most other users, as there's not a huge amount of wiggle room available. The main things are to get rid of the original filter, both for the sake of filtering efficiency and ease of use (doing so significantly shortens pouring time), and to find the right solution.

Ah, yup. Have the funnel on order but seems like it won't get here until late July/early August. But maybe I'll get lucky and it shows up sooner.

You're definitely way more cavalier than a lot of other people I've been reading about using this machine. The high isopropyl ratio and leaving the solution in the tank overnight! I'm encouraged that it seems to be working for you and that you've successfully cleaned 300 records. That's proof enough for me.

I gave it a go yesterday and had decent success. Mixture of 5L, 70% batterivann/30% blårens and then 20 or so drops of Tergikleen and a good shake.

2 min cleaning in the HG, followed by a 5 min auto. Then I took the record out and ran it through the Disco Antistat with just distilled water and then back in the HG for a final drying cycle. I was pretty pleased with the results - records looked clean and there was a definite reduction in noise on some of them. Not everything was gone, but I'm not expecting miracles either. What did disappear was any trace of static which I'm happy with as it's something Ive been battling with.

I'll keep tweaking things as I go. I've got some G-Sonic solution on the way which people online swear by, so it will be interesting to see what difference that makes. And then I look forward to the filter getting here because there was definite build up if muck in the tank after cleaning 5 records.

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[skranglefant]

...I was pretty pleased with the results - records looked clean and there was a definite reduction in noise on some of them. Not everything was gone, but I'm not expecting miracles either.

Please keep in mind that most pressings are imperfect. Nature of the beast

 

[JMM]

2 min cleaning in the HG, followed by a 5 min auto. Then I took the record out and ran it through the Disco Antistat with just distilled water and then back in the HG for a final drying cycle. I was pretty pleased with the results - records looked clean and there was a definite reduction in noise on some of them. Not everything was gone, but I'm not expecting miracles either. What did disappear was any trace of static which I'm happy with as it's something Ive been battling with.

Please keep in mind that most pressings are imperfect. Nature of the beast

Wot he said. On many records *nothing* is going to remove all clicks and pops, because they're baked into the records during manufacture. In many (most?) record plants the record pressing process simply isn't of the same quality as during vinyl's heyday. As you've already found the main thing you'll hear is a reduction in is background hiss/static, which manual cleaners simply can't remove (at least mine couldn't). That said, some/many clicks and pops will disappear too, where these were caused by particles being left in the tracks due to an insufficient post-manufacture cleaning process.

You're definitely way more cavalier than a lot of other people I've been reading about using this machine. The high isopropyl ratio and leaving the solution in the tank overnight! I'm encouraged that it seems to be working for you and that you've successfully cleaned 300 records. That's proof enough for me.

To be fair; this isn't me being cavalier, but rather some other people being overly paranoid and/or anal-retentive and/or ignorant. It's simply a matter of ascertaining whether or not isoprop is capable of reacting with/damaging any of the materials in the Guru. As the answer to that is a big, fat no, there's really no point in worrying about it.

A little judicious googling will unearth a plethora of sources of authoritative material science, but as always many people prefer to listen to unsubstantiated warnings on forums.

Thanks again for your advice!

You're very welcome. It's nice to (very) occasionally be of some use.

 

[Valentino]

Thus spake the humblest of the humbly humble.

 

[JMM]

Nothing un-humble© about it really. Just simple statements of fact.

 

[JMM]

Kjøpt på ebay

Stainless Steel Kitchen Funnel Water Oil Funnel with 200 Mesh Filter Strainer | eBay

The stainless steel funnel could be used to filter oil, grease or soup, helping you to make delicious foods. This kind of kitchen small funnel is a handy accessory for you to dispense water, oil and other fluid, making your life more convenient and easier.

www.ebay.com

I forlengelse av trakten og filteret som Ru-arnt tipset oss om (og som er vel verdt å nevne igjen) så handlet jeg to lignende filter på eBay, med 300 og 400 mesh. Ikke det at 220 mesh virker for grovt, men de dukket opp i en feed, jeg tok en titt og tenkte jeg kunne avse litt over en hundrings for to stk.

Disse er litt større enn det originale filteret og ikke tilpasset trakten, men de tilfører ikke noe videre ekstra bryderi. De funker selvsagt fint (fint lite som kan gå galt her) og jeg har tatt i bruk 400 og lagt bort 220 og 300

 

[Valentino]

Faen. Nå har jeg vasket 22 platesider med 220. Strålende fornøyd har jeg også vært.

 

[ragwo]

@JMM
Takk for at du trigget OCDen min, 400-filter er herved bestilt!

 

[JMM]

Faen. Nå har jeg vasket 22 platesider med 220. Strålende fornøyd har jeg også vært.

Håper inderlig at jeg før eller siden kan tilgis!

 

[JMM]

@JMM
Takk for at du trigget OCDen min, 400-filter er herved bestilt!

Alltid til tjeneste!

 

[slartibartfast]

Er det noe en burde legge til ordren med det samme hvis en skulle bestille seg en HG?
Ser at der finns både replacement kits, vanntank og filter packs på ordresiden.

 

[JMM]

Hvis du ser for deg å vaske mange plater, så ville jeg tatt med et HG01 replacement kit. Det koster jo ikke allverden og de ekstra rotasjonshjulene kan kanskje komme godt med down the road. Det sagt så har jeg etterhvert vasket noen hundre plater, helt uten noen indikasjon på at de originale er slitt. Så ville jeg absolutt hanket inn filteret & trakten du ser linket litt lenger oppe på siden, fordi det er langt mer effektivt enn det inkluderte filteret. Gjerne et finere filter til trakten også.

Vanntanken har jeg vondt for å se kan komme til å behøve å erstattes, med mindre du mister den på gulvet og deretter energisk hopper opp og ned på den.

 

[Seskage]

Ville bestilt med replacement kit. Filtrene blir veldig møkkete etterhvert, men de kan jo skylles ganske rene med vann. Og hjulene som styrer platen slites. Har vasket langt over 100 plater så langt uten at jeg har bytte noe.

 

[aiso]

Ville bestilt med replacement kit. Filtrene blir veldig møkkete etterhvert, men de kan jo skylles ganske rene med vann. Og hjulene som styrer platen slites. Har vasket langt over 100 plater så langt uten at jeg har bytte noe.

Støtter dette. Smart å kjøpe replacement kit med det samme du bestiller.

 

[HansPB]

Fikk min levert i går. Første plate i vaskeren nå!
Det følger med litt reservedeler som ikke var inkludert i kickstarteren:
- to par ekstra ruller
- fem luftfilter
- fem vannfilter

Kan jo tas med i betraktning når man vurderer behovet for ytterligere replacement kit.

 

[JMM]

HumminGuru S-DUO er nå tilgjengelig for pre-order for HK$900 + 200 for frakten.

 

[Seskage]

Ble bestilt i dag

 

[aiso]

Var "backer" på denne. Får se om det blir en bestilling.

 

[Dr_BASS]

for dere som har bestillt humminguru, hvor langt tid tok det før den ble sendt. Har stått i order confirmed i 48timer nå, syns det er lenge for å være en bedrift.

 

[HansPB]

for dere som har bestillt humminguru, hvor langt tid tok det før den ble sendt. Har stått i order confirmed i 48timer nå, syns det er lenge for å være en bedrift.

Den var på vei innen et døgn eller noe sånt. Dvs tok et døgn fra bekreftet ordre til de sa den var på vei (men ennå ikke plukket opp av FedEx).
Deretter tok det et par-tre dager før den var på Lillestrøm, hvorpå den brukte like mange (virke)dager fra Lillestrøm til Oslo.

 

[Dr_BASS]

hmm, har ikke skjedd noe siden jeg bestilte og betalte.
Får kanskje purre litt...