HumminGuru & Degritter Ultrasonic RCMs

I have a collection of 300 albums. Half are from the 80s and 90s, the other half are new purchases. I have realised that both old and new need to be cleaned. (I’ve been shocked at the state of some new albums and the static is a pain).

I really didn’t want to get into the whole faffing on with a RCM but it’s a necessary evil. Bottom line . . . I’d like a Degritter for the cost of a HumminGuru!!

Would love views from anyone who has either of these as I have concluded that ultrasonic cleaning is where it’s at.

Has the Degritter transformed your life?
Is it really worth shelling out for?

How close does the HumminGuru get?
Is this a good Degritter substitute for a fraction of the cost?

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Since you don’t necessarily ask for direct comparisons, may I point you to this thread that contains more or less everything there is to say about the Humminguru. Some Degritter remarks as well. (In short: Everyone who has one seems to be happy)

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For minimum faff it’s a degritter but try with just distilled (or RO water). The supplied additive helps cleaning but can make static worse, or at least it does if tracking a cartridge at 3g on a wooden arm.

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I have no knowledge of a HG however I have a Degritter and have had no problems what so ever. It is a brilliant RCM, cleans vinyl without any fuss. Prior to the DG I had an Audio Desk Pro X RCM.

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A while back i was rummaging through the cd’s on a Bury st edmunds market stall and watched the owner clean the vinyl albums with a “J” cloth and window cleaner😬

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Degritter for me has been amazing; totally reliable and super easy to use. It looks terrific too in the utility room and so easy to just listen to a record and give it a quick ‘top up’ clean before putting it away. It’s ease of use and convenience really makes it that realistic to use. Just a quick 10 mins pause before popping back into an anti static sleeve and then you know you’re record will be as perfect as it can be next time you want to play it.

Plus it really does look after your stylus - only the lightest fine hairs collect now, rather than the epic grunge it was dredging out without ultrasonic cleaning…

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An old boy in a " junk shop" in Morecambe was very proud of his vinyl cleaing method. He scrubs them in his kitchen sink with a nail brush.
Even then i still bought a couple of lps from him at £1 each. I still put them via my HG before playing. Lets say, I was glad they were not more than a pound each.

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Thanks for the link @Suedkiez
I have read through this thread with interest and thanks, as it’s very informative.

Now you’ve had your HG for several months, how have you found it? The Degritter looks like it could withstand heavy usage and I wonder if the HG is as robust? I’d imagine I would burn through a few filters in trying to clean my vinyl collection (which seems relatively small in comparison to many on here).

Thanks @Yeti
That’s good to know but not what I wanted to hear!

HG optionally comes with spares kit. It’s well made, and IIRC there are a few users who’ve run 000s LPs through theirs now. I’m sure it’ll sort your collection of 300 out. That’s about the size of my collection and I’m working through as I listen. A DG seems excessive for that number, though I appreciate not all collections are equal, and if I owned priceless first pressings I might change my tune :wink:

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I suspect everyone will recommend what they have, as will I. I have the Degritter. Came from an audiodesk and it is so much easier to use. This means more records get cleaned. I also think it does a better job but that is subjective.

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Still happy. I didn’t do any mass cleaning though, just any new purchases or individual albums, so far maybe 30, so I can’t say how it holds up after a thousand. (I had previously cleaned my whole collection in bulk with one of the ultrasonic Chinese cleaners on eBay that use a regular commercial US bath with a motor assembly attached on top).

I don’t think there is a need to worry about filters unless your records are really dirty. I change the water every 5 records and can’t see any residue in the washable filter yet. I don’t even think the filter is really necessary in my case

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Is the largest number I can find.

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I have the HG too , since 2 months now. It really does a great work. If the lp is very dirty or uncleaned since a big time, I clean it manually first with a fluid.
I have around 400 lps, so I don’t fear that the HG will break for that modest collection. If I had 5k or more of lps, maybe I would invest in a more robust machine as the Degritter.
I do a 3 times cleaning with records I have not listened to since a long time, specially those in not a MINT condition. Some are like resurrected, like MINT .

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Just as some data points, c. 170 cleaned to date.

7l of distilled water used

Had to remove the plastic filter maybe 10 times for funny shaped LPs.

Reverse washed filters a handful of times.

No issues with machine, little visible wear to rollers, no clogging of air filter.

Worst offending LP was not fully cleaned by the machine, The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, has jam or something on it from a previous owner, it’s better after running through the HG, but honestly, I should throw the thing away, it is in a revolting state. No other issues even with some fairly scabby second hand buys.

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These are all very helpful responses - thank you to everyone who has kindly taken the trouble to reply so far. All replies appear to be positive for each RCM.

I think I’m leaning towards the HG (purely for financial reasons) as this seems to be up to the job from the responses thus far. Has anyone been disappointed / dissatisfied with either RCM?

Yep, that plastic strainer thing has limited use. It should be there to protect the pump impellor from biggish lumps. Apart from that i can see no use for it. Mine spends most of the time out, to allow lps to sit on the rollers properly.

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That’s an interesting point tgr. I’d noticed it can be difficult to seat the record securely in the side roller slots on occasion. I might try removing the bottom plug. Thanks for the tip

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Another " tip" which is obvious is…
Always change the water in the HG. I did a mamouth session where i reused the water for about 5 records. Whilst they looked clean, and played clean, the needle did show fluff. Then i noted that these were the lps that shared the water.
So, whilst the white fibre filter does catch stuff, it must let fluff etc through.
A rewash with clean water ( plus a splash of Wilko rince aid) fixed the fluff issue.

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Maybe it depends how dirty were your records. Mine were already cleaned with Art du son cleaning fluid. I generally charge the water every 4,5 records and has nothing on the stylus. The water seems clean too. I wash the filter with white vinegar every 20 lps too.