A good record is not just fun to play, it can often be an investment too. It’s 2022 and the vinyl revival is in full swing. The price of vinyl is going up and rarer records are going for higher and higher prices.
The key to capitalise on both of these factors of vinyl – sound quality and price retention is taking good care of your collection. That is why a high quality cleaning machine is a must buy for any collector.
There are a lot of options on the market but unfortunately a lot of them have flaws too. At KJ West One, we believe that the best way to go is ultrasonic. Many cleaners will use brushes and pads which can do more damage than good. Others are time consuming and fiddly.
For years a high quality ultrasonic record cleaner would have cost over £5k, but now there is a new name in the industry that is making a lot of (well deserved) noise. Degritter is an Estonian company that started via crowd funding with the idea of a lower priced, more technologically advanced ultrasonic cleaner.
Under the hood Degritter boasts a very capable engine comprised of four 120kHz ultrasonic devices powered by a 300W amplifier. There is often a debate about which frequency is best, Degritter say this much higher frequency makes cleaning more efficient and effective.
The Degritter works with distilled water. It uses the ultrasonic frequency to agitate the water and create bubbles which clean the surface and dislodge dust and grime from the grooves. For deeper cleans Degritter also supply a cleaning solution to add to the water, however we recommend just using the distilled water which does the job fantastically as it is. The key thing about ultrasonic cleaning is the surface of the record is not touched at all!
The unit itself is very well built and stylish. Its 50’s style aesthetic works well with the vinyl theme. It is available in both silver and black.
It terms of usability it is almost impossible for it to be any easier. You simply turn it on, put your record in the top, select your setting (Quick, Medium, Heavy) and press go. The machine then cleans and dries automatically and tells you when it’s done. You can of course adjust the settings as you please with custom cleaning times as well as adjustments for water level, drying time, and fan power. In terms of the package, Degritter has pretty much everything you could want from a product of this nature.
We have also found the company to be very easy to deal with and happy to help customers. This goes a long way.
The thing that most people do not realise until they get a good quality record cleaner is the difference it makes to the sound quality and not just in a less pops and noise way, in a more detail, more open sound way. The Degritter will make your records much more coherent. We have found that even brand new records sound superior when cleaned in the Degritter. This is because there is a releasing agent used to get them out of the press, this often clogs the grooves straight away. Degritter deals with this easily.
Since its introduction to the market a couple of years ago, Degritter has become extremely popular, we have sold many of them and have had incredible feedback from our happy customers. We unequivocally recommend this machine.
If you want to see it in action for yourself. Please get in touch. We have it on demonstration in store and would be happy to audition it.
Degritter is available in silver and black and costs £2450. We will ship for free to the UK.