Very fair review of this very effective vinyl cleaner. Records that were plagued with static and pops were almost like new after a bath. I found that the supplied fluid left fluff on the stylus but when I changed to a home brew of isopropanol, tergitol and distilled water (based on your recommendation Paul) no more fluff. I used a light application of a silicone furniture polish sprayed onto a paper tissue on the rubber ring and have had no problems since with stuck or leaking clamp nor any wetting of a label. Also the clamp needs onlly a light tightening onto the record after the silicone treatment. The Mark 2 has greatly increases enjoyment of my record colection and now because of zero static after binning all paper sleeves and switching to Toner plastic sleeves i no longer need my collection of antistat brushes and sticky roller before playing. The best accessory I have bought ever.
I bought the MK1 some time ago and never had a problem with labels that I’ve noticed. Being that I’m a born tamperer I noticed the outer groove on the clamp and so placed a couple of O rings in them. I didn’t think it was an improvement and so removed them. I can’t help but feel that Knosti designed the clamp originally for an O ring but changed their minds(maybe). I’m now thinking in my head how to overcome the unscrewing dilemma. I have a feeling a MK3 will appear later on with a solution(not the one in the bottle 😁).
“Another yes, side splitting episode of The Audiophile Man” 😂 Ok, that was funny. Appreciate your thoughts on this and well, everything you review. You don’t pick the typical stuff people seem to be reviewing, and I think people notice that. Another great vid. Thank you, Paul
I too am using the original mark1. I find it an excellent cleaner. The supplied cleaning solution was discarded as soon as I opened the box, using my homemade solution instead.
I have owned a MK1 for about five years and have been very pleased with the results. I have used both the included mixture and my homemade solution with great results. The bath on mine has a max fill line and both brushes are removable and I have not had a problem with the labels getting wet. I have cleaned about 400 albums so far and the only problem I have had was the centre spindle that joins both sides of the clamp broke due to over tightening but I managed to glue it and it has survived so far but perhaps a future design using a metal spindle would improve the design. The only real improvement of the MK2+ seems to be the rubber feet on the bath but to be honest I have never had a problem with the MK1 moving about and the biggest design fault seems to be how difficult it is to pour the liquid from the bath without spilling some and a lip on one side of the bath would be a good idea.
Hi, in the mark2, the brushes do go in and out with me with some difficulty and not as easily as you have just shown. I am going to remove the rubber rings on your advice as well. Thanks for the informative video. Best regards from the Netherlands
I use the manual cleaner by Vinyl Styl, which is essentially the Mark II without the handle. No issues with the rubber ring, I think it is a little thinner than the Mark II. The goat hair brushes are the same and also have the rust issue and some do get stuck. I think it is the variation with manufacturing the brushes. I have two Vinyl Styl cleaners so I can do a rinse. I use my own cleaning solution. I also use a vinyl vacuum to dry and then let everything sit in the drying rack for a bit. I highly recommend you look into the Vinyl Styl. It already solves all the issues you mentioned with the Mark II, just no handle.
My knosti antistat generation 2 plus came with an explenation paper. To remove the clamps it says the following: "After cleaning: hold one protecting cover firmly and carefully turn the other protecting cover with the hand crank one quarter turn counterclockwise to slightly loosen the screw connection of the protecting covers." I always do this and never had a problem removing the clamps.
Absolutely perfect and everything you said here was also my experience too. I thought I was going crazy! It's such a great cleaner at a great price. The sound really does improve considerably. But the mechanics are problematic: Difficult to remove the clamp (thanks for the tip in removing the rubber rings I'll try that), and the clamp unwinding itself when turning it in the opposite direction letting water in. In addition to that, when the clamp would unscrew during the reverse process, I tightened it up mid-clean. But since the rubber rings were by then already wet, and the edge of the inner label was wet too, when I tightened it up, the rubber rings ended up sliding over the wet paper label, gripping, slipping and biting into the paper and unfortunately the shredding the outer edge. Certainly not ideal! As a result, I've not used it for several months but today decided to resurrect it and find a solution. And then found your video. So thank you!!
Thanks for review of this. Can I ask what the process would be using distilled water and ilfotol as a Surfactant. Would it be to fill tank with diluted ilfotol to clean then rinse with just distilled water ? Or to apply directly to vinyl with drops and Brush and then rinse in distilled water ? Thank you
I found that a second clean with purified water in the bath stopped the deposits from Disco Antistat liquid. However I suggest get a vacuum RCM which is a great improvement over this device. I rarely buy dirty used records these days so I no longer use this device even as a pre clean. Also the tank has developed a leak after many years use.
I'll stick with my Mk 1 and keep using the Tergitol as recommended in your previous vid. Might try to make a handle for it as the manual record turning can get a bit tedious.
Hello Paul l liked your review honest and informative as usual, but you didn't mention the drying rack which I have found that l have to be extra careful with when removing my records, I have removed the plastic bits on the tops noticing that they can damage the vinyl when pulled out, great review,👍
Many thanks Raymond. Re. the rack, as I said in the video, I wanted to focus on differences, which is why I didn't talk a lot about the filter either. There was so much to say in that specific area, I felt that I would just be repeating the Mk.I video, otherwise. But hopefully others will note your comments. I didn't find them an issue because I was always super careful when loading and unloading.
I have one of these, a spin clean, and a vacuum machine. I got all the issues you describe, but also the locking handle is fidgety. My aim was to have a two bath system - the first w/ tergikleen and the second a rinse. I wish I had just bought a second spin clean, especially as I don’t plan to use their fluid anyway. I think you are being kind with your rating. Just my two cents.
Yes, that's a good idea. I'm sure...somewhere...I've talked about a two-bath solution for the eager beavers out there. Maybe in the text version of the review on my site? I'm not a fan on the Spin Clean because it doesn't use abrasion. Those sponges are pretty hopeless, in my eyes (but look, if you like them then, of course, ignore me :) ) As I said in the conclusion here, I could have lowered the rating for the out-of-the-box Mk.II+ experience but that quick mod sorts out the problems and I didn't want to put people off and you really don't have to use the handle at all. But it's nice to have the handle for those users who want it (for the 3 - was it 3? - reasons I stated in the video).
I've tried two Mk2's after watching one of your videos last year. Both have a wobble where the record zig zags back and forth rather than rotating evenly between the brushes. After two bad ones in a row, I had to give up on this one and go back to my Spin Clean. Quality control is not good with these. I also had the clamp sticking issue really badly on a record and had to do the lube job to detach it. I re-read the manual and they say to crank the handle in reverse 1/4 or 1/2 spin while it's still in the bath and clamped in, and that seemed to work.
The clamp should be a four piece unit. The inner larger flange should be a separate piece from the smaller outer part with the finger detentes. (at least one side) This would allow the clamp to turn/tighten without the rubber ring needing to turn as well. I do not consider the mod "indestructible" The gasket is of prime importance to protecting the labels.
Hi Paul . Hard to believe that the company didn’t spot the problem with clamp , and maybe just increased the diameter to prevent the situation in the first place . Which would allow the rubber seals to remain , but have to say some good detective work on your part . It might be worth someone with a little skill buying the old model and modifying it , so bring it up to the same speck . Even spraying the container white, and putting a water level mark in place . 😂 just thinking out the box as they say
Paul, I have 10" shellac records to clean. As these have smaller diameter labels and are engraved a bit further in than 12" LP's I suspect that the label covers vill also cover some engraved area. Can you inform me of which diameter the label covers have?
Hi Paul, thanks for an enlightning test once again. I have a MK I and I still use it for mostly surface cleaning combined with a standard 6L US cleaner from Audiorevita, giving me great results and very clean records. As for the Knosti part, I find that in order to change rotation direction it's best to just lift up the clamped record and put it back in again. No need to put the clamp itself the other way around as you did with the MK II+. As for the clamps themselves I found an engineer in the UK who sells modified clamps with rubber sealers and they work great. And to conclude: I'll just go for a new MKI, as it does seem the 'removable bristle'-option, doesn't it? Thanks and best regards, Ramzi.
@@TheAudiophileMan You're welcome. 🙂 I just contacted Mark - that's his name, LOL - to check if he's still in business. I'll keep you updated. Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out, whether I'll just go for a MK2+ container plus brushes - and keep the old one for rinsing - or a whole new set up....
@@ramzidepamzi7052 I remember someone from a while ago. Took me ages to find the site again. If it's the same guy, he sadly stopped. Hope there's still someone out there
Hi Paul. Thanks for the enlightening review. I have the old MK1. I am considering to buy only the white bowl of the new MK2. Do you think I will be able to use the old clamps on the MK2 without the crank handle? Thanks again.
I think my main issue overall with the product is the cost. As good as it is, it feels like they're taking advantage of the enthusiastic vinyl market. How much does something like this cost to produce......?
Well..."cost to produce" is actually a relatively small part of the asking price, any asking price, no matter the product or service. That's the capitalist society and running a business for you ;)
Very fair review of this very effective vinyl cleaner. Records that were plagued with static and pops were almost like new after a bath. I found that the supplied fluid left fluff on the stylus but when I changed to a home brew of isopropanol, tergitol and distilled water (based on your recommendation Paul) no more fluff. I used a light application of a silicone furniture polish sprayed onto a paper tissue on the rubber ring and have had no problems since with stuck or leaking clamp nor any wetting of a label. Also the clamp needs onlly a light tightening onto the record after the silicone treatment.
The Mark 2 has greatly increases enjoyment of my record colection and now because of zero static after binning all paper sleeves and switching to Toner plastic sleeves i no longer need my collection of antistat brushes and sticky roller before playing. The best accessory I have bought ever.
i have the black version without the crank and it works amazing. made my records look like new
Very cool. Thank you for offering this very reasonably priced record cleaner for review. Not everyone has $500 or more for a cleaning device.
I bought the MK1 some time ago and never had a problem with labels that I’ve noticed. Being that I’m a born tamperer I noticed the outer groove on the clamp and so placed a couple of O rings in them. I didn’t think it was an improvement and so removed them. I can’t help but feel that Knosti designed the clamp originally for an O ring but changed their minds(maybe).
I’m now thinking in my head how to overcome the unscrewing dilemma. I have a feeling a MK3 will appear later on with a solution(not the one in the bottle 😁).
“Another yes, side splitting episode of The Audiophile Man” 😂 Ok, that was funny. Appreciate your thoughts on this and well, everything you review. You don’t pick the typical stuff people seem to be reviewing, and I think people notice that. Another great vid. Thank you, Paul
I bought the mk1 on your recommendation Paul and I'm very happy with it.
Like number 4 from me, my friend.
Jim🏴🙂
I too am using the original mark1. I find it an excellent cleaner. The supplied cleaning solution was discarded as soon as I opened the box, using my homemade solution instead.
I have owned a MK1 for about five years and have been very pleased with the results. I have used both the included mixture and my homemade solution with great results. The bath on mine has a max fill line and both brushes are removable and I have not had a problem with the labels getting wet. I have cleaned about 400 albums so far and the only problem I have had was the centre spindle that joins both sides of the clamp broke due to over tightening but I managed to glue it and it has survived so far but perhaps a future design using a metal spindle would improve the design. The only real improvement of the MK2+ seems to be the rubber feet on the bath but to be honest I have never had a problem with the MK1 moving about and the biggest design fault seems to be how difficult it is to pour the liquid from the bath without spilling some and a lip on one side of the bath would be a good idea.
I bought the mk1 and later I updated it with the mk2 update.
It works super.
Excellent! Nice, and above all, honest review. Many thanks.
Hi, in the mark2, the brushes do go in and out with me with some difficulty and not as easily as you have just shown.
I am going to remove the rubber rings on your advice as well.
Thanks for the informative video.
Best regards from the Netherlands
I use the manual cleaner by Vinyl Styl, which is essentially the Mark II without the handle. No issues with the rubber ring, I think it is a little thinner than the Mark II. The goat hair brushes are the same and also have the rust issue and some do get stuck. I think it is the variation with manufacturing the brushes. I have two Vinyl Styl cleaners so I can do a rinse. I use my own cleaning solution. I also use a vinyl vacuum to dry and then let everything sit in the drying rack for a bit. I highly recommend you look into the Vinyl Styl. It already solves all the issues you mentioned with the Mark II, just no handle.
My knosti antistat generation 2 plus came with an explenation paper. To remove the clamps it says the following: "After cleaning: hold one protecting cover firmly and carefully turn the other protecting cover with the hand crank one quarter turn counterclockwise to slightly loosen the screw connection of the protecting covers." I always do this and never had a problem removing the clamps.
Absolutely perfect and everything you said here was also my experience too. I thought I was going crazy! It's such a great cleaner at a great price. The sound really does improve considerably. But the mechanics are problematic: Difficult to remove the clamp (thanks for the tip in removing the rubber rings I'll try that), and the clamp unwinding itself when turning it in the opposite direction letting water in.
In addition to that, when the clamp would unscrew during the reverse process, I tightened it up mid-clean. But since the rubber rings were by then already wet, and the edge of the inner label was wet too, when I tightened it up, the rubber rings ended up sliding over the wet paper label, gripping, slipping and biting into the paper and unfortunately the shredding the outer edge. Certainly not ideal!
As a result, I've not used it for several months but today decided to resurrect it and find a solution. And then found your video. So thank you!!
Thanks for your kind words, Mal. Glad you liked the video.
Thanks for review of this. Can I ask what the process would be using distilled water and ilfotol as a
Surfactant. Would it be to fill tank with diluted ilfotol to clean then rinse with just distilled water ? Or to apply directly to vinyl with drops and
Brush and then rinse in distilled water ?
Thank you
I found that a second clean with purified water in the bath stopped the deposits from Disco Antistat liquid. However I suggest get a vacuum RCM which is a great improvement over this device. I rarely buy dirty used records these days so I no longer use this device even as a pre clean. Also the tank has developed a leak after many years use.
I'll stick with my Mk 1 and keep using the Tergitol as recommended in your previous vid. Might try to make a handle for it as the manual record turning can get a bit tedious.
Hello Paul l liked your review honest and informative as usual, but you didn't mention the drying rack which I have found that l have to be extra careful with when removing my records, I have removed the plastic bits on the tops noticing that they can damage the vinyl when pulled out, great review,👍
Many thanks Raymond. Re. the rack, as I said in the video, I wanted to focus on differences, which is why I didn't talk a lot about the filter either. There was so much to say in that specific area, I felt that I would just be repeating the Mk.I video, otherwise. But hopefully others will note your comments. I didn't find them an issue because I was always super careful when loading and unloading.
I have one of these, a spin clean, and a vacuum machine. I got all the issues you describe, but also the locking handle is fidgety. My aim was to have a two bath system - the first w/ tergikleen and the second a rinse. I wish I had just bought a second spin clean, especially as I don’t plan to use their fluid anyway. I think you are being kind with your rating. Just my two cents.
Yes, that's a good idea. I'm sure...somewhere...I've talked about a two-bath solution for the eager beavers out there. Maybe in the text version of the review on my site? I'm not a fan on the Spin Clean because it doesn't use abrasion. Those sponges are pretty hopeless, in my eyes (but look, if you like them then, of course, ignore me :) ) As I said in the conclusion here, I could have lowered the rating for the out-of-the-box Mk.II+ experience but that quick mod sorts out the problems and I didn't want to put people off and you really don't have to use the handle at all. But it's nice to have the handle for those users who want it (for the 3 - was it 3? - reasons I stated in the video).
I've tried two Mk2's after watching one of your videos last year. Both have a wobble where the record zig zags back and forth rather than rotating evenly between the brushes. After two bad ones in a row, I had to give up on this one and go back to my Spin Clean. Quality control is not good with these. I also had the clamp sticking issue really badly on a record and had to do the lube job to detach it. I re-read the manual and they say to crank the handle in reverse 1/4 or 1/2 spin while it's still in the bath and clamped in, and that seemed to work.
The clamp should be a four piece unit. The inner larger flange should be a separate piece from the smaller outer part with the finger detentes. (at least one side) This would allow the clamp to turn/tighten without the rubber ring needing to turn as well.
I do not consider the mod "indestructible" The gasket is of prime importance to protecting the labels.
Hi Paul . Hard to believe that the company didn’t spot the problem with clamp , and maybe just increased the diameter to prevent the situation in the first place . Which would allow the rubber seals to remain , but have to say some good detective work on your part . It might be worth someone with a little skill buying the old model and modifying it , so bring it up to the same speck . Even spraying the container white, and putting a water level mark in place . 😂 just thinking out the box as they say
Paul, I have 10" shellac records to clean. As these have smaller diameter labels and are engraved a bit further in than 12" LP's I suspect that the label covers vill also cover some engraved area. Can you inform me of which diameter the label covers have?
Hi Paul, thanks for an enlightning test once again. I have a MK I and I still use it for mostly surface cleaning combined with a standard 6L US cleaner from Audiorevita, giving me great results and very clean records. As for the Knosti part, I find that in order to change rotation direction it's best to just lift up the clamped record and put it back in again. No need to put the clamp itself the other way around as you did with the MK II+. As for the clamps themselves I found an engineer in the UK who sells modified clamps with rubber sealers and they work great.
And to conclude: I'll just go for a new MKI, as it does seem the 'removable bristle'-option, doesn't it? Thanks and best regards, Ramzi.
Do you have more info on the modded clamps please? Links? Prices? All that... Oh and thanks for the kind comments :)
@@TheAudiophileMan You're welcome. 🙂 I just contacted Mark - that's his name, LOL - to check if he's still in business. I'll keep you updated. Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out, whether I'll just go for a MK2+ container plus brushes - and keep the old one for rinsing - or a whole new set up....
@@ramzidepamzi7052 I remember someone from a while ago. Took me ages to find the site again. If it's the same guy, he sadly stopped. Hope there's still someone out there
Hi Paul. Thanks for the enlightening review. I have the old MK1. I am considering to buy only the white bowl of the new MK2. Do you think I will be able to use the old clamps on the MK2 without the crank handle? Thanks again.
Yes, that will be fine.
Paul Is it worth paying £165 pound more for the record Doctor V1 over the one you are reviewing?
I own a similar VinylStyle device. How does this unit compare?
Have you or would you share your recipe for your own cleaning fluid?
Sure - check out: theaudiophileman.com/vinyl-cleaning-guide-part-1-manual-cleaning/
@@TheAudiophileMan thank you!
I think my main issue overall with the product is the cost. As good as it is, it feels like they're taking advantage of the enthusiastic vinyl market. How much does something like this cost to produce......?
Well..."cost to produce" is actually a relatively small part of the asking price, any asking price, no matter the product or service. That's the capitalist society and running a business for you ;)