RECORD CLEANING GAME CHANGER - Pro-ject VC-E2 Test and Review

Beatley Tone puts the Project VC-E2 Vacuum Record cleaner through its paces . Full test and review here.
#beatlesfan #thebeatles #vinylcommunity

[@mbt3362]

Beatley, I cannot tell you how much the bag of peas analogy made me laugh. What a great video - I think the company making this piece of kit will need to be paying you commission!

[@richardleclear]

Great gift! I use the spin clean, I am sort of leery of using anything motorized around my vinyl. But, I am also paranoid lol. I grew tired of paying for "record cleaning" fluid, since it is mostly just water. I "brew" my own by mixing 3/4 distilled water, to 1/4 isopropyl alcohol and add in a couple of drops of rinse aid and Bob's your Uncle! I can make 32 ounces for roughly $6. Also, it may not be available in the UK, but Groove Washer is also available in 128 oz. bottles, at least here in the Colonys. Groove Washer sells direct and ships all over the world, although I can't say if it will save money or not. KZbin won't allow me to post a link, but their addy is just their name. Cheers mate!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Im definitely going to try brewing my own as you and others have suggested Richard - everyone seems to pleased with this method. I get your paranoia lol and Amit to having to put on some big boys pants before trying it but it all seems pretty safe and no damage to records

[@seananthonyegan3395]

Hello Beatley Tone quite a bit of kit you have it's looks like it belongs on the international space station your record cleaning machine, great video thank you for sharing.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

You’re welcome Sean, glad you enjoyed the video . Yeah it does look a bit space age 😂

[@edwardrussell5989]

Hi Tone Glad you got the project machine. I have one and it has restored many old records to near pristine sounding gems. As for cleaning fluid. Make your own. Isopropyl from Amazon and distilled water from any supermarket. Total cost £10 . Lasts for ages cleans hundreds of records. Forget all the fancy expensive stuff. Works a treat

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Thanks for the tip Edward. Will definitely try that

[@edwardrussell5989]

@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel four parts distilled water 1 part isopropyl and your away

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@edwardrussell5989 Thanks Edward, definitely going to try this . Others have suggested the same

[@paulduggan5323]

Well done Mrs Beatley Tone, that’s a great present. I have one as well. My advice is to be ambitious, don’t leave it at just crackles and pops. I’ve brought a lot of the fidelity back to some real old albums. Sometimes this has involved cleaning each side up to 6 times in a row! Success varies but then so does the amount of cleans, it differs record by record. A recent tip I’ve picked up is that when done it’s important to rinse well with distilled water. The fluid I use is the project concentrate which you use 1 part to 10 parts distilled water. Finally I love your record deck, well, I would wouldn’t I as I have a Gyro SE as well!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Yes you're right Paul . I meant to say in the video but forgot that it also really opened up the sound - a bit like opening up the pause on your skin in a sauna lol. Ahh you have Gyro too. Superb deck. Bought mine last year as a retirement present. Did you go for the lid and the plinth or just the main deck?

[@igotdarkaether4813]

MR BEATLEYS TONEDS THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO! I AM VERY GRATEFUL YOU RELEASED THIS MR BEATLEYS TONES!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed the video

[@citygirlfarm]

Good video as always, it's funny how a person can enjoy something so mundane as washing an old record if they like the presenter. I wash my records with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. A one to two mix. I wipe with a microfiber cloth. Sometimes it can take several cleanings. I can get most pops and crack out but it can take a while and there is no guarantee of 100% success. Thanks.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Thanks very much Mary. Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes it's a little bit hit and miss. Some records are beyond a cleaning fix but always worth a try. Thanks for a great comment

[@jasonmackay7499]

Hi Tone, Jase from Australia 🇦🇺 Thanks for the video mate. I'd be glad it was a gift too at that price!! 😄 Just thought I'd share my method, which is quick, cost effective, and produces GREAT results. I bought a RECORD PRO Vinyl Record Washer online. It basically is a manual washer, where you place your vinyl, 12", 10", or 7", in the adjustable washer between two cleaning fluid soaked pads and firstly turn the vinyl clockwise 3 times, then anti clockwise 3 times. You lift the vinyl out with a microfibre cleaning cloth and dry it with a cleaning cloth provided. You then place the vinyl in a 10 slot drying stand for a couple of minutes, and done! It takes a bit of elbow grease, but it's easy to turn. I have bought my own drying cloths since, which are completely fluff free and brilliant, from a local discount store for a couple of bucks. The kit provided a cleaning solution (2 x 150ml bottles), which I found out are basically ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL (100 %). To replace these when empty, I went to Bunnings hardware and bought a 500ml bottle of the same thing for around $30. I am currently cleaning my whole Beatles vinyl collection, which is in the hundreds x whatever, and I get 20 records done from a mix of 3 caps of alcohol straight onto the cleaning pads, literally in tap water filled to the washers lines as marked (probably a litre of water maybe?). Anyway, the results are brilliant!! Couldn't be happier ! No noisy vacuums or ridiculously priced brushes or bottles of fluid. I wipe the vinyl first with a $10 vinyl brush from Amazon. Perfect. And I'm talking most of my vinyl has NEVER been cleaned! Crystal clear results! Thanks for reading, if you're still awake!! 😄 Jase 👍

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Hi Jase, I'm still here 😂 yours sounds a bit like the spincare cleaner that seems very popular here at the moment. Sounds like you're getting great results. Im not sure ive got the patience to clear records by the load en-mass - I think im just going to work my way through as I want to play them. The thing I also like about this machine is there is no rinsing or drying time. It's straight off the machine onto the deck. Thanks for sharing your method. I hope you're having some decent weather , we're freezing our bollocks off here 😂

[@beatledavetherecordcollector]

Great video my friend, I've had mine for a few year's now,I knew you would like it, I've probably cleaned 1000s of records over the years, mine is a slightly older model than yours but it's basically the same, enjoy cleaning your records my friend, cheers, Dave

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Yes I have have had record cleaning envy since I saw your video on your machine. Glad you enjoyed the video Dave Cheers

[@Rich-fh5fh]

There was something relaxing in watching the vinyl cleaning. I need a new hobby 😂 nice one mate I enjoyed that.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Glad you enjoyed it Rich . Have fun with your new hobby 😂 There is definitely something satisfying about this process, like im saving records with my bare hands like some sort of super hero!

[@Rich-fh5fh]

@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel we all look forward to you doing the next video in lycra outfits in honour of Magneto and Titanium Man!! 🤣

[@Russell__Smith]

Hello Tone, I'm glad you have done this video. I have been looking and researching lots cleaning machines for some while now. As professional engineer, I have real doubts about spending mega spondulaks on an ultra sonic machine, particularly where it is not possible to vary the frequency, which none of them do as far as I'm aware. These vac types, probably do 80% of the job and don't see the point spending 1000s chasing the remaining 20 odd percent. BtW, I rate Juno and buy a lot of records off them and living overseas they are one of the few retailers that correctly strip out the VAT which largely offsets the shipping for me. Keep up the good work. Russell.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Thanks Russell , glad you found the video useful. I think there is a big gap in price between this and the ultrasonic types. They do seem good but not sure the price hike equates to the benefits as you say . cheers

[@myles7522]

Very impressive…thank you

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

you're welcome

[@xtstevie]

Hi Tone & some contraption that works well by the looks of it & i will make you laugh here as in well over 40 years of buying vinyl new & second hand in all kinds of conditions all i've ever used to clean my vinyl is my trusty old vinyl cloth & hot air from my mouth & it works a treat lol !!!! I do clean before & after every play & always have.....

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Well thats pretty much how I cleaned my records before getting this machine Stevie to be honest, so im not judging

[@craigphillips884]

Definitely make your own,,works fantastically well..

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

So everyone keeps saying. Will certainly have a go at this

[@peterx1957]

Hi Beatley Tone, nice Christmas gift. I swear by the Knosti Disco Antistatic spin cleaner. I've had some great results including mysterious skips repaired as well as the 95% removal of pops & clicks. Older records have come up beautifully. Maybe you should try cleaning your "Shaved Fish" LP. It may repair the skip on "Instant Karma"? Worth a try. Cheers mate. 😊

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Great stuff Peter. Im pretty sure that my jump on Instant karma is beyond repair but will give it a go. I’ve just glued the sleeve back together this morning 😎

[@BeatleJohn813]

Hi Tone , I’m glad you have made a video on the pro-ject VC-E2 Record Cleaning Machine , I’m definitely thinking of getting one now . I have got records which I got in the 70’s . I use the spin care record cleaning kit , but not for much longer . I have been eyeing up this pro- ject VC- E2 for a while , but I have 7inch single’s that go back 53 years that need cleaning , now I’m asking would the arm on your machine dry 7inch singles ? . Great video Tone as usual . 😊😊. Tone what is the website for juno records ?

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Hi John, Sounds like youre on the verge of biting on this one. I havent tried 7"singles yet but I saw a video on YT where the presenter said that project do a vacuum arm accessory for singles (I guess it 's longer in length than the Lp one it ships with. Glad you enjoyed the video John Juno.co.uk

[@jameswheelock1799]

I use a cleaning fluid from guitar center. It works pretty good eliminates some of the skips do to dirt and dust. it even has small brush for the needle.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Good stuff. I also have a stylus brush as part of my routine James

[@jimllfaxit]

Great video man. My turntable was in storage for 14 years. I've just got it all set up with a new Ortofon 2m bronze stylus . Bloody hell, i forgot how nice vinyl sounds. It sounds really open and the treble is really sweet. A lot of my records had dots of mould on them. I bought some Clear Groove solution of ebay that comes with a couple of micro fibre cloths. I was a bit skeptical but i've just cleaned one of the worst offenders and it plays excellent. I have a lot of lp's so I may invest in one of these. Oh, btw, I'm not involved with clear groove lol

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Great stuff. Enjoy your re-introduction to vinyl. Sounds like you've got some heavy scrubbing ahead of you so one of these would certainly make your life easier. Enjoy. (great user name btw).

[@PedroMiguel-if3ll]

I had the same situation with mould spots on my 40 years collection records that were stored in a attic for decades! Vacuum cleaner is the way to go to get rid of all that. Yes, it's an expensive machine, but if you wanna save your records, there's no way around.

[@jimllfaxit]

@@PedroMiguel-if3ll Thanks Pedro. Yeah, I haven't got one yet but still definitely considering it. It would be great to have nice, clean records again.

[@musicsoundgear]

Hi Beatley... You can make your own record cleaning solution (this is what most good commercial available products are). 3 parts Distilled water + 1 part 99% isopropyl alcohol + 1 /2 capful wetting agent (I use ILFOTOL (used for film developing) but there are many others. If you don't use a wetting agent, the water will not penetrate into the grooves). I make it by the 1/2 gallon for literally pennies.

[@arminzink1925]

That's also my way .... very cheap but very effective! I can highly recommend this!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Thanks very much for this info. Im definitely going to have a go at brewing my own liquid . Cheers

[@arminzink1925]

What a great xmas gift. Great! Congratulations on that! And as always, a very entertaining video. So far I made good experiences with my self made groove washer fluid (see musicsoundgear's recommendation below), a goats hair brush to spread the fluid over the record and wiping it off with a microfiber cloth, when the record spines on my turn table. But the project record cleaner is for sure the better solution. I may keep my eyes open for a used one, if I get it for a reasonable price. BR from Munich

[@arminzink1925]

ah, forgot to mention: I clean all my records, no matter if they are new (some are dirty as hell, fresh out from the factory) or second hand ones as well. And I clean it every time, or every second time, I play them.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Hope you manage to find one at a good price Armin. Your method is pretty much what I have been doing before I git the machine

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@arminzink1925 That is dedicatio although it makes sense

[@beatlebrad5339]

Hi mate :). Yes, I do Rember that video!!! I do think you did pick a good one to clean. You can tell it does need to be done. Because the front cover ... Is already wet lol.... Ok well moving right along :). I do like you cleaner it does look like it did well on your Vinyl :)!! Wow it does sound better I like it and your Wife did well. Tell her that BB said so :) lol. You do have some more crackly sound. And that is deep into the Vinyl. But yes, you can get that out too mate and it will sound brand new :). Ok I did a video awhile back on this but yes it does work. And I did it with Would Glue ... Ok ok I know you think I am a bit loony lol. But I was shocked with the results myself and was very hesitant to do it so I got a Record at a Thrift store!!! But yes, I do think it did well Tonny :) Yes, a bit $$$ :) the Glue is cheep lol. . Well I am off for now Tonny but all the best to you my friend and take care:)!!!!!!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Oh Im gonna look out for your wood glue video brad. I have seen this being done before so interested to see how you do it. It does take a long time though from what I can remember and im all about instant gratification lol in other words I want to clean my record then play it straight away. yes she did well getting me this I feel like im saving records with my bare hands like some sort of super hero lol. VINYLMAN ! Only a few weeks to the Fest, I hope you are looking forward to it. Speak soon my friend

[@beatlebrad5339]

I hope to go to the Fest... But my Wife is not too sure of it all. We are Driving practically across America to do this lol. And see is not too happy about the weather for it all :(. It will take about 9 ours to get there!!! O just to help you out mate the number of my video on that is 484 :). Let me know what you think cheers mate!!!! Ps keep worm it is cold out lol !!!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@beatlebrad5339 Wow that is a long drive and I guess it might get cancelled if weather is too bad. I understand your wife's doubts. Hope you make it there though. Thanks for the video number brad that will help. Have a great weekend mate

[@beatlebrad5339]

Thanks. I hope to go too:). O I just put up a new video so if you get the chance take a look thanks. Great to talk to you too. Sad, we do live so far away I would have a great time going to the Record stores with you. And just hanging out yes. Well, I am off a friend, and I are going Record shopping lol!!! Ps I do have about 5 Record stores in my town lol to shoes from!!!!!

[@terrymann1341]

Thanks for the video Tone, I must admit, if I could afford one at the moment I would invest in one, however what I do is use a couple of methods mainly based around fluid and microfibre cloths. Placing the record on my turntable, spray a small amount on the record, switch the turntable on and use either the cloth or my brush on the record to get the fluid into the grooves. I also on the more soiled records for a deeper clean use winyl record cleaning gel as recommended to me by Andrew Dixon. It's a longer process but it really get's the grime and the crap out of the grooves, it worked wonders on a copy of All things Must Pass I picked up at a car boot sale. It was in really bad condition, I only paid the guy a tenner for it, but it came up a treat and looks so much better and it plays fine. I have one question about the Project VC-E2. The vacuum itself, does it have a chamber where all the dirt goes that you have to empty periodically, and what cleaning/maintenance does the machine require to keep it in good nick? I remember back in the day having a dust bug on my turntable that cleaned the record as you played it. I'm surprised there isn't a similar device available now. The cleaning fluid I use is available from HMV and you get two bottles for £12.99. Again thanks for the video Tone, this may well be the way I go with cleaning my records in the future..

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

You're welcome Terry, glad you enjoyed the video. Your current method seems very similar to my routine before I got this machine.Ive seen videos on the gel which seems to work well and im sure its good if you know what record you want to play 2 days later. (overnight for each side). It seems a lot of work to me, Im all about instant gratification 😂 but great that you restored a battered old ATMP very cheaply. It does have a chamber where the dirt and dirty liquid go which you can empty when it gets full, however the chambers is so big that most of the water will have evaporated before you get anywhere near the top(apparently) so probably not something to be concerned about

[@gavaxemanspins]

Told you they are good - game changer for used vinyl purchasing 🎉

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Yes game changer for me

[@gavaxemanspins]

@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel - I had mine as a 50th birthday present instead of lockdown (instead of going to Vegas) … I think I was more pleased with the VCS2 !

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@gavaxemanspins 😂 Ha Vegas is a few good nights out , but a record cleaner is forever 😂

[@georgearnold8573]

Wow nice Christmas 🎄 gift 🎁.....i have a spin clean

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

What do you think of it?

[@georgearnold8573]

@beatleytonesbeatlescha it's pretty good at cleaning older records I find it definitely reduces snap Crackle and pop The records sound much clearer then before .. has been my experience with it

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@georgearnold8573 good stuff. Thanks for the update George

[@PedroMiguel-if3ll]

I just got myself this machine to try out. I am already on a 3rd unit replacement, as Project quality control is very poor, so be prepare for that. It does clean records, but for very dirty, just once is not enough. I use G2 and then Project Wash it2 on each side, so its very time consuming. What i don't like about this Project Vacuum machine: 1. Its very noisy, its basically a vacuum inside a metal box, some users say it will get worse with time. 2. The felts in the arm start tearing apart after just few records (20-30), so you have to keep checking, otherwise it can scratch the record. And replace felts costs £8, expensive! 3. The vacuum arm does not go all way to dead wax, so if you don't use a fiber cloth there, its gonna leave liquid spots. More work, annoying! 4. Remember is a vacuum, not a dryer. So there's no point to vacuum more than 2 rotations. Then you have to wait a few minutes to let it dry before put the record on a new sleeve. More time consuming. Will I keep this machine? Probably, as i have 40-50 years records, that were stored in a attic, all dirty with mold spots. This is only way to get rid of it. But I think this machine have lots of issues, and after spending 6 hours cleaning 40 records, I am already hating this all process!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts Miguel. I agree with a lot of what you say having lived with this machine for 5 months. My response to each of your points below. 1. I agree its very noisy as demonstrated in the video but like you say in your 4th point you only need to do a couple of rotations so this is not a biggie for me - the pain is over quickly. 2. I have just replaced my first felt after 5 months. I'm not sure how many records I have cleaned in this time as I havent kept a record but mine didnt rip it just became less effective over time, so it was time to change it. The replacements are expensive but you get 4 or 5 spares with the initial purchase. 3. You dont need to clean the dead wax so if you are careful with your spraying direction this can be avoided. 4. I agree. but reference point 1. There have been a couple of records that I have had to do this process on more than once , but generally once has been enough for my records despite me never cleaning some of them properly for over 40 years. I also find the whole process necessary but evil. I havent been cleaning my records wholesale, as in doing loads in the same sitting, Ive just been cleaning the records that I want to play next. This has helped ease the boringness of the process .

[@PedroMiguel-if3ll]

@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel How did you got 4-5 replacements felts? This is my 3rd unit, and Project only ships with one extra. I don't spay, I just pour in and use the goat brush all way to the dead wax. My old records are all dirty on the dead wax, so I have to do it that way.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@PedroMiguel-if3ll I have no idea, they were just in the box when I opened it

[@PedroMiguel-if3ll]

@@beatleytonesbeatleschannel Maybe it was the dealer you got from. All the 3 units I got, just came with an extra felt strip.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

@@PedroMiguel-if3ll my wide bought it for me from amazon

[@jimhines5145]

I keep it simple. No budget for an expensive record vacuum here. Really bad ones I may sink wash occasionally. I make my own solution which is simple. 70% distilled water and 30% isopropyl (92%) in a spray bottle with a DiscWasher like cleaning pad. Works pretty good and the vinyl dries quickly. I brush off the DiscWasher after each cleaning pass. It always ends back up on the LP somehow, if you don't.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Definitely going to have a fo at brewing my own liquid next time Jim. Many have suggested the same

[@vinylwood]

The Humming Guru is also much less hassle and needs almost no participation on your part. Just fill tank, attach records, press start and walk away to listen to tunes. No messing with mystery cleaner sprays and brushes and physical touch just a great cleaner with little or no record surface touching. 😊

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Thanks for the info. I quite like the human interventions. it's like Im saving records with my bare hands like some sort of super hero. 😂

[@jimhines5145]

Hey B-Tone. Perhaps you did this and didn't show in the video, but with each cleaning pass with the brush, you need to clean it after every single pass. Especially when you reversed direction. If you didn't clean it, all that dust on the reverse end will end back up on your record. Laws of nature. Also wondering how much static electricity the vacuum introduces. It would have to create some.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Good tip there Jim. I didnt clean the brush but visually i didnt see any dust back on the record. I think the pre-cleaning vac should remove all the dust before the brush hits the record

[@stationminute]

So you're saying we should retire our old Emitex cloths?

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

haha yeah probably

[@grahampratchett8207]

Terrible. I've brought a jar of green Gel. you apply it to the surface of the album (1 side at a time).Leave a card between the record & Gel. Edge to the Run-Out. Leave it over night. Next day Slowly pull the card, and with it the Gel covers off all in one go. Grooves and Vinyl. Brilliant. Play the record after no noise or pops &clicks. Then do the other side.

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Yeah ive seen this done which im sure works really well if you know what record you want to play in 2 days time but it seems like hard work to me, Im all about instant gratification - I want to clean my record then play it straight away

[@Beatgeneration2010]

Damned if I could tell the difference???? Sorry Tone!!!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Lol i even told you the bit in song to listen out for 😂

[@mbt3362]

Beatley, I cannot tell you how much the bag of peas analogy made me laugh. What a great video - I think the company making this piece of kit will need to be paying you commission!

[@beatleytonesbeatleschannel]

Glad you had a laugh and you never know they might lol