The old 1970's Discwasher beautiful wooden handle with the mirror on the back stylus brushes are the shizaz! I use mine daily. I have checked my stylus under a jewelers loop after using and that old tech brush is still hands down awesome for cleaning stylus's.
The owner of the local high-fi shop here recommended the Magic Eraser to me for stylus cleaning over the styli cleaners he sells in his shop. He said that’s what he primarily uses. I’ve used ME since and I’m quite satisfied with the results.
well Ben, just as i stated below, and as i preach the gospel to others who will or will not listen, the Magic Eraser is the defacto king of stylus cleaners. thank you for continuing to warn viewers about the safety of the cantilever. and YES, i have snapped a couple although not while cleaning them. GREAT job with the comparison of methods! i did similar comparisons with a handheld 40x stylus microscope (they used to be sold where records were sold) with the only drawback of not being able to take photos of the results. ...hifitommy
Hey, Ben. Really digging your channel, man! Love the microscope shots. They’re extremely telling. I also use a magic eraser to clean my stylus and own a bunch of cartridges and styli, including a VividLine stylus for my Stanton 681EEE, but am currently running a Denon DL103r cartridge. Great vid. Your findings line up with what I do, and your microscope shots proved them to be true, which is obviously a good thing. 👍 Thanks, Ben!
To me the AT diamond is actually great… nude on an aluminum cantilever for the 2M Black… the shure is a BONDED line contact so it looks different… The AT is a boron cantilever so the setting material is necessary to get it to adhere but it is still nude… All Boron cantilever diamonds look like this
This video was incredibly insightful. It turns out my stylus had some serious gunk caked on, that the brush and magic eraser couldn't fix. I carefully used a pin to clear it out. It went from a sphere to a proper diamond. Never playing dirty records again.
Yeah any records old or new are not cheap anymore. I hoarded records during the CD craze back in the 90's. Most were near perfect then for a buck or 2 at thrifts and at Goodwill's. Glad I did! I have moved towards jazz in the past year so now that is costly for original mono pressings.
Thank you for doing the work and research on stylus cleaning. I learned something new today. One is, you can actually add debris to the cantilever when cleaning. I use a Last cleaning brush. Looks like a finger nail paint brush. It works but always looking for better ways to clean. Thanks again.
Illustrative video. A good way to get rid of all the dust and sediment on the needle and the cantilever is by placing a drop of iso alcohol and distilled water on your stylus brush. Many will say that in the long run this mixture can reduce the cement that joins the needle and the cantilever. In my experience that has never happened and it leaves the needle and the cantilever very clean.
Great video Ben. I have to fess-up to actually breaking the point off of a fairly expensive Shibata diamond by being too rough with the Magic Eraser. Sadder but wiser.
Ben, i suggest you show the results of using the ME by dipping with the cart mounted and cued up and down followed by the little round Ortofon brush. i keep the detritus off the little brush with a stiff and short brush. that will keep it from depositing more stuff onto the stylus. another thing i have tried is to dampen the little round brush (there's another made by Stylast) with the audiotechnica stylus cleaning fluid. that way, fluid doesn't get on the stylus/cantlilever to weaken the glue on bonded styli. ...hifitommy
@@hifitommy this one is 720/1080 but films at 720p… it requires a bit of finesse to use and honestly I removed the shroud to get closer and the color of the backdrop and external light help a lot
I've used a magic eraser for years. I cut about a 1" strip off the slab and just lower the needle into it a few times. I do wet clean it occasionally but the magic eraser gets used 95% of thed time.
It would be interesting to compare the sticky type of stylus cleaner in the follow up like the ZeroDust and similar products. Also a local hifi shop recommend original silly putty, but I've just been using my ZeroDust.
Re: Magic Eraser. I've been dragging ME over my various stylii on many cartridges for years without damaging them. Back to front technique. Cut a small section of ME from a pad and glue it to a quarter, then use it to gently brush back to front. Follow that up with a soft bristle brush to finish off the cleaning process, back to front gently again.
Just a cheap Amazon special but removing the guard, providing a light background and more light (external source) helps! Here is the link! Wireless Digital Microscope Handheld USB HD Inspection Camera 50x-1000x Magnification with Stand Compatible with iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Android www.amazon.com/dp/B07PVMRZQH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_GfdOFvcgN2rrm
There’s been some dialog about the Onzow Zerodust leaving some heavy deposits that can’t easily be removed. People have been using them for years so I don’t know why all of a sudden there’s a big problem with them. So no one’s been looking at their stylus for years?
Hey Ben - I've been enjoying your videos. One quick tip: ideally you should normalise your sound. As things are, there's a big difference in the levels between your main video and the opening music, meaning the former is too low relative to the latter.
Your method always had the magic eraser last after the others had done most of the real cleaning. I would like to see you reverse the order. Very interesting close up view. I have been using the magic eraser but will now be taking your advice of just dabbing it. Thanks.
I bought the microscope you're using in this video but I cannot get anywhere near the magnification you get. I'm using it with my laptop, not my phone. The +/- buttons do nothing when using with a laptop. How are you getting such a close-up view of the stylus? I'm about done with this microscope.
Use a white back drop Take off the clear thing Use a combo of your hand and the zoom to zoom You will start to notice the sweet spot of distance at each zoom wheel location eventually… Keep trying
Hey Ben, after cleaning the stylus with a dry brush, is it ok to give the stylus a small burst of Canned Air back to front to remove any left over dirt??
I never use canned air… it can spew liquid that is not good for the stylus. Or coils… I use this duster instead and it has variable speed and good for many things amzn.to/3EdgbDq
I contacted Onzow directly and they said that their product does not contain plasticizers that the WAN report stated and they sent me a picture of a stylus that was cleaned regularly with the Zerodust for 10 years and it had no residue and was completely spotless. They went on to state that it is a medical grade polymer that has no ability to leave behind any type of residue. I'm putting my trust in Onzow Zerodust
By Mr. Michael Fremer (analogplanet) and WAM Engineering on November 28th and 29th, 2021, an incorrect article about ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER of our company ONZOWLabo was posted on analogplanet in USA. The story is that ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER sticks to the stylus and cannot be easily removed. They posted a picture of a stylus with something on it. They said it is ONZOWLabo's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER, and announced that the stuck residue contained a large amount of plasticizer. But this is not ONZOWLabo's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER. Because ONZOWLabo's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER material does not contain any plasticizers. A plasticizer is an additive compounded to give flexibility to a resin. For example, it is used in the production of polyvinyl chloride resin and polyurethane resin. Over 25 years ago, we have chosen a resin that is free from the harmful effects of plasticizers to manufacture ZERODUST. ONZOW Lab's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER material is made of a special resin that is neither polyvinyl chloride resin nor polyurethane resin. It is safe enough to be used for medical purposes. Therefore, this kind of situation such as sticking to the stylus and not being able to remove it easily will not happen with our product. This time, we took a photograph of the surface of the stylus tip with a microscope at the Yokohama Industrial Technology Support Center (This is a public institution). We are attaching the report. Surface observation 1 (New ZERODUST), Surface observation 2 (ZERODUST in use for over 10 years) The photo on the left is before using ZERODUST, and the photo on the right is after using ZERODUST. There is no change in the surface of the stylus at all. The results are the same even for products that are over 10 years old. If you use it according to the specifications, you will have no problem. No problem at all. Make sure you can still safely and easily clean your stylus same as usual. And please share this truth with your friends by all means! Akira Ishibashi ONZOW Labo
These are all great tips and I love my stereo microscope for cleaning and examining. However, I’ve been cleaning my needles in an ultrasonic cleaner for YEARS and they look brand new from day one till they’re just a needle nub. I brush the tip before and after each play and Ultrasonic clean every month. No fuss! The deteriorating glue thing is a myth. Just use caution and you’ll be fine.
If you look around the channel; I also review and suggest the Hudson HiFi ultrasonic... (Not really ultrasonic like 330Hz) and I do the same thing... :) Sometimes is just about science and myth debunking, etc... In real life; no one is going to play a record this dirty... Or at least I'd hope not :O
In the ultrasonic cleaner: prepare a warm bath with a couple drops of dish soap. Place the needle (needle side up) in the plastic tray (or glass jar) and place it in the bath. Clean cycle for 180 second. Remove from bath and use a duster to remove as much water as you can. Next, soak it down with favorite electronics cleaner or DeOxit. This will displace the rest of your water and leave behind an electronic safe protective coating. That’s it! My needles are SPOTLESS from tip to end. No dust, no crud, no fuss.
@@FuriousTortoise Oh you mean a real jewelers ultrasonic... yeah... I don't know if I can do that lolz :P I use the hudson about once a week... I deep clean all the records and dust them with 2 brushes before every play... same with the stylus... Mine are all pretty squeaky clean... heck I inspect them before each play with my little USB scope just to make sure :)
@@BensAudioCave muahaha yeah I understand your skepticism. I was a skeptic too but I spend most of my time under a microscope repairing electronics so I knew I could spy something destructive early. I first tried with some dollar needles I found at a thrift store. And when they looked BETTER than my $50 needles and lasted just as long I was forced to convert. It’s so easy and fuss free. I’m not going back. 😅
Hi Ben, It seems that I now need a microscope. Great video! Ben, I noticed that the left side of your face that your muscles don't react. Please see a doctor as you could have been having a mild stroke.
@@BensAudioCave Sorry to hear that, Great video's mate. Stylus cleaning is very important but you've showed me that it's critical that you do it correctly. A dirty stylus has caused me grief in the past. I had to use alcohol to clean once before.
One point, instead of starting over each time, you are cumulatively cleaning the stylus I think? This might be interfering with your results... never seen anyone do this before.
I did take that into consideration… I think I am showing no one perfect solution and a combo works but I have new cleaners coming and will do a round 2 with singles and combos
I did try one in a later video here: th-cam.com/video/qBlHAJzvH2Y/w-d-xo.html I have a video dropping Wednesday that will also cover the Hudson HiFi one
It appears you are picking up polymer leftovers from record sleeves which is commonly known as ghosting from polymer record sleeve's leaching into to said records after a many years of storage. Sometimes the leaching can be so bad it ruins the playability of said records permanently. There area lot of folks opening 15 plus year old albums now because of this. It is one thing to have sealed records but if they are getting damaged what is the point. There is a certain window of polymer sleeves that were being used in said era. I do not know this correct timeline off the top of my head right now.
Sort of interesting? But if you're doing them sequentially, which it appears, it's fairly meaningless. Maybe reverse the order and see what happens? Or more significantly, Do each completely independently. This told me little to nothing, but I appreciate your time.
I am a big believer in using magic eraser to and then finish off with my 1970's Discwasher stylus brush.
The old 1970's Discwasher beautiful wooden handle with the mirror on the back stylus brushes are the shizaz! I use mine daily. I have checked my stylus under a jewelers loop after using and that old tech brush is still hands down awesome for cleaning stylus's.
The owner of the local high-fi shop here recommended the Magic Eraser to me for stylus cleaning over the styli cleaners he sells in his shop. He said that’s what he primarily uses. I’ve used ME since and I’m quite satisfied with the results.
well Ben, just as i stated below, and as i preach the gospel to others who will or will not listen, the Magic Eraser is the defacto king of stylus cleaners. thank you for continuing to warn viewers about the safety of the cantilever. and YES, i have snapped a couple although not while cleaning them. GREAT job with the comparison of methods! i did similar comparisons with a handheld 40x stylus microscope (they used to be sold where records were sold) with the only drawback of not being able to take photos of the results.
...hifitommy
Hey, Ben. Really digging your channel, man! Love the microscope shots. They’re extremely telling. I also use a magic eraser to clean my stylus and own a bunch of cartridges and styli, including a VividLine stylus for my Stanton 681EEE, but am currently running a Denon DL103r cartridge. Great vid. Your findings line up with what I do, and your microscope shots proved them to be true, which is obviously a good thing. 👍 Thanks, Ben!
Thank you for the kind words! I try my best… check out the other microscope stylus video and checkout the Hudson cleaner… really shocking to me…
Hi Nick, Hi Ben. Just found your channel and subscribed. Great work, I did the same experiment in my channel. Mr Clean for the win!
Interesting to see the quality of the diamonds on the different brands. The black looked like the best manufactured diamond quality
To me the AT diamond is actually great… nude on an aluminum cantilever for the 2M Black… the shure is a BONDED line contact so it looks different… The AT is a boron cantilever so the setting material is necessary to get it to adhere but it is still nude… All Boron cantilever diamonds look like this
This video was incredibly insightful. It turns out my stylus had some serious gunk caked on, that the brush and magic eraser couldn't fix. I carefully used a pin to clear it out. It went from a sphere to a proper diamond. Never playing dirty records again.
it's a lesson to us all :)
Yeah any records old or new are not cheap anymore. I hoarded records during the CD craze back in the 90's. Most were near perfect then for a buck or 2 at thrifts and at Goodwill's. Glad I did! I have moved towards jazz in the past year so now that is costly for original mono pressings.
The microscope is a great help, complimented by the ultrasound cleaner.
Thank you for doing the work and research on stylus cleaning. I learned something new today. One is, you can actually add debris to the cantilever when cleaning. I use a Last cleaning brush. Looks like a finger nail paint brush. It works but always looking for better ways to clean. Thanks again.
Thanks for the kind words!!! I’m glad I can help… it’s my only goal!
Illustrative video. A good way to get rid of all the dust and sediment on the needle and the cantilever is by placing a drop of iso alcohol and distilled water on your stylus brush. Many will say that in the long run this mixture can reduce the cement that joins the needle and the cantilever. In my experience that has never happened and it leaves the needle and the cantilever very clean.
Did this is a couple of other videos but with OEM supplied fluid… Hudson kit and the revisited version… 😃
Great work, Ben, thank you.
Great video Ben. I have to fess-up to actually breaking the point off of a fairly expensive Shibata diamond by being too rough with the Magic Eraser. Sadder but wiser.
I have been there too 😢
Ben, i suggest you show the results of using the ME by dipping with the cart mounted and cued up and down followed by the little round Ortofon brush. i keep the detritus off the little brush with a stiff and short brush. that will keep it from depositing more stuff onto the stylus.
another thing i have tried is to dampen the little round brush (there's another made by Stylast) with the audiotechnica stylus cleaning fluid. that way, fluid doesn't get on the stylus/cantlilever to weaken the glue on bonded styli.
...hifitommy
Have a revisit of this one in the hopper already and will take all this in consideration! Thanks so much!
@@BensAudioCave what resolution in a usb microsope is needed for adequate non pixelizaton?
@@hifitommy this one is 720/1080 but films at 720p… it requires a bit of finesse to use and honestly I removed the shroud to get closer and the color of the backdrop and external light help a lot
Very helpful. Thanks!
You are most welcome!
great fun! thanks so much
I've used a magic eraser for years. I cut about a 1" strip off the slab and just lower the needle into it a few times. I do wet clean it occasionally but the magic eraser gets used 95% of thed time.
It would be interesting to compare the sticky type of stylus cleaner in the follow up like the ZeroDust and similar products. Also a local hifi shop recommend original silly putty, but I've just been using my ZeroDust.
Just got an Audio Technica equivalent product I will be using for the follow up
Damn good video sir! I done learnt some good things. Thank you!
thank you
Amazing
Thanks for sharing 👍
Great shots with the microscope; I can’t ever get that detailed where you can see the light shining through the diamond. Takmly microscope?
yep that's the one!
Re: Magic Eraser. I've been dragging ME over my various stylii on many cartridges for years without damaging them.
Back to front technique. Cut a small section of ME from a pad and glue it to a quarter, then use it to gently brush back to front.
Follow that up with a soft bristle brush to finish off the cleaning process, back to front gently again.
Interesting results! Surprised at lack of effect of the Ortofon fibre brush. What brand and magnification scope are you using ?
Just a cheap Amazon special but removing the guard, providing a light background and more light (external source) helps! Here is the link!
Wireless Digital Microscope Handheld USB HD Inspection Camera 50x-1000x Magnification with Stand Compatible with iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Android www.amazon.com/dp/B07PVMRZQH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_GfdOFvcgN2rrm
Thanks Ben what microscope do you have. and how much are they? I really enjoyed your video. Thanks.
It is in the comments… but it’s like about $40 and here is the link! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching! 😀
amzn.to/3FNYDwZ
There’s been some dialog about the Onzow Zerodust leaving some heavy deposits that can’t easily be removed. People have been using them for years so I don’t know why all of a sudden there’s a big problem with them. So no one’s been looking at their stylus for years?
I suspect cumulative effects of a single cleaning system…
Hey Ben - I've been enjoying your videos. One quick tip: ideally you should normalise your sound. As things are, there's a big difference in the levels between your main video and the opening music, meaning the former is too low relative to the latter.
I had been leaving it alone due to noise… but I will try it… at least reduce the intro volume
Your method always had the magic eraser last after the others had done most of the real cleaning. I would like to see you reverse the order. Very interesting close up view. I have been using the magic eraser but will now be taking your advice of just dabbing it. Thanks.
Check out the revisit of this
I bought the microscope you're using in this video but I cannot get anywhere near the magnification you get.
I'm using it with my laptop, not my phone. The +/- buttons do nothing when using with a laptop.
How are you getting such a close-up view of the stylus? I'm about done with this microscope.
Use a white back drop
Take off the clear thing
Use a combo of your hand and the zoom to zoom
You will start to notice the sweet spot of distance at each zoom wheel location eventually…
Keep trying
Is that a Clutch record behind you? Blast Tyrant?
Why yes… yes it is! 😀
@@BensAudioCave my favorite band!
Hey Ben, after cleaning the stylus with a dry brush, is it ok to give the stylus a small burst of Canned Air back to front to remove any left over dirt??
I never use canned air… it can spew liquid that is not good for the stylus. Or coils… I use this duster instead and it has variable speed and good for many things
amzn.to/3EdgbDq
@@BensAudioCave Thanks!! I had a feeling it wasn’t good to use. Just found your channel, great information!!
hey Ben long time fan was wondering what your opinion on the ongoing onzow debate going on if it actually leaves a resdue on your stylus ?
I contacted Onzow directly and they said that their product does not contain plasticizers that the WAN report stated and they sent me a picture of a stylus that was cleaned regularly with the Zerodust for 10 years and it had no residue and was completely spotless. They went on to state that it is a medical grade polymer that has no ability to leave behind any type of residue. I'm putting my trust in Onzow Zerodust
By Mr. Michael Fremer (analogplanet) and WAM Engineering on November
28th and 29th, 2021,
an incorrect article about ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER of our company
ONZOWLabo was posted on analogplanet in USA.
The story is that ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER sticks to the stylus and
cannot be easily removed.
They posted a picture of a stylus with something on it.
They said it is ONZOWLabo's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER,
and announced that the stuck residue contained a large amount of
plasticizer.
But this is not ONZOWLabo's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER.
Because ONZOWLabo's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER material does not
contain any plasticizers.
A plasticizer is an additive compounded to give flexibility to a resin.
For example, it is used in the production of polyvinyl chloride resin
and polyurethane resin.
Over 25 years ago, we have chosen a resin that is free from the harmful
effects of plasticizers to manufacture ZERODUST.
ONZOW Lab's ZERODUST STYLUS TIP CLEANER material is made of a special
resin that is neither polyvinyl chloride resin nor polyurethane resin.
It is safe enough to be used for medical purposes.
Therefore, this kind of situation such as sticking to the stylus and not
being able to remove it easily will not happen with our product.
This time, we took a photograph of the surface of the stylus tip with a
microscope at the Yokohama Industrial Technology Support Center
(This is a public institution).
We are attaching the report.
Surface observation 1 (New ZERODUST), Surface observation 2 (ZERODUST in
use for over 10 years)
The photo on the left is before using ZERODUST, and the photo on the
right is after using ZERODUST.
There is no change in the surface of the stylus at all.
The results are the same even for products that are over 10 years old.
If you use it according to the specifications, you will have no problem.
No problem at all.
Make sure you can still safely and easily clean your stylus same as usual.
And please share this truth with your friends by all means!
Akira Ishibashi
ONZOW Labo
Do people ever say to you that you remind them of Bill Hader from Saturday Night Live?
Hmm no not really but I’ll take it LOLz 😂
These are all great tips and I love my stereo microscope for cleaning and examining. However, I’ve been cleaning my needles in an ultrasonic cleaner for YEARS and they look brand new from day one till they’re just a needle nub. I brush the tip before and after each play and Ultrasonic clean every month. No fuss! The deteriorating glue thing is a myth. Just use caution and you’ll be fine.
If you look around the channel; I also review and suggest the Hudson HiFi ultrasonic... (Not really ultrasonic like 330Hz) and I do the same thing... :) Sometimes is just about science and myth debunking, etc... In real life; no one is going to play a record this dirty... Or at least I'd hope not :O
In the ultrasonic cleaner: prepare a warm bath with a couple drops of dish soap. Place the needle (needle side up) in the plastic tray (or glass jar) and place it in the bath. Clean cycle for 180 second. Remove from bath and use a duster to remove as much water as you can. Next, soak it down with favorite electronics cleaner or DeOxit. This will displace the rest of your water and leave behind an electronic safe protective coating. That’s it! My needles are SPOTLESS from tip to end. No dust, no crud, no fuss.
Here is that video;
th-cam.com/video/qBlHAJzvH2Y/w-d-xo.html
@@FuriousTortoise Oh you mean a real jewelers ultrasonic... yeah... I don't know if I can do that lolz :P I use the hudson about once a week... I deep clean all the records and dust them with 2 brushes before every play... same with the stylus... Mine are all pretty squeaky clean... heck I inspect them before each play with my little USB scope just to make sure :)
@@BensAudioCave muahaha yeah I understand your skepticism. I was a skeptic too but I spend most of my time under a microscope repairing electronics so I knew I could spy something destructive early. I first tried with some dollar needles I found at a thrift store. And when they looked BETTER than my $50 needles and lasted just as long I was forced to convert. It’s so easy and fuss free. I’m not going back. 😅
what about using slime to clean the stylus? you know, the stuff kids are playing with. give it a good rub with slime?
Hi Ben,
It seems that I now need a microscope.
Great video!
Ben, I noticed that the left side of your face that your muscles don't react.
Please see a doctor as you could have been having a mild stroke.
I have nerve damage since birth… the left side of my face doesn’t work…
@@BensAudioCave Sorry to hear that, Great video's mate.
Stylus cleaning is very important but you've showed me that it's critical that you do it correctly.
A dirty stylus has caused me grief in the past.
I had to use alcohol to clean once before.
One point, instead of starting over each time, you are cumulatively cleaning the stylus I think? This might be interfering with your results... never seen anyone do this before.
I did take that into consideration… I think I am showing no one perfect solution and a combo works but I have new cleaners coming and will do a round 2 with singles and combos
You didn't try the gel type cleaner. I think that might have worked much better. It's what I use.
I did try one in a later video here:
th-cam.com/video/qBlHAJzvH2Y/w-d-xo.html
I have a video dropping Wednesday that will also cover the Hudson HiFi one
The gel type like the zero dust may actually damage your records with residue that is apparently difficult to remove from your styli
@@MrPompanoman not always but yeah I avoid them generally
It appears you are picking up polymer leftovers from record sleeves which is commonly known as ghosting from polymer record sleeve's leaching into to said records after a many years of storage. Sometimes the leaching can be so bad it ruins the playability of said records permanently. There area lot of folks opening 15 plus year old albums now because of this. It is one thing to have sealed records but if they are getting damaged what is the point. There is a certain window of polymer sleeves that were being used in said era. I do not know this correct timeline off the top of my head right now.
Vinyl “ MUST “ be stored perfectly vertically, warping is the enemy 😢
Clean your Brushes with compressed air
you cannot clean anything if the brush has dirt and fibers in it
I have an air gun…. The carbon fiber record brush seems to work best these days
Sort of interesting? But if you're doing them sequentially, which it appears, it's fairly meaningless. Maybe reverse the order and see what happens? Or more significantly, Do each completely independently. This told me little to nothing, but I appreciate your time.
Other video does this