DISCWASHER D4+ Record Cleaning System

This is horrible...what happen to discwasher? It doesn't do what it advertises...remove dirt....they mean pushes dirt around the grooves.

I recently revived my old stereo and hundreds of LP albums from the basement. There are many of these albums that never made it to CD, and I also wanted to see what people were talking about when they say that analog vinyl has a warmth that digital CDs do not. Now, a week later, I really do understand.

But with that warmth comes dust and dirt, which is not a problem for CDs. I remembered that back in the day the standard of excellence for disk cleaning was the Discwasher. I spent about an hour looking for my old one, gave up and bought a new one, now made by RCA.

The old company either went bankrupt or just sold out, but RCA has run this product into the ground - it's not what you remember. Now made in China, the wood handle is imprecisely cut so that the bottle no longer fits well inside. Instead, it gets lodged and took some time to dislodge. That's not a big issue however, but indicative of how the quality isn't what it used to be.

The real issue, however, is the cleaning pad. The old model had ridges of material that ran lengthwise to the handle, with the fibers angled so that they dug into the grooves and pulled out the dust, holding onto it. That's why it worked so well. What's the pad covered with now? It appears to be brown corduroy, with ridges, yes, but the fibers have no particular orientation. Thus, it does not dig into the grooves and does an even worse job of holding onto the dirt it does dislodge. I was almost going to give up on the new Discwasher as the results were so second rate.

I was very disappointed, but thought maybe my memory had built the old Discwasher into something Herculean that didn't match reality. Memory has a way of accentuating either the positives of negatives.

Well, today I found the old Discwasher, and let me tell you, if anything my memory didn't give the old product enough praise. I have now cleaned several LPs with the old one, and there's an absolute world of difference. The old one digs the dirt out and keeps it in the pad until you brush it out, completely unlike the one that RCA is peddling these days. The new one leaves a lot of dust on the disc no matter how carefully you roll the brush.

Shame on you RCA for exploiting and cheapening a venerable old brand. What would it have cost you to put the proper fabric on the pad as opposed to corduroy? Maybe 15 cents per item?? But then again I guess they get the corduroy clippings cheap from a GAP factory in China.

Yes, it looks like the Discwasher of old, but that's the extent of the resemblance. If you're looking for the Discwasher you remember, look in the basement; maybe you'll get really lucky like I did. Or, look on eBay, but do not look to RCA.

For those reviewers writing reviews based on the historic quality of this product - you haven't bought this new version. It really is remarkably inferior.

Shame on you RCA for what you've done to this product.

I have used this system for cleaning my vinyl for more than 20 years. They've been around for a long time, and stayed around even throughout the years when vinyl wasn't "cool." I'm sure there are more expensive ways to clean a record, but this is by far the most effective for the least cash. It even works on old vinyl that hasn't been taken care of, as in being sticky or just generally yucky, which those expensive so-called vacuum systems may not remove. Always clean your records in the direction of the grooves (this is included in the instructions) and you will enjoy your recordings for many, many years to come. I have records over 40 years old that still sound brand new because I use the Discwasher.

One can obtain more fancy and expensive LP cleaning devices that sell in the $500 to $900 range. However, for the modest price, Discwasher remains one of the best and most effective on the market. As one can see from the photo, Discwasher consists of a rounded striated cushion affixed to a wooden handle, the whole thing the size of a small blackboard eraser. Three drops of special fluid (one can use filtered water) are smeared along one edge of the cushion which is then gently pressed against the spinning disc, picking up ambient dust by some sort of capillary or static-elec action. Then the dry side is applied as the finishing touch. I still use mine religiously. The very popular Discwasher is not only cheap, but unlike similar models that have come and gone, the damn thing really works! I'm surprised and frankly, reassured, that this handy and, for this die-hard vinyl user, indispensable item is still on the market.