I did that ritual for 5 years on my Classic 3 and it became so routine I didn't really think of it as a choir after a while. However, when I changed over to the Spiral Groove SG2 with Centroid Arm I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to flip a record over. All kidding aside, I definitely thought on the VPI Classic 3 the peripheral weight was worth the effort. However, I am happy now I have a table that doesn't require it. I also have the option on the Spiral Groove to use a washer and dish the record to the platter. I found that most of my records don't require it. So I ditched the washer also. Put on a record, thread in the clamp and done.
Threading the clamp with a washer is non trivial, since to do it correctly, you should spin the record to see if you have enough dish for the corners to meet the platter. Too little and they don't meet, to much and it bows away from the platter.
Threading the clamp with a washer is non trivial, since to do it correctly, you should spin the record to see if you have enough dish for the corners to meet the platter. Too little and they don't meet, to much and it bows away from the platter.