whats the best styus cleaner gel

in use the brush after each side and the gel after each listening session.

can't comment on any other but I'm guessing they are pretty much the same so go for the cheapest.

I have heard of some who use Magic Eraser, they take the gel out and use that. another suggestion i've swiped from another poster is below. the guy who i stole this from is adamant about stylus hygeine.

Go buy a mouse pad with the sorbathane-like wrist protection pad.
Open the plastic covering over the pad and remove the inner "jelly"
Cut into squares and keep the hard backing on the bottom attached...twice the size of sugar cubes seems good.
Lower stylus on wait thirty seconds and viola all dirt gone.
There is no residue as it doesn't cling to the stylus.
When it gets dirty go rinse in distilled water and clean with dry cloth without removing fibres...such as a microfibre clothe.
Keep in sealed container or in Gladwarp to avoid drying out.
It lasts for ever........give the other pieces to friends
My friends and I have been using for years with no ill effects
Microscopy reveals no residue or sound degradation
Crazy, cheap...but true.

Zerodust. I love it. Don't overclean it, though! The "goo" deposits are localized. Keep dipping the stylus into a "fresh" spot. You'll get long life that way. You - and your stylus.

Keep smilin' and keep playin' vinyl.

These things look to me like the same thing used to make sticky mousetraps.

I switched from Exteme Phono to Magic Eraser over a year ago. Much better and $2 supply will last many many years. Search the archives and try it...Cheers,
Spencer

As the co-discoverer of the Magic Eraser as stylus cleaner, I still agree with Spencer. We've owned a ZeroDust. We still have an XtremePhono lying around somewhere. We've tried RRL #9 (liquid).

None of these works as well as a properly applied Magic Eraser followed by a dry brush. I've been using it for over two years with successful results and it costs next to nothing. Search the archives on VA and you'll find literally hundreds of testimonials.

A friend recently sent his (very expensive) cartridge in for inspection and possible retipping. It was no longer sounding clean and dynamic. The manufacturer told him it didn't need retipping. It needed cleaning. This stylus had been religiously "cleaned" with a ZeroDust after every side.

Jonathon Carr of Lyra explained to me that heat and friction from the stylus-vinyl interace leave a mono-molecular layer of vinyl bonded to the stylus after each side. This layer must be removed or it will continue to accrue. (A stylus with this layer tends to look cloudy or yellow.)

Gels won't remove this layer, they aren't aggressive enough. Liquids won't remove it unless they contain alchohol or other solvents that are dangerous to the suspension. What's needed is something that will physically abrade those vinyl molecules loose. Linn used to recommend a bit of fine sandpaper. That works, but the Magic Eraser is safer and probably more effective. It is compliant enough to clean all sides of a stylus without stressing the cantilever, yet abrasive at electron microscope levels of magnification - exactly what's needed.

YMMV of course, but the Magic Eraser combines sound scientific backing with the practical endorsement of hundreds of satisfied users. I wish I could sell them for $25 apiece!