Why are record cleaners so expensive?

A custom-made fly fishing rod would mean little to me, but I understand that, for the avid fisherman, it may be desirable. So too, with those of us who have lots of records-in my case, accumulated over the course of almost 50 years. I started with a basic VPI in the early ’80s. I have owned several of the fancy, expensive machines and still use two constantly, in combination. Why are they expensive? I guess, for the Audio Desk, the developer had to recoup his development costs and make a profit. It’s far more than a glorified vacuum cleaner. The KL is simpler, but overbuilt. The Monks- it’s a sort of Rube Goldberg affair of tubes, jars, outside vendor supplied pump, various motors, housed in a case with some fabrication cost involved. (Monks is now introducing an even cheaper cleaner than their Discovery machine, which adapted a commercial turntable into a cleaning machine to reach a broader market). The Loricraft is very similar in design and operation. 
If all you need is a basic vacuum system, there are plenty of semi-DIY kits that permit you to add a small shop vac. If you are after ultrasonic, and want to do it without full automation, there are semi-DIY kits that add a rotisserie to a generic ultrasonic bath, and get you there for far less than a commercial machine.
Not sure what your complaint is-- there are plenty of alternatives. My sense is, the ’push one button’ ultrasonics designed for vinyl cleaning are not just about effective cleaning (though I still use them in combination with vacuum cleaning), but about convenience. When I first got one, I was overjoyed at the thought that I didn’t have to do any work, just pop a record in, and come back when it’s done. That alone has value to many audiophiles who find cleaning records a tiresome, noisy exercise that takes (limited) time away from listening.

"But you can't compare the Audio Desk to your Spin-Clean device. Apples/oranges."

He wasn't comparing the two. He was posing a not uninteresting question, and merely noted what he uses to clean his records.

-- Howard

I wish someone would come up with an affordable and effective automatic ultrasonic cleaner.    The ones I see available to-date are just way to expensive for most.

Map, I think you can get in for about a grand, if you use one of those kits and a generic US bath. Still too much?

Thank you, @hodu . I wasn't complaining at all but merely saying that in terms of vinyl cleaners, I had a very basic one and wanted to know what separated it from a $3K one.

And, @whart  and @cleeds , I'm not complaining about anything. I'm simply curious as to the construction and machinations of expensive vinyl cleaners that warranted their cost. Still, even if I had $3K to drop on a vinyl cleaner, I doubt I'd do it unless, as @ebm pointed out, I had a substantial investment in lp's.

It's all relative, though, as can be said about any purchase/value.