Solid stylus cleaners: Extreme Phono vs. Onzow Zer

Shasta,
I tried the matchbook striker based on 30 years of use by Twl, one of the most experienced analog professionals on this or any forum. And yes, I was terrified the first time I used it.

It actually works okay and the price is certainly right! The biggest downside is that it's quite stiff. It's awkward to clean all sides of the stylus and impossible to get up into that corner between the back side of the stylus and the cantilever. That little niche is a grunge magnet.

The DIY one I mentioned is spongy, conformable and reaches everywhere with ease. It's a bit like having ExtremePhono or ZeroDust on a stick. But since it's slightly abrasive (less so than sandpaper) it loosens hardened-on deposits that they leave behind. My stylus used to have a slightly yellowish cast. Now it's clear.

"The risk with the Extremephono is dunking the end of the cantilever into the goop and having to pull upward to remove it. ... This is far more dangerous than any amount of upward pressure. No cartridge is designed to withstand downward force on the cantilever. The suspension is already at its limits of travel, so any downforce will be transmitted directly to the cantilever. SNAP!"

This is exactly my concern and has been with all polymer based stylus cleaners. Suspension rubbers are small and thin so that they will not attenuate the vibrational force picked up off the record groove. This said, they are not designed to absorb all the extra force while pulling the stylus tip from the goop pit.

Scared yet? Yes.

jes45@aol.com,
I'm sure the real-world risk is small, you'd have to be pretty careless. I was just trying to balance the extreme 10-100x VTF statement with an extreme counterexample.

I never clean my stylus after more than one cup of coffee. ;-)

I've tried liquid cleaners,the green sandpaper stuff given to me during a Linn clinic and the zerodust (I now live in Japan) but I still use my Audio Technica Stylus cleaner I bought nearly 20 years ago ! in case you don't know, its a battery operated device with a lit dense brush end on which the stylus is placed and gently vibrates. Its normally used dry but can be combined with a fluid if stylus is very dirty. Very effective and safe as only the normal cartridge downforce is used.

Ditto 10-4 on the AT vibrator. AT fluid, LAST fluid, whatever. Artist camel hair brush for dusting, whatever, but not w/ a gun to my head will I sandpaper a stylus.

Vibrating devices - such as the AT stylus cleaner - have produced excellent results in all sorts of applications for as long as dry cells have been around.