Record Cleaning Machine

agiaccio: A good RCM is just one part of the plan ... Do remember that Steam Cleaning is a perfect marriage to any RCM ,,,The cheaper the RCM the better !!

I have the vpi love it but I don't think there is a wrong choice here.

I would go for the VPI. There are many advantages to the VPI. It has a platter and washes right side up!

You can scrub with the fluid/brush of choice and then rinse with distilled water if required. The NG washes upside down and there is no way scrubbing manually. You cannot see what's going on. I have gone through 2 NG machines (2.5fi) without getting any good success. I cannot and would not recommend. Just got a VPI typhoon a couple days ago. What a difference.

I use a set of Beretta shooting protection "earmufs" while cleaning with my VPI. I'm protecting what hearing I have left after 30 years in the military. They're easy enough to use, so I do.

OTOH, I've never had the machine overheat, perhaps I clean (as I do everything else) too slowly.

Either machine would do the trick. I do notice, tho, that 16.5 users seem to get 20 years out of the machine without trouble.

Re the longevity issue, I got 20+ years out of my first Nitty Gritty and 3+ out of its (Record Doctor) successor. For that matter, the first one still works, but I figured it couldn't last forever and the second one cost just $85 here on Audiogon.