Walker Vortex Vacuum Wand for VPI

No experience with Mr. Walker or his products. It's nice to see people innovating and improving each other's products in audio. But as a VPI 16.5 owner who already thought $25.00 for a plastic replacement wand was a little ridiculous . . . well you can see where this is going.

It sounds like there are serious improvements by going to a Delrin tube from what the members have posted here. I'd be curious to try it. But $80 for a plastic tube?

My VPI pickup tube measures (about) 5/8" OD, 3/8" ID x 5" long. Seems like the same Delrin material is available - http://www.k-mac-plastics.net/acetal-delrin-celcon-acetron-tubes.htm - at $37 for 5 feet. Enough to make $960 worth of Vortex tubes. Granted, this size may not be an exact fit, but I think we're in the ballpark. There is some cost to machining the vacuum slot and the alignment slot and capping the end. Distribution costs and retail mark up. Not to mention Mr. Walker thought of it, and I didn't. But 2500% above cost of materials (and there is only one material here, if you discount the o-rings) and no complicated machining or assembly?

Needless to say I don't have the wherewithal or inclination to make and market an alternative. But anyone with a garage workshop could conceivably zing out 12 of these for themselves and a few audio buddies in the space of an afternoon and spend far less than the cost of one tube. You could even throw in an afternoon's worth of beer and still come in under the cost of one Vortex.

Tweaks are always expensive way out of proportion to the cost of their manufacture. It's up to the end user to decide whether he or she wants to "roll their own" or pay the price. I am sure that Lloyd gave careful thought to the price point and figured it would sell for that amount. For me, IF I decide that there really is an advantage over the stock suction tube, I would be a buyer in this case, because I don't have the time for the hassle of finding the exact right material and getting it cut to do the job. Further, that's way more than $80 worth of my time right there. In other cases, I do make my own stuff, usually when the materials are more readily accessible. To each his own.

Seriously folks, think about the cost issue for a moment. $25.00 for the VPI wand which has to be replaced at least once a year if you are cleaning records regularly. $80.00 for the Walker wand which will probably never have to be replaced. And you really think the Walker is expensive?

I got a Vortex today, and noticed a couple problems in trying it out: first, the suction-opening of the wand doesn't seem to be long enough to suction up the liquids from the inner and outer points of the record, so that there is a residue of cleaner left. The second part is the more serious part: I noticed some surface streaks-scratches around the middle of the record, caused by the wand. Either I got a faulty wand, or I haven't figured out how to align it properly on the VPI, or the Vortex is badly flawed. I'll keep experimenting with it, since it does seem to clean better than the VPI wands, but I'm a little discouraged. Anyone have any suggestions about getting rid of the problems?

I am not a user of the Vortex, others here can perhaps offer better advice. I'm trying to visualize the whole affair, and will try offering help through a good mechanical background.

I suspect that tower height adjustment, with the Delrin Locking Collar will be critical, in that the Wand doesn't come down too far under vacuum suction, thus causing excessive force upon the record.

From what others have said here, and the reason perhaps why Lloyd has complimented this product with Rubber O-Rings, is that the LP will actually sit ever so slightly above the Platter, and as the Wand goes down upon the LP, the LP supposed to actually come up towards the wand, to "meet" the wand, and thus by doing this, it is not the Wand's downforce pressure, but the LP actually coming up to meet the Wand regulating the degree of pressure, and by this, this must insure a certain level of adhesion-friction between the two which is not overly excessive.

Anymore friction-force between the two will no doubt result in possibly marring LP's, and may be also the cause of fluids being left behind as well?

Perhaps an accurate measurement of your slot, will let others help, as they relay to you what they find.

Again, I haven't used one, and may be in error with my thoughts, but I have probably hit the nail on the head with my above comments. Mark