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NathanRicaud said:
Yeah, I love that my local does it! I’m always giving them like 10 records at a time to flatten! And it’s the best feeling playing them when they’re flat and don’t have any noise/are in great condition! The fact that they give it a great clean beforehand is awesome too! I only pay AUD$70 to get 10 discs flattened + cleaned! Which is really good! I love the guy that does it for me!

Yeah, the vinyl flat isn’t terrible, but it’s just not safe! I’ve ruined records that were limited editions and records I’ve loved, so I was like “never again”! Also, it can’t flatten particular warps, like those small nasty curvy warps.

I also don’t like the Spin Clean. I don’t really dry my records that properly. I always used a dryvac after doing the spin clean and it made all my records more noisy/have a lot of pops. I just hate the spin clean! Much better getting a record cleaning machine!

All these popular vinyl equipment things to assist with cleaning/fixing records - Vinyl Flat, Spin Clean, Dryvac 33 - are decent but they are more manual. The more professional equipment, like cleaning machines and automatic flatteners, are much more expensive, but do a much better, safer job! Learnt the hard way!
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Well I’ve also been debating about getting a Spin Clean so thanks again for confirming that I should probably wait a little longer to save up for a professional vacuum cleaner 😂

And $70 AUD doesn’t seem like a bad deal at all, might just have to start pestering some of my shops to start offering these services 👀
 
2e7en said:
hahaha I'm so good at choosing names huh
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I was actually more upset with myself tbh because I felt like I was being ignorant or rude because we interact alot in the R&HH thread but no matter what combo of 7(seven) I tried you weren't to be found lol 😂
 
NathanRicaud said:
I’ve got the vinyl flat and I don’t like it!! It doesn’t work that well and whenever I have flattened a vinyl, it’s created surface noise or has made a record skip! Not a fan!

My local cleans the record then used a professional flattener! I have some ridiculously warped records (should’ve seen my Sire Edition Yellow Madvillainy vinyl), and my local flattens it and it’s so flat and straight, and plays perfectly with no surface noise! They take their time though, but they do a great job and it’s a lifesaver! Makes the hobby more enjoyable and I like that I support my local like that - give them $$$ and I get a perfect copy of an album I cherish! 👍
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You're using it incorrectly then and probably over cooking your records. There's a vinyl flat support thread here. Many of us have them and use them with good results. It does require being careful, setting a timer, etc. People here on the forum can help.

A couple people have other much more expensive flattening equipment but for the average user with a modest bank account the vinyl flat is probably the best product out there right now
 
mitchplease said:
Well I’ve also been debating about getting a Spin Clean so thanks again for confirming that I should probably wait a little longer to save up for a professional vacuum cleaner 😂

And $70 AUD doesn’t seem like a bad deal at all, might just have to start pestering some of my shops to start offering these services 👀
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Yeah, The Spin Clean made my records more noisy/have popping sounds, AND I CLEANED MOFI AND ANALOGUE PRODUCTIONS PRESSINGS WITH THE DAMN THING!!! 🤣🤦‍♂️🙄

The record cleaning machine I want is AUD$899 - it has a built in vacuum that does an amazing job at vacuuming and the formula is amazing too! Some guys on this forum have the machine and all say it’s made such a big difference - like their records are all so quiet! 😱

So I’m going to get that eventually! Hopefully in a few months time! For now, I just give my records a quick clean with by spraying my records with some formula thing I got from my records store! It’s not the best because I drop my needle on the record when it isn’t dry, but it’s still good! Cannot wait until I get a record cleaning machine because they all say it’s a game-changer! They say it’s like hearing your records for the first time! Even Hi-Fi Guy (audiophile/record cleaning expert) says a record cleaning machine with a built in vacuum is a complete game changer!

It’s all more expensive, I know. But you get much better results. Vinyl hobby is savage like that!
 
jaycee said:
You're using it incorrectly then and probably over cooking your records. There's a vinyl flat support thread here. Many of us have them and use them with good results. It does require being careful, setting a timer, etc. People here on the forum can help.

A couple people have other much more expensive flattening equipment but for the average user with a modest bank account the vinyl flat is probably the best product out there right now
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I do set the timer and most of the time, it doesn’t flatten my records unfortunately. It’s like I have to over cook my records to get it flat. I just put the Robyn - Robyn vinyl in there for 3 hours yesterday and it didn’t fix the warp at all - but that one had one of those really nasty small curves kind of warp.

I personally can’t recommend the vinyl flat. I think it’s inconsistent and that warps are too unique that something more professional is much better.

Agree that it would be the best thing for the average user with a modest bank account, but still wouldn’t recommend it. It’s made resulted in making some records skip that never skipped before. Plus, the surface noise and generally just getting records that don’t get much flat, after placing it in there for a few hours is frustrating.
 
NathanRicaud said:
Yeah, The Spin Clean made my records more noisy/have popping sounds, AND I CLEANED MOFI AND ANALOGUE PRODUCTIONS PRESSINGS WITH THE DAMN THING!!! 🤣🤦‍♂️🙄

The record cleaning machine I want is AUD$899 - it has a built in vacuum that does an amazing job at vacuuming and the formula is amazing too! Some guys on this forum have the machine and all say it’s made such a big difference - like their records are all so quiet! 😱

So I’m going to get that eventually! Hopefully in a few months time! For now, I just give my records a quick clean with by spraying my records with some formula thing I got from my records store! It’s not the best because I drop my needle on the record when it isn’t dry, but it’s still good! Cannot wait until I get a record cleaning machine because they all say it’s a game-changer! They say it’s like hearing your records for the first time! Even Hi-Fi Guy (audiophile/record cleaning expert) says a record cleaning machine with a built in vacuum is a complete game changer!

It’s all more expensive, I know. But you get much better results. Vinyl hobby is savage like that!
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I'm basically in the same boat as you when it comes to cleaning records. Fwiw, I bought an old Parliament album on discogs (seller graded it a conservative VG+) and the seller noted he used a VPI to clean it and when I played it, not only did it look like it was in NM condition, it sounded pristine. They definitely are game changers and I look forward to getting one down the road. Hopefully sooner rather than later!
 
NathanRicaud said:
I do set the timer and most of the time, it doesn’t flatten my records unfortunately. It’s like I have to over cook my records to get it flat. I just put the Robyn - Robyn vinyl in there for 3 hours yesterday and it didn’t fix the warp at all - but that one had one of those really nasty small curves kind of warp.

I personally can’t recommend the vinyl flat. I think it’s inconsistent and that warps are too unique that something more professional is much better.

Agree that it would be the best thing for the average user with a modest bank account, but still wouldn’t recommend it. It’s made resulted in making some records skip that never skipped before. Plus, the surface noise and generally just getting records that don’t get much flat, after placing it in there for a few hours is frustrating.
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OK so 3 hours is generally waaaay too long. The sweet spot for most of us has been about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. I almost never have anything in longer than that. If you're leaving things in that long your are probably over-cooking.

It's important to let your records cool completely before removing them from the flat. I typically clean, cook for an hour and 15, and let it sit over night til the next day to cool. I'll leave things in for a day or two sometimes if I don't get back to them. Letting them sit (with the heat off) isn't going to do any harm.

Warps on the edge are generally hard to remove but if you make sure to put the area where the warp is towards the heat source in the pouch that sometimes is helpful.

If you're using it correctly it shouldn't cause any of the issues you're describing
 
jaycee said:
OK so 3 hours is generally waaaay too long. The sweet spot for most of us has been about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. I almost never have anything in longer than that. If you're leaving things in that long your are probably over-cooking.

It's important to let your records cool completely before removing them from the flat. I typically clean, cook for an hour and 15, and let it sit over night til the next day to cool. I'll leave things in for a day or two sometimes if I don't get back to them. Letting them sit (with the heat off) isn't going to do any harm.

Warps on the edge are generally hard to remove but if you make sure to put the area where the warp is towards the heat source in the pouch that sometimes is helpful.

If you're using it correctly it shouldn't cause any of the issues you're describing
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That’s why I don’t like the vinyl flat, because I cook a record for 2 hours+ and for the most part, it doesn’t get flattened. Sometimes it will, but that’s only around 1/4 of records!

I always make sure I let me records cool down for a whole day too, so no issues there. I think it’s because I try and fix nasty warps. The warps most people probably do fix, are warped I tolerate and don’t fix as I’m happy to spin those records on my turntable.

Around 80% of vinyl I receive nowadays are warped, so it’s a matter of how severe the warp is before I decide whether I want to get it flattened or not. I spin so many warped records on my turntable! Sucks, because I care a lot about quality, but I’ve come to terms with it...😭
 
NathanRicaud said:
That’s why I don’t like the vinyl flat, because I cook a record for 2 hours+ and for the most part, it doesn’t get flattened. Sometimes it will, but that’s only around 1/4 of records!

I always make sure I let me records cool down for a whole day too, so no issues there. I think it’s because I try and fix nasty warps. The warps most people probably do fix, are warped I tolerate and don’t fix as I’m happy to spin those records on my turntable.

Around 80% of vinyl I receive nowadays are warped, so it’s a matter of how severe the warp is before I decide whether I want to get it flattened or not. I spin so many warped records on my turntable! Sucks, because I care a lot about quality, but I’ve come to terms with it...😭
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Do you have the temperature turned up the whole way? That's generally too hot and could be causing you problems as well.
Otherwise I don't know what to say. A lot of us have been using it for years without those issues.

Almost every record I get has some kind of minor warp. It's extremely rare that I get one that is perfectly flat. It does suck, especially those tough to remove edge warps. You might try a record clamp to help. Depending on your turntable your manufacturer might have a recommended one to use
 
jaycee said:
Do you have the temperature turned up the whole way? That's generally too hot and could be causing you problems as well.
Otherwise I don't know what to say. A lot of us have been using it for years without those issues.

Almost every record I get has some kind of minor warp. It's extremely rare that I get one that is perfectly flat. It does suck, especially those tough to remove edge warps. You might try a record clamp to help. Depending on your turntable your manufacturer might have a recommended one to use
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Yeah, I used to place the temperature on high but if I ever do use the vinyl flat, I put it on low and will have the vinyl in there for around 2 hours!

Yeah, the vinyl flat can’t really remove those tough edge warps, I think only a professional flattening machine can do that. you would have to leave your record in the vinyl flat for 5 hours+ on high heat to have a chance at even removing those edge warps!

I changed my sub platter to a glass one and have a clamp that fits perfectly! It doesn’t do much to fix warps, but sometimes it makes a bit of a differenxe. Regardless, I always have my clamp on the record when it’s spinning! I have the Rega Planar 3 and have a particular clamp that goes with the glass sub platter that I purchased from a retailer in the U.S.!

Thanks for your help and advice! When I get my record cleaning machine, I’m going to clean my records well, then use the vinyl flat for medium warps so then I don’t have to get it professionally flattened. Only severe warps will get professionally flattened! :)
 
mitchplease said:
That's actually so awesome! I wish some of my local shops did stuff like that. Hell, if one of my shops had a VPI cleaner I'd gladly pay them to professionally deep clean my records for me.

Also thanks for the feedback on the Vinyl Flat. I'm definitely going to stay away from it now... sorry you had a bad experience though :(
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I would side with @jaycee on this one. I sent some records to a forum member in the VInyl Flat thread and was happy with the results. All three records I sent were too warped to play but upon return they still had a little wobble but played perfectly. I'm considering getting one myself after some other purchases I have lined up. I think it just takes some practice to get it right so put some trash records in it to get started. I compared 2 of the flattened records to replacement copies and noticed zero difference in sound quality.
 
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Idk why it keeps rotating my picture but.. easily drowned my 46 round drum blues spinning these two.

A Friend Of Ours was initially by far my lowest ranked benny album and I just got it for the dope cover, but it has really grown on me. It's got a unique soundscape, the beats are almost corny but it's like they're trying to make a mob movie soundtrack with violins and shit. Plus it's got Dark Lo and multiple el camino and duffle bag hottie features 🔥
 
SixthDeadlyVenom said:
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Idk why it keeps rotating my picture but.. easily drowned my 46 round drum blues spinning these two.

A Friend Of Ours was initially by far my lowest ranked benny album and I just got it for the dope cover, but it has really grown on me. It's got a unique soundscape, the beats are almost corny but it's like they're trying to make a mob movie soundtrack with violins and shit. Plus it's got Dark Lo and multiple el camino and duffle bag hottie features 🔥
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A Friend of Ours is one I regret skipping. Especially because India is one of the best things Benny ever did. and GOAT is still my favorite Conway release
 
NathanRicaud said:
Yeah, I used to place the temperature on high but if I ever do use the vinyl flat, I put it on low and will have the vinyl in there for around 2 hours!

Yeah, the vinyl flat can’t really remove those tough edge warps, I think only a professional flattening machine can do that. you would have to leave your record in the vinyl flat for 5 hours+ on high heat to have a chance at even removing those edge warps!

I changed my sub platter to a glass one and have a clamp that fits perfectly! It doesn’t do much to fix warps, but sometimes it makes a bit of a differenxe. Regardless, I always have my clamp on the record when it’s spinning! I have the Rega Planar 3 and have a particular clamp that goes with the glass sub platter that I purchased from a retailer in the U.S.!

Thanks for your help and advice! When I get my record cleaning machine, I’m going to clean my records well, then use the vinyl flat for medium warps so then I don’t have to get it professionally flattened. Only severe warps will get professionally flattened! :)
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There are also periphery ring clamps. Not sure the rega has a high enough torque motor to run one though.
 
This pressing sounds excellent! The music sounds clear and doesn’t sound compressed! I’m very happy I picked this one up! My copy also was flat on both sides, so very happy with that too! Highly recommend picking up Curren$y’s Pilot Talk! Listening to ‘Audio Dope II’ and the bass sounds great, drums are crisp and Curren$y vocals pop out! 🔥🔥🔥

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NathanRicaud said:
This pressing sounds excellent! The music sounds clear and doesn’t sound compressed! I’m very happy I picked this one up! My copy also was flat on both sides, so very happy with that too! Highly recommend picking up Curren$y’s Pilot Talk! Listening to ‘Audio Dope II’ and the bass sounds great, drums are crisp and Curren$y vocals pop out! 🔥🔥🔥

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They nailed the color too
 
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