Hey all!
Long time. I have some very important information that I felt necessary to pass on to you. I need to give you a little history about a product many of us have used called Discwasher.
1979 - The Discwasher D3 record care system sold by Discwasher Inc. out of Columbia, MO 65201, at this time is the most popular, well respected record care product available. The following information is taken from the Discwasher D3 owners manual.
1. Handle is made of solid milled Walnut
2. The cleaning pad fabric has PATENTED "slanted" fibers, set into alternate rows. These unidirectional micro-fibers pick up dirt instead of lining it up, and the spaces between the rows allow solubilized micro-dust and contamination to bind to the absorbent fabric backing by capillary action. With other record cleaners this contamination is allowed to dry back onto the record surface.
3. The D3 fluid is a significant advance in record care. This special fluid has a cleaning ability that is chemically "directed" at fingerprints and common disc contaminants. D3 offers PATENTED chemical protection and buffering to protect critical vinyl additives, a chemical release system that pulls contamination away from micro-grooves and into the Discwasher fabric, plus a nonadhering static reduction system.
1987 - My Discwasher pad after several years of faithful use is showing some wear, so I felt it was time to replace it. Discwasher is no longer it's own company, as it is now owned and distributed by Accessory Products out of Schiller, IL 60176.
1. Although the handle looks to be a hardwood, it doesn't have the beauty & "depth" of my original '79 model.
2. The brush surface is now more rounded, requiring several passes over the same surface requiring more fluid and time, while the original brush could do all the tracks in one pass.
3. There is no more gap between the rows of bristles for the contaminates, resulting in more cleaning of the brush itself.
4. The bristles although still seem to be unidirectional, are longer, less stiff and more cloth like, and don't look like they will drop into the grooves as well.
5. The fluid has changed as well, as it is now D4+ which although works OK, seems to be less "thick" and more runny, almost like water.
LATE 1990's - My brush is so contaminated I needed to replace it again. Discwasher has once again "passed hands", as it is now being distributed out of Lake Mary, FL 32748.
1. The storage box no longer has the woodgrain look as it is black in color - I guess to more match the audio components of this time period.
2. The handle now looks to be white birch - no real big deal there.
3. The cleaning pad is now tan in color, and is less unidirectional and even more like cloth - almost like teri cloth.
4. Even more important, the D4+ fluid has changed as well, which now for the first time in the products history, it now carries a flamable warning because it now contains Isopropanol (CAS# 67-63-0). It also now had a slight odor that I recoginized but could not place, so I avoided using it at the time, as I had a large refill bottle of the earlier D4+ version 1987.
2006 - I was finally starting to run out of my bulk bottle of '87 D4+, so I started to look around for some more. I was very happy to find some D4+ fluid at a local pro music shop. Once again, the product was in different hands as it is now being sold by RCA. But when I opened it and tried it on thank goodness a non-important LP, my happiness quickly turned to anger! The fluid RCA is passing off as D4+ has the exact same stink you would get from a bottle of pure Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol, just like what you would buy at your local drug or grocery store! I AM TICKED!!! And you who know what alcohol does to vinyl - it will dry it out and ruin it! How RCA can get away with this is beyond me! I guess RCA is not content with the RIAA law suits against people who practice file sharing, as it looks like they are also trying to force you to replace your LEGAL PURCHASES as well.
The REAL Discwasher, as far as I'm concerned, thanks to RCA is now dead and gone. May it rest in peace. The decision to continue using the product is now in your hands... You have been warned.
Long time. I have some very important information that I felt necessary to pass on to you. I need to give you a little history about a product many of us have used called Discwasher.
1979 - The Discwasher D3 record care system sold by Discwasher Inc. out of Columbia, MO 65201, at this time is the most popular, well respected record care product available. The following information is taken from the Discwasher D3 owners manual.
1. Handle is made of solid milled Walnut
2. The cleaning pad fabric has PATENTED "slanted" fibers, set into alternate rows. These unidirectional micro-fibers pick up dirt instead of lining it up, and the spaces between the rows allow solubilized micro-dust and contamination to bind to the absorbent fabric backing by capillary action. With other record cleaners this contamination is allowed to dry back onto the record surface.
3. The D3 fluid is a significant advance in record care. This special fluid has a cleaning ability that is chemically "directed" at fingerprints and common disc contaminants. D3 offers PATENTED chemical protection and buffering to protect critical vinyl additives, a chemical release system that pulls contamination away from micro-grooves and into the Discwasher fabric, plus a nonadhering static reduction system.
1987 - My Discwasher pad after several years of faithful use is showing some wear, so I felt it was time to replace it. Discwasher is no longer it's own company, as it is now owned and distributed by Accessory Products out of Schiller, IL 60176.
1. Although the handle looks to be a hardwood, it doesn't have the beauty & "depth" of my original '79 model.
2. The brush surface is now more rounded, requiring several passes over the same surface requiring more fluid and time, while the original brush could do all the tracks in one pass.
3. There is no more gap between the rows of bristles for the contaminates, resulting in more cleaning of the brush itself.
4. The bristles although still seem to be unidirectional, are longer, less stiff and more cloth like, and don't look like they will drop into the grooves as well.
5. The fluid has changed as well, as it is now D4+ which although works OK, seems to be less "thick" and more runny, almost like water.
LATE 1990's - My brush is so contaminated I needed to replace it again. Discwasher has once again "passed hands", as it is now being distributed out of Lake Mary, FL 32748.
1. The storage box no longer has the woodgrain look as it is black in color - I guess to more match the audio components of this time period.
2. The handle now looks to be white birch - no real big deal there.
3. The cleaning pad is now tan in color, and is less unidirectional and even more like cloth - almost like teri cloth.
4. Even more important, the D4+ fluid has changed as well, which now for the first time in the products history, it now carries a flamable warning because it now contains Isopropanol (CAS# 67-63-0). It also now had a slight odor that I recoginized but could not place, so I avoided using it at the time, as I had a large refill bottle of the earlier D4+ version 1987.
2006 - I was finally starting to run out of my bulk bottle of '87 D4+, so I started to look around for some more. I was very happy to find some D4+ fluid at a local pro music shop. Once again, the product was in different hands as it is now being sold by RCA. But when I opened it and tried it on thank goodness a non-important LP, my happiness quickly turned to anger! The fluid RCA is passing off as D4+ has the exact same stink you would get from a bottle of pure Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol, just like what you would buy at your local drug or grocery store! I AM TICKED!!! And you who know what alcohol does to vinyl - it will dry it out and ruin it! How RCA can get away with this is beyond me! I guess RCA is not content with the RIAA law suits against people who practice file sharing, as it looks like they are also trying to force you to replace your LEGAL PURCHASES as well.
The REAL Discwasher, as far as I'm concerned, thanks to RCA is now dead and gone. May it rest in peace. The decision to continue using the product is now in your hands... You have been warned.
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