Original Discwasher® DISCSET ©1988

$

100

 Vintage 1988 Original Discwasher DISCSET.
Pre-RCA, & Pre-Accessory Products.
Manufactured By Discwasher, Inc. 4310 Transworld Road. Schiller Park, IL 60176. USA

INCLUDES

• D4+ Record Care System
• SC-2 Stylus Care System
• Solid American Walnut Storage Tray

Still has the seals on the sides, package is a little worn some cracks and stains
but in all fairness it is 25 years old and stored in a box in my garage since 1988.
its an awesome system I still use one on my vinyl and have since I bought my first one back in 1977.
good luck I'm sure you will be pleased.
However if for some reason you are not
please give me a chance before leaving negative feedback
thanks again for your consideration.


Below I have included a few reviews / comments from audiophile blogs re: Discwasher

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okay, no more DII, D3 or D4 fluid,(and the RCA stuff is not the same) just gonna make my own

I looked up the original Discwasher patent on their cleaning formulation. The pattent is U.S.# 3,951,841. This patent most likely applies to D3 which preceeded D4. I don't know what changes might have been made when going from D3 to D4 but they were likely minor and still fall within the scope of the original patent.

The cleaner basically contained an antifungal agent, a surfactant, one or two solvents to keep the surfactant soluble in water and assist in cleaning, and distilled water.

The Patent discussion indicates the following possibilities:

1. The anti-fungal agent was sodium azide and probably ran between 0.0001% and 0.004% by weight.

2. The surfactant was either Triton X-114 or Triton N-57 and probably used somewhere between 0.0003% and 0.025%. These surfactants start to become insoluble in water when the temperature reaches 70 - 75°F which is what makes them effective at cleaning oils/greases but can cause formula stability problems (separation into two layers) without the assistance of a co-solvent or other surfactant.

3. The two possible solvents are propylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Propylene glycol is probably run between 0.001% and 0.2%. The patent suggests IPA is run anywhere from 0.01% up to 5%.

Since this cleaner can be thought of as being similar to a glass cleaner, the total solids level usually does not exceed 0.1% by weight (glass cleaners are prone to leaving visible streaking above this level). Thus, my best guess at the original D3 Discwasher solution is:

Sodium Azide = 0.004%
Surfactant (most likely Triton X-114) = 0.025%
Propylene Glycol = 0.01% to 0.075% (probably closer to the high end)
IPA = Won't hurt to run the full 5%
Distilled Water = quantity sufficient to add up to 100%

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Is RCA trying to ruin your precious vinyl?

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* *(tr.v. sol·u·bi·lized, sol·u·bi·liz·ing, sol·u·bi·liz·es To make (a substance such as a fat or lipid) soluble or more soluble, especially in water, by the action of a detergent or other agent.) 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 non-adhering static reduction system.
1989 - 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 wood grain 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 terrycloth.
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 flammable warning because it now contains Isopropanol* (CAS# 67-63-0). It also now had a slight odor that I recognized but could not place, so I avoided using it at the time, as I had a large refill bottle of the earlier D4+ version 1989.
*(i?sopro?pyl al?cohol
n. a colorless, flammable liquid, C3H8O, used in antifreeze and rubbing alcohol and as a solvent.) 2006 - I was finally starting to run out of my bulk bottle of '88 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. ---------------

Back in the '70s, they did several tests with the original Discwasher fluid and found that it left less residue than distilled water. Chemically, it was made to not damage the vinyl in any way. The new fluid (RCA D4) smells of alcohol, which some argue removes the plasticizers from vinyl, making it brittle. However, most of the record cleaning fluids for record cleaners like Nitty-Gritty (which I own) or VPI seem to have a small amount of alcohol in them. I suspect that this causes them to evaporate more completely, and if used with a vacuum-type RCM I'm sure it won't harm your vinyl.

I used a Discwasher brush and fluid for over 35 years, and I have always felt that it did a great job of cleaning records (though not as good as the Nitty-Gritty), and I know that the original Discwasher fluid was formulated to remove mould-release compounds from new vinyl. That said, I never used my Discwasher to clean used or really dirty records. For really grungy records I would make my own concoction of distilled water, a drop of dish washing liquid, and Kodak Photo-Flo wetting agent. I'd apply it with a very soft brush, and then rinse with distilled water. Once the record was completely dry, I'd use the Discwasher to get any residue that might have been left behind.

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I recently revived my old stereo and hundreds of LP albums from the basement. There are many of these albums that never made it to CD, and I also wanted to see what people were talking about when they say that analog vinyl has a warmth that digital CDs do not. Now, a week later, I really do understand.

But with that warmth comes dust and dirt, which is not a problem for CDs. I remembered that back in the day the standard of excellence for disk cleaning was the Discwasher. I spent about an hour looking for my old one, gave up and bought a new one, now made by RCA.

The old company either went bankrupt or just sold out, but RCA has run this product into the ground - it's not what you remember. Now made in China, the wood handle is imprecisely cut so that the bottle no longer fits well inside. Instead, it gets lodged and took some time to dislodge. That's not a big issue however, but indicative of how the quality isn't what it used to be.

The real issue, however, is the cleaning pad. The old model had ridges of material that ran lengthwise to the handle, with the fibers angled so that they dug into the grooves and pulled out the dust, holding onto it. That's why it worked so well. What's the pad covered with now? It appears to be brown corduroy, with ridges, yes, but the fibers have no particular orientation. Thus, it does not dig into the grooves and does an even worse job of holding onto the dirt it does dislodge. I was almost going to give up on the new Discwasher as the results were so second rate.

I was very disappointed, but thought maybe my memory had built the old Discwasher into something Herculean that didn't match reality. Memory has a way of accentuating either the positives of negatives.

Well, today I found the old Discwasher, and let me tell you, if anything my memory didn't give the old product enough praise. I have now cleaned several LPs with the old one, and there's an absolute world of difference. The old one digs the dirt out and keeps it in the pad until you brush it out, completely unlike the one that RCA is peddling these days. The new one leaves a lot of dust on the disc no matter how carefully you roll the brush.

Shame on you RCA for exploiting and cheapening a venerable old brand. What would it have cost you to put the proper fabric on the pad as opposed to corduroy? Maybe 15 cents per item?? But then again I guess they get the corduroy clippings cheap from a GAP factory in China.

Yes, it looks like the Discwasher of old, but that's the extent of the resemblance. If you're looking for the Discwasher you remember, look in the basement; maybe you'll get really lucky like I did. Or, look on eBay, but do not look to RCA.

For those reviewers writing reviews based on the historic quality of this product - you haven't bought this new version. It really is remarkably inferior.

Shame on you RCA for what you've done to this product.