Ultrasonic cleaner recomendations

[billinwilliamston]

Hi,

I'm looking for an ultrasonic cleaner to get my bride for Christmas. She's newly certified (authorized?) in reg maintenance and, while it will never be what she does for a living, she wants a UC so she can do the job right. I am honestly clueless about these things. I see there are a wide range of models and price points. Am I correct in assuming that a $20 jewelry cleaner won't do the job and a $6,000 commercial unit would be serious overkill?

For those of you that use an ultrasonic cleaner, what do you use and would you recommend it? Do you regret not getting a more expensive or cheaper unit?

Thanks.

If you think this is in the wrong forum, let me know and I'll move it.

 

[tbone1004]

Ultrasonic Cleaner - 2.5 Liter

I use that one. Big enough to hold a couple of regulators or valves at the same time, has a heater which is nice and works *gets to about 140 which is nice for removing salt deposits*, and isn't all that expensive. You can usually find them with 25% off coupons which helps quite a bit.

The massive commercial ones are super nice and what I use if I bring stuff into work because you can put the parts in small plastic paint mixing cups and move them from one to the other. vinegar to remove salt, baking soda to neutralize, and simple green for O2 cleaning and keep water in the main bath. Saves a lot on chemicals and what not. With the HF one I linked, you can do the same just have to have smaller jars so only good for one stage at a time. Since I do all of my stuff in at least pairs, it always ends up easier to just dump and refill.

 

[John A Lewis]

Based on what appears to be your intended use, you might find this does the trick:

http://www.stuller.com/products/23-5874/?groupId=14670

 

[herman]

I have used an older version of the Harbor Freight one for years. It's not great but does the job. The Stuller one above is not large enough it's only 3.5 x 2.5 square.

 

[gopbroek]

Here is an E-Bay unit (China) that I picked up several months back and hauled down to a friend in Cozumel New Stainless Steel 2 L Liter Industry Heated Ultrasonic Cleaner Heater w Timer | eBay it has a little larger tank @ 5.85" x 5.46" x 3.9" (L x W x H) and runs about $62 USD. So far he is happy with it.

 

[akdeepdiver]

I use the one from Harbor Freight that is heated. Using Global Manufacturing's Ultra Sonic Cleaner Solution, it works amazing and have no complaints.

 

[NotSure]

I have used a Eumax brand cleaner for about four years now and it works great. The size I have will only clean about half of the parts of a typical scuba regulator at a time. I also recommend getting a good electric water kettle to preheat water. I have found that heat is your friend when trying to remove old silicone lube residue.

EUMAX ULTRASONIC DIGITAL CLEANER WITH HEAT and TIMER 1/2 GAL/1.8L CAPACITY
Model: UD50SH-1.8LQ 1.8 Liter - 1/2 Gallon
Tank Dimensions: 5-1/4"(135mm) L x 5-1/4" (135mm) W x 4"(100mm)D
•Overall Dimensions: - 6-1/2" x 6-1/2" x 8-3/4"

Aroma X-Press Electric Water Kettle

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I've also used the 2.5 L Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner for about 4 years and it's held up surprisingly well. The plastic is discolored a bit here and there but the stainless steel bowl has held up well to vinegar and water (acetic acid), Simple Green, Blue Gold and Global's ultrasound solution. The buttons have never failed and the timer and heater still work fine.

The bowl is also big enough to hold all the parts you'd normally ultrasonically clean for a first and second stage, although in most cases, I don't do more than 1 stage at a time (working on one while cleaning another).

My only complaint is that the heater is "on" or "off" so you have to turn it off now and then if you don't want it to get as hot as it's capable of becoming. A thermostat would have been a nice addition.

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The 2 L unit linked on e-bay would probably be worth a try as well however.

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In terms of solutions. Global sells an ultrasound solution by the gallon and it works well - but you need to go through a dealer to get it and it's a little more expensive than most of the other more available options.

Blue Gold is a superb cleaner in an ultrasound machine, diluted about 10-1. It's also ideal for O2 cleaning. It's pricy in at an on-line dive store at about $90 per gallon. However it's also used extensively in aerospace applications for things like cleaning jet turbine parts, and you can get a 5 gallon bucket of it for around $120 plus about $40 for UPS shipping. That drops it down to about $32 per gallon, which scales up to 10 gallons of solution at only $3.20 per gallon - not much more than Simple Green Crystal when you buy Blue Gold in bulk.

Simple Green also works well, but I prefer Simple Green Crystal, particularly for O2 cleaning as it takes less rinsing and does not have the obnoxious smell. I normally dilute it 1 cup simple green crystal to 8 cups water for ultrasonic cleaning and O2 cleaning. I pay about $16 per gallon for it on Amazon, and that gets the per gallon price for the dilute solution down to $2 per gallon. Regular Simple Green is about $13 per gallon.

 

[Tbar]

I use this one, it is similar to one above. I expect it is out of China but I bought in Australia. Works fine, I pre-heat the water and then can control the temp with the ultrasonic cleaner thermostat.2L Digital Ultrasonic Cleaner Stainless Steel Heater Mechanical Industrial Grade | eBay

 

[KeithG]

bigger is better, stay away from the small jewelery cleaners.

must haves are
- controllable temperature heater
- timer (longer is useful for some items)
- enough power
- enough space (and depth!) for your bits

i use this "no name" bought from ebay via a local supplier. it can preheat the solution, then run up to 60 minutes with adjustable power setting.

Trusonik Stainless Steel 2 5L Heated Ultrasonic Cleaner Heater Timer Jewelry 3 O | eBay