Reddit mentions of Audio-Technica AT6011a Anti-Static Record Brush

Mofi is the one to get. Just use that.

My Essentials

• Inner sleeves
  
• Outer sleeves
  
• Spin Clean clone
  
• Spin Clean solution
  
• microfiber cloths
  
  

  Extras
  

  
  

• Anti-static brush
  
• In The Groove reusable record brush
  
• Stylus brush
  
• Zerodust stylus cleaner
  
• tracking force scale

> I'm convinced I'll never find another copy of the ones I love if I destroy them even when I know that's not true.

So, 2 things here:

First, it might help ease your mind if you actively know where/how a replacement can be found, and for how much. I'd suggest checking out discogs. This will allow you to see all the vinyl releases for a specific album, and how many are for sales and what the going prices are. For Carpenter's records, you're talking about albums where the shipping cost of $4 would likely be more than the album itself. And if you have a local record store, the task is even easier.

Second, vinyl records are much more resilient than people will give them credit for. Yeah, ideally each album you have will be pristine forever and never encounter dust and not have any pops or cracks in the playback. But, in reality, most vinyl has some inherent flaw right off the press. Whether that's debris from the paper sleeve that got into the groove, or a finger print from a worker that packages the album, or light scuffing from distribution. It's a physical format and that means it will interact with the physical world. Embrace that. It's what makes this hobby fun - it's tangible art. And it's not perfect. But that's okay. Because you'll still be able to drop the needle and hear the music and enjoy the music. And that really isn't going to change if a bit of dust gets on the album, or the jacket gets a little scrape, or even if you accidentally sneeze all over the record.

If you want to be meticulous with your albums, I'd suggest the following 3 products:

• Spin Clean
  
  
• An anti-static brush
  
  
• A gel stylus cleaner

I'm not /u/pyroglass, but I use one of those anti-static brushes you can get off Amazon. It supposedly cleans the grooves of the records better than a micro-fiber cloth. I usually use both. First the cloth for the "heavier" dust or such, then finish it off with the brush :)

Or you could just buy the vinyl washer... (yes such a thing exists). I've never cleaned my with and liquids. Too scared it'd harm the records.

The record can also be warped or scratched. Or maybe the weight on the arm that holds the cartridge/stylus needs to be adjusted? When I first got my record player the weight was too "back heavy" so the stylus would sometimes hover over the record for just a very brief moment but just enough for the stylus to jump out of the groove and do a little skip.

They are more or less the same. You can buy this one and spend the change on the stylus cleaner

• Price History
  

If you are worried about the brand, for $15 I have the Audio Technica version and have had no problems with it in over a year now.

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But like someone else said, its probably not any different than the one you are looking at.

Hi!

• The thinner models like this one can be problematic as the fibers are super soft and the inside of the brush is empty, so if you put too much pressure while cleaning, nothing is preventing the metal part of the brush from saying "hello!" to the record surface. People scratched records whith these. You have to be super careful.
  
  
• The dual carbon fiber brushes/velvet pad models are the ones I would recommend. Most of the time, the design is the same, only the brand logo changes. One example on Amazon here. The fibers are also soft and short but these have a velvet pad between the two fiber brushes so you won't risk scratching anything.
  
  

What's the best way to make sure my record collection lasts a long time? Is it fine to just store them on a shelf as is in a cool area? Or is it advised to store each in their own polypropylene sleeves like these here? New to collecting so I want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
Also cleaning. Am I good with just one of those brushes like this? Or do I need some spray too?

I haven’t listened to the clear pressing yet but I’ve had issues with static/skipping on IAAN and Deja - they all went away after I purchased this (below) and started using it to clean off my vinyl before (and after..) playing. Not sure if you have one or something similar but it works wonders!

Audio-Technica AT6011 Anti-Static Record Brush https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GE1ZOPY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SGc.zbECS8PAC