Home
AudioAsylum Trader
Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: The Vinyl Flat The Vinyl Flat record flattener Turntables by bruckner9

Welcome Licorice Pizza (LP) lovers! Setup guides and Vinyl FAQ.

For Sale Ads

FAQ / News / Events

 

REVIEW: The Vinyl Flat The Vinyl Flat record flattener Turntables

108.0.210.6


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread:  [ Display   All   Email ] [ Vinyl Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Model: The Vinyl Flat record flattener
Category: Turntables
Suggested Retail Price: $99.95
Description: Flattens warped vinyl records
Manufacturer URL: The Vinyl Flat
Model Picture: View

Review by bruckner9 on March 18, 2013 at 17:28:47
IP Address: 108.0.210.6
Add Your Review
for the The Vinyl Flat record flattener


Normal Retail Prices:

Vinyl Flat: $99
Heating Pouch: $69

(I purchased both during a sale last December, saving a total of about 30 bucks from those prices).

Outstanding product. (and lemme say….i have absolutely NO affiliation of ANY kind with the Vinyl Flat company, or any other subsidiary company).

The Vinyl Flat can be used in a standard oven, or with its optional heating pouch. I chose to purchase the heating pouch, thus my comments here are reflective of my use accordingly. (I have not used the VF in a standard oven.)

Usage is as simple as simple can get: just insert the LP in between the top/bottom sections, lightly screw down the top, plug in the heating pouch….then wait.

I have (had!) a London Solti/Chicago Mahler 2 (weighted in at 130 grams) that was BADLY warped; a huge, rolling warp. One that I though would really test this unit. After cleaning the record, I inserted it into the VF, plugged in the unit, came back after two hours…removed the VF from the pouch, and let it cool for 2 hours, then removed the record; the warp was about 30% diminished. So, I did another round…this time for 4 hours…..then let it cool overnight. And this time….PERFECTLY FLAT!

Playing the record revealed no sign of (heating) abuse. Played as new.

Next up was the recently reissued Abbey Road…and this time, the culprit was a pinch warp. Very sharp, very jarring. So, on with a 4 hour cycle session, and an 8 hour cool down….and again, NO WARP!

I have over 25,000 lp's, and yeah, I do have some that are 'warped'. LOTS of those old Red Seals, Dynaflex's, et al, i think were "made" with warps (i swear, purposely making warped records HAD to be an RCA company directive at the time! lol), whether they be dish warps, concave, pinch, or rolling wave warps, so this unit will be put to use. It'll will no doubt pay for itself fairly quickly. As is, this thing REALLY works for me.

The accompanying instructions have time/temp indicators for those wishing to use their own home ovens…and likewise, a narrative on time suggestions for use with the VF heating pouch…and a directive that the user should ALWAYS be cautious with regard to time/temperature (thus they are not responsible for any damage you may incur with overuse, etc). But really, if you use the heating pouch, the temperature factor will be regulated….so you'll only have to experiment with time with regard to your specific record (time differentials fluctuate based on thickness (grams) of the record).

Again, SUPER easy to use, and nutting but super results here. And really, I could use The Vinyl Flatner for hundreds of records and it would still look like new. Nuttin to 'show' any wear, or to wear out.

Highly recommended!

btw…contrary to the polymer "groovy rings" that were originally equipped on the VF, it now comes equipped with "soft" inner rings (as mine did). According to VF company owner John Martindale, these have numerous advantages over the originals: cost, thus retail price…one size works on all record sizes (7", 10" and 12")…no sharp edges that could imprint a record in the lead-in groove area if the record is overheated in an oven…better performance on flattening edge warps…better performance on flattening dishes, etc, etc.




Product Weakness: Nothing apparent at this time.
Product Strengths: Built like a brick. Nothing to wear out. Gentle, temperature controlled heat applied (when used with the optional heating pouch).


Associated Equipment for this Review:

Amplifier: Not Applicable
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): n/a
Sources (CDP/Turntable): n/a
Speakers: n/a
Cables/Interconnects: n/a
Music Used (Genre/Selections): n/a
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Michael Percy Audio  



Topic - REVIEW: The Vinyl Flat The Vinyl Flat record flattener Turntables - bruckner9 17:28:46 03/18/13 ( 13)