Ultrasonic Cleaner Recomendations

So I've been eyeballing an ultrasonic cleaner for a while, as a 'nice to have' but definitely not a 'need' - I definitely can't jusitfy spending a couple of grand on a Branson unit, but is it even worth the money to buy a cheapy from Amazon/eBay/random internet site?

https://smile.amazon.com/Tek-Motion-Stainless-Ultrasonic-Jewelry/dp/B01HBDUM74/ref=sr_1_15?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1516064762&sr=1-15&keywords=ultrasonic+cleaner

That's a 4 gallon tank, so it's not a piddly little jewelry cleaner at least, but is it a waste of a couple hundred bucks versus buying an industrial unit?

Anyone running one they really like that didn't cost an arm and a leg?

Looks like it has 360W of ultrasonic power over a roughly 14-15” by 14-15” area? I have a industrial Crest system that has 1kW of ultrasonics over a 12x16 surface area, just as a comparison.

At $200 it’s a pretty low risk gamble. Can always use it for a rinse tank if you step up to a brand name tank in the future.

Just as important is what cleaning solution you are planning to run in it.

Johnny SolidWorks said:

So I've been eyeballing an ultrasonic cleaner for a while, as a 'nice to have' but definitely not a 'need' - I definitely can't jusitfy spending a couple of grand on a Branson unit, but is it even worth the money to buy a cheapy from Amazon/eBay/random internet site?

https://smile.amazon.com/Tek-Motion-Stainless-Ultrasonic-Jewelry/dp/B01HBDUM74/ref=sr_1_15?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1516064762&sr=1-15&keywords=ultrasonic+cleaner

That's a 4-gallon tank, so it's not a piddly little jewelry cleaner at least, but is it a waste of a couple hundred bucks versus buying an industrial unit?

Anyone running one they really like that didn't cost an arm and a leg?

Click to expand...

I was looking at those too but reviews of these low-cost units say the are way overstating the volume of the tanks.

FYI There are some "4-gallon" units rated at 500 watts vs the 360 in your link. I spent a few hour looking at different models likely from the same manufacturer and in the end, I decided to pass and wait for a Name brand used a unit to come up locally. I have a really nice smaller unit for now.

I was lucky. I bought a dental unit in a junk yard. They thought it was a soup warmer and I got it for $80. It has a volume of 11 liters, two transducers and rated at 300 watts. The timer did not function. The take away is that at 300 watts it will remove the optical coating from eyeglasses using only dish soap. Dish soap is my preferred solution. It works for everything. Beside timer failure, I think transducer to tank separation is the most common mode of failure.

I have cheapo chinese unit and it has been ok for the price. If you dont need to rely on it on daily production I think you are doing ok.
(And as usual with chinese junk in this price range YMMV and you might get bad apple)

I have a Medical "Castle" Untrasonic cleaner that holds 47 liters, it's 1000 watts of cleaning and 1500 watts of heating. It has both a foot and button operated power lid with a programmable timer that opens when it is finished. It can automatically fill itself to level when hooked up to water (preferably hot) and it has a degassing feature too. When instructed it will drain itself to a sewer if connected and can automatically add cleaner via a venturi mixer to a concentrated cleaner if desired.

My understanding is that it was used for cleaning surgical tools at a hospital. Probably a good thing to get it right from the source because it probably did cost an arm and a leg new. Like steve-l, I lucked out and picked it up off a guy who bought it with a bunch of other stuff at a clearance auction and he didn't even know what it was.

You probably already know why you should get a one, but just to show what my unit has done, and why a bigger one can come in handy!



My two limit switches for my lathe. Didn't even take the plungers apart to clean it.

Took my spindle chiller off one of my mills:

Before:



Just about in:



After:



What you are seeing between the fins is just water in that last photo. The cleaning was INSANE. Absolutely the most effective way to clean that heat exchanger.

My cleaner of choice is Simple Green HD (Purple in colour) it is pricy but it works astounding on Aluminum in particular. I read it is just rebadged and dyed Simple Green Extreme Aircraft and Precision cleaner. It can be found at Home Depot here in Canada.

For motorcycle carbs it is just incredible how perfect it cleans them. You know when you want to spend the time to get every speck of dust and grime off every spring but just don't want to tear them all down? This cleans that well without even taking them apart, minus the float bowls. I use it to clean turbochargers fully assembled too. No balancing required.

Lastly, to save on drains, heat/power, fumes and just general volumetric efficiency of the unit, I put my parts in ziplock bags with cleaner in the bags only. This way you can use a variety at the same time and if some parts are absolutely filthy you don't just make the whole tank black instantly. Cleaner goes a long way too.

The better quality you can find, the more you will save long term, just like anything I guess.

Nerv

Have spent small fortune on Brand name American ultrasonic cleaners with failures so soon after install it became way too costly for endless repairs. Went with the cheapest ones in quart size and above figuring to throw out when toasted. 1 out of 4 died, our fault because a tech didn't fill with to the load line with liquid and fried it. The other 3 get pounded to death and abused and still work great after 3 years. Delivery was free to the door from the big A.