Adding Ultrasonic Cleaner to my shop -- Thoughts/Advice

[HiltzVW]

Has anyone added an ultrasonic cleaner to their shop? Grizzly has one for $99 as part of the Black Friday weekend and I'm wondering if its worth getting one. I do repair work and one off parts. Could come in handy in cleaning small engine parts or other things that come into the shop. I've never had the chance to use one and don't know if they really do work as well as claimed.

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Grizzly Industrial, Inc. is a national retail and internet company providing a wide variety of high-quality woodworking and metalworking machinery, power tools, hand tools and accessories. By selling directly to end users we provide the best quality products at the best price to professionals...

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[PHPaul]

I have one about that size that I use a LOT for cleaning small engine carburetors and other small parts. Excellent investment IMHO.

I use Simple Green as my "solvent" and have been pleased with the results. It will darken aluminum parts but a quick buff restores the original color.

 

[Choiliefan]

I clean many small parts in one about the same size.
I usually fill the tank with water and float a smaller plastic container with solvent and parts inside.
On slow days it's fun to watch a piece of aluminum foil being ripped to shreds in the ultrasonic bath.

 

[savarin]

I had one half that size but only used it for silver work and other jewelry.
It worked very well.

 

[Larry42]

I've considered the same thing but have never used one and didn't know how affective they were. Still on the fence.

 

[Cadillac STS]

I clean many small parts in one about the same size.
I usually fill the tank with water and float a smaller plastic container with solvent and parts inside.
On slow days it's fun to watch a piece of aluminum foil being ripped to shreds in the ultrasonic bath.

Would it work with parts in a ziplock with a smaller amount of solvent with just water in the tank?

I was thinking of trying that because it would be less solvent and not need to fill my tank with different solvents.

 

[ThinWoodsman]

Is it worh it paying Grizzly the extra thirty bucks? Take a look at 3L ultrasonic cleaners on ebay/alibaba/amazon/etc. As with mini-lathes, they're probably all the same model, just re-branded by different resellers.

 

[Boxster9]

Not sure what the power rating is since the heading says 100 watts of power but the detail bullet points says 50 watts of power. Also would a drain be helpful to not have to manhandle the unit to drain solution? Lots of good ultrasonic cleaners out there and they do a good job. For my money, I am looking for higher power wattage and larger basket. Good Luck!

 

[whitmore]

Would it work with parts in a ziplock with a smaller amount of solvent with just water in the tank?

Yes, and if your cleaning solution requires oxalic acid, nitric acid, or other SS-attacking cleaners, that's a good idea.
The cleaning solution, though, ought NOT to be a 'solvent' other than slightly adulterated water,
because the bubble-making cavitation condition for the cleaner is calibrated for water. Warm water, or
water with a little alcohol and wetting agent, are good solutions to start with.

 

[MikeInOr]

Not sure what the power rating is since the heading says 100 watts of power but the detail bullet points says 50 watts of power. Also would a drain be helpful to not have to manhandle the unit to drain solution? Lots of good ultrasonic cleaners out there and they do a good job. For my money, I am looking for higher power wattage and larger basket. Good Luck!

I would recommend skipping the Grizzly ultrasonic cleaner, you can do much better for about the same price!
The 100 watts of "Cleaning Power" means 50 watt ultrasonic power supply and 50 watt heater. Basically a bold face lie!

I recommend getting as big a tank that is in your price range and as many ultrasonic watts as you can afford.

For an extra $30 this will serve you MUCH better with 180 ultrasonic watts and a 150 watt heater and a 6 liter tank! The 50 watt Grizzly will clean but the one will clean much faster: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HGNYO0U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have this exact one in our bathroom and use it for cleaning eye glasses, tooth brushes, cpap stuff, stuff at the house. It does a nice job. I have had it 3 years with no problems.

I have a 5 gallon industrial ultrasonic cleaner in the shop that I picked up at a surplus sale 20 years ago. It is pretty incredible what it will do. I put the cabin vent cover from my 67 F100 in it for about 30 minutes and it came out looking like a brand new piece of plastic with 50 years of oxidation wiped off the surface. When I finish a greasy job like working on the truck I toss my tools in the ultrasonic cleaner and it restores their "grip" in about 5 minutes. For really greasy stuff nothing that I have tried cleans better than Dawn dish-washing liquid. For everyday cleaning TSP works really well. Sometimes I will use a combination of the two. For eye glasses 50% isopropal alcohol and 50% distilled water works great!