I've always like the idea of one for cleaning pistols - toss gun in, turn it on, walk away, come back fifteen or twenty minutes later, remove gun, hose it down with oil, wipe away excess, put gun back in safe. Obviously, there's all kinds of things that can be cleaned in them.

Do I want to avoid the ones on Amazon? The videos I look up on Youtube all seem to have the same one they sell, just various sizes. Vevo is the model on Amazon. What size do I want? The 5L, I can clean any handgun in, but the 22L, I might be able to get away with cleaning broken down rifles. I'm not buying any guns next year (famous last words), I plan to strip the collection down and put it into NFA stuff - is an ultrasonic cleaner good for suppressors? There's discussion of a .22 suppressor in that subforum and a member mentioned cleaning certain models of .22 cans is a nightmare. Would this not be a perfect task for an ulstrasonic cleaner?

What do you have? What do you clean with it?

Following…

I am most interested in what solution to use when cleaning gun parts. Also, what not to put in the ultasonic cleaner.

When I worked in the eye glasses business we used them to clean eyeglass frames. Some of the nasty gunk on those will make you cringe. But we took out the lenses and used the ultrasonic cleaner.

Interesting question. On the surface, an ultrasonic would seem to be ideal for .22 suppressors. Carbon, lead and bullet lube fouling will need a much different solvent that that used for oils and greases. Something like carburetor cleaner "dip" would work on the carbon and lube, but I can't see it working on lead. It also depends on what the suppressor is made of, both externally and internally. Solvents that are safe for steel can attack, even dissolve, aluminum.

Harbor Freight one works they are just small. Hot Water, a drop of dawn and a splash of simple green works for me. My wife like her jewelry cleaned in it as well. I cleaned a coffee maker part that had gunk buried in nooks I could not reach.

If you want a good cleaner, be prepared to spend a lot of cash. I have two cheap ones but they both have timers which limit my runs to 6 minutes, which I don't like. And they don't have removable baskets and they don't have drain ports.

I like the ones that run continuously or for at least an hour. Branson is a good brand, but only if it's part of your job and you use it a lot. Their 3800 model 1.5 gallon cleaner runs $1,100.

Features I'd look for are:
-Wide dimensions
-Long run timer
-Drain valve
-Parts basket

That being said, I think the Hornady cleaner may be a decent cleaner, simply because it has all the features I am looking for in a cleaner with the exception that it times out at 30 minutes. But it does cost $670

https://www.amazon.com/Hornady...sporting%2C88&sr=1-2

Tony.

Watch parts using dry cleaning solution.

Here are a couple of options to consider:

https://www.infanteultrasonics.com/

https://www.upcorp.com/


and my post about the Hornady cleaner in a previous thread:

https://sigforum.com/eve/forum...190029594#3190029594


but if you have to have the Hornady, then look at iSonic. Looks to be the same unit but in yellow and with a lower price:

https://www.amazon.com/iSonic-...id=1669294969&sr=8-4


As for what an ultrasonic cleaner can be used for besides firearms:

https://www.upcorp.com/blog/wh...-ultrasonic-cleaner/

be mindful that, like most things, there are limitations - certain metals and metal plate can be damaged and you will still need to do some brushing/scrubbing on various pieces of firearms (barrels, bolts, suppressor baffles) to get them totally clean. With the proper cleaning agent and use, the ultrasonic cleaner will do a lot of the work but usually the user will still have to perform some manual cleaning as well.

My nephew has a home business doing musical instrument repair. He bought one about 20 years ago that is big enough to do a tuba. Cost a lot, don't recall how much. Paid for it in less than a year. All kinds of gunk in horns, especially from high school kids. Chili dogs, tampons, the list goes on.

Thanks for the feedback. I think like anything else, you get what you pay for me. Since good units are $$$, it may be worth it to go ahead and try one of the cheaper units to see if I like using it in the first place.

Those US made units look excellent, but like Watergoat's nephew, I'd probably have to start a business cleaning... something, I dunno. A tampon... I could see coming out of a woodwind or brass instrument. Kid probably thought to use it as a cleaning patch and the string broke. The chili dog... now that, I wonder about lol.