Ultrasonic for firearms & cutlery

Joined
Dec 30, 2008
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Hey guys. I'm looking to buy a U.S. for firearms maintenance mostly, but car parts, tools, knives jewelry, etc as well. I've been looking at crest, branson, etc but am unsure what brand to go with. Heat, degas, 2.5-3q, under $700. I don't want to buy a cheaper one and have to clean things multiple times... time.... it's.... money. Lol. Any recommendations? I found a crest for under 700. An l&r I found for 500, no heat or degas. It seemed cheap for that price. Harbor freight sells one that looks like all the other generic ones on Amazon and eBay. Must be a reason for price differences...?
 
I've used Bransons at work (biotech/medical devices) over the years, never had any problems with them. They are widely used in the biotech industry. It's nice to have heat and a timer. If you can find one with a bottom drain port, it makes life a lot easier.
 
My first ultrasonic cleaner was a small L&R. Sold it then purchased a Crest P500 which will hold a handgun. Be sure to get a model with heater. For cleaning solution I have settled on Ottosonic from Otto Frei.
 
My advice is to save your money and get some Oil Eater. Spray it on full strength and let it set for a minute or two. Then scrub the real bad spots and then rinse in water. Cleans steel parts up great!
 
I received one as a Christmas gift a couple years back, specifically for cleaning BCGs from AR15s. It's a cheap 1L model off Amazon, but it does a good job. I use distilled water in it, per the instructions. While it'd be going a bit far to say that the parts come out looking better than after a really thorough cleaning by hand, they are at least adequate for function. I don't take any particular enjoyment from gun maintenance, so it comes down to finding a balance between sufficient cleaning and laziness. I don't run chromed or nickel-boron BCGs, so they're not going to sparkle or anything.

A friend of mine is a competitive shooter and avid reloader, and he claims that the Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner is the same unit as name-brand versions (Hornady, for instance) but without the logo that commands a higher price. Not really much of a surprise.
 
I have a harbor freight one and no real complaints. I've used it on everything from gun parts to car parts.
 
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