Those chain cleaning machines are one of those things you need to own at least once in your life. They're messy, they're inefficient, they drive you mad, but they do work up to a point. Maybe they're right for you, maybe they're not. We're all different (for instance, I still can't understand why people think removing the chain is a good idea) but you'll never know until you buy and try.

I've got one. I don't care about the mess because I'm about to assault the cogs and the like with kero and a brush anyway. For me, they give a good initial clean that you'll want to touch up with the toothbrush. But I don't get out there and scrub the bike down too often anyway, only when it NEEDS it. Most road riding only needs a wipe with the rag. On wet roads, particularly if there's sand around, it needs it more often. Mud? What? Get dirty?

Wait till you see one on special. Buy it and try it. If it's brilliant, you're laughing. If it seems to do the job but isn't built well, you can then justify spending a bit more on a good one. If it's rubbish, at least you have the satisfaction of being able to point to it in the shed and say 'it's rubbish', not to mention being able to join in threads like this.

Richard