Big enough to put in a crank set.

I'm aware of this 2.5 liter one. I remember it cheaper though.

Best price vs best performance?

Do you use the cleaning powder as well?

Your link is to an empty shopping cart. However, the 2.5L unit requires a double dip as only half a chainring can fit at a time. Often a 20% coupon is available.

I use Dawn in mine and it works well enough.

The few on the market that fully submerge a crankset are expensive....

Alright, perhaps a crank is pushing it. And most pieces I am planning on cleaning are smaller than that, like derailleurs and brake calipers.

BTW - I fixed the link in my original post.

Has anybody tried to clean a chain with this machine? And what was the outcome (good / bad)?

I bought my 2.5 liter one at Harbor freight when it was on sale plus there was an additional special coupon - so it was maybe $69 or so (was a 4th of July coupon). I use Dawn & hot water which works well. I have also used citrus degreaser in it. I suspect that is what has caused the plastic rim where the metal basin transitions to the plastic, to start cracking & chipping away. It still works but the plastic near the top where you dump out the liquid gets brittle after time.

Yes, I've cleaned chains in it. I usually pre- clean the chain as best I can then go to "phase 2" cleaning in the ultrasonic cleaner. I would definitely wait to get it on sale.

You are over thinking this time saving $70 tool. I bought mine May 2013 and it has been a workhorse for over 2 years. No other bike tool investment saves as much time.

Works on all parts that fit, often 2 cycles not 1, but for plastic jockey wheels. The issue there may be it's plastic.

A crankset doesn't have the kinds of nooks and crannies where an ultrasonic cleaner can do a superior job. A toothbrush with some real mineral spirits does a good enough job on caked-on gunk for me.

I use the smaller ~$20 ultrasonic cleaner to supplement the shaking-in-a-jar method I use for cleaning chains. It's just big enough that I can put the mason jar containing the chain and mineral spirits into it, with a bath of regular water and a pinch of soap in the cleaner itself to transmit the vibrations into the jar. I wish I had a picture -- it's way easier to do than describe.

Check your local CL. Sometimes there are industrial ones fairly cheap, otherwise the HF works well.

I have the 2.5 Harbor Freight one and haven't used it at all for my last 2 bike refurbs.
It is woefully unimpressive compared to what I can get done with a brush, toothbrush, rag, and some wd40. If I were to soak the components in some warm water for a couple hours before the manual work- itd be even quicker.
My cleaning takes probably 4x longer than using the ultrasonic machine.

I found that after I ran components thru the cleaner, I would still sit down and toothbrush em while other components were in the ultrasonic. Sorta redundant. Or maybe I just expect too much or don't use it properly?

I will continue to experiment with how to make it work best.

I do it in the opposite order. If the part is caked with old grease I spray it with wd40 and give it a quick clean with a toothbrush. I then put it in the U S cleaner

I'll try that. It's sorta like washing the dishes before putting them in the dish washer.
But if it's easier/faster and does as good or better, I'm all for it.
Thanks

Think of it as a pre-soak.

Has anybody been successful cleaning gummed up brifters this way?

What are brifters? LOL

I've used the HF unit for cranksets, but I normally disassemble and do some pre-cleaning first. Probably not necessary, but hey, I have the thing so ...

Sort of related: It does a great job on my table saw blades using a dilute solution of TSP. Have to rotate them 3x though.

What do you think about filling an ultrasonic cleaner with mineral spirits or diesel fuel?

Not recommended, since it aerosolizes the mineral spirits/diesel, leading to a flammability hazard. Hence the jar-within-a-water-bath solution I mentioned a few posts back. The aerosolization still happens, but it's contained within a closed jar.

If I couldn't do that, I'd probably suck it up and clean stuff directly in the thing with Simple Green, but mineral spirits work so much better IME.

This is why I asked in the first place. I HATE the process of cleaning chain rings. I still would like to know if anybody has tried to clean gummed up Ergo / STI brake shifters (of course after removing the hoods).

...pretty much all of this, except I use simple green and water mixed at 50/50. If yoiu clean a chain in it, you need to make sure to rinse well (a good idea with everything you clean), and then make certain the liquid is evaporated from the interior spaces before you relube it....otherwise the lube will not get in where it needs to go.

...please refrain from doing his.

.
...FWIW, I do cranksets all the time in mine, running them leaning on edge, first one side, then the other, sometimes a slight additional rotation if a section got missed. Works well, maximum cycle, Simple Green and water 50/50.


Yes it is true that Simple Green can remove anodizing if you soak stuff in it for a long time. No, this has not been a problem for me.

Yes, they work well.

Ultrasonic cleaners make the manual work much easier. I run my parts through 2-3 cycles. Something I recently learned is that parts need 'space' in the cleaner. Do not stack them and make sure they don't touch each other. If parts are stacked and touching the ultrasonic waves are no longer ultrasonic and all you doing is vibrating the solution. If done properly tiny bubbles should come off the parts.

No, but I had success soaking Shimano brifters overnight in kerosene (hoods removed of course), allowed to dry, then soaked in Mobile 1 for few hours, drip & wipe dry, reinstall hoods. Worked like a charm. YMMV.

Jim, Do you just use Dawn?