Looking for info on sonic cleaners

[AndeyHall]

Hey guys I’ve got a birthday coming up and have been looking into sonic cleaners as my main gift suggestion. I have an old friend who runs a gun retail/Gunsmithing shop and he had a large commercial grade one. He has cleaned my pistols and rifle for me a few times but I have always just dropped them off and never saw the process so that is my only experience with them.

From what I’ve found online and comparing that to what his looked like, I would imagine his was well over $1,000. I have found the Hornady Hot Tub through my research which seems to be the best option I’ve come across so far. I want something big enough to do a full AR upper and that’s about the most I’m willing to spend.

So I have a few questions. Is the Hornady Hot Tub a good cleaner? Are there better options at a similar or less price that I can get a full AR upper in? How well do they actually work? Like do they require any extra elbow grease or can you really just drop everything in, pull it out and it’s good to go?

 

[XD40scinNC]

I have a small commercial one that was no longer needed by my company. Big enough to handle the slide and frame of a 4" semi-auto.

I use a solution of water and Green Stuff, probably 80 - 20% ratio. Submerge the slide and watch the carbon, grease, residue, etc. just boil out of the striker channel and everywhere else. After 15 - 20 minutes, take it out, rinse with fresh water, and blow out with compressed air, then lube, or Frog Lube or what ever you prefer.

They work very well, and will clean in places that are normally impossible to clean. Had a fan switch on an older drop in cook-top in the kitchen. The switch was gummed up as being right between two burners, no telling how much cooking grease, splatter, etc., had worked it's way into the switch. Couldn't find a new one, so into the sonic cleaner, with a stronger solution of Green Stuff, and it took over an hour before stuff stopped coming out and it worked freely. Blew it out with compressed air, and re-installed. Works fine now.

 

[AndeyHall]

I have a small commercial one that was no longer needed by my company. Big enough to handle the slide and frame of a 4" semi-auto.

I use a solution of water and Green Stuff, probably 80 - 20% ratio. Submerge the slide and watch the carbon, grease, residue, etc. just boil out of the striker channel and everywhere else. After 15 - 20 minutes, take it out, rinse with fresh water, and blow out with compressed air, then lube, or Frog Lube or what ever you prefer.

They work very well, and will clean in places that are normally impossible to clean. Had a fan switch on an older drop in cook-top in the kitchen. The switch was gummed up as being right between two burners, no telling how much cooking grease, splatter, etc., had worked it's way into the switch. Couldn't find a new one, so into the sonic cleaner, with a stronger solution of Green Stuff, and it took over an hour before stuff stopped coming out and it worked freely. Blew it out with compressed air, and re-installed. Works fine now.

Thanks for the info. How does it do with the barrel? I’ve read a lot where the only good thing for a barrel is bore solvent...but it seems as though you can put whatever solution into the tank of the sonic cleaner that you like. So was curious why you couldn’t just pour some bore solvent into the mix and let the sonic cleaner to the leg work? May be a stupid question but makes sense in my head.

 

[XD40scinNC]

Some bore solvents state they are ideal for ultrasonic cleaners. I never had a problem, and Simple Green is cheap and easily available. I buy it by the gallon at Sam's Club.

Simple Green is what I use, I was thinking of something else when I said green stuff in my first response.

 

[AndeyHall]

Some bore solvents state they are ideal for ultrasonic cleaners. I never had a problem, and Simple Green is cheap and easily available. I buy it by the gallon at Sam's Club.

Simple Green is what I use, I was thinking of something else when I said green stuff in my first response.

I knew what you meant cause I had seen others use it in YouTube demonstrations.