looking to buy 1 to clean greasy nuts and bolts with. bought a tumbler from hf years ago and that was a waste. anyone with real world experience using 1. tia. trw1982

I bought one to clean carbs
Mixed results.
Not sure if using best solvent
I used simple green .
Have not tried on hardware yet .
Bet it will work well

I have one, nice and large. I cleaned several parts with it, including a complete, but disassembled carb. Heat and time are important, I think I had it going for 4 hours or so. I used Simple Green.

Not quick, but it worked great for me. You can see the before and after pictures here

http://www.yourolddad.com/carb-rebuild

I use a Harbor Freight sonic cleaner with Evaporust for cleaning steel stuff. Sometimes it takes a couple cycles, but the stuff comes out looking like brand new.

Be sure your life insurance is paid up if you're using non approved liquids in a sonic cleaner.....

Are you talking about flammable liquids or toxic liquids?

The HF ultrasonic cleaner is a little too small IMO for some of the things automotive and even motorcycle. Had one at a place where I was doing Stihl and other small engine repair and service and couldn't fit some cylinders and other components into it. Plus it was plastic and because it got almost daily use it only lasted about 14 month and quit. Replaced it with an Amazon sourced stainless 6 liter version for only about $60 bucks more than the HF. Don't get me wrong the Harbor Freight worked really well and is a great bargain for the $89 price but it turned out to be a little too small and the reliability or lack of was only due to the fact that it was being used as a daily overworked commercial applications. For home use and small items I would bet it would still be working today. If you're going to try and fit a 4-barrel carb into one you're going to need a much larger ultrasonic tank for that.

I fit the last AVS I rebuilt in halves in the Harbor Freight cleaner. (IE, Top, bottom halves, after taken apart.)

Specifically ones that break down and make toxic gasses. While not as readily available as it once was, Carbon Tetrachloride is what first came to mind. College chemistry classes taught that heated Carbon Tetrachloride was one that could break down and possibly form Phosgene Gas and Hydrogen Chloride. Cavitation bubbles in a sonic cleaner may increase the possibility. It's best to check whether the liquid is safe before using it.

Thanks for the heads up

greasy stuff just buy a varsol tank. ultrasonic is a waste of time for greasy stuff. once the grease or dirt or rust hits the bottom of a ultrasonic tank it becomes less effective because the vibrations are muffled (this is why you have a basket and not just put parts on the bottom) wrong tool for the job your looking to do.

I have a very good lab grade heated unit. I just ordered some carb specific cleaner for it (expensive) but I hope it works. I have had mixed results with Pinesol, simple green, Krudcutter, etc.

I bought one off of eBay several years ago. The interior is about 10 in by 14 in by about 10 in deep. I have found that it works really well for lots of stuff. I'm considering buying another one that is larger. I use simple green in it most of the time. Sometimes mixed with water. If I am going to clean something that's really greasy, or really oily and I don't want to contaminate all the cleaner in there that fast, I'll put the really yucky stuff in a ziplock baggie, or a plastic coffee can, put just enough cleaning liquid in with it, and then throw that in the ultrasonic. That way I limit the amount of solution that gets really dirty.
I like going to swap meets and buying a pile of quality old hand tools like wrenches and sockets and stuff that are cheap because they are all super grimy and yucky looking. Then throw them in the ultrasonic and they come out looking like new.
It has an electronic timer that only goes up to 30 minutes. A lot of times it takes a couple of hours to get something that's really dirty clean. So I have to keep resetting it.
But it's true, stuff comes out looking like brand new.

Good practical topic.

would be even better if brand names and model numbers were given.

I would like to buy a modestly priced but high performance round ultrasonic cleaner at least 10 inches in diameter and at least 18 inches tall.

If you have never tried one
the ultrasonic wands like the
tabletop Tide Buzz
or the handheld battery powered “StainAway” item number MC0101
can be amazing at getting out otherwise impossible laundry stains,
like blood, black grease, mustard drips.

Resolve Carpet&Rug spot and Stain Remover spray
OxiClean Laundry & More stain remover
Awesome (from Dollar General stores)

are good liquids to use with ultrasonic wands

I have a 30 gallon. Big enough to do heads. Works great if you understand what it can and cannot do. As stated, must be hot. I target 150 degrees F. One of the biggest issues I have is that it is so strong it will destroy paint if I don't turn it way down. You have to learn its limitations.

Had a HF one. Worthless compared to a real ultrasonic cleaner.