21 Best Vinyl Accessories (2023): Cleaning Gear, Mats, Displays, And More

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A Quality BrushBoundless Audio Record Brush

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A Stylus CleanerKaiu Gel Stylus Cleaner

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A Stylus ScaleNeotek Digital Turntable Stylus Force Scale

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A Good LevelCraftsman Torpedo Level (9-Inch)

Read moreWhether you’ve just started spinning analog audio or you’ve been building a collection for years, good vinyl accessories can take your enjoyment—and your records’ longevity—to the next level. I’ve spent the better part of the past decade messing with some of the most lauded tools for cleaning, setting up, and maintaining record players, and these are my favorites. Plenty of these accessories are affordable, and they make great gifts too.

Before you dive deeper, I recommend watching this video on proper turntable setup. Many of the accessories below are meant to aid you in making sure you’re getting the most out of your gear. For more, check out our Best Turntables guide and our how-to article on upgrading your home audio.

Updated March 2023: We’ve added the Vaultz record storage container and recommended a few books we like.

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Photograph: Boundless

A Quality BrushBoundless Audio Record Brush

A nice antistatic carbon-fiber brush will help you dust off your records before a spin. I like this one from Boundless because it has a sleek gray color, but any similar-looking brush will do. A tip for gift givers: You can never really have too many. I lose them about as often as I misplace my TV remote.

Photograph: Amazon

A Stylus CleanerKaiu Gel Stylus Cleaner

Even with clean records and a dust brush, your needle will eventually get a bit gunky. There are brushes and cleaning solutions to deal with this, but I’ve always found it scary to rub them on my delicate stylus. Instead, I like gel-based cleaners like this one from Kaiu. You drop your needle into the sticky goo and it gobbles up any junk around it. You’ll get a few hundred drops out of one before it needs replacing. It comes in a wooden storage case with a magnetizing mirror on the lid—great for seeing just how gunky that needle really is.

Photograph: Amazon

A Stylus ScaleNeotek Digital Turntable Stylus Force Scale

Every stylus has a recommended tracking force (the downward pressure it exerts on your record). The tracking force is typically set by turning the counterweight on the back of the tonearm. You’ll often find markings on turntables to indicate relative tracking force so you can set it manually, but I never trust myself. For less than $15, use this tiny little scale to get it right. Peace of mind doesn’t often come this cheap.

Photograph: Craftsman

A Good LevelCraftsman Torpedo Level (9-Inch)

A key component to records sounding good is a proper turntable setup. For that, you’ll want to make sure you have a good level. If your turntable isn’t perfectly flat, you can typically adjust it using the feet attached to the bottom. In a pinch, you can use playing cards or another object to adjust the feet even higher if that’s necessary for level playback.