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RadTech: "We strongly recommend not using" iKlear (Read if you use either product)

J

jackmack

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 9, 2006
135
0
So as some of you may know, I posted in another forum about getting imprints on my screen after using my Screensavrz cloth.

(link: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/213328/)

I didn't get any good responses, so I took my questions to RadTech tech support.

They responded rather quickly and said it could be any of several obvious things (dust, oil, etc.), then they said the one that was a dead on "bingo:

- The display has been cleaned with a polymerized cleaner, like iKlear or Apple Polish. These cleaners leave a waxy residue on the display which can be imprinted by the ScreenSavrz. To resolve, simply clean the screen well with a water-dampened ScreenSavrz. We strongly recommend not using a polymerized cleaner for LCD displays for several reasons, the chief one being polymer build-up and associated optical deformity of displayed images which can lead to significant eyestrain even though you may not consciously notice deformity.

Look for a good non-polymerized cleaner, there are a few available. RadTech offers one called OmniCleanz which is very good:
http://www.radtech.us/Products/OmniCleanz.aspx
Click to expand...

So apparently, you can not use iKlear and RadTech's Screensavrz products together.

But then, the guy seemed to go further and say that iKlear wasn't good because it leaves a "residue" that can "build up" and cause "optical deformity" which can lead to "eye strain"

I hate to be synnical (sp?), but do you guys agree with this anti-iKlear opinion, (i.e. is he trying ot push Omniclean on me?), or should I really switch to a less "waxy" cleaner?
 
It all depends, but I don't think it's an unreasonable opinion.

Personally, I'd rather just clean the screen than leave a coating on it, which is why I just polish away furiously with water and/or the soft cloth that Apple ships free with their monitors and would probably use a "non-residue" cleaner if I needed one.

But, the iKlear et al. coating can cover microscopic scratches and probably has some advantages for keeping the screen clean.
 
When I clean the LCD screen, I will go with slightly moist (with clean water) towel (preferably micro-fiber towel) to wipe it off. Even some finger print on the screen can be wiped off with this method. I don't let anyone use my computer; so I usually dust off with dry micro-fiber towel as I keep my Macs very clean.
 
gauchogolfer said:
My iKlear bottle says that it's the only cleaner recommended by Apple Tech Support. That's good enough for me....
Click to expand...

my thoughts exactly, but i don't like rthe thought that i could be hurtin it lol
 
I have never used iklear but i have used iClean and i would imagine that these two products would be quite similar.

I ran out of iClean a little while back and now i have just started to fill up an old bottle of iClean with warm water and just spray my screen and everywhere else with a bit of that when i want to clean it.
I was thinking that the iClean must be leaving behind a solution on my screen because it is not water that is being sprayed onto there.

When i just tried applying water before with a sponge i didn't like the end results but now when i do it through a small mist spray pump i find that the end results are pretty good. I am going to stick with this method i think also it does not cost me a single penny. Apple do also recommend that MBP's should be cleaned with water and a sponge on their website.

You know i have never cleaned and polished a computer so much as i have done with my MBP. I was thinking that it is maybe not so good to be cleaning a notebook screen every week or so. I was not doing it so often as this when i had a PC and my screen remained perfect for three years.

I also was told the other day though when i was on the phone speaking to an Apple support worker that i should just polish my screen with something like everyday furniture polish.
 
It clearly says
We strongly recommend not using a polymerized cleaner for LCD displays for several reasons
Click to expand...
I used iKlear on my iPod (and then promptly lost the $30 kit I had just bought :mad: ) and it worked fine. The best way to clean an LCD is how YS2003 said, a slightly damp (preferably microfiber) cloth.
 
I used an iKlear sample that came with something I ordered a while back on my PowerBook g4 screen and it totally smudged up my screen, that it took about 20 minutes or rubbing with my screen cleaning cloth to get it up. This information does not surprise me at all.
 
Sutekidane said:
I used an iKlear sample that came with something I ordered a while back on my PowerBook g4 screen and it totally smudged up my screen, that it took about 20 minutes or rubbing with my screen cleaning cloth to get it up. This information does not surprise me at all.
Click to expand...

An apple employee told me to use iklear on my macbook's screen. It smudged a lot when I applied it and I had to buff it a lot to get the smudge out. It became clear after a while but I notched two hairline scratches on the screens surface afterwords (only seen with no backlight and spoecific angles). Whether they were initially there or caused by my excessive buffering I have no idea. If iklear is not good for screens then what is it good for?
 
Never use fingers or shirt / t-shirt fabric or tissue paper on your screens or on your glasses.

I'm very short sighted, and I brought a £200 pair of high quality lens glasses to give myself some style - I was sick of wearing cheap glasses.

Because of the work I was doing, I cleaned them almost every day, usually on my shirt or on some clean tissue paper.

After 6 - 9 months, I noticed a constellation of tiny fine scratches all over the surface, and also my eyesight was a bit blurred through them - I could now see better through my cheaper spare glasses.

Took them back to the shop for repolishing, and was told that the fine scratches couldn't be polished out, and that I'd caused them by using tissue paper / shirt fabric to polish the lens.

I was amazed because I thought glass was one of the hardest materials in daily use - I've scraped paint drips off windows using a metal knife without scratching it.

But apparently high refractive index optical glass is softer than normal glass. Tissue paper is made with wood chips, and the cellouse in it is capabable of scratching optical glass.

Even aparently clean t-shirt fabric has fibres and other particles that can also scratch optical glass.

So I was told next time I buy expensive optical glass, only use high quality cleaners, such as for photographic lenses. The opticians also gave me some lens cleaners for free, must have felt sorry for me.

I imagine the same applies to LCD screens - it you wouldn't clean your £1500 camera lens with it, don't clean your £1500 laptop screen with it.
 
Does anybody know if this applies to iClean?

I use it every two weeks or so, and I have to say it does the trick brilliantly! I do notice a slightly waxy texture to my display, but I'm not sure if that is the display, or if that is the product.

Either way, it's blemish free and easy to read again! I'm happy. :D
 
gauchogolfer said:
My iKlear bottle says that it's the only cleaner recommended by Apple Tech Support. That's good enough for me....
Click to expand...

Yeah, Apple Tech Support™. Great.

macbookgrease.jpg


BB
 
RedTomato said:
So I was told next time I buy expensive optical glass, only use high quality cleaners, such as for photographic lenses. The opticians also gave me some lens cleaners for free, must have felt sorry for me.

I imagine the same applies to LCD screens - it you wouldn't clean your £1500 camera lens with it, don't clean your £1500 laptop screen with it.
Click to expand...

I used the microscopic fiber that iklear provided but it still caused a few hairline scratches. I'll have to be more careful about what's actually on the screen next time I clean it - I have a feeling there might have been some really "hard" dust on the lcd when I was wiping it off that caused it to scratch.
 
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