[Guest]

If you're fine with the swabs, stick with them. This expensive stick doesn't make smears.

 

Yet. <_<

 

Who knows how long the dust-glueing effect without traces last? And for sure, it's not cleaning better than a swab.

 

On Amazon I found another kind of that system from Pentax, 20 € more. Insane. 

One can buy a lot swabs for 50€

 

I found a customer review on amazon for the Pentax, from which I quote here, because it seems very pertinent to the discussion:

 

"I work with polyurethane rubber mix quite frequently in moldmaking, and I suspect that the sticky rubber knob on the end of this plastic stick is nothing more than 10 cents worth of that material, plus ....



This cheap little stick removed several specs of dust from my camera, and then left two smears behind. You have to be extremely careful not to let the rubber sweep against the mirror or drag on the sensor, even very lightly."

 

So, it works, but don't smear it across the sensor, (or press too hard, I would think), otherwise it leaves behind residue.

This is very easy to test, take the rubber and use it on a clean mirror or glass. Check that you can leave a fingerprint behind on the mirror/glass.  Now, take the rubber and see under what conditions it leaves behind any marks on the mirror. 

 

It may also be important not to touch the rubber, leaving fingerprints/grease behind that you subsequently transfer to the sensor.

 

I still come back to the idea of cleaning the rubber with soapy water, which may get rid of the grease. I do know that this is the recommended way of reconditioning sticky rubber/silicone that is covered with dust and dirt so it lost its stickiness. Of course, not having seen the rubber in question here, I can't guarantee that this works.