About VinylForce
VinylForce exists because "set it and forget it" ruins records — and every cartridge wants a number.
Tracking force is the single highest-leverage setting in vinyl: a gram too heavy wears records, a gram too light skips and distorts worse. Every cartridge ships with a range, and the craft is starting at midpoint and adjusting by ear — a five-minute loop most owners never learn.
The database collects 16 cartridges across the price spectrum with their ranges, stylus shapes, and alignment notes — plus the anti-skate and cleaning guidance that protects the records you already love.
We are listeners and educators, not a dealer. Nothing here sells cartridges, and the table works offline.
What makes VinylForce different
- Your numbers never leave your browser. Every calculator on VinylForce runs entirely on your device. We never see, store, or transmit the figures you enter — there are no accounts and no server-side processing of your inputs.
- Published methodology. Each calculator page explains the exact formula it uses and the assumptions behind it, so you can check our work or reproduce it in a spreadsheet.
- Free, forever, without a paywall. VinylForce is supported by advertising. There is no premium tier, no email gate, and no upsell.
Independence
VinylForce is an independent educational project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency, lender, insurer, or the organizations whose formulas and public data we reference (such as manufacturer specification sheets and alignment standards (Baerwald, Löfgren)). All trademarks and referenced standards belong to their respective owners.
Questions, corrections, or suggestions are genuinely welcome — get in touch.