The 10 Best Record Inner Sleeves
Special Honors
Atocha Design Open/Close Series Many vinyl devotees are forever on the hunt for stylish ways to store their records and keep them easily accessible. Atocha Design crafts handmade American furniture for music lovers made from high-quality, sustainable materials and hardware and designed with modern decor in mind. They have plenty of offerings for record storage, and those with extensive collections can benefit from their Open/Close Series, which channels mid-century aesthetics with soft-closing drawers, slide-out shelves, a vented rear panel, generously-sized surface areas, and more. atochadesign.com
Vinyl Storage Solutions Bulk Based in Canada, Vinyl Storage Solutions provides audiophiles with storage and cleaning goods at a fair price, including frames, dividers, slipmats, and sleeves. Those who own a vast assemblage, run a record exchange, or own a store can benefit from their bulk buying options, which offer savings from 15% to 30% lower than tiered pricing. vinylstoragesolutions.ca
Editor's Notes
November 12, 2020:
This isn't a category that sees a ton of change from year to year, however, we felt we could make a few small tweaks to keep it up to snuff. We said goodbye to the Sleeve City Diskeeper Double Audiophile, which are still a solid choice for multi-disc anthologies that share one cover or if you have doubles of something, but if you're working with the typical two-disc gatefold then these won't help you much. They also have a knack for allowing both records to slip out when you're just trying to remove one.
We figured we'd supplant them with something more vinyl lovers could use, and since we noticed a lack of sleeves for 45s here, brought on the Square Deal Recordings & Supplies Heavyweight. It's all too easy to amass a huge amount of 45s, so we figured a bulk option would suit aficionados with huge collections well. This especially holds true for those who tend to wash newly-purchased records and then immediately swap the old sleeve out for a new one and need to have backups on hand. But if you're not in need of more than a hundred or so, the Big Fudge Slim come in packs of 50 and 100 for both 12 and 7-inch albums.
Another option available in multiple sizes is the Facmogu Semi-Transparent, which we added when the TME Round Bottom became unavailable. These also share the rounded bottom shape, which makes sliding them into jackets a bit easier than square corner options that tend to snag. They're budget-friendly and relatively thick at 0.08 millimeters, and use anti-static material that protects against abrasions and dirt. That being said, they tend to bunch in certain jackets and are shipped folded in half, which means they'll arrive with a crease down the center. They eventually smooth out after being stored for a while, but if you're a perfectionist you might want to look elsewhere.
April 03, 2019:
When it comes to record inner sleeves, you generally have two options: polyethylene or paper, each with their own pros and cons. Polyethylene are see-through, which means they allow you to view the label without needing to have a hole in the middle that could allow dust through. They are also softer and smoother, so there is less chance of scratching the surface of an LP. Paper sleeves are stiffer, so they offer better protection against other objects, and many find them easier to slide in and out of a jacket. Whichever type you prefer, we've found the best of both styles for you to choose from. Traditionalists who prefer paper should look at Square Deal Recordings & Supplies Archival Quality #12IW and Big Fudge Slim. If you want to go the plastic route, check out Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MoFi, Sleeve City Diskeeper 2.0, TME Round Bottom, Invest In Vinyl Combo Pack, and Taguchi LP. If you just can't decide which style you prefer, you might want to consider Collector Protector 3 Ply, Sleeve City Diskeeper Double Audiophile, and BCW Paper & Plastic Polylined, which give you the best of both worlds. Of course, this last type also comes with its own drawbacks, namely a thickness that can cause jacket bunching and makes them slightly more difficult to slide in and out of album covers.