Need Record Dividers For Your Vinyl Collection? Here’s What To Know

More people have begun collecting vinyl over the past few years, with these being spread across budding DJs and music lovers alike. Naturally, this has meant that vinyl players have seen a subsequent rise. However, a few other related products have become just as popular, primarily because they can be essential.

Some of the most notable of these are record dividers, also known as album dividers. As the name suggests, these are dividers used to keep your albums arranged in a specific way. As vital as these may be to a record collection, many people mightn’t know how to pick the best one for them. My favorite is the Cap Collectibles’ A to Z Dividers because of their large readable letters on both sides of the tab! Check it out at Amazon.

After all, it mightn’t be as clear-cut as choosing what albums you’ll want to buy. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few better-recommended options out there.

5 Best Record Dividers On The Market

There’s an ever-increasing number of album dividers on the market. Naturally, this could make choosing some for your collection quite confusing. Thankfully, there are five, in particular, that stand out from their competitors, each for their own reasons.

1. Cap Collectibles’ A To Z Dividers – Best Overall

Many of us might want to keep each of the sections of our album collection apart from a distance. Naturally, that means that you’ll need lettering that’s big and clear enough to be read from across the room. These Cap Collectibles’ offering has just that, alongside several other benefits.

Sticking to readability, the lettering is on both sides of a tab, so you should be able to read them from a distance. With these being vertical album dividers, the letters should also stand out above your vinyl. Their vertical nature and size also mean that they should fit into – and look great on – the majority of shelves and cabinets.

That versatility can be vital for many serious record collectors. Lastly is the durable of the dividers, as they’re made using archival-quality Polyethylene Plastic. Not only does this look nice between your albums, but it’s also highly scratch and damage resistance, so you shouldn’t need to replace them soon.

However, their lightweight nature can make them slide when you’re removing albums, so you might have the annoyance of constantly needing to put them back.

Pros:

• It can be used vertically with a broad range of shelves and cabinets.
• Made from archival-quality Polyethylene Plastic.
• Lettering is included on both sides of the tab for ease of use.
• Lettering is easy to read from a distance.

Cons:

• It can slide a little, so you may need to be careful when removing albums.

2. TunePhonik Two-Sided Laser Etched – Best Budget

There’s something about a wood-cut product that a lot of us enjoy. That’s where these TunePhonik’s shine, as they’re one of the better wood-cut album dividers on the market. However, the wood offers much more than style, as it also makes the dividers much more durable than many of its competitors.

Given the relatively low price, you’ll be getting a lot of time out of the money you spend. There’s also the fact that these can look great with albums of different sizes, which can’t be said for many alternatives. Coupled with their other benefits, these are definitely budget dividers that are well worth considering.

However, there is the fact that there are only six dividers in a pack. If you’ve got a larger collection, then this could be a significant drawback. If you need to buy more, it could minimize the cost savings you thought you’d see.

Pros:

• Precision laser-cut wood offers a distinctive look.
• Much more durable than other options.
• It can be used with various sizes of albums.

Cons:

• You get very few dividers for your money.

3. Cap Collectibles’ A-Z Black Dividers – Best Runner-Up

You’ll more than likely want your dividers to last as long as your albums. That’s where these Cap Collectibles shine, as they’ve got a lifetime guarantee, so you shouldn’t need to buy new ones. This confidence is driven by the high-density polyethylene plastic that the dividers are made from, which is also archival quality.

Naturally, that should mean that there aren’t going to be any breaks in them anytime soon. Lastly, there’s a decent number of album dividers included in the set, so they should cover your entire collection. The lettering here is also quite large so that you can tell them apart from a distance.

However, these mightn’t look as nice with your records as you might want. The design is relatively basic, although they’ll do everything you need.

Pros:

• Made from high-density polyethylene plastic for durability.
• Comes with a lifetime warranty.
• Lettering can be easily read from a distance.
• A decent number of dividers are included in a set.

Cons:

• Not as stylish as its alternatives.

4. BCW Store 50 Count 7″ – Best Under $40

Price may be a priority for you. Thankfully, the BCW Store’s 7-inch dividers are low-cost and quite high-quality. As a result, they’re one of the better and more affordable album dividers on offer. Outside of price, these are made to archival quality, so you shouldn’t need to worry about wear and tear too much.

There’s also the lip that goes above the albums, which is quite large. That should mean that they’re easily read above your records. Lastly, you’ll get much more in a pack than you would elsewhere, which should be a positive sign for anybody with a large collection.

The only real negative here is that you’ll need to write any text on the tab yourself, as they come blank. Though not too much of an issue, it can be annoying.

Pros:

• Archival quality.
• Contains many more dividers than competitors.
• Text is easily read across the top of an album.

Cons:

• You’ll need to write the text on these yourself.

5. Cap Collectibles’ A-Z Horizontal Record Dividers – Best Alternative

Horizontal album dividers are a dime a dozen, making picking the best of them rather difficult. However, Cap Collectibles has shown itself as one of the better brands with these products. Because of the design, you should be able to use them with a wide range of shelves.

If you happen to use crates to store your albums, then these would be well-recommended. The oversized tab also means that you can read the letters much easier than some alternatives. Lastly is the 26 dividers included in the set, which is perfect for separating album collections, regardless of size.

Despite this, they can look rather plain compared to some other dividers. While this isn’t too large of an issue for many people, it might be a minor one if you’re looking for style.

Pros:

• Uses an oversized tab for easy readability.
• Designed horizontally, so can be used with a large number of shelves.
• It contains 26 dividers so that it can be used for an entire collection.

Cons:

• Looks rather plain compared to alternatives.

What You Need To Consider

There can be quite a few things that you might want to consider when choosing album dividers. Naturally, the style will be one of the more noticeable, as you’ll want them to look as nice as possible. However, outside of some key areas, the look of the dividers mightn’t matter as much as you might think.

As such, you might want to make this one of your later considerations, especially if you’re choosing between two products. One key area you’ll need to factor in is whether you’ve got a vinyl record collection or one comprised of CDs. While this mightn’t seem significant, it will affect what size of dividers you want. Since you’ll need to arrange vinyl vertically instead of flat, this could make a significant difference.

Naturally, vinyl jackets are much taller and wider than a typical CD. Dividers meant specifically for them will be similar, which means that they wouldn’t be the most appropriate option for CDs. That should make the factor one of the first things you consider; it’ll cut down on a lot of time when you’re browsing through options.

Another notable factor is how many dividers you get with each purchase. Your personal preferences will mainly drive this. If you’re filing your records alphabetically, for example, then you’ll only need 26 – one for each letter of the alphabet. If you’re going to use dividers between each specific artist, then you might need quite a few.

Conclusion

As there can be multiple factors that affect what record dividers you’ll want to buy, the best recommended is the Cap Collectibles’ A To Z Black Vertical Vinyl Dividers. While they can be slightly more expensive than many of their competitors, they can fit perfectly on a broad range of cabinets and shelves. As a result, they’ll fit in the majority of your shelves regardless of how many times you move house or replace the furniture.

That should help reduce any hassle in the long term while also ensuring that your record collection consistently looks amazing. However, you might not be in the position to spend so much on the dividers. Thankfully, that’s where the BCW Store 50 Count 7-inch dividers come into play.

While they might be a little smaller than others, they still take up the right amount of space – and stand high enough – to tell your records apart. They’re also the perfect choice if you’ve got a CD collection rather than a vinyl one, as they’ll stand right above the top of the disc. That should make for easy reading through, even if you’re skimming.