Are there any good mid priced tumblers out there?

[lylejb]

Looking to buy my first tumbler, interested in the dry, vibratory type tumblers.

Have been looking and reading lots of customer reviews on the various sites. It seems like all of them are a crapshoot. about half of the reviews say something like " it died in 6 months" or 2 months, or a year. It doesn't seem to matter what brand, from the cheapest frankfort arsenal, to the lyman, to the rcbs, it's much the same.

Short of spending big $$ on a dillon, are there any good, mid priced tumblers out there?

Is this just something I need to decide to: A: spend the big bucks, or B: plan on replacing cheaper ones

Neither option is really what I want.

[Jupiter7]

I've got a Lyman turbo 1200, been running 5-10 hours a week for a couple years. I'm pleased so far.

[wlc]

I've got a Lyman turbo as well. Has worked well for me over the past two or three years I've had it. Granted there are others that tumble greater amounts and more often, but mine has done all I have asked of it. No complaints.

[possom813]

I have a Lyman Turbo 1200

The Lyman gets used pretty consistently with lizard litter on once-fired brass and the range brass that gets shot after going through ss tumbling.

The motor did something the other day that I was quite worried about. It doesn't have an on/off switch, just the plug. I plugged it in and heard a hum, but it wasn't working. A couple of troubleshooting minutes later, I flipped it upside down and plugged it in and moved the motor with a dowel rod and it started up and has been running fine since. It was just 'stuck' for some reason.

Also, I wish it had a solid top instead of the slotted top, but I cut a hole in an old piece of sheet that was a bit bigger than the top and just drape it over the screw poking through the top with it running to keep the dust down.

[kd185]

ive got a cabelas made in the usa $50 tumbler that i have run the balls off of and it works very well, been thinking of buying a 2nd

[Ickisrulz]

Berry's tumblers are nice. You can get free shipping from them if you add an ammo box or something else to make the order $75.00. The tumblers like $65.

http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14546-c47-g8-b0-p0-400_Tumbler.aspx

[kenyerian]

Buy a Thumler Tumbler model B and don't look back. Mine has been going strong since 1988. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm9En3zPWDA
http://rocktumbler.com/thumlers/model-b.shtml. I have had to replace the belt. ( $6.00)

[kenjuudo]

I have a Lyman 1200 that has seen 20k+ rounds of pistol brass a year for about a decade and is still going.

jim

[ratitude]

I currently have a Cabelas vibratory tumbler and a Thumblers Tumbler Model B high speed. My Cabelas vibratory tumbler has "died" twice due to a broken wire at the end of a connector near the motor. I have respliced the wires and it works great. Due to the nature of the oscillating motor the wires tend to fatigue out at a hard point and break over time. I suspect many "dead" tumblers of all brands are due to similar failures.

I recommend buying the one on sale of the size you want and the price you're willing to pay. :)

[rando71]

Have gone thru 3 vibratory,including the smaller Dillon. Thumbler B has been going for as long as the other 3 lasted together. Wish I had started with it.

[3006guns]

Ha! I can beat ALL of ya! My Lyman has been running faithfully since 1973......runs at a nice moderate speed, unlike my Dillon that sounds like a thresher taking the top off 40 acres of barbed wire!

Come to think of it, I should really should shoot a little lube into that thing...........................

[Dale in Louisiana]

Ha! I can beat ALL of ya! My Lyman has been running faithfully since 1973......runs at a nice moderate speed, unlike my Dillon that sounds like a thresher taking the top off 40 acres of barbed wire!

Come to think of it, I should really should shoot a little lube into that thing...........................

I'm not sure about the motor on the Dillon, but a lot of these small motors have sintered bronze bearings. These things are impregnated with oil at the factory. Over the years, they dry out. A couple of drops of gun oil or Dexron ATF may give them a new lease on life.

Other little motors have little ball bearings. On some of these, a dab of grease carefully applied might help, or you can disassemble the motor and swap out the bearings.

That's about it on electric motors of this type. If it's not tripping the breaker when you turn it on, chances are almost certain that it's a mechanical problem, usually bearings.

If you take the motor apart, while you have it open, brush (lightly) or blow (low-pressure air) the dust and dirt off the windings.

Incidentally, the above advice will get you waaay down the road in small motor repair. Heck it'll get you way down the road in motor repair all the way up to 20,000 HP plus.

dale in Louisiana
(motor repair being ONE of my electric skills)

[44Vaquero]

74532Just built your own! There are plenty of plans all over the net and Youtube, I built one for under $40.00!

[LC Press]

Cabelas. If it breaks you take it back and they replace it. They are made by Berrys.

[mtgrs737]

My first tumbler was a Lyman 1200, I still have it and it is still going but on it's fourth motor. I also have an Olsen's now RCBS and it is a good unit too, it is on it's third motor. I have a Midway unit the size of the Lyman 1200 and it is the one that is getting most of the business and has for a long time. The Midway unit is still on it's first motor and running strong, I am using it to graphite my homemade shot. I also have a huge Midway unit that will hold 1,000 223 cases but it is very heavy to dump. I have a Dillon that I have not used much, and I just got a Thumblers model B high speed unit for use in SS pin cleaning. As others here have said the little motors are cheaply made and they are the weak point in the system, I have bought replacements from Graingers, RCBS and robbed other devices but the RCBS units are cheap so I have been using them. When using the RCBS motors be sure and have them send a new fan with the motors as they are made in China and have metric sized shafts that the old USA fan may not fit tightly enough on, as you don't want them to slip and not cool the motor. The best tumbler in my book is the Midway unit, mine has been an excellent performer and you can get extra bowles and lids if you need them.

[wv109323]

I have a Thumbler Tumbler Ultra-Vibe 18 since 1985. I have gone through one motor. The motor on the cheaper unit is not built with thrust bearings. The first motor had the bearings fail due to thrust in it's vertical mounting.. They have a Professional model that would probably last a lifetime.

[opos]

Lyman here...I'm a lower volume loader but couldn't be happier...

[lylejb]

Thank you all for the replies.

I'm noticing several replies for older lyman units. One thing I noticed in reading customer reviews for lymans, was quite a few people said their old one lasted for a long time, but their new one died in months.

I kind of get the feeling that lyman may not be what it once was.

Thank you for the info on the berry's / cabella's unit. I hadn't seen that one. The cabella's unit has the most consistantly positive reviews I've seen. It's $75 with corn cob, polish, and sifter. I'll likely do that.

Too bad the nearest cabella's is 100 miles each way.

[LC Press]

Thank you all for the replies.

I'm noticing several replies for older lyman units. One thing I noticed in reading customer reviews for lymans, was quite a few people said their old one lasted for a long time, but their new one died in months.

I kind of get the feeling that lyman may not be what it once was.

Thank you for the info on the berry's / cabella's unit. I hadn't seen that one. The cabella's unit has the most consistantly positive reviews I've seen. It's $75 with corn cob, polish, and sifter. I'll likely do that.

Too bad the nearest cabella's is 100 miles each way.

They had a $5 flat shipping deal going.

[gunoil]

home made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_FpiTzVYP8

I made one, love it.

[punk427]

I also have a cabelas. I paid $50 for it as a kit. It came with 5lbs of corn cob media, a bottle of polish and a screan to separate. I also have a lyman which does as nice of a job, but doesn't hold as much as the cabelas and doesn't have a solid lid like the cabelas. I buy bulk 20lb 12/20 walnut media and I run it almost constant. To finish brass I put 2 capfuls of mineral spirits and a couple quarter sized drops of nu finish car polish and you could shave with them. if you use this methed get one with a solid lid so your polish doesn't evaporate as fast.

[Zim]

Another vote for the 20 year old midway units. Been going strong & no worries. It lives outside in the garage & no worse for wear.

[EddieNFL]

My first 1200 lasted about 20 years. Replaced with a used one for $25. Still going after about 12-13 years. Added a used Midway (FA) seven or eight years ago and my son ran across the larger one at a church rummage sale about five years ago for $10.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a338/EddieF/Tumbler.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/EddieF/media/Tumbler.jpg.html)

[harley6699]

Kenyerian.. I agree with you about the Thumler Tumbler.. I gought mine used in the 70's and it is still going strong.. I use in now for the wet tumbling of brass and I have a Lyman 1200 for the finish polish with New Finish car polish.. It is a great addition to any reloading operation..

[remy3424]

Road trip with your shootin friends! I switched, for no good reason from an old Midway unit that was 30 years old and as good as it was when I first bought it to a Frankford Asenal unit from Scheels...$30 I think...it has a little more capacity than the old Midway unit and maybe cleans a little quicker/better...hard to tell...both ran 2 hours on a timer and brass would be clean.

[Shedhunter]

I have a Lyman 2500 and I like it so far after a couple years of use. My first tumbler was a Hornady and it still works but use the Lyman for the larger capacity.

[bangerjim]

Have been using the Harbor Freight 5# unit for some time now with excellent performance. Does NOT walk off the bench like some reviews state. Gets the job done with 5# of shells or cobs.

And there is the always present 20% off coupon! And they sell the boxes of 25# of media, as well as ceramic chunks for other tumbling uses besides brass cases.

I endorse it 100%

Bangerjim