Looking for another tumbler

[Daryl]

Hi,

I've got the large Dillon case tumbler and I'm pretty happy with it. But, I'd like to get another tumbler for an extra.

What could I expect from others? I see smaller ones for $50 - would I be as happy with the performance - just with a lower capacity? In this case, do you "get what you pay for?" Are the $150 units that much better than the $50?

What should used units generally go for? 50% of new - more? less?

Any input appreciated.

Thanks

[Lloyd Smale]

I had one midway frankfort arseonal tumbler that was used about daily for 5 years i lost it in the fire and replaced it with anohter and hope it holds up as well but ill tell you this much in my experience (and i have a big dillon) the lyman tumblers give the best agitation and clean the fastest

[schutzen]

I have used 3 different vibrator tumblers and 1 rotating drum tumbler. Of the 3 vibrators, the Lyman 3200 out does the Frankfort and the El Cheapo sold by Harbor Freight. In 4 years, the only problem I have had with the Lyman 3200 is me over tightening the lid hold down screw and breaking the lid ($6 to replace it with 1/4" Lexan at the glass shop). Obviously that was not Lyman's fault. I have polished everything from .380 ACP to .50 BMG and in rather large quanities, it does well.

The rotating tumbler is a Thumbler's I share with my hunting partner. We bought it in 1984 and have used it hard. The only repairs have been 2 new drive belts and keep the mechanism oiled. The only though I might have on this is trying a small electric cement mixer from Harbor Freight. You would have to install your own rubber paddles and add some type of lid to prevent dusting, but it should process 5-6 times what Thumbler's Model B does and would cost about the same.

PS We both now have vibrator tumblers and primarily use the Thumbler's for WS2 coating bullets. But proir to 2000, it was our only tumbler.

[mtgrs737]

I have two Lyman 1200's and what is now an RCBS the same size as the Lyman's and a Midway giant tumbler that they sold for a year or so way back when. They all work fine, but if you use them enough the motors will die. I am on my fifth motor on my what was my first Lyman 1200 and my fourth motor on the RCBS. The Midway is just getting started as it was stored for 12 years and the new Turbo Flo Lyman is also a new addition. I don't think that you can go wrong with the Lyman, RCBS, Hornady, or Midway tumblers as they are so similar. They all use Chinese motors now and they will all go out on you at some time in the future. Lyman sells you a complete base unit for $30 and RCBS will sell you a new motor for $15 + shipping when they need replaced. I would like to say that I bought one of those Smart Reloader tumblers from Midsouth used it once and then sold it at a gunshow. I didn't think it was as well made as the others. I would also stay away from the tumblers with hard plastic bowls as they are noisy. I had a extra large RCBS that I used once and sold at a gunshow for that reason. The smaller units that hold around 350 38 spl. cases max have the less noisy softer plastic bowls. I also add an extra drop or two of oil to the bearings after unpacking just in case the factory under oiled them. Good luck!

[clodhopper]

My experience is only with the old Midway 1292 model and Lyman turbo tumbler.
The Lyman is far and away the better machine, it agitates faster.

[RugerFan]

I like the Thumlers tumblers. I've had an A-R1 model for over twenty years. In fact, I just ordered an A-R2 to give me more capacity.

http://www.thumlerstumbler.com/rotary.html

http://www.hobbywarehouse.com/Products/Thumlers-Tumblers;jsessionid=0a010c451f43363138b2d98e4731b6 a2953a7b1ef51c.e3eTaxeKbh0Te34Pa38Ta38Lbxb0

[mooman76]

My Lyman burnt out after a few short years so I got a Frankfort Asenal one and was plesantly surprized by it. It looked smaller but was actually deaper so it held the same. Also it has a solid lid so I don't get the dust all over and is quieter than the Lyman was. I haven't used it as much as the Lyman but I have had it a few years and it still works fine.

[Rocky Raab]

Not mentioned yet, but the one by Berry's Manufacturing is very good. Mine is 20+ years old now and shows no signs of dying - and they've improved it a lot since then!

[Tiger6.5x55]

No one has mentioned it so I will say that a Berry's MFG has held up for the past 12 years for me.

[Cherokee]

I've got a Midway 1292 that I have been using for over 20 years. I would say I used it more than an average reloader would use one, and do some large batches in it. Leave it run overnight often. Still going strong and does a good job.

Mine has a open base so it gets plenty of air for cooling, I have read that some have a closed base that increases heat retention leading to motor failures. Don't know myself. They should set on a hard surface allowing air flow.

[dromia]

I'm a rotating Thumlers Tumbler user for over 20 years, one wet one dry.

If I was to get a vibratory cleaner then it would be a Thumler, friend has one and they are awesome for reliabilty and action.

The people I know who have Lymans also speak highly of them, I suppose the usage frequency and load will have bearing on longevity and reliability.

In the final analysis you get what you pay for.

[shdwlkr]

I have one of the lyman 3200's not made anymore and I can get a lot of brass in there and it all comes out clean. The most I have ever put in it is like 2-3000 38 and 357 mag at one time and it all was clean in around four-five hours.
You can get I think it is called a 2500 that will do almost the same but uses less media. like a pound or so less.

[jsizemore]

I picked up a Lortone model 3a at the flea market for $.50. That's right 50 cents. The total weight of the drum and fittings plus the brass and media can only weigh a total of 3lbs. That's 140 pieces of 45acp brass and enough lizard litter to bring it to weight. The great thing about a rotary tumbler is it's QUIET. I put a timer on it to remind me that it's been running. Takes about 2 hours to get my brass shiny without polishing compound added.
This is probaly not big enough for your needs, but a 6-12 pounder should fit the bill. I found a Thumbler Tumbler 12 pounder with extra drum and rock polishing media for $150 that I passed on. The guy that owned it had been a rock hound for years. He said you needed to keep the internal volume used at about 80% for it to work correctly.
If I was considering a rotary tumbler I would find somebody that cleans about the same volume you do and get their recommendation.

[cheese1566]

I have had a Hornady M2 for the last 15 years. This is my second as I wore the first one out by over polishing everything I had- mostly polishing brass I didn't need or would use for years. Anyways, Hornady gladly replaced it and now I use it when I am actually going to load some stuff up.

This past fall I made a homemade rotary tumbler from ideas on past posts. It uses a 5 gallon bucket and my old walnut media that didn't work all that great in the Hornady vibratory, with the addition of a squirt of liquid car polish. This one works great!!! It will readily polish up a few hundred 30-06 shells to a bright polish, even old tarnished ones with lots of black crud residue, in a short few hours. I built it out of an old motor, scrap iron (old bed frame!), surplus bearings, and kid's roller blade wheels for about $25. Most of the stuff was accumulated at garage sales, friends here, and junk bins.

The rotary will now be my primary cleaner for large batches and the vibratory will be used for small batches just before loading.

[Depdog]

I have Two of the Hornady M2's and right now they are working great. When the motors go they will be an easy replacement.

Glenn

[Daryl]

This info has been helpful and enlightening. Up until now, I did not realize the tumblers were in use for this purpose because I did not see them in the Midway & all catalogs or web sites.

I can understand about the vibratory action polishing the case with the media and that a more powerful one would be more effective and do the job in less time.

From the sounds of it, the tumblers are also very popular and effective. Is it that they can do greater volumes in less time? Is the tumbling action, then, as effective in polishing the case with the media?

I've looked up the "Thumblers" and saw the very expensive RCBS tumbler. I use the large Dillon, as I said, and can do maybe up to about 1,000 45 ACP cases. It seems to work ok. Does this sound about the maximum capacity for this? Could I be overloading it? Back to the tumblers - then what size tumbler would do this? Am I looking at the $150 or so unit?

[evan price]

I've got a Midway 1292, it's a lot more vibratey and less tumbly. The Midway does a better job of polishing. I've also got a Berry's, it is more active in circulating the brass but it makes more noise. It does a better job of scrubbing.

I use my Berry's for cleaning brass and the Midway for polishing. The good thing is when the Midway was my only tumbler I tumbled hundreds of thousands of rounds in it and I'm on my third bowl.
I use a clock timer to run the tumblers, I have it set to turn on at around midnite when the family is in bed, then off when they wake up, then back on again when I come home and go to bed, then off until midnite. That way it's not on while we are busy- two tumblers can be reallly noisy.

Before I had a timer I let them run all night and all day. Last year there were times when they ran 24/7 for weeks at a time, only stopping to change brass and media.

You need to clean out the motor from time to time and put some gun oil on the bearings.


If I were buying a new one today I would get either the Berry's or the Cabela's tumbler (Cabela's is a Berry's with green plastic instead of blue, same unit).
They are durable and do a good job.

[dromia]

Buffalo Arms sell Thumlers rotary and vibratory models.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm?viewfrom=13&catid=107&step=2

Not the cheapest vibratory models but for hi volume hi frequency cleaning they are made to last.

As I say a mate has a model 45 and its a hi volume beaut. 4 3/4 gallon volume and weight capacity 57 lbs.

If you are just doing occasional runs then cheaper nodels should serve you well.

[Daryl]

I have had a Hornady M2 for the last 15 years. This is my second as I wore the first one out by over polishing everything I had- mostly polishing brass I didn't need or would use for years. Anyways, Hornady gladly replaced it and now I use it when I am actually going to load some stuff up.

This past fall I made a homemade rotary tumbler from ideas on past posts. It uses a 5 gallon bucket and my old walnut media that didn't work all that great in the Hornady vibratory, with the addition of a squirt of liquid car polish. This one works great!!! It will readily polish up a few hundred 30-06 shells to a bright polish, even old tarnished ones with lots of black crud residue, in a short few hours. I built it out of an old motor, scrap iron (old bed frame!), surplus bearings, and kid's roller blade wheels for about $25. Most of the stuff was accumulated at garage sales, friends here, and junk bins.

The rotary will now be my primary cleaner for large batches and the vibratory will be used for small batches just before loading.


Inside of whatever container you are using, do you need to have blades or anything like, say, a dryer does?

[sheepdog]

Think I got my at Harbor freight for like $30 something after a coupon. Been real happy with it after using the RCBS.

[DLCTEX]

I have a Frankford Arsenal tumbler from Middway that is 18 years old and still going strong. It has done many, many loads of brass.

[Daryl]

This is what I found at Harbor Freight:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91907

It is their small, $149 unit just over 1 Cu. Ft.

Is there another that has been mentioned that is MUCH cheaper than this? Or is it this one just on a real sale?

[Tristan]

I have had a Hornady M2 for the last 15 years. This is my second as I wore the first one out by over polishing everything I had- mostly polishing brass I didn't need or would use for years. Anyways, Hornady gladly replaced it and now I use it when I am actually going to load some stuff up.

This past fall I made a homemade rotary tumbler from ideas on past posts. It uses a 5 gallon bucket and my old walnut media that didn't work all that great in the Hornady vibratory, with the addition of a squirt of liquid car polish. This one works great!!! It will readily polish up a few hundred 30-06 shells to a bright polish, even old tarnished ones with lots of black crud residue, in a short few hours. I built it out of an old motor, scrap iron (old bed frame!), surplus bearings, and kid's roller blade wheels for about $25. Most of the stuff was accumulated at garage sales, friends here, and junk bins.

The rotary will now be my primary cleaner for large batches and the vibratory will be used for small batches just before loading.

If you're willing, I'd love to see pictures of your tumbler; I'm planning on building something like you've described for the very same purpose.

Thanks!

Tristan

[prs]

I use a Thumbler's model B for 45 Colt, including a lot of black powder shot cases. It hold a lot of cases and add dishwasher detergent powder and enough hot water to just barely cover the cases -- no media needed and it is fairly good at cleaning primer pockets too. I have it on a timer and just let go for 4 hours, rinse and spritz wet cases with Lee case size lube, then put in an onion sack to dry hanging from a hook. No dust, sort of a satin finsih on brass, when dry the thin coat of residual lube is just enough to slide 'em through my carbide dies with ease. My 3200Lyman is a good cleaner too, but I am not fond of the self sifting bottom pour design, so I got some alternate hoppers for it and have even used it with wet walnut media slurry -- works, but PIA to get wet media out of cases -- ceramic stick like beads not any easier IMHO.

prs

[hammerhead357]

I used to see the 1 1/4 cubic ft. cement mixers on sale at horrible freight for 100 to 110 dollars. But that was a couple of years ago. I once knew a guy that used one and seemed to like it real well. I have thought about getting one to supplement the home made one I now use....Wes

[Oldtimer]

Have used a Lyman 1200 Turbo for over a year with no problem. I pick up a lot of range brass. All together I probably have polished 8-10 5 gal buckets of hulls. Machine has many hours on it. Still going strong. Bob