Best tumbler?

KeithB78 · January 21, 2008, 07:56 PM

Is the Frankford one that Midway sells decent?

Which is the best regardless of the money?

Who has a Dillon tumblers?

Thanks

rwilson452 · January 21, 2008, 09:17 PM

the ones I have looked at, disassembled and reassembled I didn't note a dimes worth of difference other than capacity.

The Lovemaster · January 21, 2008, 09:22 PM

I've got a Dillon CV-500 that's awesome. Got it gently used at a gun show. I like it because it's got the Dillon lifetime warranty service thing and the motor is nice and quiet. I work the heck out of it, it pretty much runs constantly. It's a strong unit.

Buddy of mine's got a Lyman, it's also a solid unit.

I don't know that I'm that impressed with the Frankford Arsenal one, the quality of construction didn't seem on par with the Dillon and Lyman units.

TexasSeaRay · January 21, 2008, 09:48 PM

Thumlers is by far the best.

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

I've had the A-R12 for over twenty years and it has run between ten and twenty hours each and every week without a hiccup. Only thing I've had to replace have been belts--and vacuum cleaner belts work fine on them.

They're also quiet--even moreso if you set them on a scrap piece of carpet.

Jeff

toolguyb · January 21, 2008, 10:19 PM

I started off with a frankford arsenal from midway. I used it alot, but had to send it back to manufacture twice because the motor burnt up. When it burnt up the third time I purchased a Dillon. The Dillon motor burnt up in less than two months. I sent it back and they fixed it. It has worked flawlessly for the last year. My father in law has two lymans that have been working for many years, no problems. I researched alot of reviews and found that it was hit or miss with any brand! I'd find a company that will stand behind their product and go for it.

jhansman · January 21, 2008, 10:32 PM

I've got the Frankfort, too. Works great. While it is louder than I like, it's under the house with my loading bench, so I only tumble when I have other things to do upstairs.

Adventurer 2 · January 21, 2008, 10:33 PM

I'll second the Thumler tumbler. I've got one that is about 9 years old. It won't polish your brass as fast as the vibratory tumblers but it will run forever. I think the Thumler's were originally designed for rock tumbling (what I bought mine for). Tumbling rocks I leave the thing running for weeks at a time 24/7. This thing is like the energizer bunny.

ShootingNut · January 22, 2008, 08:58 AM

But my little Blueberry just keeps shining them up real nice!

http://www.kempfgunshop.com/products...le/berrys.html

dmickey · January 22, 2008, 03:59 PM

Your site says that your Blueberry Tumbler has a 700 case capacity. Seven hundred of what cases?? .25 ACP, 9mm, .38 Special, .30-06???

rrp · January 22, 2008, 04:36 PM

The tumbler that Midway sells is just fine. I had one that had a recall years ago that I sent back and have never had any trouble with either. For the money buy the kit they sell. Its a good deal. They go on sale quite often if you're not in any hurry.

ShootingNut · January 22, 2008, 04:56 PM

No idea, I saw that also. First off, I wouldn't think of dumping 700 rounds in that size Tumbler anyways. Typically I have maybe 150 - 250 rds in my Tumbler at a time, as I clean each trip to the range.
SN

Peter M. Eick · January 22, 2008, 06:20 PM

Thumbler's tumbler is the best I have used. It put my old midway 1292 to shame for speed, quietness and size.

Red_Eagle · January 22, 2008, 07:21 PM

I've got the Frankfurt Arsenal E-Z tumbler. Midway had it on sale for $30. Been a lot noisier lately. I tightened up the screws that hold the bowl on tonight and it quieted back down. If you get one use lock tite on the screws. Wish I had.

jmorris · January 23, 2008, 10:42 AM

My 20 year old Midway 1292 just won’t die but the Dillon CV-2001 will polish 1500 9mm at once.

dssajj · January 23, 2008, 04:05 PM

I have had a Midway tumbler for 10 years with no problem. I bought a used Dillon 500 for the greater capacity and the motor lasted 6 months. I will be sending it in for repair. Some days I need them both going.

mactex · January 24, 2008, 03:30 PM

I haven't used it for very long, but the vibrating tumbler that Harbor Freight sells for $39 works. If you have an HF in your town you can save the shipping costs.

HF offers a 2 year replacement warranty for $9 that would probably be worth the cost based on the number of problems vibratory tumblers tend to have.

oldcspsarge · January 24, 2008, 04:42 PM

I have had em all...reloading since 1967..and replaced 'em all more than once.

With Dillon you really get what you pay for..more capacity or faster cleaning with less brass.....and when it fails.....they fix it.

Cant do any better than that !

gun44 · January 25, 2008, 08:01 AM

I bought my Thumbler's Tumbler in 1974, and except for a couple of belts, it has run almost every night since then! I bought a Lyman Turbo Vibrator tumbler in 2002, off Ebay, because the price was a bargain, and I thought maybe I could make a buck on it! Works so well, I still have it!

Turnerm66 · February 4, 2008, 09:28 PM

I bought a Lymann Twin Tumbler a few months ago an like it alot. It hase a Small (600) bowl and a Large (1200) bowl. The 600 bowlcomes in handy when you only have a few boxes of cases and when you have a bunch, just throw on the 1200 bowl and let it rip. It's quiet and and the price was very reasonable...but then again, I'm a Lee and Lymann fan anyway.

under_dawg · February 6, 2008, 05:27 AM

I have had a Harbor Freight for about 2 months. Seems to be ok so far, but i guess time will tell. I bought 6 lbs of crushed walnut Parakeet Litter from Wal-Mart for around $6 and it works great. A lot cheaper than buying "tumbler media" which is at least 2ce as much.

David Wile · February 6, 2008, 12:00 PM

Hey folks,

This thread is comparing apples with turnips. Some folks are talking about true tumblers and other folks are talking about vibratory cleaners. They are not the same thing, and they work differently. The Thumbler Tumbler is essentialy a sealed can that is turned round and round and whatever is inside gets tumbled with the media. Other units such as Lyman and Dillon are simply bowls containing media which is vibrated. True tumblers are generally smaller in capacity, but they are excellent for polishing many other things besides cases. The vibrators seem to be at their best for doing larger quantities of cases, but I don't think they are as effective for poliching rocks and such.

I have had a big Lyman vibratory cleaner for nearly 20 years without it going bad, but if Dillon offers one with a lifetime warranty for nearly the same cost, that sounds like a good deal to me.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

Magnum Mike · February 6, 2008, 07:31 PM

Actually David Thumlers sells both. I thought the same thing till I went to see what all the hipe was about!!
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...853&hasJS=true

CrustyFN · February 6, 2008, 07:48 PM

I just bought the Cabelas tumbler, green bowl with a clear top. I am very happy with it. The capacity is 650 38 spcl cases. I have cleaned a few thousand cases in the last two weeks and it worked great, and was also fairly quiet. I know somebody that has had one for five years and said it is still running like it was new. That's why I bought one.
Rusty

David Wile · February 7, 2008, 10:14 AM

Hey Mike,

I did not know Thumbler's started selling vibratory cleaners. The site mentioned in the post by TexasSeaRay shows the Thumbler rotarty drum tumblers, and they are not the same as vibratory cleaners.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

jmorris · February 8, 2008, 10:52 AM

Dillon’s warranty on the vibratory case cleaners they sell is 1 year on the electric motor. I can’t speak for its rock polishing abilities, but it can polish a lot of cases in short order.

January 21, 2008, 07:56 PM	#1
KeithB78 Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2007 Posts: 156	Best tumbler? Is the Frankford one that Midway sells decent? Which is the best regardless of the money? Who has a Dillon tumblers? Thanks

January 21, 2008, 09:48 PM	#4
TexasSeaRay Senior Member Join Date: November 19, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 810	Thumlers is by far the best. http://www.thumlerstumbler.com/rotary.html I've had the A-R12 for over twenty years and it has run between ten and twenty hours each and every week without a hiccup. Only thing I've had to replace have been belts--and vacuum cleaner belts work fine on them. They're also quiet--even moreso if you set them on a scrap piece of carpet. Jeff __________________ If every single gun owner belonged to the NRA as well as their respective state rifle/gun association, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. So to those of you who are members of neither, thanks for nothing.

January 21, 2008, 10:32 PM	#6
jhansman Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2007 Posts: 680	I've got the Frankfort, too. Works great. While it is louder than I like, it's under the house with my loading bench, so I only tumble when I have other things to do upstairs. __________________ Blessed is the man who has nothing to say, and cannot be compelled to say it.

January 22, 2008, 08:58 AM	#8
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	May Not Be The Best But my little Blueberry just keeps shining them up real nice! http://www.kempfgunshop.com/products...le/berrys.html

January 22, 2008, 03:59 PM	#9
dmickey Senior Member Join Date: January 18, 2006 Posts: 124	Capacity of Blueberry Tumbler Your site says that your Blueberry Tumbler has a 700 case capacity. Seven hundred of what cases?? .25 ACP, 9mm, .38 Special, .30-06???

January 21, 2008, 09:17 PM	#2
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	the ones I have looked at, disassembled and reassembled I didn't note a dimes worth of difference other than capacity.

January 21, 2008, 09:22 PM	#3
The Lovemaster Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 416	I've got a Dillon CV-500 that's awesome. Got it gently used at a gun show. I like it because it's got the Dillon lifetime warranty service thing and the motor is nice and quiet. I work the heck out of it, it pretty much runs constantly. It's a strong unit. Buddy of mine's got a Lyman, it's also a solid unit. I don't know that I'm that impressed with the Frankford Arsenal one, the quality of construction didn't seem on par with the Dillon and Lyman units.

January 21, 2008, 10:19 PM	#5
toolguyb Member Join Date: March 1, 2006 Posts: 73	I started off with a frankford arsenal from midway. I used it alot, but had to send it back to manufacture twice because the motor burnt up. When it burnt up the third time I purchased a Dillon. The Dillon motor burnt up in less than two months. I sent it back and they fixed it. It has worked flawlessly for the last year. My father in law has two lymans that have been working for many years, no problems. I researched alot of reviews and found that it was hit or miss with any brand! I'd find a company that will stand behind their product and go for it.

January 21, 2008, 10:33 PM	#7
Adventurer 2 Senior Member Join Date: September 5, 2006 Posts: 663	I'll second the Thumler tumbler. I've got one that is about 9 years old. It won't polish your brass as fast as the vibratory tumblers but it will run forever. I think the Thumler's were originally designed for rock tumbling (what I bought mine for). Tumbling rocks I leave the thing running for weeks at a time 24/7. This thing is like the energizer bunny.

January 22, 2008, 04:36 PM	#10
rrp Senior Member Join Date: February 18, 2006 Location: west central Wi Posts: 300	tumbler The tumbler that Midway sells is just fine. I had one that had a recall years ago that I sent back and have never had any trouble with either. For the money buy the kit they sell. Its a good deal. They go on sale quite often if you're not in any hurry.

January 22, 2008, 04:56 PM	#11
ShootingNut Senior Member Join Date: December 27, 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 1,475	dmickey No idea, I saw that also. First off, I wouldn't think of dumping 700 rounds in that size Tumbler anyways. Typically I have maybe 150 - 250 rds in my Tumbler at a time, as I clean each trip to the range. SN

January 22, 2008, 06:20 PM	#12
Peter M. Eick Senior Member Join Date: August 3, 1999 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 2,991	Thumbler's tumbler is the best I have used. It put my old midway 1292 to shame for speed, quietness and size. __________________ 10mm and 357sig, the best things to come along since the 38 super!

January 22, 2008, 07:21 PM	#13
Red_Eagle Senior Member Join Date: February 3, 2007 Location: Western NY Posts: 598	I've got the Frankfurt Arsenal E-Z tumbler. Midway had it on sale for $30. Been a lot noisier lately. I tightened up the screws that hold the bowl on tonight and it quieted back down. If you get one use lock tite on the screws. Wish I had.

January 23, 2008, 10:42 AM	#14
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	My 20 year old Midway 1292 just won’t die but the Dillon CV-2001 will polish 1500 9mm at once.

January 23, 2008, 04:05 PM	#15
dssajj Member Join Date: November 2, 2005 Location: Northeast Kansas Posts: 68	I have had a Midway tumbler for 10 years with no problem. I bought a used Dillon 500 for the greater capacity and the motor lasted 6 months. I will be sending it in for repair. Some days I need them both going. Last edited by dssajj; January 23, 2008 at 04:06 PM. Reason: fat fingering the keyboard

January 24, 2008, 03:30 PM	#16
mactex Member Join Date: December 22, 2006 Posts: 62	I haven't used it for very long, but the vibrating tumbler that Harbor Freight sells for $39 works. If you have an HF in your town you can save the shipping costs. HF offers a 2 year replacement warranty for $9 that would probably be worth the cost based on the number of problems vibratory tumblers tend to have.

January 24, 2008, 04:42 PM	#17
oldcspsarge Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2008 Location: Rocky Mountains Posts: 441	Go for a Big Dillon I have had em all...reloading since 1967..and replaced 'em all more than once. With Dillon you really get what you pay for..more capacity or faster cleaning with less brass.....and when it fails.....they fix it. Cant do any better than that !

January 25, 2008, 08:01 AM	#18
gun44 Senior Member Join Date: August 17, 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 125	Thumler's Tumbler I bought my Thumbler's Tumbler in 1974, and except for a couple of belts, it has run almost every night since then! I bought a Lyman Turbo Vibrator tumbler in 2002, off Ebay, because the price was a bargain, and I thought maybe I could make a buck on it! Works so well, I still have it!

February 4, 2008, 09:28 PM	#19
Turnerm66 Member Join Date: January 26, 2008 Location: Marcellus NY Posts: 20	I bought a Lymann Twin Tumbler a few months ago an like it alot. It hase a Small (600) bowl and a Large (1200) bowl. The 600 bowlcomes in handy when you only have a few boxes of cases and when you have a bunch, just throw on the 1200 bowl and let it rip. It's quiet and and the price was very reasonable...but then again, I'm a Lee and Lymann fan anyway.

February 6, 2008, 05:27 AM	#20
under_dawg Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Cayce, SC Posts: 222	I have had a Harbor Freight for about 2 months. Seems to be ok so far, but i guess time will tell. I bought 6 lbs of crushed walnut Parakeet Litter from Wal-Mart for around $6 and it works great. A lot cheaper than buying "tumbler media" which is at least 2ce as much.

February 6, 2008, 12:00 PM	#21
David Wile Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg, PA Posts: 585	Hey folks, This thread is comparing apples with turnips. Some folks are talking about true tumblers and other folks are talking about vibratory cleaners. They are not the same thing, and they work differently. The Thumbler Tumbler is essentialy a sealed can that is turned round and round and whatever is inside gets tumbled with the media. Other units such as Lyman and Dillon are simply bowls containing media which is vibrated. True tumblers are generally smaller in capacity, but they are excellent for polishing many other things besides cases. The vibrators seem to be at their best for doing larger quantities of cases, but I don't think they are as effective for poliching rocks and such. I have had a big Lyman vibratory cleaner for nearly 20 years without it going bad, but if Dillon offers one with a lifetime warranty for nearly the same cost, that sounds like a good deal to me. Best wishes, Dave Wile Last edited by David Wile; February 6, 2008 at 12:03 PM. Reason: Adding last sentence.

February 6, 2008, 07:31 PM	#22
Magnum Mike Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2007 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 347	Actually David Thumlers sells both. I thought the same thing till I went to see what all the hipe was about!! http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...853&hasJS=true

February 6, 2008, 07:48 PM	#23
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	I just bought the Cabelas tumbler, green bowl with a clear top. I am very happy with it. The capacity is 650 38 spcl cases. I have cleaned a few thousand cases in the last two weeks and it worked great, and was also fairly quiet. I know somebody that has had one for five years and said it is still running like it was new. That's why I bought one. Rusty __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

February 7, 2008, 10:14 AM	#24
David Wile Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg, PA Posts: 585	Hey Mike, I did not know Thumbler's started selling vibratory cleaners. The site mentioned in the post by TexasSeaRay shows the Thumbler rotarty drum tumblers, and they are not the same as vibratory cleaners. Best wishes, Dave Wile

February 8, 2008, 10:52 AM	#25
jmorris Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2006 Posts: 3,077	Dillon’s warranty on the vibratory case cleaners they sell is 1 year on the electric motor. I can’t speak for its rock polishing abilities, but it can polish a lot of cases in short order.