Comparing Entry Level Rotary Rock Tumblers
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- Опубликовано: 20 сен 2024
- Entry Level Rotary Rock Tumblers, have you ever wondered which one is the best? Jaws Jr tested out four popular models using only coarse grit (silicon carbide 60/90) Thumbler's Tumbler Model A-R1, Chicago Electric Dual Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler (by Harbor Freight), Lortone Rotary Rock Tumbler Model 3a and Lortone Rotary Rock Tumbler Model QT12. Which one is the best? Which one is the worst? Jaws Jr, gives you HIS opinion. What is YOUR opinion based on your experiences? In this test, Jaws Jr tumbled rough obsidian, which was self-collected in Davis Creek. Note, only the Thumbler's Tumbler was the only rotary tumbler bought new, the other three were bought used.
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My little Lortone 3A just keeps chugging along. I bought it new and it's the only tumbler I've ever had. It's only a little over a year old and I keep it maintained. I've never run coarse grit for 2 weeks, usually 1 week. I've had grit remaining but rarely. I've started a load today and when the coarse is finished I'm going to try a vibratory tumbler. I'm excited about that! Thank you for a nice comparison demonstration. I'll probably graduate to something better someday. Good to know some of the options.
Saved to my "Rocks" playlist. Thanks for sharing this comparison video.
The problem with the thumbler is the size of the flat faces on the inside of the barrel. Too small. Damn shame. I have an idea for fixing that, but it could be a bugger to do and maybe it might not be durable enough. Plus, you'd lose internal capacity. Form a hexagonal stainless sleeve insert, very tight fit, back fill the space behind it with say a neutral expansion/contraction liquid rubber or silicone. You'd probably want to coat the inside with a high abrasion resistance two part epoxy, or a rubber or silicone liquid for sound dampening. Or, accept it as a gentler tumbler for material that's "tender".
My first thought was swap the barrel from the Harbor Freight. You might have to get creative with the outside of the can.
How many faces does the Thumbler have on the inside anyway?12, 14, 18? That jumped out at me.
Not sure, I would have to look at it again... I will use if for a single baseball sized piece of obsidian with ceramic and small agates for coarse and medium grits. That will be about it.
Great comparison. My guess is that I will wind up getting a Harbor Freight tumbler. We'll see. This video was so good that it will more than likely go viral, but if it does, no one will feel safe watching it. { Bad virus joke } As always another interesting family friendly video. Thank you. Stay safe.
How did the noise levels compare?
I've been tumbling with harbor freight, lortone 4.5, lortone, 33, lortone qt66, and mjr 10lb for about 2 solid years, now. The mjr barrel has failed and I did not replace it because it was loud but the tumbler frame is excellent with other brand barrels. All my lortone frames have failed due to wearing out the drive shafts and having to replace them and also the Lortone tumblers are too slow, getting very little work done. When I check my slurry, after a week of tumbling, the Harbor Freight is grit free but the Lortone tumblers still have remaining grit. I put the lids back and tumble for another 3 days until no grit is in the slurry. I love my Chicago Electric Frames and my MJR frame best. The barrels on lortones are far superior because they have flat sides built into the inside of the barrel which helps to keep the rocks crashing into one another instead of just rolling and sliding. I have now begun purchasing replacement barrels exclusively from Lortone and use them on the better tumbler body/frames. All said and done, if you can only buy one tumbler then buy the double barrel Chicago Electric, at Harbor Freight.
So you could use the Lortone barrels in the Harbor freight model?
@@vickibenn9672, the lortone 3 pound barrels work nicely on the harbor freight machine. I currently use them on mine. Perfect.
Curious what the energy consumption difference is if there is any. The Lortone QT12 sure is pricey but the large capacity barrel will save time and I'm guessing a lot of electricity over the Harbor Freight tumbler running 24/7? So much good info, thank you for making and sharing this video.
Energy consumption was beyond the scope of that video The all have small motors so I am sure the consumption is not very much.
@@1JawsJr Thank you
to stop the tumbler damage with Obsidian always add rubber balls or plastic. They will illiminate scratching and breaking. When i tumble Obsidian needles i fill the drums almost full of rubber to keep them from breaking.
Great info buddy ...
We’ve had the motor burn out on the Chicago electric twice. Bought the extended warranty and they exchange it no problem but I don’t know what the issue is.
It is worth the warranty for sure...
My first try on obsidian caused my tumbler to swell and open. I haven't tried since
What type of plastic guide is that you replaced on the HF Chicago electric one? Im in the same boat, runs well but its eating that outside guide alive.... =)
Get round 1" self-stick felt pads and put on on the inside of the frame right below that plastic guide. Then clean the lid very well. If you have the dual rotary, put a felt pad on each side.
You had to modify the HF Chicago electric tumbler on the non motor end. Was it to keep the barrel from rubbing? Why?
I wore out that tab and the barrel rubbed on the frame.
How long did the Harbor Freight tumbler last? How many issues have you had with it?
I have had one for 4 years and three tumblers for 6.years, but I do run maintenance on them periodically and clean them up really good. I had one that was acting like it was going to die, and I saw the belt needed to be replaced, so when I replaced it, I took it apart,.cleaned everything and put it together and a bit of 3n1 oil and no issues
Noticed that the barrel sitting lower in housing
Tumbling media would help immensely with the prevention of chipage during tumbling. Each plastic media would have to be kept separate from the media used with a different grit though as well as kept away from the unused media beads.
Plastic media is truly a pain. Ceramic media or natural media is much better and can be carried forward in the polishing process. There was very little damage to the Obsidian in this tumbling step, most is from the natural flaws in the material used. This was removed in the next step.
@@1JawsJr I agree
You need to get a thermal camera (I have seek from Amazon ) is ridiculous how they heat up the plastic sleeves I try to change and tested with metal to metal and they stay room temperature ,instead plastic sleeves got high temperature.
People say bad things about Harbor freight just because its fairly priced. Its an elitist thing.
I run four of them and I run them in a way that I expect certain results I also maintain them very well so I don't have any problems. Are there better tumblers? Yes including the one I built. But for the value you really cannot go wrong with it if you know how to properly maintain it
hf just sold me a vibratory tumbler got home said no rock no water an he sold me ceramic chunks book says absolutely no ceramic so I didn't get a thing I wanted headed back to store ...newby
@@rebeccaashworth5694 read your comment out loud.
Hiya doin, well I have to tell ya, every new person that is just getting started tumbling stones, I always tell them too use Harbor Freight Chicago 6 pounds tumbler or 3 pounds. They are quite and low maintenance tumbler.
I have some expensive tumblers, but for the bang for your bucks, Chi. H.F. is the way to go, that's my opinion.
Stay safe and healthy my friend. Cya!
The HB Dual Drum Rotary Rock Tumbler is the best value by far. There are things to do to it to make it run better and more durable. I have only had minor issues with mine, which I fixed, but as can be seen in MY OPINION, it is not the best entry level of the four that I own.
@@1JawsJr hey I'm agreeing with you for sure. I have those too and I love them too, I like too put smaller stones of the same kind, it keeps them from banging around so much, and I put plastic pellets too. I re-use the grits, if I'm using course grit it goes to medium grit, some time it gives you extra find grits, I have stones shinny like glass, they're beautiful like that. I was agreeing with you on the tumblers.
the darker color is because you put 3 times the grit in that one look back at your video
Quero comprar uma desas pra mim
Way too long , sorry
You could speed it up. You have the attention span of a goldfish. Good thing there's no reading involved.
@@dawn8542 i am just trying to find good tumbler for my wife as a christmas present. Is lortone 3a good choice?
Comment too long cant focus back to Instagram