UltraSonic cleaners? Vibratory cleaners? Has anyone found/used a reliable one?

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MutinousDoug

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Or at least, reliable customer service?
I can't count the crap vib cleaners (Lyman, Frankin Armory) that I've used until the counter balance destroyed the motor bearings. Switched to ultraSonic (Harbor Freight) cleaners to find the transducer giving up the ghost in a year or two. As you can see from my choice of equipment, I'm a hobbyist: 5-600 rifle cases and same number of pistol cases/year. I'd go back to dry tumbling for a unit I could buy once and forget about...
Thx
 
You need a lab - grade workhorse for it to be worth a darn.

I got an old Elmasonic that my lab was throwing out, still works quite well.

Shineeey's all gone at the bottom of the tank now, however :(
 
I buy the Chinese ultrasonic cleaners from Amazon. Three times more powerful and cheaper than the name brands. The baskets don't work for ammo cases though. The grid is to big and lets small cases drop through. I use a deep fryer basket I bought from a restaurant supply house.
I have an old Lyman US here that I now use for cleaning my wife's jewelry. it's over 10 years old but after getting a more powerful cleaner I don't use this one anymore. My 6 liter is too powerful for jewelry, it will knock the set loose on her rings.

There is nothing to say that if you bought one of the Chinese US's that it wouldn't crap out on you right away, they are bargain brands after all.

The people that use pin cleaners seem to have good luck with them, I don't hear about them giving up the ghost right away.
You may want to try that approach.
I'll stick with my Ultra Sonic though, it will clean them well in only 10 minutes.
 
Generally you get what you pay for. I’ve used a Hornady vibratory cleaner for about 10 years before switching to a FART. I didn’t expect it to last that long given the cost and abuse. Good luck.
 
The cheap ultrasonic cleaners I bought off Amazon were underpowered and defective. I returned them.
I now use a cheap rock tumbler from Harbor Freight with SS pins.
 
I use my Franklin every day for hours at a time, have been for a few years now . I must have got a good one .
 
I’m thinking you must have dirty power in your home, as I run my cleaners pretty frequently to keep up with my shooting volume, and I’ve gotten a lot more than “a year or two” of service from all of my cleaners. Thumler’s Tumbler, FART, Hornady Ultrasonic, Lyman and Frankfort Vib’s... all have given me more service life than their cost.
 
My round count is similar to yours. 20 yrs ago I got a Cabelas vib which the heat eventually melted the plastic around a motor mounting screw. Took it apart added a sheetmetal mounting plate, drilled 1/8" holes around the plastic base for air circulation and have had no trouble since.

Reverse the lid upside down and don't tighten tight, otherwise it will take a "set" and rattle in use.
 
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When I want brass really clean I use my FART. Never fails to produce squeaky clean, shiny brass, with clear primer pockets. When I want reasonably clean in a hurry, I use my Bald Eagle ultrasonic cleaner...it's the same unit as the RCBS Ultrasonic, but I was able to get it cheap...sadly, the BE stock is all gone. Finally, I had a vibratory cleaner when I started my reloading journey in January 2018. It lasted a few months then quit. I bought a replacement unit from Hornady....but I've never used it. I fail to see the reason for a vibratory cleaner when I have to spend more time picking out media from the flash holes.
The Ultrasonic does an acceptable job...but not as good as the FART. It's advantage is speed.
 
I have a old midway that the brass wore holes in the plastic. motor keeps working. I consider Thumblers Tumblers to be the best out there. Mine is pretty quiet and works like a dream. I've never actually had a motor go bad in a tumbler.
 
MutinousDoug said:
Or at least, reliable customer service?
I can't count the crap vib cleaners (Lyman, Frankin Armory) that I've used until the counter balance destroyed the motor bearings. Switched to ultraSonic (Harbor Freight) cleaners to find the transducer giving up the ghost in a year or two. As you can see from my choice of equipment, I'm a hobbyist: 5-600 rifle cases and same number of pistol cases/year. I'd go back to dry tumbling for a unit I could buy once and forget about...
Thx
Click to expand...

You are talking about two entirely different units. Ultra Sonic are the least effective for cleaning brass. May be good for other things but not brass compared to the other methods

All the vib units are China junk (motors) except Thumlers. The plastic bowls (a lot of them) are probably all made by Berrys (bullets)
If you want a good vib or wet tumbler get a Thumler.

https://rocktumbler.com/thumlers/
https://www.berrysmfg.com/aboutus
 
A rotary tumbler will last longer than a vibrating tumbler. You can run dry media in a rotary but if you want to do wet tumbling as well, I'd get a second tumbler saving one for wet and one for dry.

I used a small Thumler Tumbler for more than ten years before I got a vibrating tumbler. The main reason the vibrating tumbler was larger than the Thumler. I still have the Thumler and it still works. I've gone through several vibrating tumblers in the succeeding 15 years.

By design, a vibrating tumbler will shake itself to death. I worked in an industry that used large vibrating screens for separating different size crystal fertilizer. The screens were a constant maintenance problem require some sort of repair monthly.
 
I have been using a Cabela's for quite a few years. The only thing I have done to it is slap a piece of duct tape on the lid where it cracked several years ago. My reloading has fallen off a great deal so it doesn't get used much now but it still works when I need it to.
 
WeekendReloader said:
The cheap ultrasonic cleaners I bought off Amazon were underpowered and defective. I returned them.
I now use a cheap rock tumbler from Harbor Freight with SS pins.
Click to expand...

I don't know which cheap unit you bought but this is the cheap one I'm using. I bought it on sale for $109.00 and it has three transducers instead of the two that RCBS and Lyman use in their larger cleaners
Ultrasonic 180 watt unit.jpg I don't know how long it will last since I've only been using it for about a year now.
With my solution of Citric and Dawn, my brass is clean.
cleaned brass.jpg Clean brass 2.jpg That is 10 minutes in my solution. It's clean enough for me.
 
Varminterror said:
I’m thinking you must have dirty power in your home, as I run my cleaners pretty frequently to keep up with my shooting volume, and I’ve gotten a lot more than “a year or two” of service from all of my cleaners. Thumler’s Tumbler, FART, Hornady Ultrasonic, Lyman and Frankfort Vib’s... all have given me more service life than their cost .
Click to expand...
Dirty power may contribute to my problems, I live on the very North edge of Phoenix now and used to live East of Denver by 30 miles. Doesn't explain the bearings in my vib tumblers audibly grinding when I spin the motor. I think a rotary tumbler is in my future. Actually, I have a Thumbler's rotary tumbler that I've had since I was a kid and still runs fine but it's capacity is limited to about 50-60 .223 cases.
Thx for the comments
 
Well I went to harbor freight and got one on the cheap, I use one shot ultrasonic cleaning solution and powder and run it with heat for about 15 min or so works great! I also repurposed my wife’s salad spinner to get water out of the cases!! That works great also!! Sorry that would be an ultrasonic cleaner I bought at harbor freight I think it was like $30 if that! Been using it for about 9 months no issues only thing I don’t like is the short cleaning cycle and the fact that it’s from China
 
Been using the same Lyman tumbler I bought when I started reloading in 2014. Have polished over 40,000 pieces of handgun brass with it so far
 
I tried the Lyman Ultrasonic and it just didn't clean well.
I have a Thumler's Model B. It's surprisingly quiet and rugged. And unlike almost every other tumbler out there, you can buy practically any replacement part for it if the need ever arises; barrels, axles, bushings, everything but the base. This was a major reason I chose the Thumler's. I'm old fashioned, I like things that can be repaired instead of just trashed.
 
Rule3 said:
All the vib units are China junk (motors)
Click to expand...

Jim Watson said:
My Midway brand vibrator has served for years and years.
Click to expand...

My old Midway tumbler has served me since 1992. The motor did bind up, so I rebuilt it... but it only lasted another 2 years before completely crapping out. I could have tried to replace it, but it was cheaper to just buy a used Lyman and put my larger Midway bowl on it... and off we go.

For what it's worth... almost all appliance motors come from China, now, and... yes, they are junk.
 
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