Which Tumbler and why?

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Ccctennis

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I did a thread asking how to solve an issue with cleaning brass without removing the primers now that i reload on my dillon press. The concensus was to use a vibratory tumbler. I currently just have a sonic cleaner.

My question is which tumbler do most of you guys use or prefer. I read about 30 threads and looked at reviews till im blue in the face.

here is what i would like to do. Preferably stay under $150 for the tumbler. It has to be dry tumbler as i am leaving in the primer for the cleaning process.

I looked at the following.

Lyman 1200
Lyman 2200
Franklin Arsenal
Hornady m-2

I would like to use this inside the house in my reloading room so the noise and dirt might be an issue. I think i would need one that had a solid lid? School me on these please
 
A solid lid is an absolute must for tumbling indoors. Also, when separating the media, there will be lead laden dust involved. As far as noise is concerned, I have never used a dry or wet tumbler that doesn't make a fair amount of noise... Not horrible but not great either.

For the record, you can wet tumble and leave the primers in. I know many reloaders who do this.
 
I had a used Lyman 1200 that ran for years and years. Only drawback was the size, so when it finally died I bought the larger Lyman 250 Pro, and am very pleased with it. It cleans well and is quite.

The only drawback to that was when I needed to do a small batch of cases, so I bought a Berrys tumbler. It is also very nice, not quite as quite though. It is the same as a Cabelas, and maybe others.

I am sure the more expensive ones are nice, but these do well for me.
 
Franklin Arsenal
Click to expand...

If you're talking about Frankford Arsenal (like sold at Midway), I've had two of them. The first lasted a few years and the second one, maybe a year.
Edit: I soldered the first one back together many, many times and even scrapped a capacitor (or maybe two) to keep it running. Toward the end of it's life I would only run it outside on a non-flammable surface. I expected it to burst into flames one day...

I bought a Berry's a year or so ago and have been pleased with it so far.
 
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The Frankfort Arsenal tumbler is LOUD. I have had two and life was fairly short.

The Berry Mfg tumblers are quiet and reasonably priced. They also label them for a few other companies like Cabela's.

My main tumbler these days is the small Dillon. Quiet and works well. So far so good with a couple years of service.

I cannot comment on the other tumblers.

All of the tumblers should come with a lid to keep the dust in while tumbling. I use an enclosed media separator when separating the media rom the cases and any dust is kept in there.

There are several methods that keep the dust levels low throughout the life of the media. I add a little Nu-finish polish once in a while and it catures the dust and cleans the cases. Some folks put dryer anti-static sheets in with the media.

If you use some common sense in operating the tumbler, dust is a non-issue.
 
 
I have two of the Berry's/Cabelas, run them all night sometimes if the brass is really grungy, and they have worked great for the past 10 years.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
I have a Habor Freight tumbler that has served me for 5 yrs.
Works well and was inexpensive. Only recommend I would make for it
is that I installed a large heavy washer above and below the lid so I
could really cinch it down.
 
I did a lot of research before buying my first tumbler and ended up buying a used RCBS that has worked well for two years. To me a tumbler is not a high tech piece of equipment and not something to spend a lot of money on. If I ever buy new it would be the Berry's/Cabela's tumbler. The only thing I don't like about the RCBS is that it is very noisy. Noise would be a consideration for me when I buy my next tumbler.
 
some of the noise comes from a crappy motor and some from the bowl being made of hard plastic , the Ultra-Vibe is about the best you can buy , but way over budget , someday I'll have one , but till then I'll keep running my Lyman Pro Magnum 2500, I have had it for over 10 years , and when I first got it I was told , it works best to set it up at night and let it run over night , , so at 10hrs a run , I know my has 1000's of hours on it and runs as good as it did when I got it ,
 
I have the Lyman 1200 turbo w/slotted top. Works great and no problem with the top all you need to do is cut a piece of heavy plastic bag to put on before the slotted lid. No dust and you can still sift into a 5 gallon bucket (once plastic is removed).
 
I started off using an older RCBS vibrating cleaner.
Like Walkalong said, I wanted a bigger one to clean more brass. So I found a great deal on a Burr-King 200, BUT, also had a problem when wanting to only clean a small batch. I pulled my old RCBS "tumbler" out of staorage and started to use it for small batches which worked great.

Not sure about the new RCBS vibrating cleaner, they seem to have a lot of negative reviews these dayZ.
Berry's or the small Dillon would be my next pick if I needed to replace my RCBS.

But that I guess, is a personal preference??
And partially reading online reviews.

TxD
 
I've been using a Thumbler Tumbler "Ultra Vibe 10" for years.

They're really quiet, and they are built to last. I often forget about mine it's so quiet, and it will run for several days. You would think years and years of that kind of abuse would have caused a failure, but it's still going strong, very strong. Mine is no less than 15 yrs. old.

They're kind of spendy though, I think around $200 bucks now days.

GS
 
If I was going to spend $150 I would buy two Berrys or two of the renamed Berrys.There are advantages to having two instead of one larger tumbler.
 
I have no complaints with my Frankford. Granted I've only been using it for about 16 months, but so far so good.

My father just got into handloading and picked up a used Lyman 2500 Pro Magnum. I like his much more than my Frankford. It holds a greater capacity and seems to do a better job at circulating the brass. Although in the end, both make brass equally clean and shiny.
 
The Ultra Vibe series come in different sizes, UV 10, 18, and up to the UV 45 which will tumble about 1K 30-06 size cases. They're all ball bearing motors and are thermally protected, and fan cooled.

They also make industrial models for those who need it.

GS
 
Harbor Freight, I got mine for around 49 bucks, plus with a 20% off coupon, came to under $40. Works and looks just like any high end models around....
 
I forgot about the Ultra Vibe, I take back what I said earlier and add this one to the #1 or #2 choice "If money cooperates with your wants/needs ):D

I feel like dry cleaning brass with walnut/corn cob media and liquid polish and a splash of mineral spirits is very adequate for most reloaders. The main idea for cleaning brass is to remove anything abrasive from the brass before it goes into your dies AND chamber.
There are MANY new ways on the market to clean brass these days. Some make the brass better looking than new, but it's up to you on how much money and time you want to put into cleaning/polishing your brass.

At some time down the road, I plan on trying the SS pins and wet tumbling, but this requires me to reinvest money into a totally different set of cleaning tools.
I have already spent money on a system that works great and I'm just not willing to change just to get a little more shiny brass (maybe)....

TxD
 
I'm fairly certain that Thumbler makes one that can be used with SS pins, that would be the Rock tumblers, the industrial models, or those that have steel bowls.

GS
 
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