which vibratory cleaner

[smokemeister25]

i need to buy a vibratory. usually, i just buy rcbs stuff. have had good luck with their stuff and more than once they've replaced things under their lifetime warranty.

was just wondering if their vibratory unit is pretty good or if i'm missing out by not buying a different one. i realize theirs is probably a tad more and if another one holds up better or does a better job i'm open.

i'm in the process of re-setting up my reloading bench after a long time. for years i didn't do any shooting because of a long bad illness....

 

[LiveLife]

I would recommend the Cabela's 400 green vibratory tumbler (same unit made by Berry's Manufacturing 400 "blue" tumbler and "red" one sold by Sinclair International).

For $50, it has a quiet but powerful motor and has a long power cord with in-line switch.

The capacity is larger than most other vibratory tumbler too:
- 1000 9mm
- 600 45ACP
- 650 .38 Spl
- 450 .223
- 250 30-06

 

[918v]

Dillon makes the nicest tumbler. The plastic is thicker and better quality. The motor is Japanese and quiet as a mouse. It's the Lexus of tumblers.

 

[NRA-Highmaster]

+1 on the Berry`s. They have a 3 year warranty on the motor. I don`t think any others match that. They make Grafs and Midsouths house brand tumblers too.

 

[jcwit]

Another vote for the Berry's tumbler. It's also completely made right here in the good ol' U.S. of A except for the motor and their helping keeping us at work.

Nothing against Dillon, I have some Dillon products, but really has anyone ever worn a hole in a tumbler bowl? For 3 times the price, well I just don't see it.

 

[John_galt]

Mine crapped out last month after 17 yrs, Midway 9something-or-other model. I bought a new Lyman tumbler (model 1200). Came yesterday. Took it out of the box looked it over for a minute, then took the bowl off my old Miday and put it on the Lyman stand and motor. Now I am happy. The Lyman bowl is a not nearly as good as the old Midway. Thin plastic and the lid is slotted - didn't like that. We'll see if the motor lasts as long as the older one.

 

[rangerphil]

One more vote for the Cabelas (Berrys) model. Great price and performance.

 

[Bula]

Lyman 1200-has worked great so far. About 4-5 yrs old and still ticking.

 

[Furncliff]

I have the Lyman also. Only had it a couple of months. It's quieter than I expected. I use the slotted top to dump the medium and leave the cases in the bowl.

 

[mallc]

-1 for Dillion

I have a motor making so much noise that I had to move it to another part of the shop. I reckon it will be failing soon.

Scott

 

[Walkalong]

I have a Berrys and a Lyman. Both work great.

 

[cataway]

at one time i had a shaker ,eventually it wore out replaced it with a rock tumbler (this one http://cgi.ebay.com/AR-6-9-pound-ro...593?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5a825b09 )

works way better and is a lot quieter.

 

[smokemeister25]

will the tumbler allow you to tumble in liquid? i saw on the forum people talked about tumbling in liquid with stainsteel rods and claimed it cleaned primer pockets and insides of cases much better. is that true? if so wondered if this thumlers tumbler will allow you to use liquid as well as walnut shell or other

 

[DFisher3112]

x3 on the Berry MFG tumbler. I started with a Harbor Freight model and it got old quick only being able clean minimal amounts at a time. I purchased the Berry tumbler and wow, what a difference! I clean alot more brass in a shorter amount of time!

 

[TH3180]

I have the RCBS and I like it. Then again I have never used anything else so I really can't compare. It gets my 9mm cases nice and clean.

 

[smokemeister25]

i looked at cabelas and they charge a 15 buck delivery whereas berrys charges 60 and no shipping which makes theirs cheaper actually... they also have a combo with the tumbler, polish, media, sifter and a bucket for 90... hell, who can't use another bucket. that sound like a pretty good deal so maybe i'll go for that one since so many of you guys reccomend that one.

why do so many like this better than the rcbs? what seems to make it better?

 

[LiveLife]

will the tumbler allow you to tumble in liquid?

No, unless the vibratory tumbler has specific sealed bowl that is specified for "wet vibratory tumbling" - most vibratory tumblers are used with dry media such as walnut, corn cob, rice, ceramic, etc.

i saw on the forum people talked about tumbling in liquid with [stainless steel] rods and claimed it cleaned primer pockets and insides of cases much better. is that true?

Yes only if you are using the "particular" sized stainless steel rods small enough to fit inside the primer pocket. The liquid detergent solution softens the black fouling buildup and the stainless steel rods "scrub" them off the brass. Vibratory tumbling with dry media won't clean the inside of the case as well, but unless you are a precision benchrest shooter looking to reduce the carbon fouling in the barrel, I find that a little black fouling inside the case doesn't make that much difference.

if so wondered if this thumlers tumbler will allow you to use liquid as well as walnut shell or other

Thumler's tumbler is designed to hold liquid but I guess you could use dry walnut media too.

hell, who can't use another bucket. that sound like a pretty good deal so maybe i'll go for that one since so many of you guys reccomend that one.

why do so many like this better than the rcbs? what seems to make it better?

Berry's tumbler really is built well with plastics they mix and manufacture themselves. Most other vibratory bowl capacity will hold about 600-800 9mm cases but Berry's will hold 1000, which does make a difference when you are doing a lot of "vibratory tumbling". I think speed and noise of the tumblers are important too, but I process a lot of range brass and that extra capacity works for me.

 

[smokemeister25]

i had heard that a smaller bowl actually cleaned better. but the person who wrote that was comparing it to a big dillon which is actually quite a bit bigger i think than the berry's. i only shoot metallic for fun. i'm mostly a trap shooter, so i don't have a ton of brass to clean. but what i have is filthy, plus, unfortunately, all of my reloading dies were in storage for years and some moisture got into them as the seasons changed back and forth. so i have some rust on them. i steel wooled them but that got tiring so i thought i'd take em apart and toss em in a vibratory and let that polish em up. so the little bigger bowl with the berry's should work out nicely.

man, a lot of you guys really like the berrys. i usually get the green stuff because i've had good luck with rcbs service and warranty. but i'll order a berry's tomorrow since it's so popular. how are they if you have a problem?

 

[LiveLife]

Yup, tumbling your dies in walnut media with polish does a nice job removing surface rust, cleaning the inside, polishing the surface and protecting from future rust.

 

[howlnmad]

I've never owned any of the ones listed above, I have the Frankford Arsenal. It's relatively quiet and holds up. I fired it up one day and left the shop cuz something came up. Well, three days later I made it back out to the loading bench and it was still purring away. That was the shiniest brass I ever had.

 

[Hey_Allen]

I have a Franford Arsenal tumbler I bought 3 years ago, and though it's not really loud, it'll definitely send some vibration through the floor if you put it on a thin slab.

I found that out to my aggravation, while trying to use it on the porch of my third floor apartment, and it had the floor buzzing in my room on the other end of the unit!

 

[evan price]

+1 more for the Berrys/Cabelas tumbler. I've used the Midway 1292, Frankfor Arsenal and Lyman Turbo. The Berry's is the best hands down. Thicker plastic, better cord and switch, better wing nut, and Berry's has a no BS warranty. If it is out of warranty- Return it to them with $20 and they send a new one, regardless how old it is. I tumble A LOT of brass. They just work the best.

 

[Berry's MFG]

A lot of good info on the tumblers from all the members. Our vibratory case cleaner has a lifetime warranty on all the plastic components and a three year warranty on the motor. We manufacture all the parts in house with the exception of the motor assembly which comes with a cord, counter weight and cooling fan. We have been trying to source an all made in the USA motor assembly and have quotes from the last mfg here in the USA. The cost is nearly $20 more for the assembly. That would put the tumbler at such a high price level we don't think there would be a market for it. I need to add that the lock knob for the lid is one we buy from a US supplier, honestly am not sure of it's origin.

 

[giggitygiggity]

Get the kit from Cabelas. Their tumbler is very good and I think the kit (tumbler, media, polish, and sifter) is about $60-65. Mine has tumbled thousands upon thousands of cases of all sizes without issue and great result.

 

[Berry's MFG]

Cabela's is running a special on the kit for I think $65, it has the pan style sifter but comes with 6 lbs of corn media and 8oz of polish.