Customer Reviews

Classic Crafts Rock Tumbler Classic

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I bought NSI's Rock Tumbler, for my grandson, the budding geologist. While there are many different tumblers out there with a wide range of prices, I chose to buy NSI's brand because of its high quality and low noise. I'm familiar with NSI as I initially purchased the Rock Tumbler for my own son several years ago. My son used it so much, I was afraid he'd burn the motor out of it, but he never did! I only wish I'd kept it to give to my grandson, otherwise I wouldn't have had to buy a new one! The set includes everything you need to do your first batch of stones: an electrically operated tumbler, barrel, grit and polish, rough semi-precious stones, a jewelry kit, and instructions. Unlike many of todays toys which give children instant gratification, polishing rocks is a good lesson in patience as it takes several weeks to see the result. After using the tumbler himself, my grandson reported that it was his favorite present as he enjoyed the anticipation and suspense building up to opening the tumbler. He never knew what magical surprise awaited him. Even though it's been a few years since I gave my grandson the tumbler, he still collects rocks and transforms them into treasures that he often makes into gifts for others, such as necklaces and key chains. I definitely got my money's worth with this purchase. If you have a rock lover or jewelry maker at your home, you can't go wrong with NSI's Rock Tumbler as a gift!

We bought this for our 8-year-old son as a project. We knew ahead of time that it would take at least 3 weeks. (It should state this on the box though.) Rocks are hard! Nature can take thousands of years to do what this does in weeks! However, it is quite noisy and can leak a little. Put it in a garage or follow the suggestion of the other reviewer about a cooler. Vaseline does stop the leaks. Your patience with this will definitely pay off! The rocks were beautiful! There were quite a few big ones, plenty of medium size and lots of small ones. My son, the budding scientist that he is, was absolutely thrilled! I was so impressed and fasinated by each rock! I could not wait to do another batch! A great long-term project that teaches not only about nature, but about how rewarding a little patience can be. I highly recommend this to all people, (adults as well) who are interested in rocks and crystals.

This product is noisy, but we put ours in a cooler and that insulates the sound almost totally!

I had a problem with the drum leaking so I used vaseline to seal it and it works great too!

We are on day 21 of the 30+ days required.

This is a great little tumbler to polish rocks. If you have no idea about rocks or how this machine works you need to do a little research. This is not the type of item to just buy and expect to polish rocks in a weekends time without even having to read the directions. The tumbler is also recommended for children ten years or older.

To polish rocks properly it will take a solid month of tumbling and is a three step process. This means the tumbler will be running for the entire month. The first step takes about a week, the second about two weeks, with the final step about one week. Between the steps all you have to do is clean out the barrel and the rocks and put back in with new water and the next level of grit/polish. Besides occasionally making sure the tumbler was sealed properly and is in no danger of walking itself off the table it requires no other attention. The tumbler does make some noise tumbling but not a ridicules amount. You obviously can't place it in your bedroom or living room and expect it not to be heard. Placement in a basement or garage is ideal. The power draw is minimal as it only uses .15 amps and 10 watts. Therefore, if you pay 10 cents a kWh, then the amount it will run up your electric bill for a month of constant running is 73 cents.

The instructions that come with the tumbler are also pretty good, but they do need followed. The tumbler is durable but you need to lube two points as indicated in the manual or you will put excess stress on the motor and you will burn it out. The drum seals quite well and easily if you follow the instructions on sealing which requires you to make sure the "O" ring is properly seated and you put a light coating of oil on the rim of the barrel to complete the seal.

Refills for the tumbler are extremely easy to find. Starting with the order form including with the kit where you can order parts, grit, rocks, etc. You can also purchase refill kits at Walmart, Target, and Kmart. There are also dozens of places you can also order refill stuff off the internet.

Overall, this is a great little item but it is not for everyone. If you or your children can't delay immediate gratification, or don't believe in reading/following instructions then this item is not likely for you. If you can't believe the noise it makes because you insisted on setting it up next to your bed, or can't believe that it costs less then a dollar a month to run then this is also not likely for you.

Christmas morning we opened presents and that afternoon we started our first set of rocks to polish. Our whole family has injoyed the amazing transformation of the rocks as we complete each step. My 10 year old loves to collect rocks and wanted this toy more than anything, and my 5 year old has fallen in love with the beautiful gems. They come out smooth and shiny like the ones you see for sale... We have transformed a little over a pound of rocks since we started and the Tumbler is still working like new. As a Mother I am impressed with how much interest my children have taken in erosion. My 10 year old has been reading books on the forces of nature in its natural state and the changeing of lanscapes, and as we clean the rocks and prepare for the next step in the Tumbleing process He has been eager to tell my 5 year old about the entire process and how it takes millions of years for a rock to get like this naturally and we are doing it in less then one month. I am considering getting another one for my younger child to have to polish her own collection of rocks. If you are considering getting this toy I am sure your family will be as satisfied as mine is.

Purchased this rock tumbler for our 9 year old son. Previous reviews gave us a much welcomed "heads up" and we knew what to expect when the product arrived. We used previous suggestions of sealing the tumbler with Vaseline and placing it in a cooler to cut down on the noise. I was actually surprised at the noise level - it WASN'T nearly as loud as anticipated! Sounds like an electic ice cream maker. We've checked the stones after 10 days and are amazed at the difference. It really works and the kids are still enthusiastic 2 weeks later. The packaging should be revised though to reflect the time involved in the overall process. Otherwise, it's a fun project for the family.

My 8th Grade Middle School Science Classes used this Rock Tumbler Machine and achieved great success and , I hope, knowledge. For the unit on rocks and minerals we did a science experiment with 1/2 of a rock sample for the Variable in a tumbler and 1/2 for a Control not in the tumbler. Students ran the entire lab for the month. The final results were great both as a science lab and an enjoyable activity. The use of the diatomaceous earth becomes another lesson. I recommend that you keep some of the same types of rock out of the tumbler just to compare after the tumbling is done even if you are not doing it as a lab in a classroom.
There is a lot of noise connected with this piece of equipment. I could leave it in a storage room. Also I recommend that you tape it onto a board or on the table as the vibrations may cause it to move. Make sure that the seal is tight so no water leaks out. This is noticed at the very beginning if it should occur and can be easily fixed.
Some students went ahead and ordered their own Rock Tumbler. I warned the parents about the noise!!!

If you are buying a rock tumbler for a child or just for youself and don't want to spend over $50.00+ dollars to purchase one, this is for you. This tumbler is very durable and works like a charm. The finished productes do look like the stones on the box but with a much larger variety. It comes with everthing for your first batch of stones. The stones, grit, jewlerey, and tumbler. And not to menchin that it isn't very noisey and won't leak. But the only down side is you have to go through three cycles which consist of 3,12, and 7 days. So you do need patience but the results hold magickal suprieses. An easy, fun, and rewarding hobbey/toy!!!!

My 7 year old daughter got this for her birthday. Secretly I had always wanted one so I was as thrilled as she was. Like a lot of other toys it has its good points and its bad. Although it is well made for the price it should not be confused with a much more expensive machine designed for true rock enthusiasts. I too was surprised at the amount of time it takes to get results (4 weeks minimum). This is not the project for kids or parents who want instant gratification. However it is good for teaching patience and the importance of thoroughness. My daughter has marked her calendar to show the days when we need to check it. Truthfully I have done most of the work, but my daughter has gotten to watch and do some of the easier steps, like washing the rocks. It is mildly noisy and it does have to run continuously for four weeks, so it may not be the best toy for an apartment. Ours lives in the garage where it doesn't bother anyone. I have had no issues with leakage. I thought the instructions were very thorough. There are some parts that need to be replaced because of the nature of wear they take but ours came with an order form and the replacements parts are cheap. The rock selection that came with it has some nice specimens.

All in all I am very happy with this. You just need to make sure you understand what you are getting and that the child (and parents) you are buying it for have the patience to get the most out of it.

We bought this tumbler for our 8 year old son for Christmas 2002. It is really great to watch how the rocks transform! However, we only got 1 complete cycle out of it before it wore out. We started a second cycle, and about halfway through, the plastic tumbler started leaking..the friction of the tumbling rocks wore holes in the plastic! If we had to do it over again, we'd spend a bit more and get a really heavy duty tumbler (they aren't that much more expensive).