Customer Reviews

Model A-R1 Special Kit Rock Tumbler

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought another rock tumbler. It was all plastic and the drive to the barrel was a direct contact wheel against a rubber belt. It wore out. FAST. And it was so loud that even when I put it in the garage I could hear it. I had to replace it.

This tumbler (Model A-R1)has been running 24-7 for five months. It's so quiet I put it in the basement. The stones that come out are beautiful. If anything ever does wear out, (it never has), or if I need supplies it's easy to purchase what I need from the supplier's catalog.

Try this one first; it's a little more expensive, but you'll sleep at night.

As a kid I had a pretty solid rock tumbler by Skilcraft. That was 30 years ago. Ten years ago I got one for my step daughter and it was plastic, noisy and leaked. The neighbors have one like that now.

This Rock Polisher exceeded all my expectations. I bought this more expensive polisher because I didn't want that same experience with the noisy, leaky, cheap plastic one. And this was just as good as I had hoped.

First, anyone trying this for the first time must realize that any time you put a bunch of rocks into a container and roll them for weeks, it is going to make noise and it is going to take patience. You should be prepared to put a rock tumbler in a garage, basement, or shed. And if it squeaks, oil it.

This polisher was relatively quiet in the garage. When the rollers started squeaking on the metal axles, I just put a drop of oil on it and it was perfect. This unit is less noisy than the plastic units because the barrel is made of hard rubber. This is a great design. The chassis and motor are all metal.

The barrel did not leak, like the others I have owned.

The best part is that this thing is solid and Made in the USA. At least there is something of quality we can still build here.

I had a rock tumbler when I was a kid, loud and irritating as it ground on for weeks in my small apartment.

This tumbler is MUCH quieter, and easy to use. I stuck it in a closet, and couldn't hear a thing. Every week the kids and I would change the grit and marvel over the changes we saw in the rocks.

When it was all done, we had a blast splitting up the rocks, and starting again!

This is the king of tumblers. The noise level is perfectly acceptable and it is well built. Any complaints on other reviews are unrealistic: you're tumbling rocks, there will be some noise, but this kit has a rubber cylinder which greatly minimizes the noise. Also, this is an electric motor that is spinning for 24 hours a day, weeks at a time - it is unrealistic to not expect to lubricate it - just a spritz of WD-40 once a week and you're good to go. Great little machine.

I bought this item for my son's 8th birthday because he has always showed an interest in rocks. He loves it! In fact, we all do!! The product is sturdy, easy to use and operates well. We keep it running in our attached garage and it is surprisingly quiet considering it's tumbling a bunch of rocks. You only hear it once you enter the garage. The whole process takes 3 weeks and 4 days but it's well worth the wait. It's amazing to watch the transformation! Very educational. I would definitely recommend this product.

My daughters are going through their rockhound stage. Yes, it takes several weeks but the rocks are transformed into beautiful specimens. We even mounted a few polished stones on jewelry findings. I don't think that the several stages, several weeks process is a bad thing for older kids (1st grade or older) as everything today is produced in a few hours and there is not longer a sense of having to wait for something good.

Checked the reviews for a few rock tumblers. I had found some beautiful stones at the beach and wondered what would happen if they were polished and decided on the A-R1. When it arrived, there were no surprises, I followed the directions and found a secluded place to let it run for a month. Each time I opened the tumbler in preparation for the next step I was awed at the change in the stones. Can't wait to purchase some more of the powders to try some other stones in the tumbler.

This review is for the AR-1 rock tumbler, plus accessories. We have been running the tumbler, non stop, since Feb. 19th and it's doing great. The rocks that come w/ the kit are turning out to be very cool, also. I would highly recommend this tumbler over the plastic 'toys' featured on websites, like Amazon. Don't even bother with the cheap tumblers; spend a little more to get a Thumler's or Lortone brand.

If you're looking for a good, reliable, quiet rock tumbler, this should do the trick. We were surprised at how quietly the unit operates. We placed it in the garage and hardly hear it inside the house. Very pleased with it's operation.

We just received this product a few weeks ago-we researched a number of models and this one consistently rated highly. So far, it seems solid and works well--it runs constantly and is not too loud (although we keep it in our basement). My 9 year old daughter is very excited to see the rocks at each stage of the process, and we're looking forward to the finished product!