I'm just gonna start off by saying, this Tumbler's issues are easily avoidable and I'll go over why your rocks aren't coming out shiny.
I'll address the biggest issue people have with this Tumbler; The lid becomes increasingly harder to take off and put on. I, someone who had strength trained most of his life, had a difficult time opening and closing the lid after a while of using it. I do have a solution though.
Nat Geo tells you to wash and dry the barrel and rubber lining inside it after every use, well, what happens when you're trying to push two pieces of dry rubber against each other? Yeah, it won't go so well. They stick and won't move. That's what's happening when the rubber of the barrel and the rubber gasket in the lid meet, not allowing you to turn and close. I realized that all it would need to work is to use a little oil. I took a Q-Tip, dabbed it in a little olive oil and just run it around where the lid gasket meets the rubbing barrel lining. Works like a charm! Even a meak child could open and close it after the oil. I would though recommend using something else in place of olive oil since after a while, it will start to rot and smell. I'd use a really light machine oil and use just enough to soak the tip of the Q-Tip.
Interlude: I would also recommend taking the entire rubber barrel lining out, cleaning it and the inside of the plastic barrel. A lot of the time, grit and water gets in there and can cause bubbles in the rubber lining or the grit may harden and cause irregular weight on the barrel keeping your rocks from tumbling correctly.
Last thing I want to go over is the lack of shine on your rocks. Nat Geo gives you grit for each stage of tumbling, grits one through three are decent but the "polish" is garbage. Their grits are pretty standard, all are Silicon Carbide, Stage One is 60/90#, Stage Two is 120/220# and Stage Three is 600#. All of those are fine and dandy but the "polish" is 1200# Silicon Carbide which will not get your rocks to have a luster. What you want is 1200# Aluminum Oxide. You can get a healthy amount from places like Kingsley North, Rock Tumbling dot com (yeah, I wrote dot come), The Rock Shed or Polly Plastics.
You'll want to do two tablespoons of each grit per pound of rock plus media (if you use it) and tumble them for five to seven days. You should get a nice shine on your rocks after all that.
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Product Description
High-Quality Rock Tumblers for Every Level of Tumbling Enthusiast!
 Starter Rock Tumbler Kit |  Hobby Rock Tumbler Kit |  Professional Rock Tumbler Kit |
|---|---|---|
Skill LevelBeginner | Skill LevelHobby | Skill LevelAdvanced |
Capacity1 lb. | Capacity2 lb. | Capacity3 lb. |
ControlsPlug in to Tumble | Controls7-day Programmable Timer | ControlsSpeed Control and Programmable Timer |
Rough Gemstones Included1/2 lb. Rocks | Rough Gemstones Included1/2 lb. Rocks | Rough Gemstones Included3 lb. Rocks |
ExtrasPatented GemFoam included for a shinier finish. |
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FYI package comes in this box, not an amazong box. So if it's a gift, now you know
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2022
And this is the way my son figured out santa doesn't exist
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2022
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 21, 2022
FYI package comes in this box, not an amazong box. So if it's a gift, now you know
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 21, 2022
And this is the way my son figured out santa doesn't exist
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 21, 2022
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National Geographic customer service is A+
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 26, 2019
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Don't be put off by the low price!
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Gerat set, one of the best gifts I have ever bought...
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as can be expected this is quite noisy so I would suggest finding some where to put it like a garage or if you live in a flat ...
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