gimpy Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 (edited) I have read reviews all over the place on tumblers, some will always choose the cheapest, some will always purchase based on brand loyalty. I currently tumble on a Thumlers rotary cleaner since I haven't been doing that high of volume. I have been looking at vibratory tumblers, and like the size of the Dillon, but have been impressed by the quality of the Thumlers. Because of my experience with the Thumlers, I've also been looking at their Ultra-Vibe 18. Some threads have been people who are adamantly against the Dillons because of problems with the motors. Have these issues been ironed out? Would you guys be able to recommend one over the other, and if so, why? Edited November 27, 2012 by gimpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck223 Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I had heard that the Dillon tumblers motor was a weak link, but I've never owned one. The only observation I can make in comparison to another brand comes via a friend. I use the Hornady M3 while a friend used the Dillon large tumbler. His comment was that you can carry on a conversation while my tumbler is running. His when loaded is pretty loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecil Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 i have 2 vibratory tumblers... 1 - RCBS and a Frankford Arsenal... one is just as good as the other.. the RCBS has a lifetime guarantee.. and both are pretty reasonable priced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 The tumbler sold under the Cabelas name and the Berry's name (same tumbler) seems to be the best bargain, dollar for dollar, going. That does not mean it's the best. I believe it holds about the same number of cases as the Thumler's Model B, but the Cabelas Model 400 is about 1/3 the price. I would like to have a Thumler's for my rifle cases, but I only do small batches and it's just not worth the extra cost. But if you want to sell your's, give me a holler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimpy Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 Thanks for the offer, but I plan on running my rotary tumbler for a few years. I want the vibratory tumbler for pistol, and for a quick clean of rifle brass before running it through the 1050 to decap, resize, and swage. I figure that I can wet tumble after the first run through the 1050. The reason I am looking at one of the higher end vibratory tumblers is because I don't care to repurchase any time in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifeislarge Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I recently ran my RCBS, Dillon CV500, and Thumblers Ultra Vibe 10 side by side and all loaded to the nuts with .40 brass. Have to say that the Thumblers was the best by far in overall performance between the three. It is virtually silent, polished the brass the best, and has a similar capacity to the other two tested. I recently sold my Dillon and am now down to the two but favor the Thumblers by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimpy Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 The Thumlers 10 is similar in size to the Dillon CV500 and the other typical vibratory tumblers? What would be the expected capacity with .223 on the UV-18? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 The large Harbor Freight is about the same in price as the large Dillon and seems to hold up well. Have read that Dillon found a better source for motors and the late ones are equal to the first ones - can't guarantee this - best to ask Dillon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimpy Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 I ended up getting the Thumler UV-18. My only regret is that I couldn't justify buying the UV-45. This thing is solid, and absolutely silent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mervalus Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 When I started a few years ago I got sage advice from an old rifle pro to use a Thumbler . But different than using corn cobs etc, I use ceramic 3mm reusable pellets, with a cleaning , polishing solution. Rinse , dry and reclaim the pellets . Thjumbler runs foer 60-90 minutes . Will do 400-500 cases at time . Fantastic results. Merv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob HESS Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 interesting about the thumblers. never heard of them. I have the Dillon. Can't give you a comparison but it runs good with no motor problems. I notice it takes longer once the media gets dirtly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtielke Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 My Dillon CV-2001 is about 3 years old and just died. $110 to fix plus $20 to ship it to them... Still trying to decide if I'm going to pay that or get a different brand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 After attending a gem and lapidary show, the run-of-the-mill tumbler we use for cleaning brass looked pretty wimpy compared to the industrial quality tumblers and motors that the jewelry trade uses. The only tumblers in the reloading realm that look heavy duty are the Dillon's. Motor size and capacity are what you pay for. As far as longevity -- heat is the enemy of electric motors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinz Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 (edited) I had a Dillon CV-500 for over 25 years that I would turn on and forget about it for days while it was in a shed in the Texas Summer heat! No telling how many times I abused it.. It finially gave up the ghost. I sent it to Dillon for an upgrade to put a CV 750 motor on it. I forgot how much it cost, but it was not cheap. I went ahead and bought a CV-750 as well. I'm abusing the hell out of both of them! Edited January 11, 2013 by Reinz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardguy Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I use a Cabelas tumbler in the cool of the basement. I hope it lasts because I really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwilson007 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 i just ordered the Cabelas tumbler this past week, first step to my reloading journey! Want to go ahead and start cleaning and saving up my brass so we're ready to go when we can get a press setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmup68 Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 When I started a few years ago I got sage advice from an old rifle pro to use a Thumbler . But different than using corn cobs etc, I use ceramic 3mm reusable pellets, with a cleaning , polishing solution. Rinse , dry and reclaim the pellets . Thjumbler runs foer 60-90 minutes . Will do 400-500 cases at time . Fantastic results. Merv Do you tumble wet or dry with these ceramic pellets? What kind and were to source? Thanks, Shannon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigS. Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 I have the large dillon CV-2001and after 4 years the motor died , so I replaced it with a thumlers ultra-vibe 45 if you can afford it the thumlers is worth every penny, it is quieter has a greater capacity ,less mess with the bowl design just to name a few good reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimpy Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 I have been using the Thumlers vibratory tumbler for a while now and have not regretted it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl02 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I have a question on medium, regarding corn cob vs. walnut: Are there any negative long-term consequences for using walnut medium exclusively ? Is corn cob medium preferable ? I just got a Dillon CV-750 and will be setting it up for its first run soon. I'm new to this, and will appreciate any hints from old hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Walnut is better for initial cleaning and corn cob with Nu-Finish is best for final polish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmup68 Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 I mix about 85-15 corncob to walnut. Plus add nufinish and spritz with mineral spirits every few batches. Found the thread on here about getting the 50 lb bag of corncob from drillspot.com, free shipping, for $39. Now I'm changing the media a lot more often and boy does it speed up the process. It is untreated media, so must add nufinish from the get go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl02 Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Thanks for the info ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl02 Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 What does the Nu-Finish do ? How do you add it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzi Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I never tried that Nu-finish either. Lord Google came to the rescue with this handy search term: Nu-Finish case polishing Now there are dozens upon dozens of forum posts to weed thru. I currently use a Tumbler thumbler whatever and stainless steel rods as the medium. Water, dash o liquid soap (Ivory currently), and a dash of LemiShine. 2 hours and my 45 acp brass is silly shiney. If I deprime even the pockets are cleaned but I don't do that very often, found it a waste of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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