Which vibratory case cleaner should I buy?

[bball97]

Hey all, I am starting to look into which case cleaner I should order. What is your recommendation?

[xcelr8hard]

I'm sure most will reply with Dillon.

I run a Lyman with the auto flo feature. The auto flo doesn't work as well as I had hoped, so now I just empty it like everybody else.

I haven't had any problems with my current machine.

Butch

[Joe4d]

I have two Lymans die, one in a matter of months, The only one I would reccommend are the Dillons, the small one uses a heavy duty sealed motor, Lyman, Midway, Frankford, cabelas. all seam to use the same motors. These are like Pintos, You might get one that runs for years or 3 in a row that die in a week.

[21 shooter]

I would have to vote for the Dillon. I have used Lyman and Hornady tumblers, and the Dillon is the best. It will probably cost more, but I think you get what you pay for.

[Storm52]

Purchase the best one you can afford. I have 2 Lymans. One is 12 years old and the other is 4. The Dillon will replace one or both when they melt down.

[joecichlid]

I swear by my Lymann tumblers. Just had to replace my oldest after about 13 years and for the record I got it used. My guess is that thing cleaned well over 200,000 pieces of brass in that time. And most of the time I ran it I would let it run for about 12 to 24 hours, never can remember when I am running it as it is in the basement and I never hear it. lol

Joe W.

[Graham Smith]

I'd have to go against the flow on this and say that unless you are doing a lot of volume, a cheap Frankford will probably work just fine for you. The small Dillon is about 2.5 times the price of the Frankford which quite literally means you can buy two plus media for the same price. And we're not talking about anything high tech here - just something that holds stuff and shakes.

[TerryO]

+1 for the "inexpensive" Frankford. Sometimes Midway USA runs a sale on them for $29.95. I've got two and have done 10's of 1000's of cases in them. Oh, by the way, the first case cleaner I bought was a Dillon. Lasted just over a year and the motor went out. Cost to replace the motor.... the price of a Frankford. Don't get me wrong about Dillon, they are the best at customer service and their products are first rate but their case cleaners, not so much.

[Albert]

I started out with a Thumler's Tumbler and then acquired a Dillon.

The Thumler get's the cases cleaner faster and better than the Dillon and seems to get the media and cases moving better, plus the bowl is removalable.

[islandtime]

I bought the Frankford tumbler and media separator combo from Midway. I have tumbled about 5000 rounds so far with no problems. If I were to do anything different at this point it would be to purchase the Dillon small media separator. I am happy with the Frankford tumbler and for the price can afford to buy a couple more with the money save versus the price of some of the other brands.

[03k64]

I had a Frankford tumbler that gave out just before the warranty expired. Midway sent me a replacement and that one has been working fine since. When this one breaks, I'll be looking for something else.

[Fast Shooter Wannabe]

I have the Dillon small tumbler, which I can easily recommend. But, I found that Flitz polish is better for cleaning the brass rather than the Dillon polish. Just another man's opinion.

Jason

Edited July 7, 2009 by Fast Shooter Wannabe

[HSMITH]

Call Brian and get the big ass Dillon. It isn't cheap but once you use it none of the others measure up. I've had a bunch of others, including the ones recommended in this thread, and the big Dillon kills them. Far better unit.

[redwoods]

I have a CV-500 from Dillon. It is the smaller one. I got it used when I got my reloader. I then bought a Lyman auto-flo 2200. I have and use both. The new dillon CV-750 replaced the CV-500 and I read that it has the same motor as the big one...CV-2001. I would buy the CV-2001 if I didn't already have two small ones. If you are going to reload a lot, get the 2001. If you are only reloading a couple calibers, get the 750. I like both the dillon and lyman, If I needed one and didn't have one, I would go dillon.

Randy

[The_Vigilante]

I purchased two of the Frankford Arsenal tumblers and am sorry I did. Both gave up the ghost shortly after the warranty expired-never again. RCBS appears to have a better warranty on their vibratory tumblers than any other company-why don't they get any mention? Is there a good reason? Any of you used the RCBS Vibratory cleaner? Review? Thanks

[Dan Hefta]

I purchaced a inexpensive Cabela's brand tumbler, it is made by Berry Manufacturing, it costed about $40 and I have used it for about two years without an issue. Maybe I am just lucky but I love my little tumbler. I only go through 5-6000 rounds per year, so for me it works just fine. Good luck with what ever tumbler you go with.

[flyer]

I too use a Thumbler Tumbler. Had it for 20 years and it's still going strong. Only plastic on that thing is the power cord strain relief and the bowl. The bowl is very thick and takes a beating.

Highly recommended. Ain't cheap, but it will last.

[R A Miller]

I too use a Thumbler Tumbler. Had it for 20 years and it's still going strong. Only plastic on that thing is the power cord strain relief and the bowl. The bowl is very thick and takes a beating.

Highly recommended. Ain't cheap, but it will last.

+1

I have a Thumbler Tumbler that I picked up used and it works great. I also have a Lymann tumbler that has a larger capacity than the Thumbler Tumbler but doesn't clean the brass as quickly. I've owned both of them for about 6 years.

Running empty with only media in the bowl the Thumbler Tumbler is soild. The Lymann will "walk" until I place some brass in it. FWIW the Lymann has held up a lot longer than I thought it would. Considering the price and the cheap construction, the Lymann still works fine.

Rick

Edited to add: I also have the Dillon small media separator. This is indispensable for making the task of cleaning brass go as quickly as possible.

Edited July 7, 2009 by R A Miller

[Brooks]

I have a cheap one i picked up at Cabelas. I am planning on buying a Dillon one eventually to add to it.

[AWLAZS]

I have been using a Frankford Arsenal for about 20 years. I wish it was bigger

[Jaxshooter]

I have a Lyman and a cheap Frankfort Arsenal tumbler. The FA does a better job and is much faster than the Lyman. I have had it for 5 years and it still runs great. The Lyman is ok but you have to run it 2 hours longer than the FA to get the same results.

[opcx6]

+1 for the "inexpensive" Frankford. Sometimes Midway USA runs a sale on them for $29.95. I've got two and have done 10's of 1000's of cases in them. Oh, by the way, the first case cleaner I bought was a Dillon. Lasted just over a year and the motor went out. Cost to replace the motor.... the price of a Frankford. Don't get me wrong about Dillon, they are the best at customer service and their products are first rate but their case cleaners, not so much.

My Dillon was under water for a week due to sump pump outlet blocked by ice, not covered by insurance, called Dillon to get a rreplacement motor, they said send it back they would replace it.

Dillon!

[n2ipsc]

I too use a Thumbler Tumbler. Had it for 20 years and it's still going strong...Highly recommended...Ain't cheap, but it will last.

+10 on that. My spousal unit bought me a UV-18 24 years ago (really), and it's still working just fine, thanks very much...

[fasteddy]

So to conclude this topic Dillon is the way to go..! I myself agree on to this.

[Get'em Duck]

I run a lyman pro magnum 2500 with auto flo, is it the best for the money, I don't know but I do know I can turn nearly a 1000 rounds of 45 at a time. For the auto flo to work you do need a set of muffs and a little time but I don't have to sift through two gallons of media to find my brass. Just remove the lid turn on the unit and stir with my hand while the media drains into a bucket.