snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Sept 25, 2017 7:41:19 GMT -5
I found a 'gently used Chicago Electric Power Tools Rotary Tumbler with a single 3lb. barrel' for $30 on Craigslist. Waste of money? Worth it? I won't bother if y'all say it's junk. I don't have the money for anything but an amazing deal. I had 6 or so years back.Highly recommend you save the money for a good tumbler.Will regret getting a harbor freighter in my opinion based on my experiences. If a person is determined to get a tumbler from them,get the dual barrel new at the store,with guarantee,so you can take it back and get another one when it konks out,which it will. snuffy
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Post by orrum on Sept 25, 2017 7:51:41 GMT -5
I love HB stuff, that said nobody seems to like their tumblers.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Sept 25, 2017 18:11:26 GMT -5
I found a 'gently used Chicago Electric Power Tools Rotary Tumbler with a single 3lb. barrel' for $30 on Craigslist. Waste of money? Worth it? I won't bother if y'all say it's junk. I don't have the money for anything but an amazing deal. For the single barrel, it was probably $30 brand new, so... not an amazing deal at all. I do tumble in harbor freight rotary tumblers and they're fine, sometimes I post my polished stones. You can get terrific results esp. with easy stones like jaspers, agates, quartz, amethyst. However, never, ever buy their vibes, they're not sturdy enough for rock tumbling.
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Post by spiceman on Sept 25, 2017 23:33:50 GMT -5
Yep, the Vibs are a waste of money. Leave it be. I've had a single barrel for over a year now, running 24/7. And the only troubles, was with the barrel. Not a bad deal at 25% off. But, you get good and bad product of any kind.
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Post by aDave on Sept 26, 2017 0:10:48 GMT -5
While I have never owned one, there are enough negative posts on this forum to keep me from ever considering these units. The initial cost is attractive, but they seemingly fail often and alot of money is thrown at them just to make them serviceable over the long term. Don't do it.
Dave
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mountainmanent
having dreams about rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 71
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Post by mountainmanent on Sept 26, 2017 5:04:33 GMT -5
I have one HF 3lb single barrel running now since the first of April and considering the amount of rock it has tumbled it has paid for itself. If it would quit today I would go buy another one. I have had my 2 lortones for a few years and they spin a little faster but I honestly don't see a difference other then the barrel nut
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Post by grumpybill on Sept 26, 2017 5:59:20 GMT -5
...it has paid for itself. If it would quit today I would go buy another one. I've never used a HF tumbler, but I have bought tools there. Mostly things I don't foresee using often. Quality is hit or miss, but between their generous return policy and price I consider it a bargain. If it breaks after a year or two, I can buy another and sometimes still come out ahead. (Disclosure: One of my sons worked at the local store for a while, so I took advantage of his employee discount while I could.)
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Sept 26, 2017 9:26:17 GMT -5
The last set of Cabochons I pulled out of my Harbor Freight Tumbler (please note, hubby saws my flats and I do some pre-shaping on the cabbing wheel), all sanding & polishing is done in the Harbor Freight rotary. The polish is actually better than shown in the photos, I don't know how to photograph polish real well without hitting all kinds of reflections. So, yeah... I like these inexpensive tumblers just fine. I just don't see the point of paying $30 for used, cheap as they already are.
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Post by broseph82 on Sept 28, 2017 8:31:11 GMT -5
I found a 'gently used Chicago Electric Power Tools Rotary Tumbler with a single 3lb. barrel' for $30 on Craigslist. Waste of money? Worth it? I won't bother if y'all say it's junk. I don't have the money for anything but an amazing deal. For the single barrel, it was probably $30 brand new, so... not an amazing deal at all. I do tumble in harbor freight rotary tumblers and they're fine, sometimes I post my polished stones. You can get terrific results esp. with easy stones like jaspers, agates, quartz, amethyst. However, never, ever buy their vibes, they're not sturdy enough for rock tumbling. The rotaries are meant for rocks whereas the vibes are meant for shell casings. No where near compatible to a vibratory tumbler meant for rocks.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Sept 28, 2017 9:48:52 GMT -5
They can be had brand new for about 50$. I bought a gently used on for 10$ and ran it till it crapped out. Lasted a little over a year. The belts were crap but a Lortone belt fit and lasted. The barrel is thinner than Lortone 3 pounders and was about at the end of its life when I stopped using it.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,676
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Post by Fossilman on Sept 28, 2017 14:33:26 GMT -5
My friend has a HF and it feeds off belts,like we eat burgers..Belt being replaced every few months! (Not good)!!! A few other people around here have some too,pure junk! They won't tumble when its hot out,the motor gets to warm.. A friend of mine had one that just quit on him... I'm going to tear it apart to see how and why it gave up... Should be interesting.. Yes save the extra $50.00 and get a nice tumbler that will last for years to come! I have my Dad's old Lortone 3A,its over 35 years old,going strong..
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Post by TheRock on Sept 28, 2017 17:57:17 GMT -5
My friend has a HF and it feeds off belts,like we eat burgers..Belt being replaced every few months! (Not good)!!! A few other people around here have some too,pure junk! They won't tumble when its hot out,the motor gets to warm..A friend of mine had one that just quit on him... I'm going to tear it apart to see how and why it gave up... Should be interesting.. Yes save the extra $50.00 and get a nice tumbler that will last for years to come! I have my Dad's old Lortone 3A,its over 35 years old,going strong.. Gee Imagine That! Thanks Fossilman you made my day! Cheers ~Duke
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Sept 28, 2017 19:41:32 GMT -5
Well, heck, according to the Nat'l Weather Service, I think we just went through the hottest summer in all of human history, and my Harbor Freight is still rolling... I think they do have some QC issues, but all the more reason to buy new. If you get a bad one, take it back for a replacement. And you might get one that's just fine and trouble free...
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Post by broseph82 on Oct 18, 2017 8:40:33 GMT -5
My friend has a HF and it feeds off belts,like we eat burgers..Belt being replaced every few months! (Not good)!!! A few other people around here have some too,pure junk! They won't tumble when its hot out,the motor gets to warm.. A friend of mine had one that just quit on him... I'm going to tear it apart to see how and why it gave up... Should be interesting.. Yes save the extra $50.00 and get a nice tumbler that will last for years to come! I have my Dad's old Lortone 3A,its over 35 years old,going strong.. Weird. I had two 2-barrel HF tumblers going for a year and a half straight and not once broke a belt. I'm tumbling some more glass and trim scraps and it's working just fine. One of these days I'll get a Lortone
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,676
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Post by Fossilman on Oct 18, 2017 9:49:38 GMT -5
My friend has a HF and it feeds off belts,like we eat burgers..Belt being replaced every few months! (Not good)!!! A few other people around here have some too,pure junk! They won't tumble when its hot out,the motor gets to warm.. A friend of mine had one that just quit on him... I'm going to tear it apart to see how and why it gave up... Should be interesting.. Yes save the extra $50.00 and get a nice tumbler that will last for years to come! I have my Dad's old Lortone 3A,its over 35 years old,going strong.. Weird. I had two 2-barrel HF tumblers going for a year and a half straight and not once broke a belt. I'm tumbling some more glass and trim scraps and it's working just fine. One of these days I'll get a Lortone I know a few other people that say the same thing....Makes a guy wonder what goes on with their machines...LOL
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Post by broseph82 on Oct 18, 2017 16:37:09 GMT -5
fossilman ...and it's the original belt that came with the tumbler
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Oct 18, 2017 20:43:09 GMT -5
My friend has a HF and it feeds off belts,like we eat burgers..Belt being replaced every few months! (Not good)!!! A few other people around here have some too,pure junk! They won't tumble when its hot out,the motor gets to warm.. A friend of mine had one that just quit on him... I'm going to tear it apart to see how and why it gave up... Should be interesting.. Yes save the extra $50.00 and get a nice tumbler that will last for years to come! I have my Dad's old Lortone 3A,its over 35 years old,going strong.. Well then you wanna go here my friend: www.durabelt.com/roundoringinfo.php
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Oct 18, 2017 20:47:02 GMT -5
Weird. I had two 2-barrel HF tumblers going for a year and a half straight and not once broke a belt. I'm tumbling some more glass and trim scraps and it's working just fine. One of these days I'll get a Lortone I know a few other people that say the same thing....Makes a guy wonder what goes on with their machines...LOL Yep, me to. Bought my double barrel just before the last Christmas and have run it 24/7. Never thought about the belt but if you need to buy a bunch I've found great product/price/service at: www.durabelt.com/roundoringinfo.php
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ubermenehune
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 293
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Post by ubermenehune on Oct 19, 2017 12:42:19 GMT -5
The issue with HF isn't inferior performance. It's quality control. A functional unit will work the same as a Lortone. There's simply a higher rate of failure or malfunction.
For example, out of 100 HF tumblers sold, 30 units may have some sort of defect. The other 70 work perfectly fine.
Compare that to a Lortone, where 5 out 100 might be defective.
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bills
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since March 2016
Posts: 93
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Post by bills on Oct 19, 2017 20:54:44 GMT -5
I have 2 of the 13# hf vibes, they work great and are affordable (20% off coupon). The only problem is the lids so far easily fixed with a plywood top (makes them a lot quieter) Been running them for the last 2 years. bill
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