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Post by roswelljero on Nov 7, 2009 0:27:17 GMT -5
I have a Lortone 33B and love it. Looking on eBay I noticed dual barrel tumblers made by Thumler and Chicago Electric. Does anyone have any experience with these or other brands? How do they compare to Lortone?
TIA
Later,
jeri
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 7, 2009 6:01:38 GMT -5
I have run a Thumler A-R2 24/7 for a year now. Only had to replace two lids due to wear. It's a great machine, but the lids can be prone to popping off if you don't use care when sealing them. The thermal shut-off featured on their motors saved my tumbler from burning out once already. Two thumbs up on these. Plus ... they are red and match my pick-up truck!
There is a lot of bad publicity with CE. Problems with drive belts and motor burn out. Others will chime in.
Darryl.
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Post by Toad on Nov 7, 2009 9:01:39 GMT -5
Some make the CE work by switching to another brand's belts. But do all all I've heard about the 3 brands you mentioned. I'd stick with Lortone and Thumler, and avoid CE.
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Post by tkrueger3 on Nov 7, 2009 15:25:05 GMT -5
I run both Lortone and Thumler's with multiple barrels. Both are pretty reliable, but I find I prefer the Lortone due to the design of the barrels. I always have trouble with the Thumler's barrels, trying to get them to not leak. Very touchy.
Both of them do a great job of tumbling, though.
Tom
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Post by connrock on Nov 7, 2009 15:30:44 GMT -5
"If it aint broke don't fix it"
If the Lortone is doing good buy another!
I have 3 brands and like them all!
connrock
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Post by rocklicker on Nov 7, 2009 16:03:42 GMT -5
I use Lortones and prefer them over any brand. I can't say much about Thumblers but have read on the board they are as reliable and sturdy as Lortones. As far as the CE tumblers it's a case of you get what you pay for. I used two in the past and have nothing but problems with them. The belts break right away. You can replace them but the motors will burn out and the barrels tend to wear quicker. Many here report that once you fix all the inherent problems with them they work fine. I gave mine away after two batches and stick to Lortones. I agree with conrock. If you like the Lortone then stick with what works. If you are looking to save a little money, a good used Lortone or Thumblers will probably outperform a new CE tumbler.
Steve
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Nov 7, 2009 19:04:01 GMT -5
I've been using Lortones for years and years ( 33B's, QT12s and 66's) have four rigs running 24/7 year round. I really like the Lortone barrel design and the barrels last a long time. Overall, Lortones IMHO are not as well made and durable as they once were and new, out of the box, usually have to be readjusted and tinkered with a bit to run well. But, since I cannibalize old rigs to keep them all running and am used to working on them, I'll stick with the brand. Main problem I seem to have is the motors are not as good as they once were so I can't run loads that are 3/4 full of rock like I used to. Now I carefully weigh loads to make sure they are not too heavy and I find as the machines get to be a couple of years old, I have to reduce load weight even further.....Mel
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lablover2484
starting to shine!
Member since September 2008
Posts: 39
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Post by lablover2484 on Nov 8, 2009 0:44:09 GMT -5
I use the Lortones and thumblers both as well, I started a few years ago with CE and they went through belts like crazy and then just stopped working, the motors burnt up. I would stay away from CE if i was you, they are a real pain.
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Post by roswelljero on Nov 8, 2009 3:49:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the input! I've never had a leak with my Lortone, so I'll stick with that brand.
Later,
jeri
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