MrCoffee
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2005
Posts: 634
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Post by MrCoffee on Apr 14, 2006 14:55:52 GMT -5
Speaking with the representative today, we discussed my old tumbler from 4th grade, "Trusty Rusty". Its belt is getting a bit old and worn. So, calling them up they decided to send me a new belt free of charge!
Over the last month of working with them, I have noticed better communication and friendliness. Also, I purchased a vintage 3A-NR off of EBay, brand new and still in its original box. I observed the new old stock tumbler's hammertone finish. The light blue powder coat they are currently using has proven to be more durable and stays on better, as evident from my use of the LU6X recently.
I want to give Lortone credit for putting forth their best effort to please their customers. The pricing on their products remains good, and so far I have had good luck with my purchases from their vendors. Have others seen any changes with Lortone service lately? Improvements? If so, then please feel free to add to this thread.
MrCoffee
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polished
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 567
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Post by polished on Apr 14, 2006 20:07:47 GMT -5
Well I'm in the process of shipping my new 3lb tumbler to them - purchased from Alpha Supply - to see if they can fix whatever-the-heck is wrong with it. I figure if they can fix it for less than a new purchase, I'll be happy. Will know soon how good their service/repair department is !
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wades
starting to spend too much on rocks
Gottfried Reiche (1667-1734)
Member since February 2006
Posts: 202
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Post by wades on Apr 14, 2006 22:51:53 GMT -5
Well I'm in the process of shipping my new 3lb tumbler to them - purchased from Alpha Supply - to see if they can fix whatever-the-heck is wrong with it. I figure if they can fix it for less than a new purchase, I'll be happy. Will know soon how good their service/repair department is ! If it's new, I'd think they ought to fix it for nothing. Or just send you a good one. |
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polished
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 567
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Post by polished on Apr 15, 2006 18:04:14 GMT -5
That'd be best-case-senario, but I'm not holding my breath. It seems no matter what you buy, no matter who you buy it from, they find an explanation that includes you having mucked up a perfectly good unit !
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pest
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2006
Posts: 77
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Post by pest on Apr 17, 2006 15:01:27 GMT -5
Hey you're in my neck of the woods! I just moved from Port Orchard to Shelton.
I had the same thing happen with a car I bought, it threw a rod and somehow it was supposed to be my fault on a car with 278,000 miles on it.
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polished
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 567
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Post by polished on Apr 17, 2006 15:42:02 GMT -5
Ah, greetings ! I came back to small town PO after living in the big city of Seattle for 10 years - never could have started tumbling rocks in an apartment (thank heavens for a nice garage to do noisy hobbies in) As for Lortone - it was my own stupid fault NOT keeping that original receipt - I have a habit of tossing those things once my new toy is working, not even thinking it might break down within a month. My new unit has it's original receipt all neatly tucked away in a safe place !!
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Karen
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2006
Posts: 145
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Post by Karen on Apr 17, 2006 16:22:13 GMT -5
Oh nooo! Not the "safe place" Whenever I put something in a "safe place" I never see it again.....
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polished
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 567
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Post by polished on Apr 17, 2006 17:16:28 GMT -5
Good point . . . maybe I should give it to my cats to play with, then I'll be tripping over it for months!
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Karen
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2006
Posts: 145
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Post by Karen on Apr 17, 2006 17:33:41 GMT -5
I've found that the only way I can keep track of little things like receipts is to put them in a zip lock bag and tape to the bottom of the item.
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polished
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 567
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Post by polished on Apr 26, 2006 15:19:36 GMT -5
Update on my tumbler issues - I packed up my little 3lb'er and sent it to Lortone with a letter saying what had happened and what it was/wasn't doing, as Lortone manager Jim Bryant suggested. I sent it to them on Friday, in an overnight box that (as usual) the post awful got to them yesterday. Today I sent him an email asking the status, and I got a phone call back from Jim - they're in the midst of a huge computer system change, and a physical inventory, but he'd checked it out and believes it will be an easy thing to fix and will do so at no charge, and have it heading back my way by next Tuesday.
I'll report back when it arrives, and see if he's true to his word and fixed it. If so, I'll have 2 tumblers to play with - twice the fun as one :-)
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Post by sandsman1 on Apr 30, 2006 21:30:45 GMT -5
ok i turned on my panther saw and it just sat there and looked at me so after checkin it out i found the wire burned off the ---on and off switch so i sent jim an email im hopein to get another one fast --i dont know if its still under warentee or not i realy dont care ill pay for one if its not i got alotta stuff to cut and its down without it and i have never see one like this in stores iv been in -- i could rig up a toggle but i dont wanna add holes or what not so ill wait and see what happens if i have to later i will but im sure they have them stocked for sale
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MrCoffee
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2005
Posts: 634
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Post by MrCoffee on Apr 30, 2006 22:58:14 GMT -5
Well, I guess that means I'll have to get my next tumbler from Covington. It's too bad about the situation with Lortone, but I tried anyway.
MrCoffee
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Post by sandsman1 on Apr 30, 2006 23:40:53 GMT -5
mrcoffee i have bragged about lortone products for awile and i have been hearing nuttin but bad things about there saws and grinders paint fallin off weeks after gotten machines comminig in pieces with pieces missin --i have had good luck with there tumblers i have owned prob 6 or 7 and have never had a prob and a few of them are very old from ebay with the hammerd lookin goldish paint and they have still worked fine for me but my new saw has been a dissapointment from the get only a few weeks after gettin it my first clean out the paint was commin off inside and the hood was all blistered ---when they painted them they didnt use a primer coat and the blue paint they use dosent stick to bare metal and im sure in a few more months im gonna have a bare saw hahaha i have been watchin kims covington and unless i seen a major improvement in the paint alone on lortones ill be buyin a covington when i get my next saw because my lortone is gettin rusty allready--- ill prob just useit till i can scrape up enuff to buy a new covington
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rumbletumble
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2005
Posts: 308
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Post by rumbletumble on May 20, 2006 7:24:37 GMT -5
Well, I will let you know what happens here. in Jan. I bought a second tumbler. Was working on having a place to place two tumblers in my condo and got pretty sick which put off opening it for another couple of mo. A couple of weeks ago I started it. The rpms were good and at first rum seemed fine Last week I put a new barrel of rough on it and it vibrated quite a bit. I checked the rods and had a friend go into the motor . The flywheel is pretty badly bent and the belt has been hitting the fan and is about cut in two. I would think I caused it, but I can't see how. Any thoughts? I checked the older one and could see a little wabbling in the fly wheel and a slight amount of frey but figured that might be normal. I bought this from Sean at Rock Shed but plan to call Lortone on Mon. Have really enjoyed my first one so I hope this can easily be remedied. Will let you know.
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Sally
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rumbletumble
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2005
Posts: 308
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Post by rumbletumble on May 25, 2006 14:39:49 GMT -5
Noted on the other thread everything is going well at this pont
Sally
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MrCoffee
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2005
Posts: 634
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Post by MrCoffee on May 29, 2006 22:06:11 GMT -5
I would say that Covington is your best bet on a saw, sandsman1. I know that the 36 pound tumbler I bought used has never leaked, and another Covington I borrowed from someone else many years ago didn't leak either. Both have proven to be very reliable.
I visited a local rock show recently, and saw a Lortone 45C at one vendor. The finish on that tumbler looked good, and it seemed like it was well made. This one had two barrel guides rather than one, which I thought as being rather odd. Maybe they figured it would help when someone wanted the barrel to face forward, rather than back. The older ones don't have the extra barrel guide. I was tempted, because I can use a single 5 or 6 pound rotary to go with the 3 pounder I won on EBay. I'm thinking that I could go with a QT-6 instead.
At this point, I think I have bought up about all the equipment I could use without needing some sort of garage. Perhaps an Ameritool or Hi-Tech flat lap and an extra vibe would round out the collection. I would like a slab saw, but am concerned about running one of those in an apartment, so I suppose I'll have to reconsider. I wonder if that Covington 10" slab/trim would fulfill the need without running the risk and taking up too much space?
MrCoffee
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