Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ Vibratory Case Tumbler with Clear Viewing Lid and Durable Construction for Reloading Cleaning and Dry

This is my second Frankford Arsenal tumbler. I was using the first one sense 2017. My friend got in to reloading and I gave him my tumbler to try. He liked it so much that I gave it to him to help him out and just bought this new tumbler for myself. I did the funnel mod to it. Works perfectly. Did I need to do the mod? No but I feel it helps to moving the media more. Just my opinion. I also replaced the wing nut with a knob star nut because I think it is more easy to get on and off. Again, just my opinion. This new tumbler is so quiet while it runs without the lid on. Quality product for a good price. I use Nu Finish car polish in the crushed walnut Zilla pet bedding and my cases come out perfectly clean. The Nu Finish not only helps polish the cases but leaves a slight film that keeps the brass from tarnishing over time. I seldom use my Frankford Arsenal rotary wet tumbler with stainless steel pins anymore. The wet tumbler works good but I like this tumblers results much more better. I like when something works and is simple to use. Enjoy. Read more

I took a chance on this tumbler, given its low price in comparison with similar machines on the market. I have started restoring straight razors and needed a way to get a high shine on the blade. It doesn't work quick and it is not silent but it does the job exceptionally well! My blades come out with a mirror shine you can read news print off of. This tumbler is not quite but I have heard the same of many other similar products. I have run this machine 24 hours a day, with only short rests, for over a week now. No overheating at all! During the day, the noise is not bothersome. But I am a light sleeper and with the tumbler in my garage 35 feet away, I can hear it. Closing my bedroom door is enough to allow me to drift off easily. I intend to make a box with sound proofing material. I do intend to be running this machine a LOT!!! I had a concern with the threaded rod being exposed and nicking my blades as they tumbled. I took care of that with a very small funnel, approximately 1 1/2" to 2" tall that I put around the bottom part of the nut and threads. I then used some plastic toilet or sink water supply line which I had to drill out to allow it to slip over the remainder of the exposed thread. It works GREAT! No more worry about nicking my blades and the tumbler works even better. Ends up I did not have to put the supply line plastic on as the way the tumbler circulates, no item in it comes near the upper threads, just the very bottom covered by the funnel. But the upper thread covering gives me piece of mind and when I put the cover on and tighten the wing nut, it compresses the supply line and helps to hold the funnel in place. Something I learned by observation: the tumbler is suppose to have a horizontal clockwise rotation as well as a vertical rolling or "tumbling" action. I noticed that at times I was losing the horizontal rotation which is necessary to allow the machine to work at its best. I learned that tightening the wing nut down too tight will affect this rotation. Just ease up on the nut a bit. You should see a visible horizontal and vertical rotation and you know things are hunky dory! Highly recommended! Read more

The media could not be loaded. I use this to polish rocks from stages 2-4 with ceramic media and grit and a small amount of water, just enough to get the grit to stick to the stones. It does a very nice job for this application- average time to complete each stage is 2-3 days vs. 7+ in a rotary tumbler. You still need to use a rotary tumbler for the first stage as a vibratory tumbler won’t round off or blunt sharp edges, but it does a nice job smoothing the surfaces without really changing the shape of the rocks. You do have to watch to make sure the rocks and media stay moist the entire time- you don’t want the grit to dry on the rocks or in the machine or you’ll have a terrible concrete-like mess to clean up. You’ll also not want to add too much water or you’ll end up with a thick slurry in the bottom of the tumbler and it will significantly slow the movement of the rocks around in the tumbler and hinder the vibration action. Like any vibratory tumbler, this tumbler is loud, but not as loud as some other vibratory tumblers I have tried that were so loud that I had to wear ear protection just to walk into the room. You’ll want to use it in a workshop or garage and check it at least twice a day to make sure you are maintaining the right amount of moisture in it and the rocks are freely moving through the ceramic media without lagging on the bottom too long. So far, the tumbler has been running continuously for 2 weeks straight with only 20-30 minutes off every few days while I dump the rocks and media and thoroughly scrub out the vibration bowl before adding the next stage’s clean ceramic media and grit and the rocks back in. Even in my garage in the summer, the tumbler has not overheated or had any issues with basically having continuous 24/7 use. I am very impressed with the performance considering the lower price point. I liked it so much that I just purchased a second unit that I will use exclusively for the final polishing stage! Note: I do have the cover on it at night and when I have to go away for more than 4 hours to help preserve the moisture level when I can’t check it frequently. I don’t have young children or animals that I have to worry about sticking hands or paws in it or knocking it over. Having the cover on does cut the noise level a little bit, but it also holds the heat in that is generated by the friction of the vibration, so you’ll notice the rocks and media feel warmer when you open the cover after a few hours than it would feel if you are running it without the cover on. At no time ever have the rocks been hot to the touch- just slightly warm. Read more