NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Professional Rock Tumbler Kit- Advanced features include Shutoff Timer and Speed Control - 2lb Barrel, 1lb Gemstones, 4 Polishing Grits, Jewelry Fastenings and Learning Guide

My great-grandfather used to tumble rocks in Missouri and it was always something I was fascinated by. To the extent that I received a tumbler from my parents one year as a child and used to tumble rocks as a hobby. I was vacationing in Cape Cod recently and found so many gorgeous stones on the beach and was inspired to get a tumbler again and start the hobby back up. I'm not disappointed at all! The varying speeds and timer you can set for the tumbler all work perfectly. The instruction guide is simple and straight forward and of course the gemstones that come with the tumbler are already coming out beautifully. I'm on the fourth day of my second phase of the tumbling process and I can't wait to see the finished product. When my rocks ship in from the Cape I'll have a year's worth of fun. It is a little noisy but that's to be expected with a rock tumbler. I put it in a room far away from the quiet spaces in my home and it's churning away doing its work as I type. I love it!

After researching many tumblers, I decided on this one and couldn't be more pleased for the price. It's sturdy and relatively quiet but not so much that I keep it in my main living quarters. I keep it in the basement as the tumbler itself is very quiet but the rocks hitting each other began to get on my nerves at a distance of about 12 feet. This tumbler does a remarkable job and the kit included everything I needed. The stones are gorgeous and my grandchildren have already claimed which stones they want Memaw to make jewelry with for them. Great investment and really awesome to see what a rock just might be. Great fun!

First off, if you want smooth rocks this will give you smooth rocks. If you want shiny rocks there's a few things you need to know. First and foremost it takes time 4+ weeks (5 weeks is probably more realistic) this ISN'T a limitation of the machine just a fact of the process. Another fact of the process and some education for would be buyers is that what you put into the tumbler will greatly effect what you get back out. The package comes with a starter mix of stones. This is great except the stones can very in hardness. This means as they tumble some will chip in small ways and those chips will scratch the other stones keeping them from getting a really nice polish. This can be somewhat minimized by being meticulous when changing between the grit cycles by taking care to wash all the residue off the stones and cleansing all aspects of the tumbling drum to ensure there are no small particles left after the previous cycle. The stones should be examined for ones that seem to be chipping and removed as they will foul the overall results.After nearly five weeks of tumbling my rocks were smooth but cloudy, not shiny at all in most cases. I had been very careful about cleanliness but not about mixed levels of hardness between the stones. Further research yielded some additional finds and limitations and have led me to the following recommendations. After the 3rd cycle separate the stones: the ones that look like gems (rose quartz, aventurine, etc) from the ones that look like pretty rocks (Dalmatian & hematite) from the ones that look like really fancy rocks (jasper & Tiger's eye). These will hopefully have similar hardness and therefore not be likely to lead to micro chipping and flaking that ruins the overall results. IF you're looking for shiny polished stones rather than just smooth this will require separate step 4 tumbling cycles each 7-10 days in duration. Which means you will have to buy additional cycle 4 grit, these are readily available on Amazon and come in large quantities for a reasonable price. There is an additional caveat here though as these smaller batches may require some filler in the tumbling drum to prevent damage to each other as they spin. This is fortunately reduced thanks to the speed setting on this tumbler (A VERY big plus!) This filler material (ceramic filler and/or plastic pellets) can also by purchased but as you can imagine this starts to add up a little. You can try tumbling them w/out first but if they still won't take a shine then add one or both of the filler (and another pack of days to the process.)I feel the machine is a good buy for the hobbyist and it seems sturdy and the settings for speed and duration of cycle are really great features. It comes with material to get you up and running but be aware that it may not give you the end result you expect without some additional products and/or time. I would rate 5 star except I feel they should trade the jewelry finding components for additional stage 4 grit and possibly at least plastic tumbling filler. I'm not sure something like this would make a great gift for someone unless they are really patient or serious rock enthusiasts. ALSO OF NOTE: if you have some jewelry or silver that needs polished you can buy stainless steel shot and put them in the tumbler for a short bit and they will shine them up for you. Save the shot afterward for reuse.

I am really enjoying using this rock tumbler. It amazes me how a plain ol dirty rock can shine into such a beautiful piece. This does exactly what it says it will do. You have to have patience and realize it takes time to get good results. This is very sturdy. It is not a big tumbler, put works perfect for me. I have had an issue with the power cord. But the Nation Geographic Customers service, is amazing!!! I have never had better treatment as a customer anywhere. I have worked in customer service my entire life, and let me tell you, companies should apsolutly follow their example. I will continue to purchase products from them as much as I can. I can not recommend them enough!!

Rocks did better if I ran each cycle on the lowest speed for 7 to 9 days. I ran this 24/7 for 6 months straight over the past 5 years. I keep it in the shed so winter is too cold to run it. The motor just gave out this month. I can’t complain, as I have had great success with this tumbler. I would recommend it as a lower cost beginners tumbler. I think my next tumbler will be a bit more advanced as I make jewelry from the rocks I tumble. Over all I do recommend this product as it has done me well.

Jag tyckte att trumlaren fungerade väldigt bra! Jag har inte haft några tekniska problem. Jag läste på en del på nätet under min trumling och har några punkter där det här paketet kan bli bättre.1. Poleringspulvret som kommer med är inte bra, stenarna blir inte skinande, på bilden har jag använt tenn oxid som jag köpt vid sidan om.2. Mängden sten som ingår är för lite för att fylla trumman ordentligt efter första fasen. De borde skickat med någon media, t.ex keramisk eller i plast, för att fylla ut. Risken är annars stor att stenarna skadas under de sista två faserna.

Die Trommel ist bei Funktionsmerkmalen und der Optik stark an die Steintrommel von Dan&Darci angelehnt, allerdings mit dem Vorteil, dass diese hier einen größeren Behälter hat, der fast das Doppelte dessen aufnimmt, was der von Dan&Darci verpackt. Ansonsten gilt für beide, dass sie recht zuverlässig funktionieren - auch im Dauerbetrieb. Und der Motor heizt sich nicht so stark auf, wie die Geräte von Lortone, so dass man diese Trommeln auch mal zur Schalldämpfung in eine größere Kiste stecken kann, ohne dass sie gleich zu glühen anfangen. Insofern also 5 Sterne.Die Grits von National Geographic würde ich dagegen nicht empfehlen. Sie sind nicht nur sehr teuer, sondern teilweise sehr problematisch, insb. Grit #2 für die zweite Bearbeitungsstufe. Preiswerter und zuverlässiger sind die entsprechenden Angebote z.B. von mineraliengrosshandel.com. Und wer zuverlässig glänzende Endergebnisse bekommen möchte, der sollte ohnehin zu den 4 Bearbeitungsstufen noch eine fünfte mit Aluminiumoxid-Polierpulver nachschieben - je nach Steinhärte für ein paar Tage bis eine Woche. Und ein zusätzlicher Schuss Spüli oder Ajax Glasklar ist nach meiner Erfahrung ebenfalls hilfreich für einen überzeugenden Glanz.

After searching the internet for a rock tumbling machine, I eventually looked at this one. As a beginner I wanted something that wasn't vastly expensive but would do the job I wanted, and be of a good quality.Although this wasn't the cheapest tumbler I was impressed enough with the specification and reviews to place an order.The tumbler arrived next day and was immediately put to work.The results are absolutely fantastic and I am highly impressed.Noise is moderate and acceptable and ease of use is great.I would thoroughly recommend this tumbler to anyone starting out, and also the supplier for speed of delivery.

Génial pour les enfants comme pour les adultes!

My great-grandfather used to tumble rocks in Missouri and it was always something I was fascinated by. To the extent that I received a tumbler from my parents one year as a child and used to tumble rocks as a hobby. I was vacationing in Cape Cod recently and found so many gorgeous stones on the beach and was inspired to get a tumbler again and start the hobby back up. I'm not disappointed at all! The varying speeds and timer you can set for the tumbler all work perfectly. The instruction guide is simple and straight forward and of course the gemstones that come with the tumbler are already coming out beautifully. I'm on the fourth day of my second phase of the tumbling process and I can't wait to see the finished product. When my rocks ship in from the Cape I'll have a year's worth of fun. It is a little noisy but that's to be expected with a rock tumbler. I put it in a room far away from the quiet spaces in my home and it's churning away doing its work as I type. I love it!

After researching many tumblers, I decided on this one and couldn't be more pleased for the price. It's sturdy and relatively quiet but not so much that I keep it in my main living quarters. I keep it in the basement as the tumbler itself is very quiet but the rocks hitting each other began to get on my nerves at a distance of about 12 feet. This tumbler does a remarkable job and the kit included everything I needed. The stones are gorgeous and my grandchildren have already claimed which stones they want Memaw to make jewelry with for them. Great investment and really awesome to see what a rock just might be. Great fun!

First off, if you want smooth rocks this will give you smooth rocks. If you want shiny rocks there's a few things you need to know. First and foremost it takes time 4+ weeks (5 weeks is probably more realistic) this ISN'T a limitation of the machine just a fact of the process. Another fact of the process and some education for would be buyers is that what you put into the tumbler will greatly effect what you get back out. The package comes with a starter mix of stones. This is great except the stones can very in hardness. This means as they tumble some will chip in small ways and those chips will scratch the other stones keeping them from getting a really nice polish. This can be somewhat minimized by being meticulous when changing between the grit cycles by taking care to wash all the residue off the stones and cleansing all aspects of the tumbling drum to ensure there are no small particles left after the previous cycle. The stones should be examined for ones that seem to be chipping and removed as they will foul the overall results.After nearly five weeks of tumbling my rocks were smooth but cloudy, not shiny at all in most cases. I had been very careful about cleanliness but not about mixed levels of hardness between the stones. Further research yielded some additional finds and limitations and have led me to the following recommendations. After the 3rd cycle separate the stones: the ones that look like gems (rose quartz, aventurine, etc) from the ones that look like pretty rocks (Dalmatian & hematite) from the ones that look like really fancy rocks (jasper & Tiger's eye). These will hopefully have similar hardness and therefore not be likely to lead to micro chipping and flaking that ruins the overall results. IF you're looking for shiny polished stones rather than just smooth this will require separate step 4 tumbling cycles each 7-10 days in duration. Which means you will have to buy additional cycle 4 grit, these are readily available on Amazon and come in large quantities for a reasonable price. There is an additional caveat here though as these smaller batches may require some filler in the tumbling drum to prevent damage to each other as they spin. This is fortunately reduced thanks to the speed setting on this tumbler (A VERY big plus!) This filler material (ceramic filler and/or plastic pellets) can also by purchased but as you can imagine this starts to add up a little. You can try tumbling them w/out first but if they still won't take a shine then add one or both of the filler (and another pack of days to the process.)I feel the machine is a good buy for the hobbyist and it seems sturdy and the settings for speed and duration of cycle are really great features. It comes with material to get you up and running but be aware that it may not give you the end result you expect without some additional products and/or time. I would rate 5 star except I feel they should trade the jewelry finding components for additional stage 4 grit and possibly at least plastic tumbling filler. I'm not sure something like this would make a great gift for someone unless they are really patient or serious rock enthusiasts. ALSO OF NOTE: if you have some jewelry or silver that needs polished you can buy stainless steel shot and put them in the tumbler for a short bit and they will shine them up for you. Save the shot afterward for reuse.

I am really enjoying using this rock tumbler. It amazes me how a plain ol dirty rock can shine into such a beautiful piece. This does exactly what it says it will do. You have to have patience and realize it takes time to get good results. This is very sturdy. It is not a big tumbler, put works perfect for me. I have had an issue with the power cord. But the Nation Geographic Customers service, is amazing!!! I have never had better treatment as a customer anywhere. I have worked in customer service my entire life, and let me tell you, companies should apsolutly follow their example. I will continue to purchase products from them as much as I can. I can not recommend them enough!!

Rocks did better if I ran each cycle on the lowest speed for 7 to 9 days. I ran this 24/7 for 6 months straight over the past 5 years. I keep it in the shed so winter is too cold to run it. The motor just gave out this month. I can’t complain, as I have had great success with this tumbler. I would recommend it as a lower cost beginners tumbler. I think my next tumbler will be a bit more advanced as I make jewelry from the rocks I tumble. Over all I do recommend this product as it has done me well.

Jag tyckte att trumlaren fungerade väldigt bra! Jag har inte haft några tekniska problem. Jag läste på en del på nätet under min trumling och har några punkter där det här paketet kan bli bättre.1. Poleringspulvret som kommer med är inte bra, stenarna blir inte skinande, på bilden har jag använt tenn oxid som jag köpt vid sidan om.2. Mängden sten som ingår är för lite för att fylla trumman ordentligt efter första fasen. De borde skickat med någon media, t.ex keramisk eller i plast, för att fylla ut. Risken är annars stor att stenarna skadas under de sista två faserna.

Die Trommel ist bei Funktionsmerkmalen und der Optik stark an die Steintrommel von Dan&Darci angelehnt, allerdings mit dem Vorteil, dass diese hier einen größeren Behälter hat, der fast das Doppelte dessen aufnimmt, was der von Dan&Darci verpackt. Ansonsten gilt für beide, dass sie recht zuverlässig funktionieren - auch im Dauerbetrieb. Und der Motor heizt sich nicht so stark auf, wie die Geräte von Lortone, so dass man diese Trommeln auch mal zur Schalldämpfung in eine größere Kiste stecken kann, ohne dass sie gleich zu glühen anfangen. Insofern also 5 Sterne.Die Grits von National Geographic würde ich dagegen nicht empfehlen. Sie sind nicht nur sehr teuer, sondern teilweise sehr problematisch, insb. Grit #2 für die zweite Bearbeitungsstufe. Preiswerter und zuverlässiger sind die entsprechenden Angebote z.B. von mineraliengrosshandel.com. Und wer zuverlässig glänzende Endergebnisse bekommen möchte, der sollte ohnehin zu den 4 Bearbeitungsstufen noch eine fünfte mit Aluminiumoxid-Polierpulver nachschieben - je nach Steinhärte für ein paar Tage bis eine Woche. Und ein zusätzlicher Schuss Spüli oder Ajax Glasklar ist nach meiner Erfahrung ebenfalls hilfreich für einen überzeugenden Glanz.

After searching the internet for a rock tumbling machine, I eventually looked at this one. As a beginner I wanted something that wasn't vastly expensive but would do the job I wanted, and be of a good quality.Although this wasn't the cheapest tumbler I was impressed enough with the specification and reviews to place an order.The tumbler arrived next day and was immediately put to work.The results are absolutely fantastic and I am highly impressed.Noise is moderate and acceptable and ease of use is great.I would thoroughly recommend this tumbler to anyone starting out, and also the supplier for speed of delivery.

Génial pour les enfants comme pour les adultes!