National Geographic Professional Rock Tumbler Kit- Rock Polisher for Kids and Adults, Complete Rock Tumbler Kit with Durable Tumbler, Rocks, Grit, and Our New GemFoam Polisher, A Great STEM Hobby
| Dimensions: | 32 x 17.02 x 26.04 cm; 3.08 Kilograms |
| Material: | Plastic |
| Batteries Required: | No |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Assembly: | No |
| Material: | Plastic |
| Reference: | NGPROTUMBLER3 |
Great machine, but get more grit before you start, the grit supplied is not enough!
The machine is a lot quieter than I expected, roughly about as loud as a washing machine at full speed with a full barrel but I would recommend putting it on some styrofoam to cushion and absorb some of the vibration, it does make a difference to the noise levels. Heat dissipation is good, it doesn’t get hot after running for 8 days straight. It does what it is supposed to do, and it does it well if used properly. Overall, it’s a great little machine, and it’s a fun hobby. Once you’ve tumbled a few rocks, you’ll be amazed how a seemingly boring little pebble can turn out to be a beautiful mineral specimen!
However…National Geographic don’t provide enough grit to do the job. Generally speaking, you want to use 30g of grit per 450g of rocks. The tumbler comes with 20g sachets of grit for each of the 4 stages, and it’s a 907g barrel, so you have enough grit to tumble about 227g of rocks. If you have more than that, it simply wont give you the result you’re after, and you’ll need to start all over again with more grit. If you’re going to get into rock tumbling, you have get used to weighing out your rocks and grit, because it really does matter. A little bit more grit in the barrel is better than not enough, but too much creates too thick a slurry and the rocks can’t tumble properly.
The larger the rocks are, the fewer you can tumble together, and they will either need to be tumbled on their own, or with just a couple of other largeer rocks, along with some ceramic filler to help with the tumbling process, which Nat Geo do not provide. This is not an issue with this tumbler, it would be exactly the same with any other tumbler, but the lack of ceramic filler limits what you can do, so it’s a bit disappointing Nat Geo didn’t include any. Which brings me neatly to….
Grit Refills. From Nat Geo, Grit Refills are relatively expensive. There are cheaper alternatives to the Nat Geo Grit Refills, they do just as good a job and some of them come with ceramic filler, so do yourself a favour and get some before you start tumbling. You will get far better results than you would just by using the grits supplied with the tumbler.
Nat Geo do not, for some reason, have any spare parts for sale, such as extra barrels, drive belts or GemFoam, which they tout as a revolution in pollishing, but you can only use it 6 times before it’s worn out and after that you cannot replace it. I’m not exactly sure what it’s function is, but I think it’s so you don’t need to tumble the rocks in soapy water for an hour or so after pollishing them in order to burnish them. Of course, this would work out great if Nat Geo sold replacement GemFoam, but they don’t, so it’s back to a good soapy water tumble if you want to burnish your pollished rocks.
You can pick up spare Barrels for around 30.00, and you can get 5 drive belts for around 10.00, from online retailers, but not from Nat Geo themselves. I find this both puzzling and frustrating, since you’re going to need extra drive belts sooner or later (they do provide one spare drive belt with the tumbler), and extra barrels, though not really needed, would be useful as it would allow you to use a different barrel for each stage. You cannot afford to leave any of the coarser grit particles from the prev stage in the barrel for the next stage, or it can scratch your rocks when the idea is to smooth out scratches as each stage progresses, but if you have a seperate barrel for each stage, you can afford to be a little less meticulous about it. Obviously, you still need to clean them out, or the slurry from the tumbling process will set like rock in your barrel, but it wouldn’t matter much if a few stray particles survived the cleaning process as long as the slurry is removed (but don’t put the slurry down the sink, because it absolutely will block your pipes).
In the end, this is a great little machine, only let down by the price of Nat Geo Grit Refills and the lack of spare parts, but they can be sourced elsewhere without too much trouble. If you’re looking to get into Rock Tumbling, you could do a fair bit worse than this tumbler. It really is a nice bit of kit, perfect for the hobbyist getting into rock tumbling.
Too fast but we’ll made
Well made, but speeds are simply too fast even on the lowest setting I find. Too many rocks break up into tiny fragments. Although I am no expert.
Watch YouTube videos before using to get best results. Good fu
There is nothing to dislike about this tumbler, for the price compared to other AND being a hobbyist it suits us very well. My husband has had a stroke so can no longer do the things he used to I use this hobby to give him,
1 something to explore on utube to learn about and remember (very key)
2. To actually ‘ remember’ to check it
3. To give him something to look forward to doing like, searching for pebbles etc
The excitement he gets from ‘opening the tumbler’ is lovely to watch, he loves what comes out.
Later on this year he hopes and I hope he can start to use some tools to cut stones.
He has lost 50% of his sight so it is going to be a big learning curve.
This tumbler is just so easy for him to use and not to noisy either. We put it on a small carpet and that seems to work well.
Thank you geographic people for helping us to move forward with a lovely simple hobby
Truly amazing
My daughter has loved rocks her whole life, so this is a brilliant way for her to take her finds to the next level. It was super simple to use, and the results were just stunning. She LOVES it.
Great tumbler but more grit needed
This is a great product for my nine Yr old son, after some research we discovered that the amount of the course git was not enough to give the proper polished finish (my husband sat through a 45min utube video by a pro) so ordered more off ebay and its working brilliantly.
It arrived within 24 hours and was very easy to set up. Works well. The only potential drawback is the motor or movement from the wheel noise which requires it to be in a room all on its own. Update, after first use for around 20 hours, the lid came off (which I had tightly screwed on) and spilt great sludge all over my cream carpet. I’ve tried it twice again and it seems to loosen after a few hours use
Works well
Does a decent job. Very happy with the rocks I’ve tumbled and has been a fun activity to do with my 11 year old son. My only gripe is the rock supplied are not that interesting but they do end up lovely and smooth and shiny so you can’t fault the tumbler. Also do be careful you tighten the lid properly. I didn’t the first time I used it and it makes a really horrible mess if it comes off!
It is easy to set up and care compare to other tumbler.
It is easy to set up and care compare to other tumbler.
Really fascinating.
Sometimes when on the beach I see some unusual coloured stones and wonder what they would look like all polished. Now I’ll find out.
Good Gift, Somewhat Durable, Watch the Lid
I won’t include a photo as it looks just like the photo. I bought this for my 13 year old son for Christmas and we’ve run some batches through it. It takes about 4-5 weeks to do all the steps so it takes time which is good. It isn’t too loud. We did it in the basement and didn’t see any issues in the rest of the house.
Advantages
-Rubberized tumbling canister for durability and quietness
-Easy to use
-Comes with everything you need (we ordered more grit after as there is only enough for about 2 batches)
-Comes with jewelry parts to put the stones in.
Disadvantages
-The lid can be hard to get off. It seals itself on well. We had to pry the lid open a couple of times to get it off. You have to be really gentle or you can damage the seal.
-The lid can be finicky to get on. One time we must not have got it on quite right and the thing burst open when we were away, made a mess on the table, and almost damaged the machine. So, you should check on it daily. You also need to ensure there is no grit stuck around the lid to ensure a good fit.
-The belt for the machine is very small and the gears for it are plastic. I think this part should be more durable.
I wish they sent more stones to tumble in the kit and more grit. Otherwise, knowing what I know now I would still buy the machine and do recommend it. Just watch for these points and you will be fine.
Broke in 2 weeks
I started the first batch of stones and it was on its 2nd stage of grinding and it suddenly stopped. Lights on but nobody home.
Motor burnt out? Who knows.. but it’s not working now. I’ve Got a pile of half-ground stones and had ordered more to do -but no grinder 🙁
Bought as a present the National Geographic Proffesional rock tumbler appeared to be the ideal gift and the rubber barrel appeared good value for money when compared with others. On opening the box it contains everything you would need to tumble, polish and shine the rocks, semi precious stones and crystals into beautiful objects. The process is made by NG’s very easy to follow as 123 process and offers good results. Of the four tumbling processes we got to number 3 before we noted the rubber drive belt started to continually come off. On further investigation I could see a fine black dust where the tumbler was standing and identified the issue as poor quality large wheel that was very sharp and as such with every turn cut away at the drive belt until the side was flattened and would no longer stay in place and come off following a single turn. Not sure if this was the in the basket but I could only see the spare replacement drive belt supplied may follow the same pattern of excelerated ware and decided to return the tumbler. As this product has increased in price since purchased I am now looking for a better quality replacement without all the extras. The NG Pro was a good all-rounder let down by some poor finish plastic component.
Good but noisy
It is not as quiet as we had thought it would be so we have to keep it outside the house whilst it is running.
Works well, up to my third week of tumbling and very happy with the results so far. Much quieter that previous model. Highly recommend this produc
Works well, up to my third week of tumbling and very happy with the results so far. Much quieter that previous model. Highly recommend this produc
An excellent machine to start tumbling. It is built strong and easy to use. It has automatic cut off if anything goes wrong, eg over filling as I have done. I totally recommend this product. I had a problem with my first one but Amazon/ National Geographic replaced it with no worries. The customer service was above and beyond though out the whole process.
An excellent machine to start tumbling. It is built strong and easy to use. It has automatic cut off if anything goes wrong, eg over filling as I have done. I totally recommend this product. I had a problem with my first one but Amazon/ National Geographic replaced it with no worries. The customer service was above and beyond though out the whole process.
Daughter loves this rock tumbler and it is of great quality
Daughter loves this rock tumbler and it is of great quality
Fun and works quite well.
This was bought for a friend who has had a lot of fun making craft jewellery with the resultant polished stones.
Predominantly metal in construction- this is a great introduction to the hobby of rock tumbling.
The rubber drum keeps noise to a minimum but by its very nature, you will need to find an “out of the way” place to put it or the constant roll of rocks will drive you mad.
I covered the box it came in, in sound-deadening foam and place this over the tumbler when in operation. This quietens down considerably.
Now on stage 2 of 4 of our first Agate Mix. Can’t wait to see the end results. There was a very clear difference after just 5 days with (coarse) grit level 1.
I think for the occasional hobbyist this might be ideal. But anyone wanting to etegulsrky tumble stones of a mix of sizes will quickly crave a bigger machine.
It runs quietly and without a hint of motor heat as the heavy body acts as a good heat sink. The rubber barrel is good quality and runs quietly. The problem is it’s just too small to run stones Much over 25mm in size as there is little movement /roll wave action inside due to the size.
The machine runs too fast also even on the slowest setting. Higher speeds don’t speed up the process. I think they actually restrict it by not allowing the roll-tumble action needed to found and smooth the stones.
In addition the grits are Poor quality and are played out after 4 days tumbling so and 1 stage will
Require a clean and reload. Not necessarily a bad thing as you can check progress and use the timer to set the number of days to run. You need to get to
It when it stops though so your slurry doesn’t turn into cement.
Overall a well built machine but one that will very quickly result in upgrade fever setting in.
Polissage parfai
J’ai utilis ce produit pour polir des pierres semi-prcieuses collectes sur les plages gaspsiennes. Trs joli rsultat, au-del de ce que je croyais possible avec ce type de produit. J’ai ha^te de commencer ma nouvelle collection d’pidotes, d’agates et de jaspe bleus.
I purchased this product exclusively for tumbling glass, so I can’t comment on how it works with the rocks. I’ve been using the machine now for several weeks and have the following observations.
(1) You’ll need to purchase additional grit if you intend to use this machine multiple times. The grit provided in the kit is a very small packet of each grit and inadequate for multiple uses.
(2) If all you want is to tumble glass to create the look of beach or sea glass, I find the course grit to be very effective to frost the pieces. If you want the glass to be polished instead of frosted (perhaps to be used for jewellry), then you’ll need to purchase additional finer grit).
(3) If you’re intested in tumbling “raw” broken glass, all you’ll need to use the course tumbling grit and run the machine at speed 2 or 3 for at approx 48 hours. Speed 3 will speed up the process, but I find that speed 2 works equally as well to get the frosted look. I purchased some additional grit (Polly Plastics Step 1 Course) and use 2 teaspoons of grit with the barrell filled to 50% capacity. I usually add some pea sized rocks to help with taking off the sharp edges. Don’t overload the barrell or the glass won’t tumble properly. If you stop the machine overnight because of the noise factor, be aware that the ground down glass particles will solidify like concrete at the bottom of the barrel. Make sure to stir the contents again if you start the machine back up again the next day.
(4) Try to avoid smaller shards of glass or really tiny pebbles as they will work their way under the lid and spill the entire liquid…I speak from experience !!
(5) If you’re like me and have found some nice colored sea glass on your travels that is not 100% frosted, then tumble it for at least 24 hours with the course grit for a more frosted look. I find speed 2 works just fine.
So far I’m pleased with the machine. I have it set up in the workshop in my basement with a tray underneath (in case of any spillage). The machine is not overly loud (probably 2 out of 5 if I had to rate it).
UPDATE. I’m now getting an error code “E” when operating on speed 3. Barrell is not overloaded but it’s still not running consistently anymore (shuts down after less than 15 minutes of use). I’ve noticd a small humming noise when moving from speed 1/2 to 3 and then shortly thereafter, it will shut down and as soon as I change speed from 2 to 3, it will shut down immediately. I’ve reduced the speed to 2 and so far it’s not shutting down. Email has been sent to company to inquire on warranty (I’ve only been using for 12 hr intervals for the past 2 weeks). UPDATE 2. A new replacement unit will be sent by National Geographic as soon as stock is available in Canada (4-6 weeks). They offered a refund, but since the price has increased by over $100 since I purchased, I’ve opted for a replacement instead. They have a 2 year limited warranty as per their correspondence with me. UPDATE 3. Replacement kit sent. VERY HAPPY with customer service at Nat Geographic !!
Good kids birthday prese
The tumbler has been running since I bought it for my daughters birthday present (28days ago), no problems to report. Ideal for an out building as you would expect tumbling stones do make noise. She’s diligently read and stuck to the guidance leaflet tumbling the stones that came with the tumbler and beach finds. Great present and turned out to be a good buy.
Quite a good & sturdy little machine. You get a few rocks which after tumbling pretty much fragment to small, unusable pieces. The main problem is the grit supplied. Grit 1 & 2 are OK if not a little lacking, but 3 & 4 is not really the right stuff to pre-polish or polish. Really need much finer like 1 micron or 14000 grit. Also, aluminium oxide would be way better than the silicon carbide provided. Not sure what the gem foam does or contains, but you don’t get a great polish. That being said, it’s a good machine for beginners and a bit of fun. Will get some nice smooth stones if not polished ones.
Works really well,but supplied rocks are poor as are the instructions
It is not too noisy and does the job but as I’m new to rock tumbling the instruct book is very poor and most of it is in French.
The supplied rocks included too many tiny useless chippings, very disappointed with the “Gemstones” !!!
EVERYTHING you need !
Everything there to begin enjoying it! Sturdily made better tha my old one from years ago, a good price and all I need to get started
THANK YOU !
Does a really nice job, takes a long time but kids enjoy the results.
Does a really nice job, takes a long time but kids enjoy the results.
Awesome!
I got this for my son (7) who is in to gems and interesting rocks. He has quite a collection of odd rocks, mixed bags of opals from ebay and chunks of Tasmanian jasper.
It is great to be able to throw some rocks in the tumbler and see how they come out. You will definitely need extra grit but we have found you can get a couple of uses out of the packets by checking each day and taking out rocks you think are done and adding new ones.
The rock tumbler hasn’t stopped running since we got it!
Great Produc
I am still learning about the product…. it will take time to figure best times for what rocks etc
Super easy to use. A little bit noisy (especially the 1st tumble) but not really bad.
My adult daughter was excited to get it and happy with it. She does find her stones come out much smaller. She will experiment and use larger stones perhaps.
My adult daughter was excited to get it and happy with it. She does find her stones come out much smaller. She will experiment and use larger stones perhaps.
Bought this as a bday present and it hasn't disappointed. Daughter loves it and can't wait to see the finished stones.
Bought this as a bday present and it hasn’t disappointed. Daughter loves it and can’t wait to see the finished stones.
I like very much how the tumbler only took 3 days for the first grit tumble, looking perfect,so far so good, the stones from nat geographic are wonderful, colours are bright already, can’t wait till final polish.
I like very much how the tumbler only took 3 days for the first grit tumble, looking perfect,so far so good, the stones from nat geographic are wonderful, colours are bright already, can’t wait till final polish.
It has a rubber barrel
Cracking bit of kit,quiet, sturdy and best value for money
Easy use with good features
Liked the sealing method and timer, but need to be aware that too big a load of stones will cause the lid to move and allow leakage.
Great for a beginner. Handy booklet to tell you about the stones. I got 2 large chunks of Adventurine which look nice but can’t be made into earring or pendants. Plenty of Rose quarts some of which disappeared to small pieces, could be used in UV Resin jewellery. 1 exceptionally tiny amethyst , very little use except for small pendant. Plenty of Tigers Eye. One largest piece of Sodalite. Quite a bit of ‘Dalmation stone? . Dont know if Hematite is in my lot, some Jasper and poss agate … hard to tell. The machine itself is quiet enough in my conservatory and can’t be heard through the house, easy to use . The booklet gives clear instructions too which is good. The grits are only enough for one tumble but the polishing gem foam can be used 6 times. The tumbler is sturdy and easy to use but mine has a tendency to bleed to the bottom edge of the tumbler onto the rollers and butt up against the rotating wheels so I turn the tumbler tub around . Not sure what lasting effect this will have on the tumbler rubber.
All in all I would recommend this set , as ive bought more gem stones from NG to practice on. Its neat and compact and easy to use, but for children I would recommend adult supervision and it to be kept out the way of curious little fingers. You need a lot of patience as each procedure takes days.
My family loves this. We go for hikes all the time and bring back all types of rocks and now we can polish them up and display them nicely. Would definitely recommend this product.
Child needs a little help to get goong
This item was purchased (for 6year old grandson to be helped a little by his Mother. It has given much pleader even through the waiting weeks of tumbling. Many quick looks to see how it was progressing
Last week we got the stones out and they were gorgeous. Cannot wait to go to the beach to search for some more samples
JoanOsborn(Grandmother)
Awesome in all ways untill the motor crapped out ... To appease upset grandson I had to quickly purchase another one to continue his polishing ....
Awesome in all ways untill the motor crapped out … To appease upset grandson I had to quickly purchase another one to continue his polishing ….
What a great little rock tumbler it's so good all the kit is ready to go, it is great learning tool
What a great little rock tumbler it’s so good all the kit is ready to go, it is great learning tool
Have Patience 😴, it does what it says 👍🏻😃
It’s Great ~ it does what it says it does
But patience is needed .
Each Sachet of grit states net weight 0.7oz (20 g).
Great but refills cost a fortune
Great for kids. Works well only issue is you only get a sachet of each grit and refills can xost more than the unit.
So far it has been great to use.Nice quality barrel
So far it has been great to use.Nice quality barrel
Good product.
Bought to keep me occupied during lockdown. Although it takes a long time to actually end up with a “finished product”, it has kept me occupied and given me a new interest.
Rumbler tumble
Has certainly proven to be a hit. Albeit only had a month so only time will tell
Brilliant. Got this for my daughter for Christmas and it’s been being used ever since. The machine is not at all loud, just a little background noise akin to a washing machine. We’ve just finished the 5 rounds of polishing on her first bag of stones and they look amazing! Loved it so much we’ve bought more bags to tumble more. Simple process, easy to use and barely used any electricity. Highly recommend
Quiet operatio
Quiet operation and robust cylinder. Well made for the price.
Thanks it’s great to fulfil a dream of being able to tumble and polish my own stones great experience for all children of all ages
Thanks it’s great to fulfil a dream of being able to tumble and polish my own stones great experience for all children of all ages
I keep it in my bathroom by my room with the bathroom door shut. Sounds like a washer or someone filling up a tub. Works amazingly.
I keep it in my bathroom by my room with the bathroom door shut. Sounds like a washer or someone filling up a tub. Works amazingly.
Good starter kit at a reasonable price. Be prepared to buy some other rock packages at first. Be patient. Treating a batch of rock takes five steps; around 30 days. Be ready to take long walks along rivers or beaches. Also, if you become a maniac, you’ll want more equipment including UV shortwaves lamp (50$ to 600$). Since it runs for days. you’ll also need a place far from the bedroom or with sound isolation. It’s not very noisy but some people don’t like this sound.
I was not to impressed with the rocks supplied there was no Amethyst and possibly missing a couple of others the majority was varying pieces of Quartzite pink and white and a lot of chips
I was not to impressed with the rocks supplied there was no Amethyst and possibly missing a couple of others the majority was varying pieces of Quartzite pink and white and a lot of chips
Best ever kit my 11 year old daughter is Living the stages she gets to see we all love it and can’t wait to see the rocks
Best ever kit my 11 year old daughter is Living the stages she gets to see we all love it and can’t wait to see the rocks
I can’t speak to how well it works yet but it came very quickly!
I can’t speak to how well it works yet but it came very quickly!
I rated this at 4 stars, only because I think we should get more grit with the package.
I rated this at 4 stars, only because I think we should get more grit with the package.
As advertised. Just started using it but so far so good. I just might have to get a couple more.
Product is as expected and value for money. Just frustrating that the delivery arrived without being packed in any way and the postage label on the item box so that it is no longer a surprise for the child who opened the door to the delivery man.