Professional Rock Tumbler Kit, Hobby Rocks Polisher for Kids

Bought as a gift, in fact I have bought two. A little bit pricey, hence only four stars, but has all you need to start polishing. My adult daughter has had some good results using it and loves the gift. It’s a little bit noisy so it’s kept in an out of the way spot.. It’s been running almost non stop for two months now and has been trouble free..

This arrived quickly and well packaged. I chose this one after watching videos from Agate Ariel on uTube. she reviewed a similar machine which is only available in the USA, and this looked similar and worked in a similar way, it has a 2.5lb barrel which is a lot better than most at this price range which only have 1lb barrels and no timer or pause functions. I used a rock tumbler years ago, they have moved on a lot since then. This is easy to set up with clear and concise instructions, with pictures and good descriptions. Unlike a lot of instructions for rock tumblers this one clearly mentions barrel burping, something a lot of new users know nothing about and assume it’s a machine error, when instead it’s gas released by some rocks and just needs the barrel carefully opened to release the gas. The machine has settings for number of days and 3 speed levels, a on and off switch and a pause start button, just be careful when you go to pause it as I keep switching it off instead . Being able to pause it to check progress is great without trying to remember what it was on before. However!I do reduce the speed to 1 before restarting then turn it up to the speed I was on before pausing. The barrel is a good solid rubber and the lid has a good seal, I added a good sized washer between the screw and the metal lid to spread the tension from the screw and prevent distortion of the lid from tightening the screw. The grit supplied is 30g which is 2 tablespoons per grit sachet and for the first “go” I simply added a few more rocks to the reach the running level of 2/3 or 3/4 full and used the entire sachet of grit, I didn’t use the ceramic media for the first stage but I do use it for stages 2 to 4, never use new ceramic media in stage 4 only ceramic media that has come through the stages with the rocks. The kit comes with 1lb/500g of various rocks, some good looking rocks in there too – the obsidian is one that can release gas so keep an eye on things. It’s a good idea to keep a log so you know when it was started and what stage, before emptying the barrel fish out a few rocks and rinse them to see what it’s like incase you need to keep the current stage going for longer, saves grit! When ready to move on always wash it all,well then do a wash cycle, fill with water as before and then add a few drops of dish soap ( you can also add 1 tbsp of borax per lb if needed as well) and run it for 24 hours before moving on, do this between every stage. Again the instructions mention this as well which is great. This would be good for children with adult supervision as well, not recommended without supervision, just to be safe but it’s a great hobby as a family to do together, it takes PATIENCE as results take time, each stage is a week minimum and the final stage can be 9 days to 2 weeks for best results. I also got a bucket of popcorn, to get the bucket with a lid and a large metal kitchen sieve for dumping out and Rinsing as it contains the sludge which can’t be put down drains as it sets like concrete, disposing in a weedy corner of the garden, or a place you would like a concrete like covering works, if you use borax however do not use in the garden as it kills plants unless it’s weeds you don’t want! The customer service is fantastic, in the box is a warranty card you scan the QR code, mine didn’t work but there is a QR code for WhatsApp on the front of the instructions and that is how you contact customer services, they were fantastic! They activated my warranty for me and also they send you out packs of 5 belts for free when you need them once you ah e activated the warranty and for the life of the machine you get the belts as needed, it comes with 5. The representative I chatted with was knowledgeable and informative and very helpful, I’ve saved the contact in my phone for future use and was very impressed with their after care and their friendly approachable manner. Makes me even happier with my purchase. I would recommend this to anyone, young or old, new to the hobby or already a Rock Tumbler or into Lapidary (I hope I spelt that right lol). Ideally you want this in a shed as they can be noisy, this one is quieter than some, also be aware it “wanders” with the vibration, though this could be where I have ours sat, I’ve got a silicone trivet coming to put under it to see if that absorbs some of the natural vibration and helps it stay put! All in all I’d recommend this happily. Looking forward to the end result and then getting my own gathered rocks in that I’ve found over the years since I had a tumbler and see what I end up with! Great fun.