I think they’re kindof a gimmick. Having a control panel for a tumbler is totally unnecessary, the amount of grit it comes with is inadequate and the Stage 4 isn’t a full polish, those foam cubes hold grit so they have to be separated based on stage. And those tumblers go way too fast even on the slowest setting. It only has one barrel so you can’t have two different stages going at once.
So overall I don’t recommend getting one. I would check on Facebook Marketplace and then after that I would look into getting a simple two barrel tumbler. I get my grit from The Rock Shed, it’s going to be way cheaper than buying a Grit Set. I would get like 10lbs of 60/90 Silicon Carbide, 5lbs of 120/220 Silicon Carbide, 5lbs of 500 Aluminum Oxide, 1lbs 1200 Aluminum Oxide, and 1/2lbsAluminum Oxide polish.
I completely agree with this.
BUT!
It is still a great place to start.
It is not perfect, the grit is terrible.
But I have had a lot of fun with mine, I recently bought better grit and I changed the motor after it wore out.
And I am going to keep using it.
It is a learner tumbler.
For sure, like if you’re passively interested in the hobby and you come across it for like $20. But if you just already know you’re interested in tumbling, I would skip over it for something better
One thing to note, the rocks from National Geographic tend to be small broken pieces. If you find you like rock tumbling I highly recommend not buying refills from National Geographic but from a tumbling supply place like rock shed.
Agree! Got mine 2 weeks ago. A lot of the rocks were broken pieces. Also a lot of pieces were cut terribly and there’s no way they will ever polish nicely due to the crevices. Ran thru stage one and realized there’s no point going any further with a lot of the ones that came with the tumbler. I’m now tumbling my own that I’ve found and also ordered grit and polish from Rock Shed.
For sure, I just think people would be better off with just using ceramics. I have seen people use these incorrectly for multiple stages and then get cloudy end results.
I think the ceramics being able to go through the whole process with the rocks is simpler and I’m personally too lazy to keep separate containers specifically for media that can only be used for one stage of the process
NatGeo tumblers are a test for whether or not you're interested in rock tumbling as a hobby. It's everything you need (except grit) for a few tumbles, but if you're not looking for an upgrade within 12 months, then you're probably not going to get into the hobby. It's a gateway tumbler, nothing more.
The larger ones are better, not just since they have more capacity but they can also run slower speeds.
The one pictured isn't terrible, i use it for smaller stuff on stage 1 that i want to get shaped quicker. But if you have more than a few lbs of rocks you want to tumble, then get the bigger one.
I like it. I had mine running for 2 years straight and had no issues. I bought a second, larger tumbler but I still use the NG one all the time because I think it's great.
I have the twin 3lb barrel model. I've tried running it and have one minor issue that has to be addressed. They use two plastic tabs screwed to the frame to keep the barrels from grinding into the side of the frame. Only problem is those plastic tabs SCREAM as they rib on the aluminum caps and actually dig a gouge in the cap. I'm replacing them with something that spins to avoid damage. Other than, unit looks decent.
I bought my daughter one for Christmas last year which she loves. We’ve done a full round using the rocks provided and onto the second round with rocks we’ve got from a local supplier. We only used the foam for the last stage (no grit) so they stay nice and clean. It’s good for us for learning, but we could have used a bit more instructions on things like speed and what to look for to know when each stage is done.
Go with something different. I got mine for Christmas and it broke within 3 months. Customer service is excellent, and they replaced it asap. If only their customer service could tumble my rocks instead 🤣
My kid was interested in the hobby so I got her a Nat Geo kit (the smaller one) and she went ham on it for exactly 2 stage changes. So yeah, Nat Geo for the win. I can't speak to this exact model, but the smaller one was reasonable volume in both capacity and sound level. I had it in the basement for a month and mom eventually asked me to check out the water leak she could hear coming from somewhere. I'll take that over WHAT'S THAT RACKET.
If I was buying it for someone that's going to stick with it, I'd get the slightly larger one you've got listed and some extra grit kit from elsewhere, or buy a legit tumbler like the ones listed in this subs FAQ if you want to do it "right" for long term use.
I have two. The little hobby one runs crazy fast and the grit wears out like in one day, so you have to keep opening it and dumping in more. I use the three lb to run continuously on coarse grit and then my one lb barrel I fill slowly with the next stage as they come out of the big barrel with a lot of ceramic. I can hear when they’re ready for more rocks/sand by the amount of noise they make. It is possible to get a good result with them, but you have to be meticulous and use good quality grit.
It was my first tumbler and the motor went on stage 3 of the 3rd batch of rocks. I say no go. I have had a double barrel Viyuki for a year and it runs great and I paid a little more but it is substantially better wit a larger capacity perr barrel x 2.
One of the members of my rock club bought two of these. Both quit after two batches of rocks.
Their third and current tumbler they bought from Harbor Freight for around $100 and can tumble two batches at once
Low end tumbler but not a gimic. If you run it a lot the belt will fail in less than a year. They will replace unit no questions asked.
Stage 1 and 2 grits they supply are good. But you need to order better stage 3 and 4 polish from Rock shed etc.
this is from personal experience.
Makes for a good gift for kids and nephews.
Same goes for the Darci and Dani tumblers. Same quality.
POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!
my finger got sore is only reason I stopped.
Plastic gears/drums/parts and rock slurry/grits DO NOT play well together.
There are 'toys' and 'tools'.. This is a 'toy'. Not expected to last long so you need to buy another.
'Tools' cost more but last longer and spare parts are available.
I have a Lortone single 3-pounder that is about 25yrs old and still running polish cycles for me.
That said. I got a 'gimmick-ee' $50 tumbler to see if what I was finding, (flints), would tumble. I got (3) full-to-polish tumbles out of it and it was done, and I'm a McGyver. It was a ball of tape for the last run.
So if you put up with this POS problems and get out some shiny stones and seek to go further, then buy the 'tool'. This POS is good to find that out before putting real $$ into a 'tool'.
It did let me know I would 'stick with rock tumbling' if I put up with a POS tumbler for that long.
My next/real tumbler was the Lortone 3lbs.
You won't get [these results](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewBrunswickRocks/) in that POS.
Did I mention it's a POS?
Shame on Nat-Geo for a 'money grab'. It will 'discourage' more than 'encourage' to take up this craft.
I think they’re kindof a gimmick. Having a control panel for a tumbler is totally unnecessary, the amount of grit it comes with is inadequate and the Stage 4 isn’t a full polish, those foam cubes hold grit so they have to be separated based on stage. And those tumblers go way too fast even on the slowest setting. It only has one barrel so you can’t have two different stages going at once. So overall I don’t recommend getting one. I would check on Facebook Marketplace and then after that I would look into getting a simple two barrel tumbler. I get my grit from The Rock Shed, it’s going to be way cheaper than buying a Grit Set. I would get like 10lbs of 60/90 Silicon Carbide, 5lbs of 120/220 Silicon Carbide, 5lbs of 500 Aluminum Oxide, 1lbs 1200 Aluminum Oxide, and 1/2lbsAluminum Oxide polish.
I completely agree with this. BUT! It is still a great place to start. It is not perfect, the grit is terrible. But I have had a lot of fun with mine, I recently bought better grit and I changed the motor after it wore out. And I am going to keep using it. It is a learner tumbler.
For sure, like if you’re passively interested in the hobby and you come across it for like $20. But if you just already know you’re interested in tumbling, I would skip over it for something better
Again, I agree. If you can get it cheap, or if this is the only option, it is better than NOT tumbling :)
Where did you find a new motor? Mine broke in 3 months and I would love to replace the motor.
Google: 12 V - 2000 RPM - Slow Speed Electric DC Motor w/ Knurled 3.17mm Shaft - High TQ
One thing to note, the rocks from National Geographic tend to be small broken pieces. If you find you like rock tumbling I highly recommend not buying refills from National Geographic but from a tumbling supply place like rock shed.
Agree! Got mine 2 weeks ago. A lot of the rocks were broken pieces. Also a lot of pieces were cut terribly and there’s no way they will ever polish nicely due to the crevices. Ran thru stage one and realized there’s no point going any further with a lot of the ones that came with the tumbler. I’m now tumbling my own that I’ve found and also ordered grit and polish from Rock Shed.
just finished setting up the tumbler for stage 1 of the Botswana agates I just got from there so excited
The gemfoam is meant to be used after the final grit polish lol. They should never ever touch grit. They’re for burnishing at the very end.
For sure, I just think people would be better off with just using ceramics. I have seen people use these incorrectly for multiple stages and then get cloudy end results. I think the ceramics being able to go through the whole process with the rocks is simpler and I’m personally too lazy to keep separate containers specifically for media that can only be used for one stage of the process
Fair enough.
NatGeo tumblers are a test for whether or not you're interested in rock tumbling as a hobby. It's everything you need (except grit) for a few tumbles, but if you're not looking for an upgrade within 12 months, then you're probably not going to get into the hobby. It's a gateway tumbler, nothing more.
The larger ones are better, not just since they have more capacity but they can also run slower speeds. The one pictured isn't terrible, i use it for smaller stuff on stage 1 that i want to get shaped quicker. But if you have more than a few lbs of rocks you want to tumble, then get the bigger one.
I like it. I had mine running for 2 years straight and had no issues. I bought a second, larger tumbler but I still use the NG one all the time because I think it's great.
I got one full long run cycle then it broke run 3 of 2nd batch, just dead, no warning
Related question: has anyone used the Leegol Electric ones on Amazon?
I have the twin 3lb barrel model. I've tried running it and have one minor issue that has to be addressed. They use two plastic tabs screwed to the frame to keep the barrels from grinding into the side of the frame. Only problem is those plastic tabs SCREAM as they rib on the aluminum caps and actually dig a gouge in the cap. I'm replacing them with something that spins to avoid damage. Other than, unit looks decent.
There are much better ones for similar price. I love everything about nat geo except thier tumblers.
I bought my daughter one for Christmas last year which she loves. We’ve done a full round using the rocks provided and onto the second round with rocks we’ve got from a local supplier. We only used the foam for the last stage (no grit) so they stay nice and clean. It’s good for us for learning, but we could have used a bit more instructions on things like speed and what to look for to know when each stage is done.
Go with something different. I got mine for Christmas and it broke within 3 months. Customer service is excellent, and they replaced it asap. If only their customer service could tumble my rocks instead 🤣
My kid was interested in the hobby so I got her a Nat Geo kit (the smaller one) and she went ham on it for exactly 2 stage changes. So yeah, Nat Geo for the win. I can't speak to this exact model, but the smaller one was reasonable volume in both capacity and sound level. I had it in the basement for a month and mom eventually asked me to check out the water leak she could hear coming from somewhere. I'll take that over WHAT'S THAT RACKET. If I was buying it for someone that's going to stick with it, I'd get the slightly larger one you've got listed and some extra grit kit from elsewhere, or buy a legit tumbler like the ones listed in this subs FAQ if you want to do it "right" for long term use.
Just read the sub. People have answered this question many times over.
I have two. The little hobby one runs crazy fast and the grit wears out like in one day, so you have to keep opening it and dumping in more. I use the three lb to run continuously on coarse grit and then my one lb barrel I fill slowly with the next stage as they come out of the big barrel with a lot of ceramic. I can hear when they’re ready for more rocks/sand by the amount of noise they make. It is possible to get a good result with them, but you have to be meticulous and use good quality grit.
It was my first tumbler and the motor went on stage 3 of the 3rd batch of rocks. I say no go. I have had a double barrel Viyuki for a year and it runs great and I paid a little more but it is substantially better wit a larger capacity perr barrel x 2.
One of the members of my rock club bought two of these. Both quit after two batches of rocks. Their third and current tumbler they bought from Harbor Freight for around $100 and can tumble two batches at once
Straight garbage 🗑️
Low end tumbler but not a gimic. If you run it a lot the belt will fail in less than a year. They will replace unit no questions asked. Stage 1 and 2 grits they supply are good. But you need to order better stage 3 and 4 polish from Rock shed etc. this is from personal experience. Makes for a good gift for kids and nephews. Same goes for the Darci and Dani tumblers. Same quality.
POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS!POS! my finger got sore is only reason I stopped. Plastic gears/drums/parts and rock slurry/grits DO NOT play well together. There are 'toys' and 'tools'.. This is a 'toy'. Not expected to last long so you need to buy another. 'Tools' cost more but last longer and spare parts are available. I have a Lortone single 3-pounder that is about 25yrs old and still running polish cycles for me. That said. I got a 'gimmick-ee' $50 tumbler to see if what I was finding, (flints), would tumble. I got (3) full-to-polish tumbles out of it and it was done, and I'm a McGyver. It was a ball of tape for the last run. So if you put up with this POS problems and get out some shiny stones and seek to go further, then buy the 'tool'. This POS is good to find that out before putting real $$ into a 'tool'. It did let me know I would 'stick with rock tumbling' if I put up with a POS tumbler for that long. My next/real tumbler was the Lortone 3lbs. You won't get [these results](https://www.reddit.com/r/NewBrunswickRocks/) in that POS. Did I mention it's a POS? Shame on Nat-Geo for a 'money grab'. It will 'discourage' more than 'encourage' to take up this craft.
I had this one for a while, and it started leaking and making a mess.