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If you are someone who casually walks along the beach and occasionally collects attractive pebbles as mementos, you most likely will not find a rock tumbler appealing. Nevertheless, if you possess a passion for shaping and refining unprocessed stones or crafting jewelry, a tumbler is the ideal tool to utilize. Rotary tumblers rotate the rocks in a manner similar to a washing machine, whereas vibratory tumblers forcefully shake them at high speed in a fixed location.
For novices, a small rotary tumbler is the ideal selection. They are user-friendly, affordable, and have low operating costs. Rock enthusiasts who frequently polish several rocks generally purchase a vibratory tumbler following the initial shaping process in a rotary tumbler due to its effectiveness in terms of time, grit usage, and electricity consumption.
Both types of tumblers have advantages and disadvantages. Gaining an in-depth understanding of the best types, their differences, their operational ways, and their impact on rock formation will enable you to select the most suitable option. All of these questions are addressed in the following article. types
If you want to check out the best vibratory rock tumbler, you can find it by clicking here (Amazon link) and the best rotary rock tumbler here (Amazon link).
How Do I Choose A Rock Tumbler?
Ask yourself why you want a tumbler. Is it just for the kids to stimulate their interest in STEM subjects, or are you a rockhound and want to go deeper into the hobby? Do you intend to turn your rockhounding into a small business sideline and sell your rocks, or is it just for personal pleasure?
You get tiny, inexpensive rotary tumblers for kids to use. Then you get progressively more expensive, better quality, larger rotary tumblers for rockhounds, serious collectors, and professionals. If you’re a beginner, starting with a small rotary tumbler that’s well-made and lasts long is best.
Vibratory tumblers are more expensive than rotary ones and use a bowl instead of a barrel. Instead of tumbling the rocks, a vibratory tumbler shakes them inside the bowl. They work faster than rotary tumblers, but getting the hang of them takes a bit more time.
Ask yourself how many rocks you intend to tumble. Using only a rotary tumbler can take six weeks to several months. If you want to get your rocks to market fast, you may need to use a sizeable rotary tumbler to shape them and then a vibratory tumbler to smooth them down quickly.
If you don’t have any urgency and don’t process a lot of rocks, you wouldn’t need a large tumbler that can do heavy loads. Most hobbyists start with a small rotary tumbler because they don’t take up much space, don’t cost much to run, and are inexpensive.
How big are the rocks you want to tumble? A small tumbler barrel can’t accommodate large rocks. A general rule is that the largest rock you put in the barrel should be less than half a barrel’s diameter.
The size of a tumbler is given in weight. For hobbyists and beginners, a three- or four-pound rotary tumbler is the most common size. A three-pound tumbler will take two pounds of rocks and one pound of polishing grit and water.
Tumblers come in different sizes, depending on how many rocks they can tumble. A three- or four-pound rotary tumbler may be too small for people passionately into rock polishing. They may need a six or twelve-pound tumbler to process all the rocks they collect.
The rotary tumbler must always be run at total capacity, meaning you should fill the barrel to around sixty-five or seventy-five percent with rocks and the rest with grit and water.
If you only fill the barrel with fifty percent rocks, you must make up the rest with grit and water. This might not have the best results because there is too much grit around the rocks.
BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet (Amazon links):
- Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals
- Gemstone & Crystal Properties (Quick Study Home)
- Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids)
Are Vibratory Tumblers Better Than Rotary?
The popularity of rotary tumblers suggests that vibratory tumblers aren’t necessarily better – just different.
Many people will first tumble the stones in a rotary tumbler to get that smooth, rounded shape and then put them in a vibratory tumbler for further smoothing and polishing, so they use both.
Rotary tumblers are a bit easier for a beginner but take longer. They, therefore, use more electricity, grit, and polish than a vibratory tumbler.
They also make much less noise than a vibratory tumbler, which is a plus. Consequently, they are more expensive to run long-term but less expensive to buy.
TIP: Once you have tumbled your rocks and have loads of gorgeously polished gemstones, you may wonder what you can do with them. Check out the simple and clever ideas in the article below:
What Can You Do with Tumbled Rocks? 10 Simple & Clever Ideas
Rotary vs. Vibratory Rock Tumbler: Differences
A rotary tumbler turns all the rocks into uniformly rounded shapes with smooth edges. It rolls them around in the barrel, taking off all the angles. A vibratory tumbler doesn’t tumble the rocks. It vibrates, rubbing them against each other with the grit in between, but retains their angular shapes.
A vibratory tumbler works faster than a rotary tumbler. It can take half the time or less to do the same job. A rotary tumbler completely changes the shape of the rocks, while a vibratory tumbler smooths its original form and grinds away any rough edges.
Vibratory tumblers generally can’t hold as many large rocks as good-sized rotary tumblers unless you can afford the considerable cost of an industrial-size vibratory tumbler.
You need much less grit for a vibratory tumbler than a rotary one. For a start, skip the coarse grit stage used in a rotary tumbler and begin with the medium grit. Each stage, from medium to fine to polish, is shorter in a vibratory tumbler.
People typically use a rotary tumbler to shape the rocks and switch to a vibratory tumbler for the rest. It saves time and money.
Rotary tumblers are much quieter than vibratory tumblers. Fill a metal pot with some stones and shake it vigorously.
That’s approximately the noise you must endure from a vibratory tumbler – for hours. If you have a small home and next-door neighbors within touching distance, the noise may be problematic for them and you.
If you have a larger home with a basement for a vibratory tumbler and no nearby neighbors to disturb, then the noise it makes won’t matter that much.
TIP: Rock tumbling is the perfect hobby for kids ages eight. There are small, safe, and easy-to-use tumblers on the market. Check them out in the article below:
Best Rock Tumblers for Kids in 2022: Options For Diff Ages
Best Rotary Rock Tumbler
The National Geographic Professional Rock Tumbler Kit (Amazon link) includes a two-pound barrel, three distinct speeds, and a timer. This product is perfect for individuals who want to experience the pleasures of rock tumbling using a rotary tumbler. The producer says that it operates with a low noise.
The kit comprises one pound of unrefined stones, grit material, jewelry attachments, a sieve, and a rock polishing device. It has the potential to stimulate children’s curiosity in a STEM field. Still, it may also be utilized to refine gemstones for jewelry production or enhance the appearance of a collection of rocks.
TIP: I’ve written a complete guide about rotary rock tumblers, so if you are interested in reading more about these rock tumblers, visit this article.
Best Vibratory Rock Tumbler
The Eastwood 18 Lbs Electric Rock Tumbler Vibratory Case Tumbler (Amazon link) is an awesome vibratory tumbler you could try using for rocks. It comes with a deep bowl, fifteen inches in diameter, and operates on a 120 Vac, fifteen Amp Ground Fault Circuit.
TIP: I’ve written a complete guide about vibratory rock tumblers, so if you are interested in reading more about these rock tumblers, visit this article.
Conclusion
Rotary tumblers are simpler to use, less expensive to buy, quieter, and shape the rocks nicely. Vibratory tumblers are more costly to buy, faster, keep the angular shape of the rock, and use less electricity and grit. Vibratory tumblers are very loud and maybe a noise nuisance.
TIP: Rock tumblers require maintenance, as you must oil them regularly to keep them running smoothly. Check out the step-by-step guide on how to oil your rock tumbler in the article below:
Step-By-Step Guide: How To Properly Oil Your Rock Tumbler