for the past 20 + years, I have gotten away with using

an older thumblers tumbler and a lyman

well the motor on the lyman is acting sluggish and locks up alot. I can free spin it to get it going and once I turn it off...its locked up again.

I know my dad bought the thumblers in the 80s......so I may have to invest in a tumbler soon.

what is out there that is large volume, good quality (will last for another 20 yrs) and decent price?

I have no knowledge about motors and if there is a quick fix too, let me know. the lyman has alot of epoxy on connections and such.

TIA

Just my opinion, but I don't think you can do better than a Thumler's. Mine is 25 years old, ugly, dirty, and dependable. It's a bit on the noisy side, but I don't mind, I just turn it on as I'm leaving or put it where I can't hear it. They're not cheap, but they last forever if you take reasonable care of them.

papa....I have always kept the fan area clear of cobwebs and dirt...there is no oil hole....I sometimes keep a fan blowing on them in hotter temps to ensure air flow.....

am I missing something here? could I be overloading the smaller Lyman?

If Lortone is still around, check them out. I bought one of theirs back in the late 70s and have run the socks off it. An awful lot of brass has gone through it and all I do is oil the bearing points now and then. ZERO issues in all that time.

Wish everything I had was like that!

I have no experience with the various vibratory tumblers........I was given one several years ago, and I sold it the next day to a guy who couldn't afford a Thumler's.

I've heard a lot of things about the Lyman and similar vibe tumblers, not much of it good. Some folks swear by them, others swear at them. I don't think anything can match the rolling motion that a rotary tumbler uses, but I could be wrong. I tend to leave my brass tumbling for 24 hours or more..........I like shiny things.

I bought a used Dillon 500 that lasted 6 years. I don't know how much use it had before I bought it.

I replaced it with a Berry's made Cabela's tumbler. It's inexpensive, it's quiet and it works very well.

That said, most "name brand" tumblers will do a good job but IMO there's no reason to pay too much.

__________________
Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I would just look here and go by the ratings and how much you want to spend. I would also look at Natchez as they are usually cheaper than Midways sale price.

Reloading - Shop Reloading Tools & Supplies at MidwayUSA

I have a Lyman Turbo 1200 but have not had it long enough to say anything about longevity. One thing I do not like is the slotted cover. I called them to see if they had a full cover and said no. I ended up using black duct tape over it as I do not think it is wise to have the dust flying all around, even if I use it in the garage.
I plug it into a timer and run it for 4 hrs max.

They are all probably made in China anyway.

__________________
Still Running Against the Wind

Not a whole lot a things will last 20 years anymore. Profit before pride. If you can find something that isn't junk, buy it.

I went through alot of tumbler's till I bought a Dillon . 10 years now and it's still going strong .

Groo here
Check out harber freight,,,,,

I had one of the Lyman orange ones. It lasted about 25 years. It pooped out about 7 or 8 years ago. I shopped around, and the bluer ones that Midway sells were on sale. So I bought one of those. I have been using it ever since with no problems.

Not sure how large the capacity is. I just cleaned 300 45 ACP brass the other day, and I have 150 30-06 pieces of brass in it right now being cleaned. I figure it would hold a few more if I needed it to. Not sure if that is what you call high volume or not. Tom.

my thumlers tumbler UV18 has been going strong since early 80s. I bought a package deal used reloading equip and it came with a smaller Lyman unit. motor crapped out on the lyman. guess I should not complain since I really have not paid for any tumbler.

I looked up thumlers and WOW....they are not cheap. I wanted one bigger than my UV18 which is the UV45 and the price is in the 400$ range OUCH!!!!!!

I can get into a lyman pro mag 2500 which is slightly larger than my UV18 for around 80 bucks shipped through ebay (New)

Lyman Products Your Primary Source for Reloading Equipment

I did not know thumlers was such high quality. my dad bought it and I picked it up when he passed in 05. I overload and always had the lyman to supplment the overload but I overload that one too.

I likely shoot in the area of several thousand each of 38, 9 and 45 a year so I need me a large tumbler to supplement the uv18 which is 1.5 gal cap and the pro mag is 2 gal cap.

I will try and find a tad larger. thanks for all the advice. wished those thumlers were cheaper!!!!!!! (in price)