I was looking on the thumlers website and am wondering which of there tumblers are best, they had vibrational models as well as rotational. They also had Industrial versions of there Vibratory models which leads me to assume that the vibration model is the best. Also can the vibration model do everything the rotational model can and vice versa ??

Regards PC.

I use a viberated type tumbler, but I think both work, it is of little concern to me as both do the job...

I am not sure which is best for molycoating bullets however and would like some input on that.

Got both. Use the tumbler for years and switched to the vibratory. I found that the vibratory was faster and did not beat up the case mouths. I got vibratory from Midway with the brass separator. It has worked great for me. The tumbler was used for moly coating.
Moly Coating

Thanks for the help thus far. Looks as though the Vibratory is the best one.

Some of our local gunsmiths have taken to using a rotory tumbler using brass nails as media. They use it wet with a pinch of something or another. The cases come out perfectly clean inside and out primer pockets and all! It leaves the nicest looking cases I've ever seen. I have 3 vibratory tumblers and have used them with good success for years, but I've bought one of the "wet" tumblers to compare them. I'll let you know about my results when I have them.
To start out though, I think it's hard to beat a Midway tumbler package. You can get everything you need including a separator for less than the cost of a good rotary tumbler. I think that would be the best place to start........DJ

The rotational, like RCBS's, is excellent for blackpowder rifle cartridges where you really should wash the brass soon after shooting it. I just use soap and water.

For everything else I use a Dillon Tumbler.

A tumbler, in the literal and dictionary-type definition operates like the RCBS Sidewinder, a big rotating barrel that effectively 'tumbles' what you put inside.
The tumbler name has actually lent itself to those 'Vibratory Case Cleaners' which make up the majority of the tumbler market.
I stock all of the major brands of tumblers, with Thumler being one of the first to hit the market years ago. At home, I use a cheapie Lyman and it does a fine job.
In fact, Lyman seems to have taken over a big part of the tumbler market today, introducing such features as Auto-Flo which allows you to easily remove media without unscrewing anything or removing the bowl.
So really, when it come down to it, those who come in and are looking for a tumbler, either they want the cheapest, a middle-of-the road, or the biggest and best there is.

-Spencer

The Lyman tumblers, and I've owned three, have longevity problems. None of mine made it past a couple of years. Also the ones with a clear plastic top rapidly develop cracks in those pieces. This just isn't something Lyman does well. The RCBS and Dillon, however, just keep on going.

I use the MidwayUSA(now called Frankford Arsenal for some reason) model for many years. Works great. I change bowls for molycoating cast and jacketed bullets. I'm satisfied with the operation and the price. Never used the tumbling kind.

Anything that Midway calls their own brand is a lie.
They do not produce anything themselves, they are nothing more than a money-grubbing profit whore who, along with RSR and the like are putting the gun-industry out of business.
That being said, I also stock the Frankford Arsenal tumbler, a low price item that seems to hold up.
Frankford Arsenal, it seems to me, is a company who copies RCBS, but sells at a lower price.

-Spencer