Extreme Tumbler Rebel 17? Better?

[Fatelvis]

I was about to pull the trigger on a Thumbler, a d now I see they have this heavy-duty "deluxe" model out. Is it truly better? Any reviews? Thanks-
Stainless Tumbling Media | Thumler's Tumbler High Speed Model B

 

[woojos]

No reviews but I purchased a Model B before Xmas. I have two criticisms:

1) The interior of the drum was not powdercoated. I noticed rust start to form right away and I'm now on top of it. Poor attention to detail on that one.
2) It used plastic bushings instead of ball bearings on the roller. It started to squeak loudly on my third or so load. A little oil fixed it.

From looking at the description, these two issues have been fixed. It will probably run a bit quieter/smoother as well with the rubber rollers.

Some people have complained about the wing nuts on the original, but I haven't found using them to be that much of a frustration. It looks like these have been changed as well.

I'd probably get this one if I could do it over.

 

[downrange67]

I have the model B. the bushings do need a drop of oil! I use an air gun to dry the cases after tumbling.

 

[kansas]

Just received my Rebel 17 the day before Christmas and I've used it for 4 batches of brass. I've never owned the thumlers so all I can tell you is my experience with this one, which has not been very long.
It does appear to be more heavy duty than the thumlers. The bearings are sealed so I doubt that I will ever wear them out. The drum has been powder coated inside and out to prevent the rust problem. The day I got it I took it out of the box and set it up out in the garage (32 degrees). Turned it on with an empty drum and it wouldn't turn the drum. Took it in and warmed it by the wood stove and viola, worked fine. Ran my first batch of brass with it sitting on the floor of the laundry room and did a great job on 250 pieces of 223 in 1 1/2 hours. The reason I stopped after that short of time was it was leaking onto the drive roller and the drum was slipping. The second batch was two large cottage cheese containers full of 223 brass and I tightened the hell out of the knobs and had no leaks. All in all I'm very pleased with the results. I can easily clean a load of brass in 2 hours and is fairly quiet. I still have a little leaking from the drum but I've been setting it in a large tub like they use bussing tables so no puddles on the floor. I've had to make sure that the c clip stays in the groove on the roller shaft so the rubber drive roller doesn't drift allowing the drum to move over. I may have to cut a deeper slot in the shaft for the c clip some day but for now I think I've got it figured out.
I'm very impressed with the wet tumbling method. I've had a lot of shooters say that it's not important to have clean, whimsy brass but why not have it if it doesn't cost more than the dry media tumbling? As reloaders we are always looking for a better way and wet tumbling is a much better way.
The pins are a little more pain in the butt than I thought they would be but I bought a magnet from harbor freight that has a quick release on it so it makes picking up those little devils a breeze.

 

[XJGPN]

Anyone know if it is made in the USA?

 

[kansas]

I believe it is made in the UK. It was just made available over here recently, I think.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

Not exactly glowing reviews on either the Thumlers or the Rebel. Bigg Dawg tumblers are the shit. No leaking, no needing a push to get started, no worn out crap. Industrial quality, and they even come with a timer.

Just my .02 after having SS cleaned over 2 tons (literally) of military surplus brass.

 

[XJGPN]

I believe it is made in the UK. It was just made available over here recently, I think.

Based on this (@ 33 Seconds): Rebel 17 case tumbler - YouTube
I thought it was the opposite?

Not exactly glowing reviews on either the Thumlers or the Rebel. Bigg Dawg tumblers are the shit. No leaking, no needing a push to get started, no worn out crap. Industrial quality, and they even come with a timer.

Just my .02 after having SS cleaned over 2 tons (literally) of military surplus brass.

Where did you see bad reviews of the Thumler or Rebel? Only issues I've heard about the Thumler were rust from the inside of the tumbler and that the frame itself was a little shaky. I haven't seen anything substantive pro or con about the Rebel. It appears nice from the ads, but not much in terms of customer reviews. The Big Dawg ones look interesting.

 

[Asperly Aimless]

Where did I see bad reviews for the Thumler? Several places, including this very thread. A rusted out interior is a bad review as that is not a good thing.

The rebel needs a push start. What is this? 1902 where you have to push start stuff?

If you want to clean brass, from small amounts to large amounts, without any hassle then get a bigg dawg. They just work.

Thumlers aren't cheap and the rebel isn't cheap. Nor are they best built unit on the block. I don't work for Bigg Dawg, nor do I shill for for them. Their equipment is a lifetime investment and is worth every penny plus some so when the subject of SS cleaning comes up, I always mention them.

Buy once and be done. Additionally, with the Bigg Dawg you can buy additional drums to suit your needs and run the same frame/motor. I use a drum that holds 25 lbs of pins, 22 lbs of brass, and 3 gallons of water for my side business. I use the same frame and motor to run much smaller drums for my personal brass.

I know I'm way off topic here, as what I am talking about is not what the OP asked about and for that I apologize.

 

[XJGPN]

Where did I see bad reviews for the Thumler? Several places, including this very thread. A rusted out interior is a bad review as that is not a good thing.

The rebel needs a push start. What is this? 1902 where you have to push start stuff?

Thank you. BTW- just wanted to clarify that I wasn't questioning the veracity of your statement, I was curious as to if you had read about problems beyond what I was able to find.

 

[Killshot44]

Well, I'll speak up for the Thumlers....as I've been running a pair of them the last three years and have cleaned close to 100K customer cases. The only parts I've replaced have been two drive belts and one rubber lid gasket.
I ordered replacement rollers and dog-cogs when I purchased them but have yet to need them. The problem with the water penetration of the paint on the exterior of the lid and in the "rims" of the bucket wasn't a big deal. Put them in a bead blaster and removed the paint/rust and shot them with some Rustoleum®. If one takes the time to dry the unit between runs I doubt the issue would appear.

I'm about to add this REALLY big tumbler to the shop. 40lb-er will do 800-1,000 .308s in one run.
Stainless Tumbling Media | 40lb Industrial Tumbler for Long-Range Shooters

 

[Asperly Aimless]

3-4 hours tumbling time?

2 hours in mine and done. Have never had to replace anything.

 

[woojos]

I ran about 2000 rounds of the dirtiest AR brass I've come across. I did them in 3 hour batches and the exterior/primer pockets were spotless with just a bit of dinginess left on the inside.

 

[vman]

I have used my Model B for about 6k worth of rifle cases over the past few years. They are good units.

I have seen the video of the Rebel 17 and it looks awesome. I would buy one of those over a Thumlers... then again if I was in the US I would get a Bigg Dawg from the looks of it

Cant got wrong with either of them

 

[MikeD987]

Anyways thanks everyone for the good read. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on this and have it on order now along with the steel media. Pretty excited!
The website I got this from gave me a military discount so this is what ultimately made my decision easier. Even if it's a dollar off I really appreciate just the acknowledgement. I support the businesses who support the troops!

 

[goodgorilla]

I had a thumber briefly until I discovered that there was a dent on the bottom of the barrel that made noise each time it passed the rollers. One thing that was shitty about the thumber is that the wheels had to be completely dry or the damn thing would make a terrible shrieking noise. Another thing that wasn't as good as the rebel is the inside of the thumbler is bare metal which is open to rusting. Rebel is way better than the thumbler in my opinion, but the thumbler is still functional.

 

[Labanaktis]

My Rebel 17 has cleaned 15K 9mm and 5K 223 in the last month. Also 500 308 and they look great.

Working absolutely perfect!

Matt

 

[milo 2.0]

Here's another brand to look at;

Lortone rotary rock tumbler, rock polishers, Lortone Parts

No high speed, but rock solid, I moly bullets in one, quiet as heck.

 

[408flyboy]

I recently purchased an Extreme Tumbler Rebel 17. This tumbler is is built like a tank and works great. The drive shaft was untrue and a quick note to the manufacturer and the new part was at my doorstep a few days later. This is a class company with great service and a great product.

How I stuck with vibrator cleaners for all those year seems ridiculous when I look at the results I'm getting with using stainless steel media. Yeah, old dogs can learn new tricks, that's for sure.

408flyboy

 

[crjeeper]

For those of you who have a red model b tumbler. Here are those nice nylon knobs that the rebel units have that will fit the red drum. I got a set and they are sweet.

 

[Das Capitolin]

I was about to pull the trigger on a Thumbler, a d now I see they have this heavy-duty "deluxe" model out. Is it truly better? Any reviews? Thanks-

I received mine today, put it together, and ran my first batch. Overall, I'm satisfied with the results. The guys at Stainless Tumbling Media are very helpful, but do take some time to respond.
PROS: Very thorough cleaning, even in the primer pockets. Like-new brass finish. Media lasts forever.
CONS: Time-consuming cleanup. Tumbler pulley is made of plastic, and arrived warped/nicked. Belt squeaks a bit.

Anyone know if it is made in the USA?

The stickers on the frame, motor, and tub are labeled "Made in China".

 

[drn1234]

I have had allot of issues with mine. The bearings on the roller did not roll freely, Contacted STM and they said some of the bearings they found were not all the way pressed into the housing.
Took it apart tapped the shaft and got the bearings to seat.

Next I noticed the entire barrel was shifted to the left and caused the nylon knobs to hit the bearing and on the other side the pulley was rubbing on the frame. STM sent out a new drive assembly and I am up and running again.

They are very responsive but I should not had to have to take this thing apart twice so far for a brand new unit.