Post by Trylobyte on Nov 16, 2003 23:21:03 GMT -5
I'd like to offer this comparison of two rollers that are currently in my employ...
I bought a Lortone Model QT12 (12 lb'r) on the advice of a friend, who told me "start big, don't mess with those girly 3 lb'ers," so I bought one from my local rock shop. After a full load through 4 cycles, and some beautiful agates, I needed more, so I decided to buy a Thumler Model B on Ebay, because the plethora of nut and bolts intrigued me (a childhood fascination perhaps). Got 'em both going, and I decided that I REALLY needed one roller for each grit, so I bought 2 more thumlers on Ebay, and got 'em all going. I've put several loads of agates and red jasper which are plentiful on the beaches of WA through 4 grits now, with mostly excellent results.
Here are my opinions:
LORTONE MODEL QT12
Overall impression: Very good rock roller that is easy to clean and has mostly positive attributes. I may actually buy another, and make them my 80 grit rollers, because of the higher rpm's, and two finished first cycles in the slighly smaller barrel would probably fit nicely into a single 15 lb Thumler due to grind loss.
THUMLER MODEL B
Overall impression: Several nagging issues have led me to slightly dislike these units, but I certainly won't deep six 'em. I feel like I spend more time scrubbing them, but with separate rollers for each grit it's less important, but I sure like clean units. Surprisingly, the Thumlers are more expensive (about $160 vs $145 for the Lortone, perhaps due to the extra nuts.
Anyone have a longer term impression...?
I bought a Lortone Model QT12 (12 lb'r) on the advice of a friend, who told me "start big, don't mess with those girly 3 lb'ers," so I bought one from my local rock shop. After a full load through 4 cycles, and some beautiful agates, I needed more, so I decided to buy a Thumler Model B on Ebay, because the plethora of nut and bolts intrigued me (a childhood fascination perhaps). Got 'em both going, and I decided that I REALLY needed one roller for each grit, so I bought 2 more thumlers on Ebay, and got 'em all going. I've put several loads of agates and red jasper which are plentiful on the beaches of WA through 4 grits now, with mostly excellent results.
Here are my opinions:
LORTONE MODEL QT12
- Runs at about 36 RPM (Not sure if that's too fast...)
- The nut that holds the lid on and has a groove that serves as a guide is slowly wearing down, but oiling it slows the wear down, and they're cheap.
- Lid seals well, and is easy to remove and replace. If the lid is properly seated, it doesn't seem to gather grit in the gap. Haven't really had any blowouts, despite the notorious jasper, but I check them all frequently. No dripping after inspections.
- Barrel is easy to clean, with no nooks or crannies, and seems to be wearing well.
- Can't get underneath the unit very easily to wipe (cleaniless being next to godliness in this business), but it doesn't leak or drip very often either.
- The belt looks to be much sturdier than the Thumler's.
- Unless you have kids or curious pets, throw away the belt cover so you can watch the belt tension.
- Replace the motor nuts with self locking (nylock) nuts so they won't loosen.
Overall impression: Very good rock roller that is easy to clean and has mostly positive attributes. I may actually buy another, and make them my 80 grit rollers, because of the higher rpm's, and two finished first cycles in the slighly smaller barrel would probably fit nicely into a single 15 lb Thumler due to grind loss.
THUMLER MODEL B
- Runs at about 22 RPM, slower than the Lortone.
- Barrel/housing has too many nooks and crannies, making it difficult to keep clean - outside housing ends, between rubber and bolts.
- Inside of metal barrel housing was not painted, and quickly rusted (see my post on this topic).
- At the spot where the lid gasket contacts the rubber barrel liner, the barrel is rounded, resulting in a gap area that always collects grit and plastic pellets. And when you lift the lid to have a peek, this stuff always seems to migrate outward onto the sealing surfaces, making resealing difficult.
- All three have leaked at one time or other (never catastrophic though), and virtually always drip after my frequent inspections, even though I am good about cleaning every time.
- The nuts holding the lid on, which were my initial attraction, are a pain in the ass.
- The base under the barrel is exposed, and easily kept clean, which is nice because of the drippy habit.
- The belt seems puny, but I haven't had one fail yet. I did put in a stock just in case though.
Overall impression: Several nagging issues have led me to slightly dislike these units, but I certainly won't deep six 'em. I feel like I spend more time scrubbing them, but with separate rollers for each grit it's less important, but I sure like clean units. Surprisingly, the Thumlers are more expensive (about $160 vs $145 for the Lortone, perhaps due to the extra nuts.
Anyone have a longer term impression...?