Opinions about the Rebel 17 Low Speed Tumbler?

[brybry]

To be honest, I get the same results with the slower speed as I was getting with the pully change

[Son Of Beach]

Jan 17, 2022 18:18:56 GMT -5 brybry said:

To be honest, I get the same results with the slower speed as I was getting with the pully change

Good to know, thank you.  I think I'll look at the slower speed if that's the case. 

Pulled the trigger on one tonight

[brybry]

Awesome. I put the factory pulley back on after I got tired of reloading grit every 4 days and not getting any better results than the slower RPMs.

[perkins17]

Jan 17, 2022 18:39:58 GMT -5 Son Of Beach said:

Jan 17, 2022 18:18:56 GMT -5 brybry said:

To be honest, I get the same results with the slower speed as I was getting with the pully change

Good to know, thank you.  I think I'll look at the slower speed if that's the case. 

Pulled the trigger on one tonight

Congratulations on the new tumbler! I need to (keep) look(ing) around for a used big tumbler. There is a 12lb star diamond about two hours away... 😏 Seriously though, I'm happy for you. Those large capacity units look fun!

[holajonathan]

Jan 17, 2022 18:39:58 GMT -5 Son Of Beach said:

Jan 17, 2022 18:18:56 GMT -5 brybry said:

To be honest, I get the same results with the slower speed as I was getting with the pully change

Good to know, thank you.  I think I'll look at the slower speed if that's the case. 

Pulled the trigger on one tonight

Sorry I just saw your post, but you made the right decision with the slower version.  I think you're going to love it.  

[silvia10]

I just started running one yesterday. I had a difficult time deciding which rough and how much to add. I’ll let you know how it goes after my 1 week peek. Used lots of grit. 5 pound bags come in handy. 

[stefan]

Just reviving an old thread. I just ordered one of these (slow version) and wondering if any problems have come up since 2022

[hypodactylus]

I don't have one, but I have only heard good things about them.

[Son Of Beach]

Dec 17, 2023 16:09:06 GMT -5 stefan said:

Just reviving an old thread. I just ordered one of these (slow version) and wondering if any problems have come up since 2022

I mean I wouldn't call them problems, just a couple things of note.

When you put the rubber gasket back on, you want to make sure the contact point between it and the tumbler is clean.  I've had a couple small leaks because a tiny little stone was sandwiched in there.

I have a weird wear spot that I can't quite figure out what happened, it seems like it was an issue for a couple runs and then went away and I could never quite put my finger on what was going on...I'll grab a picture when I remember.

It is possible to overload it, it refused to move on startup once. Kind of want to stick to that 75-80 full range. 

Think I've only switched the belt once which is pretty nuts for as long as I've owned it.

[adam5]

I have the high speed version and love it. As Son Of Beach said, the contact area between the rubber gasket and the barrel liner must be clean or it will leak.

Also, I have had mine for 3 months and have broken 2 belts in that time period. However, the belts are polyurethane and can be repaired by melting the broken ends and sticking them together.

[velodromed]

I’ve had the high speed version since the beginning of the year and love it. I have literally run it 24/7 since February or March. The only issue is that after a few months the motor begin making a bit of a humming noise. But it has not affected its operation. I will eventually look to see if the warranty may cover it though.
I’m curious if anyone has serviced the motor and how you did it? It’s easy to lubricate the front bushing, but I’m not sure if there’s another point on the motor that needs lubrication?

[pebblesky]

I have high-speed Rebel 17 for over a year and I love it. Pretty hassle-free after some initial trial and error. Even helped me build some muscle.

[velodromed]

Oh, the only other issue I have had is my nuts cracked    But I found a set of 15 on Amazon for less than 10 bucks that I’m pretty sure will work. I’ll find out in a few days when I do the next clean out. Super glue helped the cracking issue for a bit, but after awhile replacing them has become necessary.

[stefan]

Dec 18, 2023 14:47:49 GMT -5 velodromed said:

Oh, the only other issue I have had is my nuts cracked    But I found a set of 15 on Amazon for less than 10 bucks that I’m pretty sure will work. I’ll find out in a few days when I do the next clean out. Super glue helped the cracking issue for a bit, but after awhile replacing them has become necessary.

YIKES!! Better go see a doctor! lol

[stefan]

Thanks for the feedback. I should have mentioned that I have a Model B (going on 2 years now) so I know the whole "clean the lid" routine! Good to know that they sound pretty solid. This is supposed to allow me to get ahead on rough tumblers (he tells himself for like the 4th time) I currently run the Model B and the AR-12 and one 3 Lb barrel in rough and produce just enough to keep all the remaining 3 Lb barrels running (I have 2 of each stage). Once in awhile I get a little behind so I just fire up the vibe. SHould be here the day after Christmas

[nantucketdink]

I have 2 Thumler Bs and 2 Rebel 17 slows and I have to say not only do the Rebels have all the obvious improvements over the Bs, but even cleaning the edge of the barrel liner where the lid will touch is noticeably easier than the same on the B. It’s hard to explain, but the liner curves near the edge are a much better design that saves time cleaning it before putting the lid on. A few squirts of water easily cleans the Rebel while one often needs to wipe the edge of the Bs. If you have both I am sure you know what I mean. The Rebel saves cleanup time too compared to the B.

[stefan]

That will be a blessing as it is one area that I really hate about the B. I have it down to a science with precise squirts from the water bottle, but still a pita

[stefan]

Well it arrived last night:

I'm on winter break but was infected with the dreaded virus my last day of work (Some of my co-workers are self centered poops) so my energy was pretty low last night. I unboxed it and mounted up the motor and pulley. I went to bed and got it set up and running this AM.

There is some thing I really like, the bearings on the shafts, as well as the shaft diameters. The motor is ok but no oil ports, so we will see how that holds up. The liner doesn't seems as thick as the Model B, but that could just be my perception. The metal can is missing the hole in the bottom but that's no big deal. I took the liner out and dusted it down with talc to make removal easier (not really necessary, but I do remove my Model B liner once a year). The feet on the base are a nice added touch as is the more robust (front and rear) motor mounts. The idle pulley sucks, It is a very poor imitation of the Thumler's, and mine has a slight run out and had a lot of seam flashing that had to be removed. I did not like the barrel guides being on the drive shaft as it makes loading a barrel a little more difficult. The thumb screw knobs are far superior to Thumler's stamped wing nuts (that I replaced with cast ones but the third barrel change). The unit is quiet as can be and sits next to my MT-4 and cannot be heard over it. Honestly my biggest compliant about the whole thing was the formed styrofoam protectors it was backed in. I have static problems to begin with (all electric house so VERY DRY this time of year) and now I have 10 million little white balls stuck to everything in the shop. I will have to vacuum later today if I feel up to it. I loaded up a little over 10 lbs of rock into it with course grit and away she went. Motor runs at 110 deg. which is cooler than any of my fasco powered units. Zero leak issues so far.

[stefan]

Started to leak after 4 days. Opened it up and cleaned everything real well. Closed it up and it still leaked. Opened it again and cleaned it all again. Flipped the lid seal over and the lid over as well. I added some 3/4 inch washers under the thumbscrews, made sure to tighten the screws in a cross hatch pattern. So far no leaks. I did reach out to the supplier, but being a holiday I don't expect an answer right away. At least the rock seems to be shaping up real nice.

And this clump of grit still on the bottom of the barrel, ugh what a mess.

[khara]

stefan Been years since I tumbled but I used to put Vaseline on the top edge to help with leaks and also something like Gas-X in the barrel to help reduce the gas that builds up over time which puts pressure on the lid. We also put our smaller tumblers in Tupperware boxes. Couldn’t do that with the big multi hex barrels on rods unfortunately. Yours looks like it would fit in a tray at least, like a boot tray, to help catch leaks.