8 Bags Grit and Polish Refill for Rock Tumbler, Works with Any Rock Polisher

This arrived quickly and well packaged. I chose this one after watching videos from Agate Ariel on uTube. she reviewed a similar machine which is only available in the USA, and this looked similar and worked in a similar way, it has a 2.5lb barrel which is a lot better than most at this price range which only have 1lb barrels and no timer or pause functions. I used a rock tumbler years ago, they have moved on a lot since then. This is easy to set up with clear and concise instructions, with pictures and good descriptions. Unlike a lot of instructions for rock tumblers this one clearly mentions barrel burping, something a lot of new users know nothing about and assume it’s a machine error, when instead it’s gas released by some rocks and just needs the barrel carefully opened to release the gas. The machine has settings for number of days and 3 speed levels, a on and off switch and a pause start button, just be careful when you go to pause it as I keep switching it off instead ☺️. Being able to pause it to check progress is great without trying to remember what it was on before. However!I do reduce the speed to 1 before restarting then turn it up to the speed I was on before pausing. The barrel is a good solid rubber and the lid has a good seal, I added a good sized washer between the screw and the metal lid to spread the tension from the screw and prevent distortion of the lid from tightening the screw. The grit supplied is 30g which is 2 tablespoons per grit sachet and for the first “go” I simply added a few more rocks to the reach the running level of 2/3 or 3/4 full and used the entire sachet of grit, I didn’t use the ceramic media for the first stage but I do use it for stages 2 to 4, never use new ceramic media in stage 4 only ceramic media that has come through the stages with the rocks. The kit comes with 1lb/500g of various rocks, some good looking rocks in there too - the obsidian is one that can release gas so keep an eye on things. It’s a good idea to keep a log so you know when it was started and what stage, before emptying the barrel fish out a few rocks and rinse them to see what it’s like incase you need to keep the current stage going for longer, saves grit! When ready to move on always wash it all,well then do a wash cycle, fill with water as before and then add a few drops of dish soap ( you can also add 1 tbsp of borax per lb if needed as well) and run it for 24 hours before moving on, do this between every stage. Again the instructions mention this as well which is great. This would be good for children with adult supervision as well, not recommended without supervision, just to be safe but it’s a great hobby as a family to do together, it takes PATIENCE as results take time, each stage is a week minimum and the final stage can be 9 days to 2 weeks for best results. I also got a bucket of popcorn, to get the bucket with a lid and a large metal kitchen sieve for dumping out and Rinsing as it contains the sludge which can’t be put down drains as it sets like concrete, disposing in a weedy corner of the garden, or a place you would like a concrete like covering works, if you use borax however do not use in the garden as it kills plants unless it’s weeds you don’t want! The customer service is fantastic, in the box is a warranty card you scan the QR code, mine didn’t work but there is a QR code for WhatsApp on the front of the instructions and that is how you contact customer services, they were fantastic! They activated my warranty for me and also they send you out packs of 5 belts for free when you need them once you ah e activated the warranty and for the life of the machine you get the belts as needed, it comes with 5. The representative I chatted with was knowledgeable and informative and very helpful, I’ve saved the contact in my phone for future use and was very impressed with their after care and their friendly approachable manner. Makes me even happier with my purchase. I would recommend this to anyone, young or old, new to the hobby or already a Rock Tumbler or into Lapidary (I hope I spelt that right lol). Ideally you want this in a shed as they can be noisy, this one is quieter than some, also be aware it “wanders” with the vibration, though this could be where I have ours sat, I’ve got a silicone trivet coming to put under it to see if that absorbs some of the natural vibration and helps it stay put! All in all I’d recommend this happily. Looking forward to the end result and then getting my own gathered rocks in that I’ve found over the years since I had a tumbler and see what I end up with! Great fun.

When my Gitsense Rock Tumbler arrived, I was immediately impressed by its solid weight and sturdiness; no rattly bits or flimsy ones, either... However, you can't judge a book by its cover, so I had to put it to work. But not before I had studied the extremely thorough instruction booklet - also excellent - which takes you through the whole process and has space for your own notes, etc. As a noob, I was a bit cautious, but following the instructions was straightforward and so I took the plunge, loaded my selected stones into the barrel with the grit and we're off! Meanwhile I had a look in the box to see if I'd missed anything... Well yes. Yes I had! Different types of grit, ceramic whatsits to help with tumbling process, a great big bag of interesting stones, such as amethyst, green quartz, pink quartz, Dalmatian jasper, tiger's eye, lapis lazuli... Also included were some items for jewellery making - earrings, a chain for a pendant, and a couple of rings amongst other things that escape my memory... Oh, a little sieve for fishing stones out of the barrel and a pair of small, but sturdy pliers - jewellery for the making of. All this in one small box; I was so pleasantly surprised - not just because of all the extras, but because of the quality of it all. And so it was time for the big switch on - the proof of the pudding, and all that - well, it works like a dream; little bit noisy, but that's to be expected. The outcome? I couldn't believe the difference even after just a few hours... Can't wait to see the finished results! TLDR - It's bloody brilliant, and I wish I'd had one years ago. Well worth the expenditure, which itself was very reasonable considering everything you get, and the quality of it. Love it!

I’ve run a couple of cycles and it works well. Once you start tumbling it is quite noisy which is to be expected. It really needs to be run in an outbuilding or garage. You wouldn’t want it in your living space. The only real disappointment was the step 4 polishing grit didn’t give a good shine. The stones were smooth but had a matt finish no matter how long I left them. I had to buy some additional polishing compound which did the job.

Great item

So this is my second tumbler and by far the best value for money. The rubber drum is so much quieter than the plastic and the kit includes everything you need to start. I really like that it includes ample spare belts and the included booklet is both informative and easy enough to use that my 12 year old son as able to understand the process and learn as he goes. Rick tumbling requires patience and some long run times, so the noise reduction from the rubber drum is greatly appreciated. This was a great find!

I’ve recently gotten interesting in rock tumbling and found this machine. Upon arrival, a part of my machine was broken, but after reaching out to the very helpful customer support, a replacement pet was sent and I started tumbling right away! I’ve just finished my first round on the rocks provided and after just 3 days most of my rocks look great! The others have gone back in to tumble more. This kit provides a good selection of rocks, jewellery attachments and grits for tumbling. One thing I would recommend (either to the product or the buyer) is providing an extra packets of grits, as the instructions say to use the whole sachet, but after 3 days all of it had ground down into dust, meaning I had to get more to continue tumbling the rocks that weren’t quite ready to move on to the second grit. I had purchased extra grit when I ordered this to avoid having to wait. at the cost of this kit and what you get, it’s definitely worth it if you’re just starting to get into rock tumbling, and the customer support is fantastic! Once my rocks have gone a little further into the process, I’ll attempt to update this review with the info I gather.