Quick-N-EZ Case Tumbler and Media Separator for Brass Cleaning & Polishing, Ammo Reloading, Gunsmithing

I use this to polish rocks from stages 2-4 with ceramic media and grit and a small amount of water, just enough to get the grit to stick to the stones. It does a very nice job for this application- average time to complete each stage is 2-3 days vs. 7+ in a rotary tumbler. You still need to use a rotary tumbler for the first stage as a vibratory tumbler won’t round off or blunt sharp edges, but it does a nice job smoothing the surfaces without really changing the shape of the rocks. You do have to watch to make sure the rocks and media stay moist the entire time- you don’t want the grit to dry on the rocks or in the machine or you’ll have a terrible concrete-like mess to clean up. You’ll also not want to add too much water or you’ll end up with a thick slurry in the bottom of the tumbler and it will significantly slow the movement of the rocks around in the tumbler and hinder the vibration action. Like any vibratory tumbler, this tumbler is loud, but not as loud as some other vibratory tumblers I have tried that were so loud that I had to wear ear protection just to walk into the room. You’ll want to use it in a workshop or garage and check it at least twice a day to make sure you are maintaining the right amount of moisture in it and the rocks are freely moving through the ceramic media without lagging on the bottom too long. So far, the tumbler has been running continuously for 2 weeks straight with only 20-30 minutes off every few days while I dump the rocks and media and thoroughly scrub out the vibration bowl before adding the next stage’s clean ceramic media and grit and the rocks back in. Even in my garage in the summer, the tumbler has not overheated or had any issues with basically having continuous 24/7 use. I am very impressed with the performance considering the lower price point. I liked it so much that I just purchased a second unit that I will use exclusively for the final polishing stage! Note: I do have the cover on it at night and when I have to go away for more than 4 hours to help preserve the moisture level when I can’t check it frequently. I don’t have young children or animals that I have to worry about sticking hands or paws in it or knocking it over. Having the cover on does cut the noise level a little bit, but it also holds the heat in that is generated by the friction of the vibration, so you’ll notice the rocks and media feel warmer when you open the cover after a few hours than it would feel if you are running it without the cover on. At no time ever have the rocks been hot to the touch- just slightly warm.

I am a big fan of this Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-Easy Separator kit for brass cleaning. I read that it comes with corn cob media, so I also purchased a 5lbs container of Frankford Arsenal walnut shell media. I placed 100 38spl and 50 44 mag brass casings in the tumbler using the walnut media. I ran it for 1 hour using my phone timer, and the brass came out gleaming and begging to be reloaded for another go. I am also surprisingly amazed at how quiet this tumbler is. I set it right outside the sliding glass door to my backyard, and I could not hear it running from just 15 feet inside my home at the living room table. My phone timer alerted me that 1 hour was up, and I poured the brass and media out into the FA media Separator over the supplied bucket. I gave the cases a quick 1 minute spin to separate the media away, and the brass came out gleaming and begging to be reloaded for another go. The whole process was, "Quick-N-Easy" AND CLEAN! with no mess or fuss. I am a huge fan of this Frankford Arsenal QUICK N EASY Tumbler and Media Sparator. Fast-N-Quiet, Quik-N-Clean, how can you not love that! Awesome performance and results.

I took a chance on this tumbler, given its low price in comparison with similar machines on the market. I have started restoring straight razors and needed a way to get a high shine on the blade. It doesn't work quick and it is not silent but it does the job exceptionally well! My blades come out with a mirror shine you can read news print off of. This tumbler is not quite but I have heard the same of many other similar products. I have run this machine 24 hours a day, with only short rests, for over a week now. No overheating at all! During the day, the noise is not bothersome. But I am a light sleeper and with the tumbler in my garage 35 feet away, I can hear it. Closing my bedroom door is enough to allow me to drift off easily. I intend to make a box with sound proofing material. I do intend to be running this machine a LOT!!! I had a concern with the threaded rod being exposed and nicking my blades as they tumbled. I took care of that with a very small funnel, approximately 1 1/2" to 2" tall that I put around the bottom part of the nut and threads. I then used some plastic toilet or sink water supply line which I had to drill out to allow it to slip over the remainder of the exposed thread. It works GREAT! No more worry about nicking my blades and the tumbler works even better. Ends up I did not have to put the supply line plastic on as the way the tumbler circulates, no item in it comes near the upper threads, just the very bottom covered by the funnel. But the upper thread covering gives me piece of mind and when I put the cover on and tighten the wing nut, it compresses the supply line and helps to hold the funnel in place. Something I learned by observation: the tumbler is suppose to have a horizontal clockwise rotation as well as a vertical rolling or "tumbling" action. I noticed that at times I was losing the horizontal rotation which is necessary to allow the machine to work at its best. I learned that tightening the wing nut down too tight will affect this rotation. Just ease up on the nut a bit. You should see a visible horizontal and vertical rotation and you know things are hunky dory! Highly recommended!

This has been a great product. The bucket is a little on the cheaper side. Though for a starting bucket it works well. Easy to use. The hold pin for the strainer basket was a tight fit until it worked in after some use. I like the media that came with the kit. Works for what I need it to.

The Frankford Arsenal Quick-N-EZ Case Tumbler and Media Separator is a game-changer for brass cleaning and polishing. It works flawlessly and makes the process quick and efficient. Removing cases and separating media is simple, and it really helps fix mistakes and keep everything organized. Solid build quality and great performance highly recommend for any reloader!

It took two tries to get a complete hammer set (the first set was missing several pieces) but with all the pieces, the set is excellent. The design hasn't changed much if at all over the last 50 years. That includes how it's used. I see reviews with complaints of how bad the set works. But some of those complaints include pictures showing the reviewer using the hammer with the ammo inserted backwards! This set also comes with very clear, easy to understand instructions. They just need to be read if you don't already know how to use an impact bullet puller. I haven't tried using this particular puller with shell holders yet. But several older impact hammers were able to use shell holders in place of the collets. My 50 year old hammer worked perfectly with shell holders. I just need to find where that puller has been hiding...

My old Cabela’s model 400 finally gave up the ghost after 15 years and I needed to clean a bunch of brass. Took a chance on this unit and am very pleased I did. It is significantly quieter than my old Cabela’s unit although slightly smaller. I no longer need to run it outside the house due to noise. Hopefully I will get 15 years of service out of this one too.

I recently got into reloading after months of research and reading up on the mandatory reloading manuals. The first step of reloading your old brass is cleaning it up. This does just that - and well. I acquired my walnut media from a pet shop. It's about half the price of actual "reloading media" despite the fact that it's the same stuff. I got 7lbs. for $10. My first load of 500 .40 S&W rounds took about half the bag (3.5lbs.). The manual says to fill your tumbler 2/3 full. Hopefully that'll help put things into perspective as to how much media you'll need. Also, your media is reusable. After reading up on forums, I did what it seems like a lot of seasoned reloaders do. I put my media in and then I put 2 cap fulls of Nu Finish car polish. Let this run without any brass for about 15-20 minutes. It'll be clumpy at first, but will dissipate within that amount of time. Then add 2 ounces of mineral spirits/paint thinner and let that run for a few minutes. Then add your brass and let it run for a couple hours. Your brass will come out cleaner than you can imagine. Nu Finish is ammonia-free and is one of the only safe polishes to do this with. The mineral spirits (preferably odorless) will help to clean up the carbon deposits and help to break away the crud within the casings. Some will say that running your tumbler for 30-45 minutes is "clean enough." Others, like me, prefer a like-new shine. From what I've read, this is achieved after 2-3 hours. My 500 casings came out shinier than factory new. I also took 2 used fabric softener sheets and cut them into quarters and threw them into the tumbler. They help to attract the light red dusting of the walnut shells and save you some of the hassle of clean-up. Now, you can buy this tumbler in the kit form that comes with the rotary media separator. No thanks. I've read nothing but bad about that separator. At this moment, the kit is double the price than just the tumbler. Yeah, you get some corn media and polish, but you're better off with walnut and a method of separating that won't break on you. I made my own sifter that was about the size of a cat litter box using some 2x4 and some 1/4" mesh. When I'm done tumbling, I pour my batch onto the sifter over a littler box and give it about 60 seconds of some shaking and it's done. This method won't break on me and it was cheaper, as I already had the material on-hand. After sifting, I dump my brass onto a full size bath towel and fold it over and rub them around for a few. This creates an even higher gloss and also rids the casings of the remaining fine dust. Lastly, learn from my mistake. My first batch, I mixed in some .357, .38 and 9mm with my .40. Do one caliber at a time. I just happened to pick all the calibers that turned my brass into a matryoshka doll. The .357/.38 fit perfect into the .40. With the walnut in between the casings, it'll look them into place so they don't tumble free. You'll have to physically pick them out and pull them apart. If this happens early on, then you won't have the insides of those casings clean. A few had a 9mm inside of a .40 with a .357/.38 capping it off. Point being, tumble one caliber at a time if they have the chance of mating with one another. It'll spare you from having to run the tumbler again. All-in-all, I'm very happy with it. It's quiet for what it is. People that complain about the noise, well, it's a TUMBLER! It tumbles brass. There's going to be some minor noise, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I let it run in my well insulated garage and I couldn't hear it once I shut the door. I can't imagine these being any quieter. The noise isn't from the motor. Just the brass in the tub. If you need a tumbler, this is definitely worth the price.