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Oct 14, 2024

Best rock tumblers 2024: Beginner & professional options | Live Science

We've ranked the best rock tumblers for beginners, kids, adults and professionals who love geology and are on the hunt for sea glass, agates and more When you purchase through links on our site, we

We've ranked the best rock tumblers for beginners, kids, adults and professionals who love geology and are on the hunt for sea glass, agates and more

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The best rock tumblers make your rocks look impeccable, bringing out their natural beauty. But how do you know which one is right for you? Rock collecting is a hobby that has captivated people of all ages for thousands of years. Historical records in ancient Egypt and India tell stories of communities using “tumbling” systems to polish rocks used for jewelry making, decoration, and more — each of which remains popular today.

A rock tumbler is a fantastic purchase for anyone who calls themselves a rock collector, whether you’re a beginner or a lifelong geology enthusiast. However, sometimes a rock tumbling hobby can ignite other interests in science for kids. The best chemistry sets and best microscopes for kids give you great options to introduce STEM concepts to them and spark their passion for different kinds of science.

Best overall

Best overall:

With a 1 lb barrel, 7 day timer and everything you need to get going, this Hobby Kit is a fantastic choice for any user.

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Best for small spaces

Best for small spaces:

With the ability to pause and resume tumbling without losing your timer and speed settings, it's great for users who don't have a garage to put it in and who don't want to listen to it all night.

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Best for professionals

Best for professionals:

Best for seasoned geologists and users who have already owned a starter tumbler, this Pro 3 edition has a bigger 2 lb barrel than other National Geographic models.

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Best double barrel

Best double barrel

With two 3 lb barrels, users can tumble two sets of rocks at different stages, meaning you don't have to wait until one batch finishes before you can start the next. It doesn't have any timers or controls other than a single power switch.

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Best for beginners

Best for beginners

This small, 1 lb barrel rock tumbler is ideal for beginners and kids who are new to the hobby. Just plug it in and go with minimal fuss, and it includes everything you need to get started at an affordable price.

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Why you can trust Live Science Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best ones for you. Find out more about how we test.

Our expert review:

✅ You're buying your first rock tumbler: It's fantastic as a first rock tumbler and includes everything you need to get started.✅ You want a quiet tumbler: This is one of the quietest motors we've found.

❌ You're buying for a young child: This tumbler is suitable for ages 8+, so if your child is younger, you might want to hold off until they're old enough.❌ You want a professional-level tumbler: While this tumbler is good for most purposes, the included stones aren't the best quality. For pros, you might want to source your own or go for something like the Dan&Darci Advanced Professional Rock Tumbler.

🔎 National Geographic Hobby Rock Tumbler Kit: Great for all ages and experience levels, the Hobby Kit includes everything you need to get started with rock tumbling. It has a rubber construction barrel to minimize noise, requires almost no assembly and is easy to understand and operate. ★★★★½

The National Geographic Hobby Tumbler has a simple operation and a durable design, perfect if you or your kids are new to tumbling. One of the things that distinguishes this tumbler apart from similar models is the leak-proof, rubber-construction barrel. This rubber construction helps reduce the noise when the tumbler is in operation, making it one of the quietest models and less likely to disturb the rest of your household.

This tumbler comes with nine types of stones to start with, as well as four polishing grit packets, jewelry fastenings and a sifter. A full-color learning guide is included with the tumbler, which thoroughly explains the process for all ages. Then once you're done with the included stones, you can either source your own or purchase refill packs. You can set it to run up to 7 days, and it'll tell you how many days are left.

The one-touch timer makes it easier to get the tumbling started faster so you can get maximum enjoyment, plus there’s also an automatic shutoff for maximum convenience. We haven't reviewed it yet, but the customer reviews are very good with an overall rating of 4.5/5 on Amazon.

There are 3 options to choose from — the Hobby Kit, Hobby Kit 2 and Hobby Bundle. The Hobby Kit, which is the cheapest option, comes with 1/2 lb rough gemstones, 4 grades of tumbling grit and some jewelry fastenings (alongside the tumbler itself). The Hobby Kit 2 looks pretty similar, although it also includes reusable GemFoam to give your rocks extra shine, and there are slightly different gemstones and jewelry fastenings included. The Hobby Bundle has all of the above except GemFoam, plus two refill packs (gemstone and jasper varieties) each including 1 lb of raw stones.

Our expert review:

✅ You want to pause tumbling: This model features a pause/resume button to enable you to stop tumbling without losing the speed or timer settings.✅ You want a longer timer: The timer function can run for up to 9 days.

❌ You're buying for a child: Although it's suitable for ages 8+, for kids and beginners we'd recommend the National Geographic Starter Rock Tumbler Kit.❌ You want a bigger barrel: If 1 lb capacity isn't enough for you, we'd recommend the Leegol Electric Double Drum Rock Tumbler.

🔎 Dan&Darci Advanced Rock Tumbler: Easy to use for all ages and comes with everything you need to get going with 1/2 lb of stones, 4 grit packets and jewelry fastenings. The option to pause and resume tumbling makes it stand out from other models, so this tumbler is great for anyone who lives in a small space and doesn't like the noise. ★★★★

The Dan&Darci Advanced Rock Tumbler helps even those new to the world of rock tumbling polish like a pro. This tumbler has a nine-day timer, allowing users to set it up and let it do its thing to polish the stones while they go about everyday life, and there's an automatic shut-off when it's finished tumbling. With three speed settings, you’re in full control, although there's no information as to what exactly the speed is measured in.

The barrel is quieter thanks to its rubber construction, although some users claim it was noisier than they expected, others say they could hardly hear it at all, so the jury's out on that one. The motor is durable and certain to last for years and the LCD display shows the speed and how many days are left on the timer.

Four grit packets and 1/2 lb of rocks come with the tumbler, alongside a strainer and a bag. Jewelry enthusiasts will appreciate the inclusion of jewelry fasteners, allowing them to use their gemstones in jewelry creations with minimal fuss — although, the jewelry will likely impress kids more than adults. The included booklet features a learning guide perfect for all ages, as well as instructions for set-up and use.

We've not reviewed the Dan & Darci Advanced Rock Tumbler yet, but Amazon users have given it an overall rating of 4.5/5 stars, praising its ease of use and value for money. However, even though it's bigger and heavier than the National Geographic Hobby Tumbler we mentioned above, the barrel size is the same. You do get an extra 2 days on the timer with this tumbler though, and there are more controls.

You can also pause and resume the tumbler without losing timer or speed settings, which is something you can't do on the National Geographic models. This would be a great feature if you live in a small space and don't want to listen to it overnight while you sleep.

Our expert review:

✅ You want a good-sized barrel: The 2 lb barrel is the biggest single drum tumbler in this list.✅ You have a lot of stones to tumble: Thanks to the larger barrel, you can tumble more stones in one go.

❌ You want a small tumbler: If you don't have many stones to tumble, we'd suggest a smaller option like the National Geographic Rock Tumbler Hobby Kit.❌ You're a beginner: Beginners would be better suited to the National Geographic Starter Rock Tumbler Kit.

🔎 National Geographic Pro 3 Rock Tumbler Kit: Ideal for bigger stones or tumbling more stones at once, this 2 lbs barrel rock tumbler is great for seasoned geology lovers who are deep into the hobby. ★★★★

This Professional Tumbler from National Geographic is similar to the Hobby Kit we mentioned at the top of this list in terms of what it comes with, but this version has more controls, giving users the ability to set the speed as well as the timer. Another key difference is the barrel size, with this tumbler having double the capacity of the Hobby Kit, which is worth taking into consideration if you're trying to decide between the two.

With all the features that make it easy to produce beautifully polished stones, the National Geographic Professional Tumbler provides the power you need. There are 2 options available here, either the Professional or the Pro 3 with GemFoam — we'd recommend the latter. A shutoff timer helps you conserve power and the motor is certain to last with regular, reasonable use. All you need to do is set the desired time and the tumbler will run for the amount of time required — although, the listing doesn't seem to state how long you can set the timer for.

Not only is this tumbler’s barrel leak-proof, but it also produces less noise than many similar models by as much as 75%, a sure win if quiet operation matters to you. Although, as we found with other models, some users say they can barely hear it, while others say it's louder than they expected — we'll be sure to put it to the test in a thorough review.

Four levels of grit and a pound of stones make an excellent starter batch for all ages and everyone will love seeing the results, and GemFoam is included to help give the newly polished gemstones a shinier look that dazzles. The included jewelry fastenings will help you attach the stones to jewelry, increasing what you can do with this kit and providing a great introduction to kids to the fun of geology and jewelry making.

If the 2 lb barrel still doesn't quite cut it, the next option in this list might be more appealing...

Our expert review:

✅ You have a lot of rocks to tumble: With two large 3 lb barrels, you can tumble more stones at different stages.✅ You have rock tumbling experience: With just a single power button and no included stones, it's more suited to experienced users who know what they are doing.

❌ You want more controls: There's only a single power button — if you want more controls, we'd recommend the Dan&Darci Advanced Professional Rock Tumbler.❌ You're a beginner: This is a tumbler for advanced users, and it doesn't come with any stones. Beginners would prefer the National Geographic Starter Rock Tumbler Kit.

🔎 Leegol Electric Rock Tumbler Double Drum: With two big 3 lb barrels, you can tumble your stones at different stages to maintain a constant stream of polished gemstones. There aren't any controls other than a simple power switch, but experienced users will appreciate it's no-nonsense approach. ★★★★

If the idea of tumbling multiple batches of rocks at once is exciting, then you won’t go wrong by selecting this double-barrel tumbler from Leegol Electric. Like many other tumblers intended for hobbyists, this model features a relatively quiet operation thanks to its rubber construction. That said, users have differing opinions on the noise levels in Amazon reviews.

The Leegol Electric Rock Tumbler comes with an abrasive material made from walnut shells that polishes the rocks, instead of sand. If you want to tumble rocks of different sizes, all you need to do is switch out the density of the abrasive material used.

Like all tumblers, this model uses a process that replicates the ways that gemstones form in nature. Anyone of any age who wants to learn more about rocks and how they form will benefit from using a tumbler.

Each barrel holds up to 3 lbs of rocks (although they say to only fill it either 1/2 or 2/3 full), so you’ll get plenty done with one of these. Both barrels feature a leak-proof design, reducing your chances of having a mess to cope with. For a constant stream of tumbled stones, you can use each barrel to tumble stones at different stages, meaning you won't have to wait until your stones are completely finished before starting a second batch.

There aren't any controls aside from a simple power switch, so you'll need to keep track of how long your rocks have been tumbling. For this reason, we wouldn't necessarily recommend it for beginners. Plus, it doesn't come with any raw stones included like the other models in this list do. They also sell a single 3 lb barrel version.

Our expert review:

✅ You're a beginner: It comes with everything you need to get started, and you just need to plug it in.✅ You're on a budget: For the price, it's a really good starter kit.

❌ You want a large barrel: This starter tumbler only has a 1 lb barrel — try the National Geographic Pro 3 Rock Tumbler.❌ You want a timer and speed controls: The tumbler starts as soon as you plug it in, so there are no controls whatsoever. If you're ready to upgrade, the National Geographic Hobby Kit would be our go-to.

🔎 National Geographic Starter Rock Tumbler Kit: A great value-for-money starter kit for kids or beginners, including everything you need to get started. It's not as fancy as the other models we've listed, but for the price, we can't complain. ★★★★

Rock tumbling is one of the most popular educational activities for all ages and this tumbler certainly helps spark interest. The design is simple enough for even kids to use with no need for a timer or speed controls — just plug it in and it starts spinning automatically. This tumbler is durable and leak-proof so you know everything will stay in place during use.

This kit comes with ½ pound of raw rocks including nine different kinds of stones, plus four-stage polishing grit and five jewelry fastenings as standard. Regardless of their age, every user will benefit from the unique learning experience this tumbler provides, whatever their experience level.

It's the smallest, lightest and most affordable tumbler on this list, making it ideal for beginners who are just starting out and don't want to invest in an expensive tumbler if you aren't sure you'll maintain the hobby. It's also a great STEM gift for kids that is easy to use and won't break the bank.

National Geographic claims all their rock tumblers have a whisper-quiet motor, but many of the user reviews have said that might be somewhat of a stretch. It's not horrendously loud, but we wouldn't say it's quiet enough to not hear it if it's in the same room. Most users keep it in their garage and don't get disturbed by it at all. However, let's not forget that it's literally spinning rocks, so we can't expect it to be silent.

First, you must consider what types of rocks you’ll be polishing. Weight is the most important factor. For example, if you want to polish larger batches of rocks at a time, a six or ten-pound capacity tumbler is a better option than a smaller one.

A vibrating rock polisher will have your rocks clean within ten days, while a rotary rock tumbler is regarded as the most common type and completes the polishing process within 45 days.

They certainly aren't silent, but tumblers with a rubber barrel are much quieter than those with a plastic barrel.

It varies depending on what size barrel you have, but most manufacturers say not to fill it more than 2/3 full.

You can turn them off and back on again, but the amount of time they need to run for remains the same. However, some tumblers have timers that will reset if you turn it off manually.

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AJ Demers is a Texas-based freelance writer currently pursuing a B.A. in Anthropology & Sociology and English Literature & Criticism. She has written articles about products using gemstones for LinkedIn and posts about the impact of artifacts like gems for her blog, AJ the Irish Lass' Ramblings. Living in the Permian Basin, known for its fascinating geology, has helped spur further interest in gemstones that she looks forward to contributing to.

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