Raytech Tumble-Vibe 5 Rock Polishing Kit with 8" Bowl

The Raytech Tumble-Vibe 5 Rock Polishing Kit is Raytech's TV-5 starter kit (part number 23090R): a 115 V vibratory tumbler with an 8 in bowl, a spare bowl, a clear lid and a four-step set of abrasives. A vibratory tumbler vibrates the load in a bowl where a rotary tumbler turns it in a barrel, and Raytech describes the Tumble-Vibe as particularly useful for stones that are already sawed or ground to shape, because it smooths and polishes the surface without destroying that shape. It suits beginners and hobbyists finishing small batches of preformed cabochons, small slabs, baroque stones and seashells. Stones are not included.

Who the Tumble-Vibe 5 Rock Polishing Kit Is For

Choose the Tumble-Vibe 5 Rock Polishing Kit if this is your first vibratory tumbler and you want the machine, a second bowl and all four abrasives in one box. It handles about 3 pints, or 4 lbs, of stones and grit per batch.

A different model is the better choice if:

• You regularly have more than 4 lbs to polish. The Raytech Tumble-Vibe 10 Rock Polishing Kit has a 10 in bowl that holds about 6 pints, or 8 lbs, with the same four abrasives. It comes with one bowl where this kit has two, and it sits in a higher price band.
• You want fully rounded stones from rough rock. Raytech's own kit instructions say that for full rounded stones the first step is best completed in a rotary tumbler. Our tumblers and cleaning supplies collection is the place to compare machines.
• You already own abrasives, or you want a tumbler for something other than stones. The bare Raytech TV-5 Tumble-Vibe is the same machine with one bowl, one lid and no abrasives, in a slightly lower price band.
• You are on 230 V mains. This listing is the 115 V kit. Raytech makes a 230 V version under a different part number, and this is not it.

Key Features of the Tumble-Vibe 5 Kit and What They Mean in Use

• 8 in bowl with 0.05 cu ft working capacity: Raytech puts that at approximately 3 pints or 4 lbs. The figure includes the abrasive and the stones together, so plan your batches around it.
• Two bowls: Raytech recommends one bowl for the grinding and pre-polish steps and the other for the final polish. Coarse grit embeds in a bowl, and a bowl kept only for polish cannot carry it into your last step.
• Clear lid: you can look at the load without stopping the machine and lifting the lid.
• Four-step abrasive set (Raytech GSH-2 Stone Finishing Kit): the grits for rough grind through final polish are in the box, so you do not have to work out a grit sequence before your first batch.
• 115 V motor base: Raytech lists the 115 V TV-5 at 60 Hz, 0.9 A and 50 W, with a rated 0.07 horsepower. It plugs into a standard US household outlet and uses no batteries.
• 82 dB noise level: that is Raytech's published figure. Raytech also says not to cover the machine with a blanket or box to deaden the noise, because it can overheat. In our view that makes it a garage or workshop machine, not one for a living space.
• CE certified: Raytech lists the kit as CE certified.

The Four Polishing Steps in the Tumble-Vibe 5 Kit

Run times below are from Raytech's instructions for this kit. Added up, a batch takes roughly 8 to 15 days of running.

1. Silicon Carbide 100/120, rough grind: 5 to 10 days. Raytech's schedule is 2 teaspoons of grit every 12 hours, rinsing out the sludge every other time grit is added.
2. Silicon Carbide 700F, fine grind: 1 to 2 days.
3. Iolox 50, pre-polish: 1 day. Raytech says to skip this step with soft stones such as dolomite, malachite and rhodochrosite.
4. Raybrite TL, polish: 1 to 2 days, in the bowl you keep for polish only.

Raytech advises scrubbing and washing the stones thoroughly between steps so that coarser grit is not carried forward.

What Is in the Box with the Tumble-Vibe 5 Rock Polishing Kit

Raytech standard contents (TV-5 Starter Kit, part number 23090R)

• TV-5 Tumble-Vibe motorized base, 115 V
• Two 8 in bowls: one to run and one spare
• One clear lid
• Two rubber nuts for securing the bowl
• GSH-2 Stone Finishing Kit: Silicon Carbide 100/120, Silicon Carbide 700F, Iolox 50 and Raybrite TL

Serious Detecting does not add anything to this kit. What you receive is Raytech's standard kit.

Not included

• Stones or rocks. Raytech states that they are not part of the kit.
• A second lid. The kit has two bowls and one lid, so the lid moves between them.
• A stated quantity of abrasive. Raytech does not publish the weight of each of the four bags.

Warranty: Raytech warrants the Tumble-Vibe 5 for one year from the date of original purchase against defects in material and workmanship. Raytech's policy excludes commercial use, misuse and normal wear and tear, and covers the original owner only. Bolting the tumbler to a workbench voids the warranty.

Tumble-Vibe 5 Compatibility: Bowls, Parts, Power and Abrasives

• Replacement bowl: the TV-5 takes Raytech's 8 in bowl and lid, part number 23005. Raytech lists the 10 in bowl for the Tumble-Vibe 10 as a separate part with its own shaft and nut. See our tumbler parts and replacement bowls.
• Lid and hardware: Raytech sells the TV-5 lid on its own (part 8094151) and the rubber well nut (part 23004).
• Power: 115 V, 60 Hz mains only. No batteries and no charger.
• Abrasives: the four compounds in the box are the ones Raytech's instructions are written around. Raytech warns against running media and compounds other than those it recommends. If you buy another brand from our rock tumbler polish and grit collection, compare the grades with the four steps above before you order.
• Steel shot: do not use it. Raytech's TV-5 product page says that running steel shot in this machine voids the warranty.
• Drain: Raytech lists a liquid drain on one version of the Tumble-Vibe 10 and none on the TV-5, so you rinse sludge out of the TV-5 bowl by hand. Raytech says to strain out as much grit as possible and not to put grit down a household drain.
• Where it sits: Raytech says to place the tumbler on a solid floor away from combustible materials, to block it in place if you run it on a bench, and never to bolt it down.

Where the Tumble-Vibe 5 Kit Works Well and Where It Does Not

Preformed cabochons, small slabs and shells

This is what the Tumble-Vibe 5 kit is made for. Raytech lists smoothing and polishing preformed cabochons and small slabs, grinding and polishing baroque stones from rough chips, and polishing seashells. Raytech's point about preforms is that the surface gets smoothed and polished without destroying the basic shape you cut.

Rounding rough rock

The Tumble-Vibe 5 will take rough chips to a polished baroque finish, but it is not the tool for turning rough rock into fully rounded stones. Raytech's kit instructions say that step is best completed in a rotary tumbler. If rounded stones from field-collected rock are your goal, a rotary tumbler is the better first machine.

Mixed loads

Raytech recommends filling the Tumble-Vibe 5 bowl to capacity so the tumbling action works, and says stones finish best when the load is a mixture of sizes, with a good share of small pieces to reach hollow areas. Stones of mixed hardness usually do not finish well in the same batch, so sort by hardness first.

Batch size

At about 3 pints or 4 lbs including abrasive, the Tumble-Vibe 5 is a small-batch machine. If you fill it every time and still have stones waiting, the Tumble-Vibe 10 kit doubles the capacity.

Attention over a long run

A batch in the Tumble-Vibe 5 runs for roughly 8 to 15 days, and it is not a machine you load and forget. Raytech says to check it every 8 hours and to add enough water to restore the tumbling action if evaporation slows it. During the rough grind you add grit every 12 hours. Raytech also warns that letting the load run too dry causes premature wear on the bowl.

Noise, size and weight

Raytech publishes 82 dB for the Tumble-Vibe 5, and it runs for days at a time, so decide where it will live before you order. The tumbler itself is light: Raytech lists the TV-5 unit at 7 lbs with an 8 in diameter bowl. Raytech does not publish a weight for the full kit. Our shipping weight for the kit is 8.8 lbs.

Coins and relics

The abrasives in this kit are chosen for stone. If you want a Tumble-Vibe 5 for cleaning finds and not for polishing stones, our recommendation is the bare TV-5, because you would be paying for four stone abrasives you will not use.

How the Tumble-Vibe 5 Kit Differs from the TV-5 Tumbler and the Tumble-Vibe 10 Kit

Raytech lists the same rated 0.07 horsepower at 115 V and the same 82 dB noise level for all three. What changes is the bowl and what comes with it.

Feature	TV-5 Tumble-Vibe tumbler	Tumble-Vibe 5 Rock Polishing Kit	Tumble-Vibe 10 Rock Polishing Kit
Bowl diameter	8 in	8 in	10 in
Working capacity	0.05 cu ft, about 3 pints or 4 lbs	0.05 cu ft, about 3 pints or 4 lbs	0.10 cu ft, about 6 pints or 8 lbs
Bowls in the box	One	Two	One
Abrasives in the box	None	Four-step set	Four-step set
Price band	Lowest of the three	Slightly above the bare TV-5	Highest of the three

Closest model down: the bare TV-5 Tumble-Vibe. It is the same tumbler. You give up the spare bowl and the four abrasives.

Closest model up: the Tumble-Vibe 10 Rock Polishing Kit. You get double the capacity in a 10 in bowl, a drive and suspension Raytech describes as heavy duty, and a lid Raytech describes as noise reducing. You give up the second bowl. The bowl in that kit has no drain. The Tumble-Vibe 10 is also sold on its own without abrasives.

Raytech Industries was founded in 1958 and is based in Middletown, Connecticut.