Thumler's has been building tumblers in Auburn, Washington since the late 1950s, and the A-R1 is their single barrel model: a 3 pound molded rubber drum on a red steel frame with a continuous duty, fan cooled motor. The fan matters for anyone who runs a barrel for three weeks straight, which is normal in rock tumbling. The barrel interior is faceted rather than round, and many tumblers argue it gives more aggressive rock on rock action.
Compared with the Lortone 3A it usually costs a little more and is built for longer runtimes, so it fits the hobbyist who plans to keep the machine loaded most of the year. It is still a one stage at a time tumbler with no timer and no speed control. Parts are easy: the drive belt is a standard nitrile o-ring, sold in cheap multipacks.
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