Lortone has been building lapidary machines in Mukilteo, Washington, north of Seattle, since 1979, and is now in its second generation of family ownership. The catalog stays narrow on purpose: rotary tumblers from the 3 pound 3A up to the C40 commercial drum, plus trim saws, polishing arbors, flat laps and combination units. On the company site the 45C sells for $185, the 33B for $195, the QT12 for $365, and the two commercial tumblers for $1,195 and $1,295. Bodies are steel, barrels are molded rubber with metal lids.
The reasoning fits a buyer who expects to keep one machine for a decade. Drive belts start at $2.50, a spare 3 pound barrel costs $37.50, and worn parts for old units are still findable. Less of a fit for anyone after vibratory finishing or faceting equipment, which Lortone does not make, or for apartment work: a rotary tumbler runs for days and is audible through a wall.
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