The National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Kit Review (1.36kg)

Thinking of buying the National Geographic rock tumbler refill kit? We bought the medium sized package from Amazon so we could report back on what we found. Is it good value for money? Let’s find out!

Everything included in the Rock Tumble Refill Kit (1.36kg)

Introducing the Nat Geo Rock tumbling Refill Kit

If, like us, you have a keen interest in polishing rocks to keep them shiny, then a rock tumbling machine is what you need. Of these, National Geographic create good quality machines with great customer service. The hobby tumbler which they sell is a particular favourite of ours and we do use it as part of our array of tumblers.

The refill kit itself contains 1.36 kg of rocks, which is just shy of 3lbs. These come in three packets made of heavy duty plastic.

The rock tumbler refill kit by National Geographic also contains replacement jewellery findings. There is the cage necklace, the ring setting, and the earrings which you get with the original product so you can make more jewellery. It is worth pointing out that you can buy jewellery findings separately on Amazon if that is what you need.

As well as rocks and findings, the set contains an English language instruction leaflet and a separate leaflet in multiple languages. There is also a small guide to using the device.

Lastly, you will receive three plastic packs each containing four stages of rock tumbling grit. With each rock tumble cycle lasting roughly a month, this is about three months worth of grit if you only have the one machine.

If we were to use all the rocks with the grits provided, we would still have rocks left at the end and have to buy more grit. If you are looking to buy rock tumbling grits on their own, you can do so on Amazon.

Buy Your 1.36kg Rock Tumbler Refil Kit Here!

We Reviewed the Medium Sized Rock Tumbler Refill Kit

There are actually three sizes of the National Geographic rock tumbler refill kit. Had we known this before we ordered, we would have ordered the larger pack than we did. As it was, I reviewed the medium-sized tumbler refill kit by Nat Geo.

The three sizes are:

·       The small National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Kit

·       The medium National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Kit

·       The Large National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Kit

What Types Of Rock Do You Get In The National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Kit?

Each kit contains the same types of rocks. There are 9 varieties of rock within each rock refill kit for tumbling.

The 9 types of rock in the National Geographic Rock tumbler refill kit are:

• Red Jasper – a brick red which shines beautifully

• Black Jasper – which we have yet to polish but which we are very interested in. Black jasper is one of the rarest types of jasper, possibly because it is often mistaken for basalt.

• Tiger’s Eye – traditionally Katriona’s favourite gemstone. No, she does not enjoy typing about herself in the second or third person.

• Agate – mainly carnelian from what we have seen.

• Dalmatian Jasper – the one with the white spots on black.

• Obsidian – which is not technically a rock but we do love a naturally made volcanic glass.

• Aventurine – which is green coloured quartz

• Amethyst – which is purple coloured quartz

• Rose Quartz – which is rose coloured quartz.

  
  

We found that there were 3-4 large pieces of each mineral in each of the three bags supplied with the medium sized rock tumbler refill kit.

The bags also contained a lot of smaller material, chips which would tumble fine, but which would ultimately leave you with only chips at the end. We did not like this part. I would far rather that the bag was full of rocks which are the correct size for tumbling since it is a tumbling mix.

Katriona’s Thoughts – Reviewing the Rock Tumbler Refill Mix

My first thoughts were that the black jasper will be amazing when we polish it. We have encountered this material in other rough rock baggies but haven’t been able to place it. Our jasper here in Scotland must have a higher silica rating or something because it has more of the chalcedony cleavage than this jasper does. Speaking of jasper, the red jasper probably isn’t as good quality as what we pull out of the river here in Scotland, but it is still nice material.

The Dalmation jasper disappointed me a little. Most of the pieces of it that we got across all three bags were small. When it comes to rock tumbling, I want pieces which are at lease 3cm long, otherwise they erode away in the grit. I found this problem in all three bags. I don’t know if they are being smashed around at the warehouse or what, but I wasn’t that happy about it. The only use we have for those small chips is as fodder to add friction when tumbling the bigger stuff.

That aside, it is a one-off miss for National Geographic. The stones are of good quality. You can tell that some have been chipped from massive blocks of material, which is as close as we come to wholesale. They will smooth out in the tumbler.

We really liked the amethyst. There was not enough of it, but what we did get was chevron and we love chevron amethyst.

The rose quartz was plentiful but pale. We knew that from the original packet.

The tiger’s eye and the agate are actually sensational. They are marvellous. The aventurine is similarly cool. We couldn’t fault the sodalite either.

I was over the moon to get the grits because I was about to go and order coarser. In the TikTok video you can see me thinking that they are just coarse grits, but it is three times 4 packets for all four grit stages.

The jewellery findings are a nice touch, as is the tumbling instructions. However, I would trade both of those in for bigger rocks.

The jewellery findings you get in the box.

Is the 1.36kg National Geographic Rock Tumbler Refill Worth The Money?

I did a quick bit of maths at the end of the video to work out that there was about 42 rocks that would survive the tumbler. Say each tumblestone is £1, then you make your money back and a little extra. The little extra would go towards grit but they give you grit. So yes, it is good value for money.

It’s also a really good mix. It is far easier to go out and buy a 500g lot of jasper, or a 1kg weight of agate, but the mix is more difficult and more rewarding.

Lastly, I love Nat Geo. Followers of the page already know this. I like what they stand for and I like what they do for the world. I reckon their STEM toy range has sparked the inner scientist in thousands of kids worldwide. I particularly like knowing that the money I spend with them is going back into that.

Would I recommend this rock tumbler refil kit? Absolutely. I might go back and buy the bigger one. We will see.

A quick additional note to say that the small fragments amounted to 500g of smaller chips. They can still be tumbled but will end up tiny. On the upside though, you can use your rock tumbler refill kit with any rock tumbler - it doesn't have to be National Geographic. What they lose in small chips they make up for in diversity.

Rock Tumbler Refill FAQs

In this section I have tried to answer as many rock tumbler frequently asked questions regarding rough rock refills as possible.

What Types Of Rocks Do You Get With A National Geographic Hobby Rock Tumbler?

You receive the same types of rocks in the original hobby tumbler package which you get in the refill kit. Therefore, the 9 types of rocks are amethyst, agate, red jasper, black jasper, aventurine, tiger’s eye, rose quartz, sodalite, and dalmatian jasper.

What Is The Best Rock Tumbler For Beginners?

Looking to buy a new rock tumbler? You can read our National Geographic Hobby Rock Tumbler Review here and now you can even shop for rock tumblers in the UK in our online rock hunting shop. We also have an article regarding how to choose a beginner’s rock tumbler to get you started.

Where to Buy Ethically Sourced Rough Rock Tumbler Refill Elsewhere?

If you have polished your nine types of rocks from National Geographic’s rock tumbler refill kit, then you might be looking for green pastures anew. Check out our rock tumbling mix made up of Scottish stones at www.thestonecircle.co.uk.