I have an ultrasonic cleaner and a tumbler.
Tumbler allows for bigger items to be cleaned. Problem with the ultrasonic is that you still need to use the correct medium and youll need to experiment to find what dissolves the dirt, sometimes hot water and detergent will do the trick, but if cleaning metal parts then the same base that is in metal polish is the go. A silversmith i know uses water and ammonia.
The tumbler is a purely mechanical action - personally, i much prefer this method
