Buying a New Pot- Lyman or RCBS?

[Hanzy4200]

I have been rocking my old LEE bottom pour pot for over 7 years. She has been good to me, but the ride is about over. She is increasingly finnicky. Gets clogged up constantly, gets stuck open, drips, screws constantly coming loose, ect. I have deemed it time to upgrade. I'm looking to spend around $200-$250. I would appreciate some seasoned casters input on pros and cons.

[dannyd]

I have both the new Lyman and the new RCBS. RCBS all the way over Lyman. Lee 20 lbs over the Lyman too. Don't buy the Lyman. The rcbs is easier to cast on because of the open front and the mold guide is easier to adjust.

[StuBach]

Haven’t heard much positive on the Lyman units anywhere I’ve looked.

I have one of the RCBS Pro Melt I (no built in PID) and love it. This unit was used to me and I can’t speak highly enough about it.

Can’t speak to the Pro Melt II but the idea of having to leave plugged in so built in PID could cool was not conducive to my setup so didn’t want to go that route.

[rcslotcar]

I'd go with the RCBS, or old Saeco.

[762sultan]

I would look on some of the popular web-sites for used RCBS pro-melt or post on this forum in the WTB section. There are older casters who are getting out of the hobby who have a RCBS pro-melt that they might sell.

[gpidaho]

I own a Lyman Mag 20 and it's served me well for years. I was lucky enough to get one of the last of the original RCBS Pro Melts and it's one fine casting pot. If I were in need of a new furnace it would be the RCBS. As others have mentioned, look for one of the used Pro Melts, well worth the money. Gp

[dannyd]

Owned a Mag 20 and the pro melt 1 too. The old Pro Melt not made by RCBS they brought the company it's a very good pot. The only hobby I have is casting and reloading, so if I see a new shiny thing I usually buy it. I like PID machines and I like the RCBS 2. Does not take that long to cool down to 160 degrees.

[KenT7021]

I have the Lyman Mag25.I've been using it for a couple of years.It works fine.The mold guide is not a problem since my molds are pretty much Lyman,RCBS,and Saeco.I like the guide because it works with Ideal and Lyman hollow point molds.The Lyman doesn't require cool down before unplugging.

[FLINTNFIRE]

I bought a promelt 2 it drips , it does take a couple hours to drop down to 160 , I am adding sprues back and fresh ingots till I am ready to stop , then I run out of pot till level goes down about half then I set pid to 0 and cast till spout freezes , I find that by increasing the stream I can get quite a few casts before that happens then level is low enough that it cools better then a full pot of lead .

I to would buy a older promelt and put a pid to it , which I am currently doing , as to the drip I have heard there is a different stem that stops that , I will try that first and if that does not work I will lap the one it came with .

[dannyd]

I bought a promelt 2 it drips , it does take a couple hours to drop down to 160 , I am adding sprues back and fresh ingots till I am ready to stop , then I run out of pot till level goes down about half then I set pid to 0 and cast till spout freezes , I find that by increasing the stream I can get quite a few casts before that happens then level is low enough that it cools better then a full pot of lead .

I to would buy a older promelt and put a pid to it , which I am currently doing , as to the drip I have heard there is a different stem that stops that , I will try that first and if that does not work I will lap the one it came with .

Call RCBS they have a fix for the drip.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Well have been trying , only get the answering machine , calling again on monday , but this has been going on two weeks with no answer .
My luck I guess as others have had no problems getting a person .

[dannyd]

Well have been trying , only get the answering machine , calling again on monday , but this has been going on two weeks with no answer .
My luck I guess as others have had no problems getting a person .

You can always email them.

http://rcbs.com/Help/Customer-Service.aspx

[FLINTNFIRE]

I have twice no response yet on that either

[Burnt Fingers]

I have both an old PM and the new PMII, along with a Saeco, and some Lee pots. The RCBS pots are what I use.

I put a simple timer on the PM II https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This makes it so I can just hit a button and walk away.

[2011redrider]

I have had the easy melt (ladle only pot) for year and half and it has worked fine. It holds temp very well. I use my large ladle for smelting and pour most of the lead back into ingots to shorten the cool down period.
Just had the cooling fan quit, so I will have to call RCBS in the morning to replace it. Luckily it's still under the 2 yr warranty.

[FLINTNFIRE]

A email arrived this morning they are sending the part for the promelt2 and asked for a clarification on part for the promelt , he said they have had a phone outage one of the days . I used the lee 10 pound pot for years then bought a 20 pound pot and I love the handle setup on the rcbs , the timer burnt fingers linked is a great idea , I have thought of moving the pid on the promelt2 , but figure I will run it as is for now and see how it turns out.

[ioon44]

I have been rocking my old LEE bottom pour pot for over 7 years. She has been good to me, but the ride is about over. She is increasingly finnicky. Gets clogged up constantly, gets stuck open, drips, screws constantly coming loose, ect. I have deemed it time to upgrade. I'm looking to spend around $200-$250. I would appreciate some seasoned casters input on pros and cons.

I would recommend the RCBS.

[oger]

I've used the same two pots (Lyman & RCBS) for over 30 years. The only problem with either is the RCBS's tendency to drip if you don't keep the area around the valve clean.

[Hanzy4200]

Thank You guys for your input. Sounds like RCBS.

[FLINTNFIRE]

Sounds like a good choice , I have parts coming and will know the middle of the month if new valve stops drip or if I need to lap it in , best of luck and enjoy