Well, I finally pushed the button. Been agonizing over which lead furnace to buy for a good week now...either the Lee Magnum Melter or the RCBS Easy Melt.
Clearly, the Easy Melt was the more modern, high tech unit with PID temp controller that adjusted the temp to lead quantity in the pot as it decreased...and a built-in thermometer as well. Midway had free shipping (which ends at midnight tonight) and I also had a birthday discount until the end of the month. By buying the RCBS I could save 20 bucks plus get it shipped for free.
If I bought the Lee, I could save 11 bucks, same free shipping.
Neither has a pour spout, which is fine as I will be doing ladle casting.
The Lee has no PID controller and no built in thermostat, so at best I would need a separate lead thermometer.
On paper, the RCBS looked like the better value. BUT...I simply could not get past the fact that the RCBS needs to stay plugged in with internal fan running until the lead has cooled to 160 F or lower (generally 2.5-3 hours according to reviews) or you risk frying the PID. If you leave it to cool and you blow a fuse or trip a breaker and you don't notice, toast. If cooling down outdoors and inclement weather moves in, you have to drag it inside and plug it in...quickly. Or, toast.
I'm sure the Lee pot takes just as long to spool down, but without a PID to fry, one can just shut it off, unplug it and let it cool down. No cooling fan required.
Maybe I'm overreacting and overthinking this thing, but it would seem to me "simple is better".
So...I ordered the Lee Magnum Melter and a Lyman digital lead thermometer and still came out 50 bucks cheaper. Time will tell if I made the right choice, I guess.
Which one would you have bought?