Help me choose

[Pete P]

My old Lee bottom pour 10 pound production pot seems to be failing. I've had it for a good 20 years. And no it is not been in constant use. I want to replace it. My three choices are the Lee Pro 4 20 Lb Furnace 110 Volt. the RCBS Pro-Melt Furnace 110 Volt or the Lyman Mag-20 Electric Furnace 110 Volt. I am leaning towards the RCBS because of its temperature control and as I understand it the pot that holds the lead is stainless steel. Question, is it worth the extra money to purchase this furnace? Also is there any other furnaces in the same price range that I am overlooking? I am aware that Magma also has furnaces. But I do not want to hit that price range. I value your opinions.

[dbarnhart]

I went from a Lee 10# pot (aka Sir Dripsalot) to an RCBS Pro-Melt and it has made a world of difference.

Most people with a Lee 20# pot report that it does not have the dripping problem that is so prevalent with the 10# pot.

- The RCBS's recovery time after adding ingots is very fast. In fact if I top it off as soon as it will take two pound of lead I find that there is no recovery time.

- The temperature is very consistent from full pot to empty.

- I really like the 'mold shelf' to rest the mold on while pouring. It really takes the strain off the wrists when casting with multi-cavity molds.

[Pete P]

Is the pot stainless steel?

[Mk42gunner]

Pete,

I used a Lee 4-20 for several years, with very few problems. It did drip a little bit, but no deluges. It is easy to ladle from if that matters to you.

I bought an RCBS Promelt last fall at an estate auction for $80.00. I haven't used it very much, but it seems to control the flow better than the Lee.

I really haven't used the Promelt enough to learn its quirks yet. Is it better than a Lee? Yes. Is it $250.00 better? I don't know.

Robert

[Old Caster]

Make every effort to come up with the extra money and get the Pro Melt. -- Bill --

[Pete P]

That is my concern " is it worth $250 more". I could use the extra money to buy a four cavity Ballisti-Cast mold.

[Old Caster]

I have had both plus a Lyman and I think the answer is a definite yes. -- Bill --

[dbarnhart]

Pete I cannot definitively say the Pro-Melt pot is stainless steel. Neither the RCBS catalog nor the instructions that came with it callout the composition of the pot.

While I have no regrets about buying my Pro-Melt, there has been a lot of discussion around here about adding a PID controller to the Lee pot. A PID-equipped Lee 20# pot might be a real contender.

[Defcon-One]

I use a RCBS Pro-Melt. The old Lee 10 lb. is used for pre-melting only.

I would never go back. Wish I bought the RCBS first and saved the money that I spent on the Lee pot.

You can get a pretty good Rebate right now RCBS products. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks to show up, but it will come if you do your part.

[220swiftfn]

Yes, the RCBS Pro-melt has a stainless pot. If you want new without the sticker shock, call them, they might have a "second" to sell you.....


Dan