Talk me out of it

[dilly]

I got a decent tax rebate and it's been burning a whole in my pocket. I've really had my eye on an RCBS pro melt. I'm more in the Lee tax bracket, but I really don't want to deal with the drips. The mag 20 may be as good, but I figure with the free bullets I'd be money ahead getting the RCBS. You guys have any thoughts?

[Bo1]

I plan on getting one when I can afford it...
Bo

[jmort]

If I were going in the direction of more $$$, I'd be looking at the new Lyman's

[Bored1]

I've got an old LEE 10lb pot that I picked up for 20$. The drip hasn't honestly been that bad. A simple turn of the screw thing and it stops. My suggestion is pick up a used Lee somewhere and pocket the rebate until something else pops up. Seems to me right after you give in to the burning in your pocket something you hadn't even thought of getting shows up that's WAY better and no you don't have the cash for the better deal.

[Cane_man]

no support for restraint here... get the dang thing and don't look back! in 5 years you won't even remember what else you could have done with the money and you will have enjoyed that Promelt the entire time!

[Tazman1602]

NO WAY. BUY the RCBS promelt because you will NEVER be unhappy with it. The first one I bought was defective out of the box and RCBS had me a new one overnight.

That was several years ago and I have never been sorry I spent the big bucks on that pot. It makes casting go from "gosh I can do this but it's kind of a hassle" to something I REALLY look forward to doing.

No drips, constant temp, and perfect casts. It just doesn't get any better than that pot IMHO. I lived with the drip-o-matic for ten years and it is now relegated to my smelting pot for which it works very well..............

Art

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I bought my Pro-Melt in 1978 and it has served me flawlessly for those 35 years without a drip or anything else. In any case it is backed by a rock solid guarantee nowadays. There is no question that you get good quality and performance if you pay for it so I would recommend that you opt for the RCBS unit if you want something that is well built and that will last...i.e. no fooling around and tinkering of any sort. LLS

[runfiverun]

I can never talk someone out of buying better quality equipment.
especially stuff that is going to get used a lot.
if you are gonna fire up the pot twice a year and make a run of 3-400 boolits at a time then a LEE 20 lb pot will suffice.
if you are gonna use it once a month for even short runs of 200 or so then you'll really appreciate not having those little annoyances.

[dragon813gt]

I say take the money and buy some spare parts for the Lee and purchase(make) a PID control. Any of the drips I've had have been caused by lead that wasn't clean enough. I keep a few spare stems on hand just in case but I haven't had to use any yet. You can buy a lot of Lee pots and parts for the price of the RCBS. They don't all leak like a sieve.

[cbrick]

Been sitting here trying to come up with a reason not to get it. I came up empty, can't think of a single reason. If your like me in six months you won't have a clue where the money went, gone like a fart in the wind and you'll still be playing with drips. I used my Pro-Melt for 25+ years, it's now my alternate alloy pot and the only reason it's not still my primary pot is I upgraded to the 40 pound capacity of the Magma. The Pro-Melt works as flawless today as the day I bought it.

Ok, I just thought of a reason not to get it . . . Your a masochist and enjoy all the dripping and other hassles. :veryconfu

Rick

[John Allen]

I have a RCBS Pro Melt and have had no problems with it. If you can swing the extra money you will not be unhappy with it.

[plainsman456]

I have only had mine for a few years but in that short time it was worth it.

I have a Lee and a Lyman 61,i use them all just for different things/batches.

Worth the investment and the warranty can not be bettered.

[joesig]

Normally I would agree with the "cry once" policy. This time I have to ask, is the RCBS REALLY six times better than a Lee?

My thoughts are Lee with PID and with the cost delta, treat yourself to some nice molds! I'd rather cast over a campfire with a nice mold than wrestle with sticky bullets, etc.

[dilly]

If I were going in the direction of more $$$, I'd be looking at the new Lyman's

I've compared the pro melt to the mag 20, and decided with the free bullets and my personal preference for the green customer service, I'd prefer RCBS.

But I haven't heard much about the new Lyman. What can you tell me about them?

[cbrick]

I have to ask, is the RCBS REALLY six times better than a Lee?

I wish all questions were this easy to answer . . . YES, it is.

Rick

[cbrick]

But I haven't heard much about the new Lyman. What can you tell me about them?

Nope, can't. They aren't out yet, many here are waiting for initial reports on them.

Rick

[Springfield]

Besides having a much better thermostat the RCBS holds 22 lbs wheras the LEE only holds an honest 17. Makes a difference if you cast larger bullets, the LEE just can't keep up without the spout freezing when you add more ingots. If you only cast 50-100 at a time the LEE will probably be fine. I have a LEE, an RCBS and a Magma. I use the RCBS for all my pure lead needs like balls and the Magma for everything else. Been thinking about turning the LEE into a double spout shotmaker, it could probably keep up with that, if i hook it up to a PID like on my Magma.

[jmort]

"They aren't out yet..."

But you can order one. They are a few weeks out and you can order directly from Lyman for $321.00 delivered
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mag25furnace.php
So the street price should be lower and if it works as advertised, it will be a good deal.

[Jack Stanley]

For the last thirty-five years I've been happy with a Pro-Melt . If I was starting over , I'd do it again .

Jack

[Love Life]

Nope, can't. They aren't out yet, many here are waiting for initial reports on them.

Rick

I'm still waiting here. If Lyman doesn't get off their backsides and start shipping these then I am going to get a promelt.

As for the Lee it is what it is. I have had mine for years. It drips. The top screw is stripped. The flow adjustment screw is copper wired to the spout rod since the hole is cockeyed and it doesn't adjust flow unless wired together tight.

It is a cheap pot that gets lead hot. I have cast many thousands of boolits with it, but it is being replaced.

[Tazman1602]

Normally I would agree with the "cry once" policy. This time I have to ask, is the RCBS REALLY six times better than a Lee?



Why yes, yes I believe it is -------------- and I cast thousands of bullets with the old drip-o-matic pot but I wouldn't go back for anything.

That new lyman pot sure looks inviting though................

Art

[alfloyd]

I have had my RCBS pot for over 30 years. The only thing that I have replaced is the off/on rocker switch.
I like it so much that I bought a second one that I found a good deal on. I have had a 10 pound Lee and sold it off. I also have a 20 pound Lee that i use to cast ingots for making lead wire with.

If I were starting over again, I would go with the RCBS pot to start with.

Lafaun

[Sweetpea]

I just received my 500 "free" bullets in the mail from RCBS.

About $270 worth from Grafs.

That said, they now have a disclaimer that says you may get the bullets, or they may just send you cash instead, and refund the shipping/handling that you paid.

You have no recourse if they send you the cash.

Brandon

[Alan in Vermont]

"They aren't out yet..."

But you can order one. They are a few weeks out and you can order directly from Lyman for $321.00 delivered
So the street price should be lower and if it works as advertised, it will be a good deal.

And THAT can be a really big "IF".

When Lyman came out with the original Mold Master XX I just had to have one. It was really nice, for about two weeks. Then it started leaking, not only could it not be stopped, it got worse,, WAY worse. Problem was that they used an aluminum pot with a steel spout. The Al was so soft that it would flow out from under the steel parts where they were tightened together. Sent it back, got another one that did the same thing. Finally sold that one at a loss and went back to the Saeco I was using prior to getting the big Lyman. Eventually they did smarten up and go to a stainless pot but too late for any interest from me.

Maybe in five years the latest & greatest may be proven and worthy of consideration but there is no way I would buy a new design anything from Lyman. Why pay $300+ to be a Beta tester for Lyman?

[dilly]

I went ahead and ordered it last night.

When I talked to my wife about it, I jokingly told her it was $600, to which she reluctantly agreed. I didn't think she'd believe that, but she was so pleased to find the real price that she didn't even care that I added a Saeco 315 to it.

I'm very excited as I've heard good things about the Saeco molds and all my current are Lee, which have given me trouble. Now I've got to find a way to put some handles on this thing when they're out of stock everywhere.

[bobthenailer]

A+ on the Pro Melt, ive had mine for 20+ years ! mine has a lifetime repair policy but i havent needed it so far , ive used my pro melt to make 10K to 15k bullets a year since ive owned it so thats around 200k to 300K bullets with no problems !

[Cane_man]

right on dilly, i am sure you won't regret it!!! good wife handling skills as well :)