RCBS easy melt or lyman mag 25 or...

[silverado]

Hello everyone, long time since I posted last. Midway has the easy melt and mag 25 in stock and I'm thinking about getting one for the PID, but I've only ever ladle cast with a lyman 10 pound big dipper. Would the easy melt be much better than a lee magnum melter with pid added? The easy melt and mag 25 both appear to be Chinese, which is a negative. I am an electrical controls technician by trade so adding a pid would not be an issue, but maybe the easy melt or mag 25 is worth the extra cost over a lee and cheapo pid.

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[dannyd]

I do believe my Lee's are Chinese too. But to answer your question: I have both pots the Lyman heats up faster and you don't have to let it cool off before unplugged it. The RCBS is easier to cast with but takes longer to heat up and it has to cool down to below 160 degrees before unplugging. That's to protect the fan. I use pid's on my two lee's that works good too. So it's going to be what you like. I don't like to ladle dip because I cast over 10,000 bullets a year. Have done it though.


Matthew 6:14-15 He is talking to the Jews not the saved Christians

[Conditor22]

I like my RCBS Pro Melt and I trust RCBS's Warranty a lot more than I do Lyman's

[zarrinvz24]

I’ve had a MAG-25 for about 2.5 years. Not a single issue. I’d never go back to the 4-20 Lee.

[silverado]

According to Midway the Lee Magnum Melter is made in USA, and if I add a PID there won't be a 2 to 3 hour shutdown process, so I guess I'll just wait on that to be in stock again.

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[GregLaROCHE]

I was considering one a few months ago, but decided to overhaul my Lee 4-20 and add a PID. There’s also a concern about the mould support. Lee molds won’t fit one or both. I forget the details. There were other things too that made me to put off buying one.

[dannyd]

The Mag 25 has the mould support problem: RCBS works just like the Pro Melt 1 works with any mould. Lee may be assembled in US; the replacement parts are made overseas, but the 4-20 works great does tend to leak at the nozzle. Put a pair of vise grips on top the nozzle rod and that stops it most of time. Every time I cast use a different pot: they all have their own problems.

[Mk42gunner]

I've resisted jumping on the PID bandwagon.

My first electric casting pot was a Lee 4-20, once I got the flow set I was satisfied with it, even using a ladle. Then I got a Promelt at an estate auction for about ¼ retail price. It is better than the 4-20, but not for the price difference.

Late last year I got tired of reaching around the spout linkage, so I bought one of the Lee Magnum Melters. Honestly, if I had bought it first, I don't think I would have ever bought a bottom pour furnace. I'd like a Waage, but they are out of my price range.

Robert

[Gundogx2]

I’m in the market for a new furnace and there are no decent bottom pours available so what ladles do you scoopers use
If I’m hijacking defeat and I’ll repost


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[Mk42gunner]

I like the RCBS ladle; it is slightly larger than the Lyman, plus it has a fin on the bottom to clear the scum from the top of the melted alloy.
This was advice from Dean Grinnell in one of the ABC's of Reloading books he wrote. I compared both when I bought my ladle and have never regretted it.

Robert

[winelover]

OP asked about the RCBS Easy Melt...............strictly a ladle casting pot. I've had one since it's introduction. I like it and have not had any issues. Like Dannyd said, requires 160* or less shutdown. I cast outdoors, so it's a non issue for me. I bought mine when RCBS was offering a rebate, so net cost was around $70.............and well worth the price for a PID casting pot......just a little more than Lee's offerings. Probably, my most used pot and I have four others. Original ProMelt, Lyman Mag25, Lee 10 & 20# bottom pour.

The Lyman Mag25 is a PID controlled bottom pour. The mould guide is an easy fix for anyone with any kind of mechanical ability. The fix is to turn it upside down. However, after doing that, I decided to make a dedicated ladle pot out of it. I bottomed out the rod adjustment, removed the lever and ground off, part of the mould pre-heating plate, that extended into the pot interior. Plenty of room, for a Rowel #2 ladle, to fit.

Winelover

[Lloyd Smale]

ive had lees lymans and rcbs. Today i have two rcbs 20s if that answers your question. The lymans are better then the lees but the rcbs is better yet and has the best customer service in the industry behind it. Ive noticed wider temp swings with the lees and lymans then i get with the rcbs. but a pid on either of them would probably have them more consistant then my rcbs. What i like to do when i cast is fill my pot as i go. I keep a 10lb lee on a shelf above my rcbs with a hole in it that allows me to fill the rcbs with the lee. As i go i add ingots to the lee and dump spruces in the lee too. I had the bottom pour version of your lyman 10lb pot and it was an excellent pot that i probably should have held on to. but they dont make parts for them anymore and back then i was just getting warmed up at 10lbs and used to cast 40 lbs in a sitting. today about 10lbs and im done. Once in a great while ill do 20.

[gwpercle]

I'm perfectly happy with my Lee Magnum Melter , USA made (Chinese electrical components suck rocks so bad I refuse to by China any more). I use a Lyman Ladle with the little side spout to pressure cast for best boolits . I wish I had the large 20# pot 50 years ago ... 5# & 10# pots are just too small, wasted a lot of time refilling pot and waiting for it to remelt .
Not a thing wrong with the Lee Magnum Melter , bought mine on sale $60.00 ... worth every penny ..
Gary

[dannyd]

I'm perfectly happy with my Lee Magnum Melter , USA made (Chinese electrical components suck rocks so bad I refuse to by China any more). I use a Lyman Ladle with the little side spout to pressure cast for best boolits . I wish I had the large 20# pot 50 years ago ... 5# & 10# pots are just too small, wasted a lot of time refilling pot and waiting for it to remelt .
Not a thing wrong with the Lee Magnum Melter , bought mine on sale $60.00 ... worth every penny ..
Gary

You computer and phone are made in China plus all the equipment making the internet work. Just saying

[porthos]

i ladle pour only. i use a no longer produced lyman 20# ladle only. also have a lee 10# ladle use. get tired filling it up. if the lyman ever quits i will buy a Wagee furnace. $250.00 +- USA ladle only . they don't advertise their furnaces . most are for industry. i belive that buffalo arms sells them. i know they once did. their the best!!

[farmbif]

for years I been thinking, some day I'm gonna get one of those new shiney RCBS or Lyman furnaces but then thinking about the $200+ price tag I get to thinking maybe if I want to upgrade I should jump in with both feet shoot the works and go for broke and just get a magma pot. I usually do all this thinking while casting perfectly good boolits with my little lee bottom pour pot.
tomorrow is supposed to be a nice spring like day and I got my double burner propane stove set up under the tree , think I might melt down a pot or 2 of wheel weights and do some ladle pouring casting while making some ingots

[silverado]

I finally decided to order the lyman mag 25, and use my ladle pot for softer alloys. Can't wait till it gets here to try it out.

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[dannyd]

I finally decided to order the lyman mag 25, and use my ladle pot for softer alloys. Can't wait till it gets here to try it out.

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It's easy to setup but the mould guide is a little painful, most of us just made a new one and moved on.