Best Pistol Brass Tumbler <$100?

Ed,

Get the Lyman Turbo 1200 with built in media seperator. $94 or less depending on where you buy it. Here it is at Midway but check Graf &Sons.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/450403/lyman-turbo-1200-case-tumbler-with-auto-flo-110-volt

I have tried most of them, the Dillon works better and is much quicker.

I have a Lyman that takes overnight at its best, and does not do a stellar job unless one lets it run a day. The Dillon takes several hours.

I have commercially manufactured ammunition in more than one instance, and like fast, top of the line gear. Time is money, unless one is retired.

I am old enough to retire, but not ready to take a break just yet. LOL

Any of the Lymans will fit your needs. Dillons are a step above.

I use a Lyman 1200 Turbo with corn cob media and a little liquid polish. The device cleans anything I put in it in just a few minutes. Price: about $70.00. I even tumble my homemade shot in it with a little graphite. Works great for that as well.

I have the Hornady M-2 and the lyman 2500 pro. I bought the Lyman for the bigger capacity. The Hornady is clearly the better quality of the units.

In 2011 I had an online brass business. My tumblers ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from Febuaury 2011 until I had my 1st heart attack in January of 2012. I would guess that would be a lifetime of use for normal people. The Thinner, more brittle plastic on the Lyman is showing deterioration, but wipe the dust off the Hornady unit with a damp rag, and it cannot be told from new. Unless you need to polish 1400 pieces at a time, the Hornady is the better product.

I used a Lyman years ago and it was just ok. I really like my Dillon, it is very quick to clean.

Thanks for the heads up on the Lyman that I suggested above. I have a Hornady myself but coveted over the built in seperator on the Lyman where you pull the plug, turn it in and it seperates the brass from the media. I guess I'll stick with my Hornady and homemade brass/media seperator.

Thanks to all the fellows who replied. Excellent, appreciated thoughts. Wound up at the local Bass Pro armed with my $10 discount coupon and bought a Lyman 1200 "turbo?" which has both a convenient on/off switch and a portal or drain access which empties/separates the media. Your comments helped make an informed decision. This site is the place to go for knowledgeable/experienced shooters. Best Regards, Ed

While we're on the subject, anyone know if the sonic liquid cleaners work better on brass than the tumblers? I use the big Dillon tumbler right now which takes about 2 hours loaded with .45 ACP brass. I read an add that the sonic type will clean brass in 15 minutes, is that true? And how do you dry the brass after it comes out of the bath?

I think those sonic cleaners do clean fast but they don't polish like the media does. I like my brass shiney.

I've gone through two Dillons, with minimal help from the factory. My RCBS is more than twenty years old and still going strong.

I love their loaders, but I wouldn't ever waste my money on a Dillon case cleaner again.

Tony

30 years, 3 belts and one motor. Still going strong. They have models from 100 to 200 bucks. the one shown is the 15 pound, which I have.

Got it for a gift, and no complaints.

HM

halfmile has got it, along with the stainless media and you can't go wrong- brass looks brand new- inside and out.

Halfmile, I've been using that tumbler since 1987. Replaced 3 belts in that time. Does a GREAT job. Load it with brass, plug it in and go do something else for a while. Come back, seperate the brass and media and enjoy loading those bright shining shells. I couldn't be more pleased. I tried 2 viberators before getting this one. No compairson.

More important, is the media you use. Lyman green corn cob with a bit of brasso polish added speeds things up.

Chuck

Thumbler's Tumblers are the best (wet or dry) but are expensive. For a brighter and faster dry media use walnut (dusty).