Lee Products and Others.

I know I am known to openly not like Lee products. But in all fairness I have to say there are Lee products and features that I absolutely Love.
1) Lee die sets. I know I have many more RCBS and Hornady than I do Lee but Lets face facts Lee Dies are as good as any out there and are usually about 10 to 20 dollars a set cheaper. And if you get the Deluxe set it comes with every thing you need to load a cartridge. It has included in the set A shell holder A powder scoop all the necessary dies and a Load data sheet along with instructions.
2) Lee Load Manual I LOVE MY LEE LOAD MANUAL it is my number one go to book it has more information in it than all the others. IMO. I do consult all my load manuals and i plan on getting more but my lee manual will never be replaced.
3) though I have a RCBS case trimmer I just love Lee case trimmers they are fantastic to not only keep my cases trimmed but are a convenient case length gauge. and they are inexpensive at around 5 bucks you cant carp.
3) Lee powder dippers no other company offers them and IMO they are an indispensable tool especially for load development. I use a dipper that gets me close then I trickle in the charge to exact weight.


Die Lock rings have to go to the Hornady corner
I absolutely love Hornady Lock rings they are steel they have wrench flats and they clamp on the threads. If I cant get Hornady my second favorite lock ring is Forster it is knurled aluminum split and clamps on the same way as Hornady. My third choice is Lee. Lee uses that o-ring that keeps things secure but will move from session to session. The number one Bad I take off and throw away is the RCBS lock ring they dont lock if you get them to they mar your threads or the set screw breaks at the Allen socket.

So jump on in here and let us know what products you Love but not just because they are inexpensive but the reason why you Like or love them or prefer them or if there are any other products from other manufactures that you feel are just far and above the competition please share. but lets keep it civil you don't have to like mine or I don't have to like yours but lets all understand that we have our own preferences and who knows maybe there is a product out there that you haven't thought about that someone else has and could make your loading experience a lot better.

I too am known to not like Lee, but I have a few items that I do like.

Their FCD for 223 works great for me. I bought the RCBS 2 die set when I was new to reloading. I learned though that I do not like to seat the bullet and crimp in the same step, so the FCD has taken its place as the 3rd step. I have not tried it yet, but I have read that the FCD's do not work with the Hornady LNL though. They are too short.

The Universal Decapper is great. However, this is what has really pissed me off about Lee. They claim it is "unbreakable". Well guess what, I broke mine and they refused to fix it on 2 occasions even though it was within their 2 year "warranty".

The Lee hand primer works good too. I have fewer primer feed issues than my RCBS unit and it seems to have a better "feel" when seating the primers. However, it does tire out my hands in a 1/4 the time as the RCBS as I don't think it has as much mechanical advantage. I have not broken my handle yet, but I have known several people that have. Luckily Lee did replace it for the individuals, but my luck with Lee they wouldn't.

I just bought the Lee Universal Expander today since I have some shaving issues with cast bullets. We will see how it goes. Eric (IraqVet) just did a youtube video on it with good results, but of course he is a Lee Super Fan.

XbonesX wrote:I too am known to not like Lee, but I have a few items that I do like.

Their FCD for 223 works great for me. I bought the RCBS 2 die set when I was new to reloading. I learned though that I do not like to seat the bullet and crimp in the same step, so the FCD has taken its place as the 3rd step. I have not tried it yet, but I have read that the FCD's do not work with the Hornady LNL though. They are too short.

The Universal Decapper is great. However, this is what has really pissed me off about Lee. They claim it is "unbreakable". Well guess what, I broke mine and they refused to fix it on 2 occasions even though it was within their 2 year "warranty".

The Lee hand primer works good too. I have fewer primer feed issues than my RCBS unit and it seems to have a better "feel" when seating the primers. However, it does tire out my hands in a 1/4 the time as the RCBS as I don't think it has as much mechanical advantage. I have not broken my handle yet, but I have known several people that have. Luckily Lee did replace it for the individuals, but my luck with Lee they wouldn't.

I just bought the Lee Universal Expander today since I have some shaving issues with cast bullets. We will see how it goes. Eric (IraqVet) just did a youtube video on it with good results, but of course he is a Lee Super Fan.

You're known not to like Lee stuff? Really?

Come on guys Lets keep it real and It doesnt have to be about Lee If there is a product out there that you think should be on every loading bench let us know about it and Why.

Well said reload. The thing is, no matter which forum you go to, if you look at a thread where everybody posts a pic of their bench, the overwhelming majority of them have at least one product made by LEE.

I love my Lee Six cavity molds....I don't like the Lee 2 cavity. The 2 cavity molds take longer and the blocks just don't line up every time they are closed.

Lee lead furnaces are the bomb....cheap and they get the job done!

Out of all the different dies I have,from many manufactures, I prefer Hornady dies. They have the best lock rings and I love the expander ball design(smooth as butter). All the Lee, RCBS,Forster,Pacific, Lyman, Hornady and Redding work without fail....I like the Lee the best for reloading pistol cartridges.

As far as presses go(single stage/turret). I have used Lee, RCBS and Lyman. They all work...Get the best you can afford and be sure is is heavy duty enough for the tasks it will be performing. A Lee challenger will reload thousands of rounds of ammo with out fail....but I wouldn't try swaging with it. Don't laugh...but I really like my Lee portable hand press. It comes in handy at the range for varying seating depths or depriming my cases before I leave.

This might seem odd to most of you...but I prefer to use my RCBS ram-prime unit to prime my cases....it's one of my favorite "green" tools.

My Cabelas chamfer/deburring tool is the bomb....same thing the big dogs offer at a cheaper price. The lee debur tool just doesn't cut the mustard and is the only tool I detest that Lee makes.

ohhh...and the only way I'll part with my RCBS Chargemaster is in death, nuff said!

XbonesX wrote:I too am known to not like Lee, but I have a few items that I do like.

Their FCD for 223 works great for me. I bought the RCBS 2 die set when I was new to reloading. I learned though that I do not like to seat the bullet and crimp in the same step, so the FCD has taken its place as the 3rd step. I have not tried it yet, but I have read that the FCD's do not work with the Hornady LNL though. They are too short.

The Universal Decapper is great. However, this is what has really pissed me off about Lee. They claim it is "unbreakable". Well guess what, I broke mine and they refused to fix it on 2 occasions even though it was within their 2 year "warranty".

The Lee hand primer works good too. I have fewer primer feed issues than my RCBS unit and it seems to have a better "feel" when seating the primers. However, it does tire out my hands in a 1/4 the time as the RCBS as I don't think it has as much mechanical advantage. I have not broken my handle yet, but I have known several people that have. Luckily Lee did replace it for the individuals, but my luck with Lee they wouldn't.

I just bought the Lee Universal Expander today since I have some shaving issues with cast bullets. We will see how it goes. Eric (IraqVet) just did a youtube video on it with good results, but of course he is a Lee Super Fan.

Lee refused to replace your decapper pin twice?? In the last two weeks I broke the decapper on my RCBS and my Lee. I called RCBS and they sent me all new guts for my decapping die and extra pins at no charge and now questions asked. Lee also sent me a new pin for my dies no charge and no questions asked(they didnt even ask how long I had the die).

I have broken my decapping pin 3 times on my Lee universal. I bought one and Lee replaced the other two no questions asked....I need another one at the moment. This proves the "unbreakable" to not really be the case in the real world....but in fairness, everytime they broke, it was my fault.

correct, Lee wanted me to ship my universal decapper back and pay $2 for a new pin.

The Badger Ordnance flash hole uniforming tool is a tool I think everyone should have. Its the best flash hole tool i've used so far.
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I had the RCBS and the guide tip broke off, they sent me a replacement and the "new" model doesnt have the guide tip but I don't think it works that good.

I agree with Reloader on the Hornady lock rings, they are also the best fit for the Forster Co-Ax press outside of their lock rings, but the Hornady's are cheaper in price.

The Frankford Arsenal Powder Funnel set is great. It has changeable nozzles to fit different calibers and a drop tube.
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I have a total hodgepodge of things in my shop....

I love LEE carbide dies never had any issues.... there dippers rock... LEE molds are my favorite and my 20lbs production pot is awesome...

I love my RCBS Rockchucker, and the RCBS dies I have....

The lyman lubramatic is great..

swage-o-matic is nice as well....

Dillon is my favorite progressive set-up....

most everything I have gotten lately has been custom made, or self made, If cannot find what want I just make it....

Almost forgot I love LEE crimp dies...

Love my: Redding competition seating die (the micrometer adjustment is great), Lee factory crimp die, RCBS Rangemaster 750 digital scale, Hornady concentricity gauge, Rockchucker press, Lee Carbide pistol dies, rcbs universal handpriming tool, Lee Classic Loader, ATG Swage lube .

Middle of the road: Lee powder dispenser because it binds when using flake powders, binds & leaks ball powders, works perfectly with extruded powder. Even though it binds and leaks some powders it always measures very consistently.

Dislike: Hornady carbide pistol dies. I took mine back because it was not smooth and would way oversize the cases. Maybe I just got a bad die.