Lyman Xpress vs Frankford case prep & trim

[SavageHunter11]

Looking to pickup a trimmer to start processing a large amount of 223 brass and looking at the Lyman Xpress or the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Case prep & trim system. I can pick up the Lyman for about $120 shipped or for $40 I can get the Frankford with chamfer and primer pocket tool too. Kinda leaning towards the Frankford because of the additional options but I like the Lyman for its size. Any one use both and have an opinion?

 

[entoptics]

Looking to pickup a trimmer to start processing a large amount of 223 brass and looking at the Lyman Xpress or the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Case prep & trim system. I can pick up the Lyman for about $120 shipped or for $40 I can get the Frankford with chamfer and primer pocket tool too. Kinda leaning towards the Frankford because of the additional options but I like the Lyman for its size. Any one use both and have an opinion?

I assume there's a bit of a typo, and you mean $40 more (i.e. $160) for the FA?

I like my FA very much, and in fact have two of them, as one started making a rattling noise. FA sent me a new one, and never asked for the old one back. It still rattles a little, but works just fine.

I've never used the Lyman, but it appears that the Lyman has the advantage of variable speed and it comes with a carbide cutter.

If the extra cost doesn't bother you, I think the convenience of chamfer/deburring/primer pocket tools already spinning away is a big advantage. You can buy a carbide cutter if you desire, and I'm not sure what advantage variable speed would give you, since you're always working on the same type of metal.

 

[SavageHunter11]

I assume there's a bit of a typo, and you mean $40 more (i.e. $160) for the FA?

I like my FA very much, and in fact have two of them, as one started making a rattling noise. FA sent me a new one, and never asked for the old one back. It still rattles a little, but works just fine.

I've never used the Lyman, but it appears that the Lyman has the advantage of variable speed and it comes with a carbide cutter.

If the extra cost doesn't bother you, I think the convenience of chamfer/deburring/primer pocket tools already spinning away is a big advantage. You can buy a carbide cutter if you desire, and I'm not sure what advantage variable speed would give you, since you're always working on the same type of metal.

Want to sell your rattling unit?

 

[entoptics]

Want to sell your rattling unit?

I might have early on, but now I'm spoiled with two of them. Setting them up isn't too hard, but it's sure nice to have 2 different cases ready to go at once, as I'm often working on a couple things at any given time.

 

[johnnyk]

Looking to pickup a trimmer to start processing a large amount of 223 brass and looking at the Lyman Xpress or the Frankford Arsenal Platinum Case prep & trim system. I can pick up the Lyman for about $120 shipped or for $40 I can get the Frankford with chamfer and primer pocket tool too. Kinda leaning towards the Frankford because of the additional options but I like the Lyman for its size. Any one use both and have an opinion?

I have the Frankford Arsenal and I'm very pleased with it. I looked up the Lyman unit on YT and like its adjustment wheel but not having the other tools attached means those other operations would have to be done either right after you trim the case or after all cases were trimmed and with separate tools. Seems like a slower evolution.
One's a trimmer and one's a prep center really.

 

[SammySTW]

I just ordered the FA prep & trim system. Midway has a good sale on them right now
I've been wanting one of the case prep centers for a while since that is the most tedious part of reloading, and the sale price pushed me to go ahead and get the FA

 

[SavageHunter11]

I just ordered the FA prep & trim system. Midway has a good sale on them right now
I've been wanting one of the case prep centers for a while since that is the most tedious part of reloading, and the sale price pushed me to go ahead and get the FA

I usually hand cut all my brass that I reload on my Forster case trimmer but now that i'm getting into loading bulk amounts of 223/556 and 308 the thought of hand trimmer 10k+ cases is a bit daunting