Electric Powered Brass Prep Centers

Prepping brass is a long, tedious process for me. Throw in some mild arthritis and a little carpal tunnel syndrome, and it's just no fun. I'm looking for some experienced THFer input on (under $200) prep centers. If there is already an old thread on this subject, please direct me to it. I have read reviews on Hornady, RCBS, Lyman and Frankford Arsenal. I am leaning toward the Frankford Arsenal Platinum because it has the trim feature along with chamfer and primer pocket bits, but some reviews say it is noisy and the cutters do not stay sharp. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

What exactly do you want this device to do for you? trim, debur/chamfer, etc?

I use the RCBS case prep center for VLD chamfer/deburr, primer pocket cleaning, crimp removal (sometimes), flash hole deburring, and it works well.

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Chad: "What exactly do you want this device to do for you? trim, debur/chamfer, etc?"

Yes, all that, as well as reduce wear and tear on my hands and wrists. Initially, I just wanted to use power to chamfer and debur, instead of doing it by hand. I'm an RCBS fan, so I looked at their prep center first. Then I stumbled across the Frankford Arsenal, which had a trimmer built in. It looks a lot faster and easier than the Lyman Universal hand-crank trimmer I'm using now, but I don't know if it will do a better job.

I have the RCBS and I like it. It speeds things up considerably. I use it for cleaning primer pockets, chamfer and de-bur, and lightly brush the inside of case necks during every cycle. For me it was a good purchase but I am not a high volume loader. I generally load batches of 50.

I've never used the Frankford Arsenal prep center, so I couldn't say how well or not the trimming tool works. But I know other similar machines work on the same principal off the shoulder when trimming.

I got the Lyman used off craigslist recently for $40. Looked brand new and works great.

Franklin user here. I have had the unit about 6 months and prepped 1000 cases or so in that time period and have been pleased with results. The one upgrade I did was the carbide cutter and it has worked great trimming 308 and 223 brass. If you are trimming several 100 cases at a time check the locking ring every 100 or so for tightness. The first time I trimmed I kept checking every 5 cases for proper length. In hindsight if your first 5 or 6 cases come out fine I do not think you need to check again unless something comes loose. I bought mine through Midway and the cutter replacement I bought from there too RCBS if memory serves me right.

For those who use a prep center brand other than Frankford Arsenal, how do you trim your cases?

Lyman trimmer or lee trimmers in cordless drill. I have the rcbs case prep center and it is ok, but have used and like the lyman prrp center better

I use RCBS 3-way cutters with my RCBS motorized trimmer. The 3-way cutters do the chamfering for you. You'd need to have a 3-way cutter for each caliber...I have them in .22, .24, .25, .26., .28, and .30 calibers. They're not cheap, but damn they do work well.

If I had it to do over again, I might go with one of the higher end trimmers like Giraud. Or maybe a Frankford Arsenal. Or ANYTHING---as long as I don't have to chamfer after trimminng!

The Frankfort’s looks pretty interesting and if it works well it would be a time saver...thinking about trying it for the price

I bought the Frankford Arsenal Platinum and set it up yesterday. It's heavy and it's kind of loud. I prepped 100 cases; pretty slick and much faster than what I had been doing. I'm pleased so far.

How about writing up a nice little review after you've used it a while?

Will do.

Look up "trim it". Trims, champers, deburs in one step as fast as you can stick brass in it.

I've run several hundred more cases through the Frankford since February and I'm still pleased. Haven't noticed the cutters getting dull yet. The inside chamfer tool is very sharp and I have to push gently to avoid over-cutting. The outside chamfer and primer pocket cleaner require more pressure. Not a problem; just takes a few cases to develop the touch. Still heavy and kind of loud, but that's OK. Well-built and solid. Much easier on the hands and wrists than all the other manual tools I've used in the past. It's a keeper.

Thanks for the follow up papa45. For the first time, just Sunday morning, I unscrewed the handle from various Lyman hand tools in my kit and put them in my drill. I won't, but I might as well toss those handles, don't foresee them getting much action again.

Is a bronze brush a good idea in a primer pocket?

I use a Lyman-- got it on sale under $100 from cabelas-- only thing it doesn't do is trim-- which I do on a manual lyman trimmer--