It's a 25 year lease. Brand will be the first to tell you he isn't going to be going around gathering up powder dispensing machines in 25 years. It is accurate every time to 1 kernel. That level of accuracy is absurd, and there is no possible application where being more accurate in throwing a charge would be of a benefit. I can load 150+ rounds an hour with my machine. How many can you? As far as cost I am guessing you have close to the cost of a Prometheus tied up in trying to duplicate what it can do.
I know it's a 25 years lease, And yes he wil probably not be walking around in 25 years, but paying north of 3000 dollars for something i do not own, well it does not sit right with me, it must atleast follow a written contract for a guaranteed 25 years lease.
It is a clever feat in engineering, and a outstanding product as far as i know.
Yes indeed it is very accurate, but only with the right types of powder, that was a big contributor to me not trying to lease it.
0.02 grains or so is good enough for any use indeed, about a single kernel of Varget.
Atleast if your not a uber OCD BR shooter that has taken on the task of uniforming powder kernels lol
To me the price is not all that frightening really, if i am going to buy a Chargemaster here it costs me 1000 dollars and not 300, why i bought mine from sinclair and got them shipped.
But i do not see that i can benefit anything by buying it.
I am also not so sure he would lease it to someone living on the other side of the Atlantic.
Neither do i know if it is ITAR regulated like annealing machines is, that would be another bump in the road.
Then i add 25% vat, import costs and paying for the toll office.
Then i would need a modified machine or a good converter to be able to run it on 230 or 400 volts.
If anything ever fails i have to ship it to the US and back, that is over a month just in shipping, no spare parts available either i assume.
So personally it is just not worth it, but i did not base my comment on what is beneficial for myself.
Neither do i try to duplicate a Prometheus.
As for my personal cost it is irrelevant pretty much, as it is a lot higher then it would be in the US, especially since the dollar is still quite low. I do also use a Sartorius Quintrix witch costs a good deal more then something like a A&D FX.
North of 5000 dollars if bought here, even my single stage press is about half the price of one Prometheus in the US.
For someone else though 2x chargemasters, a Omega trickler and one A&D FX120i ,will give you the same accuracy as the Prometheus, for around 1100 dollars, it is a bit slower though.
It does work with all types of powders, you calibrate and check your weight so you have full control of everything in the process every time.
It is readily available and can be gotten in a few days, service is available several places except for the Omega.
And it is your equipment when you buy it.
I do not go in for loading my rounds as fast as i can, and i do not keep your pace neither do i try to.
Excluding all the steps that should be above:
First the every case one by one is neck sized with the appropriate bushing or the WTC die.
While i underthrow 0.3 grains on the CM, pour it from the CM onto my scale, and trickle up with the Omega.
Pour the powder slowly into the funnel with drop tube.
Then i take a bullet, place it in the case, move it to my hydraulic arbor press and seat the bullet with a inline seater die, measure seating depth with the bcg and sort the rounds by seating pressure. And i do check the loaded rounds for runout somewhere between every 10 and 25 rounds.
And always the first few for each session.
All of these steps takes extra time, as i do not move my brass around in batches for efficency, consistency is my goal not speed.
And i am not trying to duplicate anything, just reload for perfection and those are the tools i have chosen, for simple reasons.
If a Prometheus was readily available and working with most powders then i might have bought one, as personally the price does not matter too much.
Although i still feel my method gives me better control of the end result.
Different ways of reloading and different techniques i assume.
Each one to they're own though.