Re: why are lee presses so cheap?
Lee makes cast iron/steel presses as well as alum. alloy presses. So does RCBS. Hornady's LnL presses are alum. alloy. Of course no alum. alloy press can stand up to user abuse like a heavier steel one but be fair about the comparisons. If I had to replace my Rock Chucker tomorrow it would be with a Lee Classic Cast. Alum presses can be broken but no one "breaks" Lee's steel presses. Seems those who are unfamilar with machinery in general or don't understand how/why certain things need to be done in specific ways NEED steel presses and they should NOT get an alum. type, of any make.
Lee designs and markets their gear to the "average" reloader, not the guys who pump out tens of thousands of round a year. Just a differnt market, like Chevy and Caddy, if you wnat to pay for a Caddy do it, but it really won't do much more than a Chevy, will it?
If you are, or expect to be an average reloader, Lee tools will serve most people well at nominial expense and will last as long as they live doing it. Individually, Lee's tools aren't the top of the line in anything, on average (except maybe their dies, they are as good as anyone's if measured by the ammo produced). Thing is, ALL of it works IF the user isn't a klutz and it gives very good value for the buck.
NO brand has a lock on making better stuff across the board than any other brand. I buy by feature but it takes a long time and some experience with various brands/models to learn what works better for an individual. Spending a lot on equipment at first doesn't make anyone a better reloader, that takes care, experience and understanding more than anything else. A good loader can make good ammon on most anything, poor loaders can't make good ammo on anything.
RCBS/Dillon charges for the great support with the initial purchase price, it's not free at all. If you take care of your tools and don't use all those "free" replacement parts, you just paid for others. Lee takes proper care of manufactoring defects but not user abuse twenty years down the road. Thus, they can sell for much less than RCBS and Dillon, etc, no secret about that. There really ain't much to wear out in most reloading gear anyway.
IMHO.