Any Annealeez reviews?

i am looking for a good, but low budget annealer. The annealezz I find very interesting and at a good price point for an automated annealer. Looking for any reviews/opinions if anybody has one.

Thanks

 

I've had mine for almost a year now and I'm very happy with my purchase. I have annealed probably close to 3000 cases of mine and buddies and only one issue which was on one of the coated wheels the coating came off. Email was sent and within 5 minutes Jeff emailed back and told me what the coating was so I simply re coated it. That simple. I would not hesitate a bit to purchase again.

 

Thanks, That’s what I was hoping to hear

 

I've never used any other kind of annealing machine but with a little playing with it I got it down really good. Not sure how the more expensive units work but the annealezz is so simple to use and I find myself enjoying watching it do it's job. My little 4yr old cousin even said it's cool to watch.

 

That’s great. Thank you!

 

I like mine too. Had it about 2 years and no issues with it. I recently got a benchrest rifle in 6ppc. The wheels are definitely too wide for that short case, so I need to contact them and see if he has any fix for it.

 

Those guys said it. I have had mine for over a year and it is so simple to operate. It's basically a step down in size from a Giraud Tool machine. Depending on volume, it should satisfy every need. I do want to remind you though that even though you're not hand feeding cases, you can't walk away from an open sourced flame and forget it. Not a good thing.

 

I have had mine for about a year and annealed around 1500 cases with it.
The Good

• the price
• the simplicity
• with simple mod the timing can get pretty precise

The Bad

• workmanship could be better
• as delivered no way to get repeatability
• case will not spin as evenly as I would like unless wheels are kept aligned and clean. I modded the lower to give it more traction

the good thing is most of the bad can be fixed pretty easily and cheaply with minimum tools

When I got my Anealeeze I addressed each of the issues as best I could.

1. took a dremel and ground the spot welds on the feed ramps down. You need a Dremel with a grinding tip and a steady hand along with some gray paint to repaint
2. installed the following digital readout PWM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016FHHGSU/?tag=accuratescom-20. You have to drill/grind out the hole with the toggle switch to install the momentary contact button and cut a window for the digital readout.Once installed though you can always repeat the the timing of the anneal
3. when the blue tape on the lower wheel started looking raggy I noticed the cases were not spinning as smoothly as I would have liked to see. I replaced it with some non skid meant for stair treads and purchased at the local home store for less than $5

Also the sheet metal could be a bit sturdier where the shafts come through,and the wheels can be knocked out of proper alignment. Good thing is they can be bent back in alignment. that's only a concern if you are careless like I was.

I also added a few knobs for torch adjustment. Not really necessary and never used. I tighten them to where they are hard to move and with my hand. I also tried several torches from a small butane to a "turbo". The stock plumbers pencil torch provided with the Anealeeze is the best option. The butane not enough heat and the turbo was too much and too large. The cases in the plastic tub are what I use to get the flame adjusted and aimed. I also recommend letting the unit "run" for 5 minutes to let the torch heat up and the flame to stabilize. When the tank is low or the weather cold I also check the flame about every 5 minutes for consistency. Ditch the little pan they send with it also, an old shop towel works better and does the job quietly

I would purchase again. My unit in operation when it was fairly new. I had not smoothed out those rough welds in the case feed tray when that pic was taken

edit - those are not seconds on the readout. I have never timed to see how long they are but the effect seems to be linear. That is a one time thing thoughjust to get the right number. I found the original numbers for my various cases by using 700 F templaq and a stopwatch. Once the Templaq melted I added 4 secs to the stopwatch and set the timer from case drop in to case drop out by trial and error using sacrificial cases. I think ended up around 10 or 11 seconds from drop in to drop out for .308 but don't quote me on that. Always test the unit with templaq and your finger on the stopwatch to be safe

 

Thank you for posting. I will follow the advise.

 

The only mod I’ve done to mine was peal off the cheesy decals. Otherwise it has worked as designed for 3-4k pieces of brass.

If it crapped out I’d buy another one

 

I have one. I can’t match the thorough review above, but I like it.

 

I actually have the Giraud but would have gotten the Annealeez if I hadn't found mine used. Lotys of good reviews on the Annealeez machine. Agree with adding the meter. Really makes the machine so much easier to repeat the exact process. I also added a regulator and gauge to mine to aid in ease of use and returning to the exact settings. Lots of videos on YT etc.. for the mods. Video of my Giraud.

 

I bought one three months ago and installed the digital readout mod as well. It works beautifully, and the annealing is VERY obvious the first time you size your brass. The springback is almost non-existent, and I assume makes them all consistant. It's so easy and quick to do, I plan on annealing on every loading. Buy it, you'll love it.

 

I was looking to buy one and then saw the MRB Annealer and liked its features better. A little bit more money, but when you figure you don't need to buy extra wheels for different casings its not that much difference. And its so simple to change for different sized cases, you don't have to remove wheels and worry about messing up the timing like the Anneal-Ez. The workmanship is also a lot better on the MRB Annealer, and the design I thought was a better and more user friendly. The Anneal Ez isn't a bad unit though, they work, just thought I would throw that out there so you can look at it, I glad i saw it before I bought the Anneal Ez. Good luck with which ever one you buy.

Dave

http://www.mikesreloadingbench.com/index.html

 

Had my Annealeez for a little while now and really like it so far. Can't be beat for the price.

Only trouble I ran into was with wide body magnum cases. Had to bend the steel out around the bottom wheel so it wouldn't bind up while trying to spin the case. Litterally took me 5 seconds and it was up and running the large cases like a champ. The little metal catch pan they send with it is pretty worthless. I just swapped it out for a larger rubber maid rectangular bowl my wife had in the kithcen cupboards...but let's keep that quiet and if she happens to ask, just play dumb

Might have to look into the timing upgrades JimSC posted. I like the digital readout and pushbutton switch.

I suppose my favorite thing is the simplicity of the machine. I had the Bench source Vertex annealing machine prior to this and it is an extremely well built machine. Just didn't like having to sit there the whole time hand feeding cases on the wheel of the Vertex. I enjoy the hopper feed design on the Annealeez much better.

 

got mine from MRB-- mike could not have done any thing any better great to do business with!!!!!!!! beak

 

It just amazes me that neither the Annealeeze, MRB, or Giraud has not updated their units with that little digital PWM. Another $5 more than the current PWM's they use and a half hour labor. They could market it as a deluxe model and charge $25 - $50 more than the base model.

 

I just ordered that PWM off of ebay for $12. Will install and see how it works.

Looked like you just soldered the leads onto the existing potentiometer? Or was the pot knob supplied with the PWM a direct fitment for the hole on the original pot? Thanks.

Even tho it doesn't display actual time in the flame, I think the PWM output percentage dispayed in digital format will be much easier to document the motor speed setting for future annealings. Hard to get the original pot set right when changing cases all the time because it's hard to pin point the specific spot where you had it set before.

 

Here’s a good video on exactly how to install the meter:

 

the unit I used you insert the 2 motor leads into the output connections on the unit and tighten the screws. No soldering skills required. Just a dremel and some cutting wheels and a grinding attachment. Cut a hole for the digital readout/PWM and the hole where the toggle switch is needs to be made larger for the pushbutton. The unit comes with a new pot, PWM module/digital readout and a momentary contact switch. You can use the old potentiometer but the toggle switch and PWM will be replaced with the pushbutton on/off that comes with the one that comes with the unit.

the one in the video that fatelvis linked looks like the easier installation and just adds a digital voltmeter to the existing PWM

either setup will get the job done
see the 4 screws. they are for the power in and out

1.negative in 2. positive in 3. positive motor out 4.negative motor out