This is just my experience and opinion...
IMO you need a machine to get a consistent anneal... those that use a handheld drill method..... I'm sorry but the location of the flame and consistent time in the flame isnt...... consistent... machine will get you that consistent anneal.
I've used annealers with hoppers and got tired of swapping out parts and by the time I fiddled around with swapping parts and filling a hopper WITH bridging issues and brass not spinning correctly, I was already well into annealing with the EP 2.0 annealer. Having a hopper doesn't make it a faster process. If it takes XYZ time to flame base anneal XYZ brass, then having a hopper is just something you need to fill up and then start the process of annealing. Not like you can fill up a hopper and go mow the yard while you have an open flame. You still need to watch the process. If it takes 5 to 6 seconds to flame base anneal XYZ case with a single torch then it still takes 5 to 6 seconds to anneal XYZ case regardles if it has a hopper or not.
If you need to pick up the brass and manually orientate the brass in the right direction and fill up a hopper and then change out parts to go from cartridge to cartridge then IMO it doesnt really matter if its single feed or has a hopper, and I'll take the speed of the EP 2.0 change over from cartridge to cartridge that can go from 5.7x28 /17hornet size casings to 50 bmg, rim or no rim it doesn't matter, and adjust in seconds without having to add or remove any parts. Very very small footprint also. Pure KISS method.
Now,,,,,,,, if it had a case feeder where you don't need to orientate the brass manually and the machine can orientate and feed the brass for you,,,, then that's a whole different story but to get a case feeder (not a hopper = big difference), and can adjust from 5.7 to 50bmg on the case feeder too = cost money... once again just keep it simple stupid IMO.
As a side note, I wouldn't want my torch head mounted... for the sole reason of going from cartridge to different cartridge size. It's fast and easy. Move it, leave it, and forget it...
For someone that has used both,,,, it's my experience and hopefully this helps.
Just for example..100 anneals at 6 seconds each is 600 seconds. 600 divided by 60 seconds is 10 minutes which is a drop in the reloading time bucket IMO