Annealeez... Does the job or AMP that much better?

[Tango down]

Hello, I have been looking at annealing machines and did some research online; looks like the AMP is the hot ticket but the price is stiff. I saw a couple of good vids on the Annealeez and the price is reasonable. Would the Annealeez be the way to go?

 

[sjc929]

I personally hate propane torch annealers with a passion. I had a Benchsource for a while, so I haven’t used the Annealeez, but something similar. I immediately realized the amount of brass I would have to under and over anneal before I got it set up perfectly, and wasn’t happy. Then I had a hell of a time finding a good regulator and torch combo to get stable and repeatable flames. It didn’t take long before I gave up. Personally I would do the salt bath method before I would use a propane torch annealer ever again. The AMP is so fast and easy to setup and use it makes it hilarious to think of the headaches I suffered in the past trying to anneal. If you can afford the AMP and don’t enjoy being hyper anal about trying to make something work the way it’s intended to, it’s a no brainer in my opinion. I’m not saying the Annealeez is impossible to use or impossible to use easily, obviously it is or no one would buy it regardless of its price, but your odds of being frustrated are exponentially higher compared to the AMP. There literally isn’t a single thing I dislike about my AMP.

 

[mikehotel]

I had a propane annealer at one time, after watching a friend of mine use his AMP, there was no turning back.

 

[Sig Marine]

The Annealeez will do the job. Annealling is not rocket science, hell, guys were using a socket on the end of a drill with a propane torch and getting the job done. The AMP is pricey and if money is no object, go for it. If however, you are like most of us and budget limited, the Annealeez will accomplish the task without breaking the bank. As with most things in life, it's all about priorities. I would rather spend $300 on an annealer and $1100 upgrading my scope than $1400 on the AMP; but you may see things differently.

 

[Jperk0278]

The Annealeez will do the job. Annealling is not rocket science, hell, guys were using a socket on the end of a drill with a propane torch and getting the job done. The AMP is pricey and if money is no object, go for it. If however, you are like most of us and budget limited, the Annealeez will accomplish the task without breaking the bank. As with most things in life, it's all about priorities. I would rather spend $300 on an annealer and $1100 upgrading my scope than $1400 on the AMP; but you may see things differently.

I’m new to shooting, reloading, and everything there is to learn about both. I plugged my AMP with Aztec Mode in last weekend and was up and running in five minutes. It’s incredibly easy to use.

 

[spife7980]

Or you could get an Annie for a hybrid of both. It’s up to you to get your time and setting right but it’s induction instead of propane.

 

[Rangerbob33]

Just got my AMP last week and already gave my propane machine to my brother, didn't want the hassle of getting it setup correctly anymore.

 

[Rangerbob33]

The Annealeaz will do it's job. And decently well. I owned one and used it quite a bit. I did buy an AMP, Amp mate, and casefeeder. But it's like buying a Ferrari when a Subaru will get you from point A to Point B just fine.

What case feeder are you using and how do you have it mounted? Dillon with the Creedmoor AMP Stand Kit?

 

[Rangerbob33]

Yep

Are you happy with it? Any complaints?

 

[Bradu]

The stand is actually a little short. You have to raise the feeder tube thingamajig for taller cartridges and the pole doesn't raise high enough. It works fine for 6 Dasher but on the edge for 7WSM.

The platform the stand is on doesn't fit underneath the Amp. It's wider than the legs on the Amp are.

You have to tweak the Amp Mate for each cartridge. Back and forth, back and forth.

I "Aztec'd" 3 x Lapua 6BR cases and got 3 different codes.

Other than that, it's pretty much awesome. Sometimes I look for brass to anneal just to watch it work.

Were they all the same lot that you used the Aztec mode on? I would love to upgrade from my benchsource but it won't be for a while.

 

[Bradu]

Not sure. I bought 1300 pcs of 1xfired from a sponsered shooter for $200. They all came in a large cardboard box. I just took the average and ran with it. Definitely not going to get wrapped up around it. Remember when no one annealed their brass? How did we ever hit anything?

I agree, I was just curious. I know it's more accurate than me setting up my benchsource.

 

[gearguywb]

Anyone have issues with the annealeez not rotating brass? Mine at times will not "grab" the brass and turn it when the brass is in the flame.

 

[Rhed]

My first annealer was and still is a AMP.

 

[sabrecross]

Anyone have issues with the annealeez not rotating brass? Mine at times will not "grab" the brass and turn it when the brass is in the flame.

You might clean the wheels and put some grip tape on them (just be careful not to burn up the taps...point the flame away from the wheel.

 

[sabrecross]

I was on the fence and was about to build a flame annealer like the Annealeez. Parts can be had for very cheap (sub $100) and there are a lot of plans on the internet. The thing that soured me was you definitely need a good regulator and a torch combo to get stable and repeatable flames, like sjc929 said; that can get very expensive... I've settled on the salt bath method and I have the parts being shipped to me.

 

[flyright]

Mikes Reloading bench annealer is a really nice machine too. I've got a friend who has one and it was fairly easy to get running.

 

[culater]

Hello, I have been looking at annealing machines and did some research online; looks like the AMP is the hot ticket but the price is stiff. I saw a couple of good vids on the Annealeez and the price is reasonable. Would the Annealeez be the way to go?

AMP is they way to go. I couldn't afford it by myself that's why you have reloading friends to chip in. They can use it at anytime. If you do sell it you'll get 95% of your money back. An hand back the money they chipped in. Just a thought.

 

[Silverjay]

Another vote for the Annie. Easy to dial in with tempilaq.

 

[MarinePMI]

If your time is valuable to you, the AMP is worth every penny.

I built one of the propane annealers. It worked (and pretty well I might add), but it was a pain to set up, and since it is using an open flame, it ended up being done in the garage. In the summer time, the garage can get in the 100's. Add an open propane torch running and...well, f*ck that. The AMP sits inside my home office, where it is air conditioned, and needs a fraction of the time to go through a couple hundred cases.

 

[ctso030]

I bought the AMP and never looked back I can do 100 rounds in about 15min

 

[Autofire]

I love my AMP. I walk over pull the cloth cover off, turn it on choose my setting and anneal away. When I done turn if off put the cloth cover and walk away. Sooo easy!

 

[powereng]

Anyone have issues with the annealeez not rotating brass? Mine at times will not "grab" the brass and turn it when the brass is in the flame.

Yes! I've even had the mfg send me new wheels. Still won't rotate 223 brass evenly. Nice company, but I'm about fed up with mine.

 

[gearguywb]

Yes! I've even had the mfg send me new wheels. Still won't rotate 223 brass evenly. Nice company, but I'm about fed up with mine.

Well damn.....not good.

 

[elfster1234]

If you can afford it AMP is IMO the best you can buy. Especially with these new auto case feeders for them. I still use my home made annealer and my annealeez and at least for me it doesn’t take long at all to get it up and running using my technique of using “test brass” to get the torch and speed set correctly... less than a minute and usually less than 5 pcs of test brass

 

[EnjoyTheWilderness]

Yes! I've even had the mfg send me new wheels. Still won't rotate 223 brass evenly. Nice company, but I'm about fed up with mine.

I am a relatively new owner of the v2 Annealeez. I use it for 6.5 CM and out of the box I had an issue with it not consistently rotating the brass. Two things fixed the problem. Both easy to do. (1) Cleaning the roller. For me I think it was maybe a bit dusty in a few spots so it had poor "grip" on the case. (2) Making sure the adjustable paddle (not sure what to call it) that the case rotates against was smooth and didn't have any "dross" or "burr" on the edge. I assume this is left over from what I expect was the laser cutting process. If the case has excessive friction against the paddle then the roller will have a harder time rotating the case. Paddle needs to be smooth and the wheel some level of "tack". Oh and lastly how you adjust the paddle can impact the percentage of weight born by it. So try to ensure the case is riding more on the wheel than the paddle. That should increase the friction from the wheel which should rotate the case.

 

[Tango down]

One quick note about using the Annealeez; I reload and anneal in my garage, which is away from the house, no heat or AC. Even though I live in Vegas, it gets in the 30's at night, or just below that and it does affect the propane. The flame was noticeably shorter, even at full power and it was obvious that the brass did not reach the temp needed. To fix this, I brought the propane bottle inside the house overnight and was good to go the next day. If you anneal at home, with AC or heat, you'll be fine all year round. We do have 2 good options for 2 kind of budgets with the Annealeez ($275) and the AMP ($1300).