Sonic Cleaners Good vs. Bad

[Notso Slim, SASS #67301]

I'm probibly opening a can of worms I should leave closed but here we go. I'm considering a sonic case cleaner but all the reviews I read either say GREAT or WORTHLESS. Does anyone clean Starline 45 Colt having shot Trailboss or Starline 45 ACP having shot HP38? Do they work? What brand and model? What solution are you using? I'm confused by how opposite the reviews are. Why the big difference? I'm on a tight money and time budget and must maximize both. I wish I could gamble an just "buy and try" but I can't.

thanks,

Slim

[Dang It Dan 13202]

I'm probibly opening a can of worms I should leave closed but here we go. I'm considering a sonic case cleaner but all the reviews I read either say GREAT or WORTHLESS. Does anyone clean Starline 45 Colt having shot Trailboss or Starline 45 ACP having shot HP38? Do they work? What brand and model? What solution are you using? I'm confused by how opposite the reviews are. Why the big difference? I'm on a tight money and time budget and must maximize both. I wish I could gamble an just "buy and try" but I can't.

thanks,

Slim

 

This is not really what you are asking about, but I did just recently move to the "wet" cleaning system that uses the stainless steel pins. I bought a "rock tumbler, a 50# unit off of ebay and use Dawn liquid soap and a shot of "Lemme Shine". Three hours later you have nice clean brass. BUT, it is more labor intensive than using media because you have to drain the dirty water, separate the pins from the brass and let the brass dry. I did this only to get away from the media which is highly contaminated with lead-salts and it gets everywhere. This unit will clean about 2 gallons of brass at a time and the whole thing including the pins cost me about $400.00. You will still have to use a separator of some kind (I still use my Dillon roller separator). Hope this helps in some way.

[Major Regret, SASS #57800]

Ultrasonic unit will 'clean' brass, does not polish it. Cases come out looking discolored. But clean!

 

I personally like the job my RCBS tumbler does for cleaning/polishing brass, ultrasonic does a great job of periodic 'deep' cleaning of my stainless vaqueros. All depends what your expectations are going in.

[Doc Flimshaw Sass# 73310]

I thought mine sucked for cleaning brass, great for carbon encrusted parts, but lousy for brass. Ended up buying a thumlers rotary tumbler, brass always looks new, inside and out......Doc

[Doc Flimshaw Sass# 73310]

This is not really what you are asking about, but I did just recently move to the "wet" cleaning system that uses the stainless steel pins. I bought a "rock tumbler, a 50# unit off of ebay and use Dawn liquid soap and a shot of "Lemme Shine". Three hours later you have nice clean brass. BUT, it is more labor intensive than using media because you have to drain the dirty water, separate the pins from the brass and let the brass dry. I did this only to get away from the media which is highly contaminated with lead-salts and it gets everywhere. This unit will clean about 2 gallons of brass at a time and the whole thing including the pins cost me about $400.00. You will still have to use a separator of some kind (I still use my Dillon roller separator). Hope this helps in some way.

Same reason I did it, had to move to a small apt. with no garage and didn't want lead filled dust in my apartment. The pins separate easily in the same separator I used to get rid of the tumbler media, Having a magnet helps to pick up the pins....doc