I will readily admit to my bias, however...
...I believe that my bias is valid, and is based on my experience.
I had expressed an interest in handloading (and had actually started collecting my brass for a year or more) when a lifelong friend moved to Germany about five years ago. He sent me his Dillon RL450 and a bunch of dies and accessories, manuals, etc. It was a Hell of a Care Package, utterly unexpected and very appreciated.
He had not used it in several years, and several small parts were missing (or perhaps lost in shipment?)
I contacted Dillon, and they were good as gold. Sent parts out ASAP, on their dime. And a copy of The Blue Press...
I started cautiously, loading .45acp ammo using W231 and 200 gr SWC lead bullets bought from a local commercial firm.
I was fairly successful, and very taken with the process...to the extent that (as others have stated) handloading quickly became, in addition to a means to an end, an end itself. The entire process, from collecting brass, to sorting, cleaning, sizing...each step is enjoyable and satisfying, as there is a tangible result/output at the end of each step.
The Blue Press provided monthly opportunities and reasons to spend a bit of money, and (here and there) I got into that habit. I also bought used and new dies for additional cartridges at Gun Shows, on eBay, here on THR, etc...
That 25+ year old 450 was a quality tool. Bob's time in Germany was a variable, but I anticipated his return at some point.
Between that and monthly issues of The Blue Press to add to the temptation, at a certain point, I was eyeballing that 550 every month. My wife bought me that new 550 for Christmas '09
.
When Bob returned shortly thereafter, I sent his 450 back with his dies, his accessories, his reloading manuals and my thanks.
Also a bunch of .44Spl, 38 Spl and .32acp brass...cartridges that he had expressed some interest in loading for...especially since he also "inherited" from me a Taurus 431 and a Kel-Tec P32.
In that same time frame, I also inherited a Hornady Pro-7 and an old RCBS Rock Chucker from another friend when he moved away.
Spent a bunch of time reading up on, then cleaning, lubing, adjusting the Hornady Pro-7. It looked like a quality 5-station press. Unfortunately, it was missing most of the priming system components...so I used it as a complex single stage for the only cartridge I had a shell plate for....45acp. Since I was already loading .45acp on the Dillon, there was no real benefit to the Pro-7.
I contacted Hornady, and their rep said, "No, we don't have parts for those, and we do not support that model. No, the Pro-Jector or LNL parts will not work. You need to buy a new LNL."
I did some searching on other handloading/reloading forums, even eBay...no luck. Several months of searching later, I gave up and sold that Pro-7 cheap to someone who had one (and enough parts to make this one work).
As a result, it will be a cold day in a very warm place before I buy another Hornady press. Planned obsolescence works great for the seller...not so much for the owner.
The Rock Chucker still has a place on my bench. I have used it for small production runs of .380 and 10mm. Also some .45 LC shot loads, using the Speer shot capsules.
FWIW, I bought a bedraggled 550 at a gun show about a year ago. It was missing a number of parts. Called Dillon, read them the list, and they sent me all of the requested parts,
because they were all available. Support after the sale. Not a unique concept, but apparently, foreign to some manufacturers.
Better yet, without my asking, they only charged me for about half the parts I asked for. Was that because I was a repeat customer, or because they consider some parts "consumable"? End result:
That is the kind of Customer Service and Support that makes for a loyal customer.
I sold this 550 to a good friend for what I had into it (a fair bit under the price of a new one). He had been coming over and loading on my 550 for a little while, and it was a perfect opportunity for both of us.
He was (at the time) new to handloading (just as I had been a few short years ago) but is taking to it quite well.
He is now producing .38 Spl and .45acp in decent quantities, and is another satisfied Dillon customer.
Sorry for the novel.
YMMV, but that is my story, and I'm sticking to it.