Replacing a Lyman Scale - is this a good deal?

[DragonFire]

My Lyman LE1000 scale had been screwing up (changing readings for the same weight) so I sent it back to Lyman for an analysis. I knew up front that the scale wasn't under warranty, since it is at least a couple of years old.

I just got a letter back from Lyman, saying that the scale isn't under warranty, with an offer for a new scale at a "very reduced rate". They will sell me a LE1000 for $100, and LE500 for $85 or a LE300 for $75.
They list a much highr "regular" price for each ($265 - $160). I have 30 days to respond.

A couple of things bother me about this.

1)They never say what if anything was wrong with my current scale.
2)They did not offer to fix the scale, or give an estimate what it would cost to fix it
3)Searching the internet, I have found listing for these scales at or slightly below Lyman's reduced rates (all for new equipment)
4)When I initially called the Lyman customer service number, I was told that not only was my scale out of warranty, but that it was "obsolete", having been replaced in their product lines by newer models.

I would just forget the whole thing except the scale has worked well for the last 2 or 3 years (though I would have expected a longer life from it). I already know that I can't replace the scale for significantly less without dealing with some unknown internet seller.

So do I tell Lyman to keep their offer (and return my original scale as-is) or do I take them up on it?

 

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I've not seen where in the past few years Lyman has been very good at customer support. My recommendation would be to turn down their offer and buy a different brand of scale. RCBS has shown themselves to be very good at supporting their products.

Not sure what type of scale you prefer, but I've always felt the 1010 in the manual line was an excellent scale. Others would have to recommend a digital scale.

Regards,

Dave

 

[g56]

I had a Lyman/Ohaus 505 scale for 40 years, last summer I was building a new reloading bench and during that process the scale got knocked off the top shelf of a storage rack to the floor, a 6 ft drop onto concrete! I inspected it closely and couldn't find any damage, but it didn't work right anymore, I looked and looked for any problem and couldn't find anything, but it was very inconsistent. So I finally gave up and ordered a new RCBS/Ohaus model 502, looks exactly like the old one, except the new one works right!

I hated to bite the bullet, but I needed a scale that was accurate and consistent, I read the reviews on Midway's website and generally found the current Lyman scales aren't very good, while the RCBS 502 got great reviews, and it's less money than what Lyman is talking about.

 

[highlander 5]

modern electronics are cheaper to replace than repair.
Look at TV sets you can buy a nice tube type TV 27' for under $300 if it breaks in a year or two so what plus trying to FIND someone that can repair them should be good for a laugh. I'm old enough to remember tube sets and when they broke there was always a repairman who could fix them sadly not the case any more.Buy the best that you can afford and have at it

 

[LHB1]

I don't think Lyman is capable of fixing your scale because they outsource them and don't manufacture them. My guess is their actions are limited to simply replacing your scale. Have heard that their latest versions are imported from China/Taiwan/etc. but don't know that for sure.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[earplug]

Midway has A scale sale

Electronic scale for less then $40.00

 

[308win]

You can't beat RCBS's customer service. I have a 5-10 that went loopy on me; sent it in to OHaus per RCBS instructions; received same back in good working order. No Charge.

Check out the scales on eBay if you are willing to buy used. With RCBS's customer service backing them up you can't go wrong.