Brian Vs Dillon Precision Press Purchase

[Shoot-4-Ever]

Ok, this may not be a favorite question on Brians website but what is the difference in purchasing form two?

I am about to make my purchase and had a question or two so called Brian's and they are away for a few days. That's not a problem, I can wait.

About a year ago, I started looking at Dillon, ordered the Blue Press (the one with the nice looking cover models) and that has been my general source of equipment selection.

Are there any major price difference or maybe a difference in overall service and satisfaction? As I recall from a year ago, they were more or less the same. Does Brian work for Dillon or is Brian the owner of Dillon?

I think my main question is the Dillon Warranty.......They say "no problem - no bs" etc. and I read good things about both. I wanted to get it from the horses mouth I guess.

Sorry if this is a regular question, I did try a search and found almost nothing with my search methods.

Thanks for any replies.

[XRe]

Brian resells Dillon. Compare prices between his site and Dillon's - IIRC, Brian shows better prices, and will put packages together that give you a little bit more discount. Proceeds from his sales are part of what keeps this forum in operation.

Plus, Brian is awesome about handling sales and resolving any issues that arise. I've ordered directly from both Dillon, and from Brian - I've never had a negative experience with Dillon, either, but I'll continue to order whatever I can through Brian...

The No BS warranty is for real. Do a search here in the Dillon forum, and you'll see that to be the case. Unless you buy a 1050, they will even replace things that you break (even repeatedly), no questions asked. Even with a 1050, they've been known to break their own rules and send parts out for free.... And their customer support rocks.

[al503]

Buy it from BE. Unless you're thinking about the 1050, all of the other presses will carry Dillon's Lifetime warranty. You could actually buy a broken one in a garage sale and Dillon would make it right.

I believe BE offers a couple of extras as well.

[ihatepickles]

Brian's hook is that he's compiled a guide to buying Dillon products based on his personal knowledge of the different presses. I believe he's hoping people will find this information useful and choose to use him to buy their Dillon stuff. His info is really good by the way, if you haven't checked it out, here's a link.

[ima45dv8]

I've purchased a Super1050 direct from Dillon, and another from Brian. Both transactions went very smoothly and I think it was even a couple of bucks less from Brian. I also remember also getting a follow-up call from Brian to confirm something on my order. A nice touch.

[kevin c]

Same presses, same guarantee, same great customer support, slightly better prices w/ BE.

If you've found this forum even remotely helpful, support our host by buying the best from him.

You will have absolutely no regrets.

[.40AET]

Both have excellent service. I like shootin' the sh!t with Brian so I call him. Brian made this forum possible. He deserves all of the business that we can give him.

[JFD]

I agree that Brian should be the first choice just because of the forum that is home to many of us.

However Brian becomes your personal representative the second you place an order. Something goes wrong and you don't have to screw around talking to machines or anything else, as Brian will take care of it. If you aren't positive what you need, then Brian really comes into play as your equipment advisor who isn't looking to take advantage by advising you buy 2 of everything he sells.

My belief is a dealer will always get a better response from a company than an individual will.

The fact that his prices are really good doesn't hurt a bit.

[Gunmac]

When I ordered my press from Brian it was free shipping for over $400 not sure if Dillon has the same deal. Dillon has the same warranty for anything you buy from Brian.

I had a few questions about the press and got to talk to the legend himself. Brian was a very nice guy and took his time answering my questions.

My opinion is if Brian sells it that is where I buy.

[DanM]

I recently bought a 650w/casefeeder from Brian set up for .40 Dumb me had to futz with it and goofed up the case feeding. I can't remember why, but I called Dillon and they were very helpful to the point that they sent me a few .45 parts for free to see if that would fix the problem. I offered to send back whatever I didn't need and they said not to worry about it IMHO you can't go wrong either way. Both are awesome to deal with.

[rgkeller]

Free shipping from BE.

[G-ManBart]

As far as the no BS warranty, it's as real as it gets. If anything breaks on a press...even if it's your fault, it will be replaced immediately. I've only had a couple of smaller parts break and each time I've called and gotten a replacement in a day or so at no cost. If your press gets a lot of use I believe you can send it back to them for a complete overhaul at no charge (they might charge return shipping, but I'm not sure). I'm getting ready to order another Dillon and it will definitely be through Brian!

[smokshwn]

You really can't go wrong ordering from either. However, as it has been said, ordering from Brian keeps the website up. The other bonus is you get to chat with him and THAT is always a good experience.

[Duane Thomas]

If you aren't positive what you need, then Brian really comes into play as your equipment advisor who isn't looking to take advantage by advising you buy 2 of everything he sells.

Worth noting that I've never had that experience with Dillon. I'd be amazed if anyone else had, either.

[JThompson]

I just bought a 550 from him and I ordered the 45 and 38 super dies... in the mean time we decided to chamber in 9mm instead. I gave Brian a call and he said just send them back and I'll send you the 9mm. He even wound up cross shipping, so I could have them faster. He also paid for the shipping when it was clearly my mistake. What more can I say?

Thanks Brian!

Edited March 8, 2007 by JThompson

[EricW]

If you want to get the right stuff the first time, call Brian. I'd *like* to think I know what I'm doing and ordering my 1050 through Brian was the best move I could have made.

[Eager]

I just ordered the 550b and a whole schmear set-up from Brian, include books, videos, etc.

He responded lightning fast and it arrived within a few days.

The way he has his website set up with all the info, packages, recommended accesories, and links to forum discussions that help you make decisions about what to order make it really nice and cannot be beat.

I couldn't be happier, except maybe if there was someway to have more time to enjoy my favorite sport/scientific endevor

Edited March 8, 2007 by Eager

[Loves2Shoot]

Brian is the Encyclopedia de Dillon.

I doubt many at Dillon put as much work into understanding how things work together as he does.

[Flexmoney]

Dillon is cake. Brian is icing.

[nhglyn]

Dillon is cake. Brian is icing.

+1 to that!

Always had great service directly from Dillon. But, when I purchased my 650 I did so from Brian and he was really helpful in guiding me into what I needed to go with it. Spent quite a bit of time with me on the phone answering all my dumb questions. Can't go wrong with BE.

[JFD]

I never said Dillon was ripping people off.

However there are most certainly dealers in the world who would take advantage of your VISA card if you used the same approach you might use with Brian or Chuck at S.C.

My only problem with Dillon is they shipped me 1 .40 sizing die when I ordered 2 of them. Their paperwork indicated they had shipped 2. There are places where that situation could be a problem. While I'm sure Dillon would have taken care of it, it was nice having Brian available.

[XD Niner]

I agree that Brian should be the first choice just because of the forum that is home to many of us.

However Brian becomes your personal representative the second you place an order. Something goes wrong and you don't have to screw around talking to machines or anything else, as Brian will take care of it.

This happened to me when I bought my XL650 through Brian a few months ago. Dillon inadvertently shipped the incorrect casing feeder plate. They listed the large plate on the shipping list, which is what is needed for .45ACP, but when I opened the box, it was the small plate. I called Dillon and they said to work through Brian since he had sold it to me. They also said if I had any problem to call them back and they'd correct the problem anyway.

Of course when I called Brian he was very responsive. Within the hour he had contacted Dillon and the correct plate was on its way to me. I didn't even have to ship the original back. That saved me a few bucks when I started loading 38 Super and 9mm.

Other reasons to use Brian have been cited above but to recap:

1. He will spend all the time you need to answer your questions and make recommendations based on what he hears from you and his experience. He tailored his recommendations to my needs and desires.

2. He gets the units shipped PDQ.

3. His total price assuming you're buying a press is a bit less than Dillon due primarily to the free shipping.

4. He sponsors this outstanding web site so I always try to buy from him.

5. You get the Dillon warranty either way and it is absolutely an iron clad no BS warranty along with outstanding tech support.

Dillon and BE rock!

[Rob Boudrie]

One more + for Brian. I met with Brian in AZ last year, and asked if there was a contingency plan so that orders would get filled even something unexpected happened to him. The answer was indeed "yes", and he also has coverage for those times when he is on safari.

[Shoot-4-Ever]

Thanks for all of your answers. I knew that both Dillon & BE were top shelf but this seals the deal.

If I were to ask the same question about most any other company, there would be at least ONE unhappy customer. Nope.....Not Here!!!

Thanks to everyone who sent in a reply, and thanks to Brian for the use of the website.

Now I need to find a little help in deciding what I need to order ... then I am off to the loading bench with my New Blue

One last question, does Dillon make a camofloge unit? Looking for a way to hide this from the wife.

I have been telling her for 2 years now that I have misplased a new Blue reloader that came a long time ago (didn't have a place to set it up) and it must have become lost in the atic. She has even helped me look for it........ohhhh that's sooooo bad It will get really Bad when I find it soon.

Just need to get it off the little brown truck and up into the atic, (maybe add a little dust) so she can help me find it!

Anyone ever been throught this, all for a Big Blue ? Know a good divorce lawyer?

[Cuz]

Thanks for all of your answers. I knew that both Dillon & BE were top shelf but this seals the deal.

If I were to ask the same question about most any other company, there would be at least ONE unhappy customer. Nope.....Not Here!!!

Thanks to everyone who sent in a reply, and thanks to Brian for the use of the website.

Now I need to find a little help in deciding what I need to order ... then I am off to the loading bench with my New Blue

One last question, does Dillon make a camofloge unit? Looking for a way to hide this from the wife.

I have been telling her for 2 years now that I have misplased a new Blue reloader that came a long time ago (didn't have a place to set it up) and it must have become lost in the atic. She has even helped me look for it........ohhhh that's sooooo bad It will get really Bad when I find it soon.

Just need to get it off the little brown truck and up into the atic, (maybe add a little dust) so she can help me find it!

Anyone ever been throught this, all for a Big Blue ? Know a good divorce lawyer?

Shoot-4-Ever,

You are taking the wrong approach. While it may seem like a large expense, when she actually sees how much money you will save by reloading she will like the press a lot. Show her the math and use 45acp ammo for the calculations. You'll pay for the press in about a year with the money you save.

The more you shoot, the more you save...

-Cuz.