A few reloading tools I've settled on, after years of use:
I've been using Hornady's Unique case lube as my go-to for resizing lube.
Not a spray, it comes in a small tub, & I believe it's very similar to Imperial case lube, in appearance & usage, ( but at less than 1/2 the price of Imperial.)
I've been using my 1st tub for years..loading thousands of 223's, + 308, 30-30, 7.62 X 39, '30-06, & 220 Swift.
I bought 2 tubs, & after 15 yrs or >,I'm still using the 1st tub. I've never stuck a case using Unique.
Can't say the same about the RCBS case lube & pad I used when I started hand loading.
A happy day, when I threw out that lube & pad.
Unique is easy to apply, odorless, non-sticky, & wipes off easily.
A very small amount is needed to resize a case. Great stuff.
I started out using RCBS dies, used them for many years. Have switched to nearly all Lee die sets for a couple of reasons.
1st.. I have had issues with the decapping pins coming out of the stem, when resizing cases.
Most often with military brass, w/ crimped primer pockets.
I've had difficulty getting the expander ball tightened enough on the decapping rod to hold the decapping pins in place.
Expander loosens & pin falls out. I've also bent a decapping rod (piece holding decapping pin)
A big pain if you don't have a replacement part on hand. Replacement die parts are hard to find locally.
I bought 1 set of Lee dies, discovered how they use a 1 piece decapping rod , with expander & decapping pin all 1 machined part,
and Lee dies use a collet, that allows the rod to move upward, instead of bending / breaking the rod, or the pin bending or coming out of the rod.
Use 2 wrenches to loosen the collet, slide the rod down in the die, & retighten the collet. Then, back to work.
I recall how some advertisements hinted that Lee dies wouldn't produce rounds that were as accurate as some other brands.
Lee responded with an ad campaign that described their dies setting world records for accuracy. I started replacing most my
RCBS rifle dies with Lee die sets. Have even replaced a few sets of pistol dies with Lee.
The recent shortage of reloading equipment allowed me to sell most my old RCBS die sets.
I'm also a fan of Lee's case trimming system..Their cutter & lock stud (buy 1 set of these items) and then purchase individual case length gauges
for each caliber you load. I chuck the lock stud in a cordless drill & can trim cases to proper length pretty easily, with the case lenght gauge.
A great , inexpensive way to trim brass cases.
I had bought a Lyman case trimmer, with a bunch of collets for different calibers.
Problem is..you have to adjust a stop, held in place with a lock screw, to trim the cases to desired length.
As you trim case after case, using a turn by hand cutter, the adjustable stop can move..
& you may not notice until you've trimmed cases shorter than desired. Lee system, that isn't possible.
Case length gauge limits how much you can trim a case. Much better system IMO..