Wow, why does this sound so fimular with you.

I for one, have about 4 sets of lee dies, and also have about 10 sets of RCBS dies, and a few Redding. I have had trouble with the lees. I love the collet dies. But each set I get, I have to polish the mandrel and inside. Also for some reason, lee dies rust very easily. I also have found runout issues using some of thier shell holders and bullet seaters. I am rather picky on my ammo however. I require runout to be less than .003". I also am not a big fan of locking ring. I have suspicion that the rubber ring is the reason I see runout on occasion. For the price they are great. But this is my favorite hobby. Why go so cheap. Its my passion.

If you want to see some fine quality dies, look inot the redding competition. Can't say the are worth the money, but man, they are nice.