Since cleaning brass is part of the reloading process,I guess that this post might belong here.
I'm about to play Santa and buy an ultrasonic cleaner;I'll then offer to.....me.
The question is which one?Hornady,RCBS or Lyman?Are any of these big enough to also clean a 8 3/8'' N frame?
Qc

I have an RCBS, works great for cleaning brass, not big enough for a 8.375 inch barrel N Frame.

My range buddy has a Crest 1200 something ultrasonic cleaner which he uses to clean brass and pistols. He is a frugal guy who did a lot of research online and with YouTube vids before deciding to buy a more expensive commercial unit rather than an entry-level unit. He is a serious reloader. I was toying with buying a Hornady or Lyman until he warned me off. Now, I pay him to do my pistols when I store them for the long term. My point, do your research before buying.

I looked around, too, for an ultrasonic cleaner. There are some nice pro/industrial units for big bucks.
All of the less expensive consumer units are not only made in China, but are generally one of two of the exact same basic units with different cosmetics.
I saw one offered by a watchmaking supply company that was identical to the unit sold at Harbor Freight Tools. But, the former was twice the price.
So, I clipped a coupon out of some magazine for 20% off and got the Harbor Freight one for even less.
Rest assured, NONE of the reloading companies make their own ultrasonic cleaners, or even offer a domestic product. They just rebrand a Chinese machine.
Maybe for laughs, I'll put an RCBS sticker on mine.

Best Regards,
Jim

PS: the Harbor Freight cleaner is 2.5 liters, plenty big for most reloaders.

I bought the Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner too. It works much better than the RCBS I have and it cost a lot less.

I recently bought a 2 Liter Hornady cleaner and I have cleaned about a thousand cases with it and am generally satisfied . It’s very different from tumbling but I think I like it better. I got a good deal on mine but after I bought it I found that Isonic brand is the same as the Hornady and RCBS brands and a bit cheaper. Check Amazon and you will see the Isonic is offered in a variety of sizes. My 2 liter wouldn’t fit your big N frame but probably would take a J frame. I only have the case cleaning solution now. I will probably order some gun cleaning solution at some point but I will try it on the yoke and cylinder. I am not sure I want to clean the internals under the side plate with the ultra sonic cleaner.

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Accuracy supercedes Speed

I am not sure I want to clean the internals under the side plate with the ultra sonic cleaner.[/QUOTE]

Ridgewalker,can I know what makes you say that?
Thkx
Qc

Depending on the amount of brass you want to clean at one time, you may want to forgo the sonic cleaner for a wet tumbler instead. I have both, and for large amounts of brass - 500 to 800 - I use a Franklin wet tumbler which was pretty reasonably priced. FWIW, I have a Dillon 650 with a head that contains a Lee depriming die. I can run 500 or more rounds of brass through it in 15 minutes, and after wet tumbling, they come out looking like new brass, including the primer pockets. The downside to wet tumbling is it's messy, but to a certain degree, so are ultra sonic cleaners. In either case, you'll want to thoroughly rinse your brass when done with clean water. If your water is hard, I'd recommend using filtered or distilled water.

As a side note, I tried running some semi auto barrels through my sonic cleaner and was completely underwhelmed. While the outsides were clean and the insides had powder fouling removed, it did nothing for the lead deposits.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I've used my HF ultrasonic cleaner with varied satisfaction for about 10 years. The only brass I've been satisfied cleaning in terms of hassle & time to deal with clean up mess, was some black powder cases. It worked quite well on those but for my other smokeless pistol cases wasn't worth the effort IMHO.

The u/s unit has markedly softened harder barrel/cylinder deposits but in general has mostly lead me into the value of better cleaning more frequently by traditional methods with better (newer) products & lubes.

For the initial cost (under $50) my HF unit had done "OK" but I wouldn't want to rely on 'just it' as my pistol cleaning unit. I worry about the various sight materials (fiber optics/night sights/plastic inserts) and most of my pistols don't fit all the way down into the 2L pan without disassembly. It does a fine job with the heat element and several sessions of '480' setting enough so the solution becomes warm, to clean stubborn lead on cylinder cranes & cylinders. When I'm on the ball, those areas don't suffer such build ups due to better normal cleaning.

I'd like a bigger/better u/s unit but unwilling to spend what they cost for my limited hobby level needs.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

An Ultrasonic cleaner is the LEAST effective way to clean brass and why in the world would you want to put a whole gun in one??

But this of course is open to hours of discussion,

Shooting Sports USA | What’s The Best Way To Clean Brass?

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Still Running Against the Wind

"why in the world would you want to put a whole gun in one??"

I'd like to get the frame & barrel of a revolver down in the juice. Of course the sideplate/etc would have to come off and all those squiggly funny shaped internal pieces would be demanding attention too....

Gotta dismount all my internal goody-bits to fit them in the pan.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas

Bought a cheap "commercial" unit off Amazon less than two years ago.
Left solution in tank for a couple months. (Soap and water).
Tank corroded thru with numerous pinholes.
Cheap Chinese low grade stainless.