I started out with RCBS and Forster stuff. They all make some good stuff, they all have some duds here and there. I have some great Lee products, have and have had a few duds from them. There are a few RCBS products I have that I'm not thrilled with, it'll work, but, not a fan of the way it works. I can say the same of some Hornady stuff, have some good stuff, some I don't like the ergonomics of, one that was a true dud, and it wasn't a cheap product. I haven't had any beefs with Redding or Lyman, yet. 98% happy with Forster, one or two things they could tweak, one is just the result of things being "universal", which has its quirks, nothing that is universal really is, there are some things they don't do, some they don't do as well as they maybe should.
And when it comes to buying kits these days for beginners, only ones I'd spend the money on are RCBS or Redding, and even then, I'd rather buy individual brand items.
