By Eric Christensen

Technology has helped advance many categories over the past few decades. Manufacturers are innovating more and more every year to deliver tech-savvy products to meet consumer demands. Lyman shares this mentality with their lineup of products. The Turbo Sonic Ultrasonic case cleaner was brought to market to help their customers save time and money. Re-loaders can now get clean brass, inside and out in less than 10 minutes. Ultrasonic action, combined with 250-degree water and a cleaning chemical mixture, penetrates dense carbon fouling and residue.



The ultrasonic action uses ultrasound waves combined with the cleaning agent and tap water to break down dirt, along with carbon deposits, grease and other grime on a variety of objects. The Turbo Sonic 1200 comes with a plastic tray that users set into the chemical and water bath. Objects need to fit into the tray and also not exceed the height limit, so the sound waves can breakdown the dirt or grime. The cleaning action will get inside the primer-less casing and clean around the primer pocket. The Sonic 1200 will do around 350, 9mm cases in one session. If for some reason all the cases did not get cleaned thoroughly enough, they can be dipped for another bath without having to add any more chemical or water. The chemical mixture will last around 30 washes before needing to be replaced with new cleaning agents. Although the Turbo Sonic cleans the entire casing, it will not shine the case and may leave a dull brassy finish. Re-loaders that desire a shiny case need to tumble the brass with some polishing media.

The Turbo Sonic 1200 has an entirely closed lid and control unit. Remember the unit will heat the water to around 250-Degrees and caution needs to be taken when grabbing the plastic tray. The size of the unit makes it ideal to save precious space on a reloading table. I would recommend a bowl of cold water to dip the tray into immediately after a cleaning session to allow the brass or steel object to cool down enough for a visual inspection. The Turbo Sonic is very simple to use and is designed more for the average re-loader. Lyman makes bigger ultrasonic cleaners that handle a higher volume or larger objects. I am able to break down my handguns and use the Turbo Sonic 1200 to clean my barrels without having to scrub them. It is a very effortless way to clean brass, coins, gun parts, reloading dies and shell holders, and many other metal parts. I will be using the Turbo Sonic for many applications in the future.