I have been loading for about 15 years, and I started out using a vibratory tumbler with corn cob and walnut with decent results, but It was time consuming, dusty and seemed to create more work with plugged up primer pockets and flash holes. I have always removed my primers with a decapping die and cleaning my brass prior to sizing the brass because I don't like putting dirty brass in a sizing die with a decapping pin.This lead me down the road of wet tumbling, but I'm cheap, so I built my own tumbler and filled up a 5 gallon bucked of that butter soft beach sand while on a trip to Florida, thinking that would substitute for stainless media. The brass came out clean as a whistle with a matte, bead blasted finish that was carbon and tarnish free inside and out with beautiful primer pockets. I quickly figured out that going cheap was pretty expensive after getting several cases stuck in my sizing die, a result of the rougher finish on the brass in my opinion.I then had the opportunity to use an ultrasonic cleaner with a solution of 2 parts water, one part vinegar, a bit of Lemishine and a few drops of dish soap at about 130 degrees F on a batch of very dirty .223 range brass. In 10 minutes this got all of the carbon and range debris out of the cases but the brass was still tarnished and dull. Seeking better results, I finally invested (I say invested because this stuff should last a very long time) in this tumbling media. Now, I cannot comment on the quality of this STM brand vs other brands out there, because I have not used the other brands, but this is the best deal I have found on any stainless media.I recently cleaned another batch of that dirty .223 range brass using the wet tumbler with cold water, a pinch of Lemishine and a drop or two of dish soap. After 3 hours of tumbling, the brass came out polished, inside and out. It wasn't just clean, it looked like I used a buffer on them, pretty much a mirror finish. While pretty brass is not necessarily a priority for me, I noticed a huge difference when sizing this brass - no stuck cases. I am amazed at how well this media cleaned my range brass, and I have no hesitation using it to clean my expensive Lapua cases. I believe I have finally figured out how to clean brass.