Saw an ad for the trim zip on the lee website and was impressed by the ease of use. But I was concerned that the manual rod bought for each case length would be imprecise.

anyone want to warn me off on this one.
The price is sure right at about 25$

IMO its fine.Lee kit is spot on.Thousands of cases must be trimmed every week using this method without fault.
The Zip Trimmer speeds things up nicely.

For common size calibers and factory trim specs it is fast and easy. I like mine just fine.

I must agree with the previous posts. My Lee Zip Trim is an invaluable tool for my reloading needs. I use it to trim length, camphor the mouth, de-burr the flashhole, and even neck trimming (uniforming the neck thickness to a by shaving the OD).

I would recommend getting the universal chuck so you don't have to mess with the various sized shell holders that come with the Lee Case Trimmers. I use a small C-clamp to attach it to the edge of my bench, do my work with it, and then move it back out of the way till next time.

Simple, cheap and it works!

They work good they just don't last forever. I have one new one in the box sitting on the shelf. When the one I'm using breaks (it's usually the spring coil inside the housing which you can't fix), I put the new on the 2x4 block and order another one from Midway. Best I can figure they last about 1,000 cases or so.

They are much easier to use than the drills, easier on your hands. And when mounted on a piece of 2x4 and put in a vise they make an excellent platform for working on your cases.