I agree in the surprise and disappointment from Forester. Im not so bothered they refinished the die as by appearance of pics most was external and if so would in mo way effect preformance of the tool. The job was incomplete when you was able to make it look perfect seemingly quick and easy. Appearance can be reality.
Like most of you I have most of the common reloading dies and reserve Wilson, Forester, CH Tool as a step above. Redding as slight step down, RCBS a step below them, Lyman half a step below and Hornady below them. With LEE as entry level. Passable and that mostly cause of materials and lackadaisical adherence to tolerances. Alum caps thay strip & pull threads is a bother. Decap stems that wont hold in ther collets cause of dimensional & or hardness issues. Just dont need to happen if better materials of manufacturing standards where adhered to. The dies work but...
INHO, Redding is tops for many folks and deservedly so, they make a great product backed by equally awesome CS. There superior polish inside is a large part.
I agree with some RCBS running under spec. I have also seen early LYMAN "plated" dies with same results.
On a secondary topic, With my own exuberance,
I find myself flush with 6mm Remington dies and plan a video comparison. Asking for suggestions of things to compare and investigate.
I have a Redding, CH tool, Forester, 2x RCBS and tempted to buy a LEE for more complete comparisons.