The reason for that beefy column is to provide surface area for what is a system that is cantilevered under all operations rather than being purely compressive in nature. If you look at any typical press, like a RC, the column has no side loading. This is one reason that ancient presses are still in service with no appreciable wear to the column fit. The column is under compression for most operations. In the Summit press, the column load is a bending stress under all circumstances. So, with time, the cast iron components that slide up and down will start to wear at the highest stress points, which is fore and aft at the ends of their bores. It will take some time for sure, especially if kept greased. I would also expect this to add more frictional losses, countering a small part of the mechanical advantage. When I look at this press, it just says that it wants to cock the loading die relative to the case as soon as a load is applied. Remember, there has to be some clearance for the moving part to slide on the column. Clearance equals play no matter how small. So, the die will never be as straight relative to the case as it would be in a typical press design.
I tend to think that the Summit press is more a marketing ploy than anything else. It's different and sets the product apart from all the standard O presses out there.
C&H made their H style press which was similar in function to the Summit, only used two smaller columns on either side. The cantilever was much shorter so the bending stresses were less. It also mounted more than one die making it more productive. Looking at one, you could do less critical steps like depriming and resizing on the mounting positions that were not axial to the columns and a bit cantilevered out and the more critical bullet seating process on the center position where there was zero side loading. I've never used one or read their instructions. But my guess is this is how it was intended to be used.
I would not mind finding one of those. Friend has one in his shop. I need to take a closer look at it.
For those who are not happy with the spent primer catching arrangement. Assuming it mounts to those two screws at the front of the base, I'd suggest a cover that wraps around the chute where the shell holder mounts and a spigot added to the catch tray to attach a tube so primers can fall down the tube into a waste can under the bench. For those who can fabricate, bend up a new primer catcher with a pitch to it and a tube fitting to accomplish the same. The one thing I hate about both my cheapo Lee press and especially my RC is that spent primers go all over the place. I tend to deprime using the hand tool I used for years at the range when shooting BPCR matches.
Presses are so much fun and interesting.
