Clean is what is important. How you get there is your choice.
I find a tumbler a very economical solution to:
- removing carbon, dirt, grit and whatever from fired brass, even if it never touches the ground
- removing sizing lube from cases that have to be lubed for sizing
- making my brass shine (what can I say, I like brass that shines better than new
)
Yes, I reloaded for several decades before tumblers were available, but that doesn't mean I have to sacrifice now...