A good Dremel tools set?
 

I need a good Dremel set. What's a good set? Speed concerns?

I've née had the need for one, but I do now. So what should I stay away from? What should I know when shopping for one?

Souk,

We have two dremels in the lab where I worl. Both are used daily for about an hour. One is ~5 yrs old and the other is less than a year old. Already the new one is acting up. It wasn't there cheap one either. I hope you get one on a good quality day.

There are a lot of Dremel-like tools (sets). Could one be better than the original?

I don't think I'll use it as muh as you're using it in the lab, but I like stuff to last. What about the speed? I seem to recall some have higher speeds than others.

I have two Dremels: a battery-powered one and plug-in one. That plug-in one is superior in every way.

I can get an hour of use out of the battery one if I use two batteries. It will go up to 15,000 rpm according to the speed settings, but I doubt in practice it will stay there for long. It was cheaper than the plug-in one, and I bought it 10 years ago when I was a broke recent college grad and needed one badly. I paid $40 for it at the time.

I also paid $40 for the plug-in one. Lowe's was having a sale on them after Christmas a few years ago. It will go up to 30,000 rpm, and came with a host of attachments and bits. I think it was normally around $80. I flat-out don't use the battery one anymore, the plug-in one is so much better.

Both run about the same speed, but the new is considerably quieter. It almost sounds like the bearing are wearing out on the new one. It makes more of a whirring sounds while the old one is a constant buzz.

I'm a big fan of Harbor Freight, usually, but the dremel I got there was CRAP. FWIW.

I bought the $80.00(?) cordless kit at wal mart. It works great.

I also have a corded and cordless Dremel. I love the cordless one, but if you are doing some heavy grinding or cutting it will quickly overheat and shut itself off for about 30 seconds before you can restart. A bit of a pain.

There is also the Roto Zip. Will make short work of most anything. Not suited for detail work though. Things got so much torque that it'll fly out of your hand if you are not ready for it.

Get a Dremel that has adjustable speed. It makes a difference. I use the cutoff wheel the most. Sometimes the flexible shaft attachment comes in really handy
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1265331017.jpg

DO NOT buy the cordless one. No power and runs out of juice quickly. Takes hours to recharge. Buy one that plugs in. I can't get through inletting a gunstock on one charge on the rechargable one. Want mine? I'll give it to you.

Thanks for the cordless offer, but I'll pass :). Never have been a fan of cordless tools. I'll get a variable speed corded model. Is the amperage difference noticeable on these?

First off, there are several flavours of Dremel. The cheapie is a bronze bearing unit and its better than nothing but not by much.

Get a ball bearing, plug in model. The cordless ones are ok, not OK. If you can you might even look for a "gently used" ball bearing one used on CL or Ebay. Feel that they might be made of better quality than those sold today.

Cannot live without mine. Use it all the time. Bought it in the 1970's (it was the top of the line model then) and its been worth every penny.

had a real corded one for 15+yrs the rubber clutch thing finally gave up this summer.
bought a cheapy at HF havent used it much but seems ok
received a real cordless one for xmas. has been useful in situations where the cord gets in the way. too early to tell how long both will last.
do like that on both the new ones i can set the speed separate from the on/off switch...

Ball bearings! Do the new ones even come with ball bearings?

Last time I looked they sold two versions, one a cheapie bronze bearing model, and a more expensive ball bearing version.

I definitely want a ball bearing model and I don't mind paying more for it. Thanks for the heads up on the BB, Joe. N

I have a Craftsman "dremel" tool its about 15 yrs old and gets a ton of heavy usage. I'm amazed it is still working. One of the best things I ever purchased.

I just used my Dremel last night to modify this holster for my new optics:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ons/HKRig2.jpg
I'll dye it all black this week, should look really nice. I love my dremel.

Forget Dremel.

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