Best value Dremel / Rotary Tool

[sihollies]

HI everyone,

Could anyone please advise on a good value cordless / rechargeable rotary tool for general use with a maximum budget of £80 -£100, but a lesser cost would be preferred?
My initial thought is the Dremel brand as they are the market leaders, but that doesn't always mean they are the best.
I won't using the tool on a regular basis and wouldn't need it for any constant heavy duty work, but would like the unit to be robust enough to cope with whatever I throw at it.

As always, many thanks in advance
Simon

 

[Spectric]

Working on metal or wood ?

 

[sihollies]

Cheers for the rapid reply Spectric!
I have no specific purpose for it, but I would say I would mainly use it for metal.

Many thanks!

 

[Orraloon]

I got a dremel a couple of years ago. As its used in the workshop 99.9 % if the time I figured that a corded unit would be best. Waiting around for something to charge is a pain. At the time I looked at other brands like Ryobi and something else but the dremel looked better quality.
Regards
John

 

[TRITON]

Probably a Dremel is the answer to that question.

It's about value, and Dremel is value for money as you can rely on it to work and keep working..
You know what they say - Buy cheap, Buy twice.

I'm still using the basic original model, and I've run it continuously till it was too hot to hold.

Axminster used to do a mains hanging version, which used a flexible shaft and had a range of hand pieces including one for carving(oscillating) although I dont think they do any more.
But even then the concept of hanging the machine up even in the case of the standard handheld Dremel and using the flexishaft is a good one because after a while the dremel or any version can be a bit uncomfy to hold due to the vibration.

but would like the unit to be robust enough to cope with whatever I throw at it.

My initial thought is the Dremel brand as they are the market leaders, but that doesn't always mean they are the best.

Cant have both. Dremel is your best bet because its been used extensively and tested to near destruction and just kept going.
There are others, obviously there are others. The system gets used in professional jewellery making but those you will be paying £250-£350 and are the hanging type with the flexishaft. But if you want one thats going to do what it says on the tin, then Dremel is your best bet.

 

[Windows]

You can get a corded Dremel kit with flexible shaft and accessories for within your price range. (I don’t know about cordless)

 

[RonnieI]

I've had a cordless dremel for several years (can't remember which model). Not had any issues with it apart from battery life. I just bought another battery and when both have died I stop and have a brew!

 

[robgul]

+1 for Dremel (mine's corded) - I did have another cheapie one and it was rubbish - collet didn't stay tight and the motor failed very quickly (3 weeks out of guarantee)

 

[Eshmiel]

HI everyone,

Could anyone please advise on a good value cordless / rechargeable rotary tool for general use with a maximum budget of £80 -£100, but a lesser cost would be preferred?
My initial thought is the Dremel brand as they are the market leaders, but that doesn't always mean they are the best.
I won't using the tool on a regular basis and wouldn't need it for any constant heavy duty work, but would like the unit to be robust enough to cope with whatever I throw at it.

As always, many thanks in advance
Simon

Cordless is useful in a tool that might be taken about and used anywhere for all sorts of jobs, which is a description of the small 3.2mm collet rotary tools. There's two main factors to look for (but others too, particularly ergonomics):

i) How good are the batteries? They can be inherently poor (don't hold a charge, soon go defunct) but also hard to find or very expensive with no alternatives. Although I have a Dremel and find it good for all I want to do, I wish I'd bought the Bosch blue 12V equivalent because the batteries for those are numerous in my shed with other Bosch 12V tools, available all over, don't cost too much and have a vast range of alternatives some of which are just as good as the Bosch for half the price.

ii) How good is the motor? It needs to be powerful enough not to stall at various tasks but also resilient enough to take a bit of over-use without the copper coils not just getting hot but frying. Dremels seem reasonable - and have a protective cut-out - but there are also models that are rated as more powerful and claim to be tough. MIne gets taken to the limit regularly and is fine after nearly 5 years.

As other posters note, you get what you pay for. Your willing-spend-max is right on the borderline between cheap&poor : inexpensive but good.

Cordless (and corded) Dremels, though, can often be found "on sale" i.e. with a large percentage knocked off the usual price. You might also consider one of their boxed kits that contains a lot of accessories and "bits" in a handy carry box. These, as with many such package collections, come at a great saving compared to buying them individually. If possible, find such a package that's also "on sale" for best value.

Will you use all the accessories and bits? Only you can know.

 

[Fergie 307]

+1 for Dremel (mine's corded) - I did have another cheapie one and it was rubbish - collet didn't stay tight and the motor failed very quickly (3 weeks out of guarantee)

I would go along with that.
Have had various different cheap ones because I told myself I couldn't justify the cost of a Dremel.
When the latest cheapie failed I bit the bullet and got a cordless Dremel. I think it was on offer at Screwfix with a box of accessories. That was maybe 5 years ago and I can't fault it. I would never buy anything else now.
I find the right angle head attachment is particularly useful, something I haven't seen for other ones.

 

[Sideways]

I chose the proxxon mains corded one with a small 3 jaw chuck over the dremel.
I prefered the machined steel collar it has for mounting - like a smaller version of the 43mm collar on a real drill - to the moulded thread around the neck of a dremel.
In practice, I use it mostly with a 3.2mm collet rather than the drill chuck and I did kill it eventually, but that was abusing it horribly on a die grinder type job far bigger than it was ever intended for but I had no other tool that would do the job.
I bought the same one to replace it.

 

[Spectric]

What is the chuck capacity on the dremmel and the Proxxon, are these really much use if compared to a die grinder with it's much higher speed and power or are we talking about totaly different uses ?

 

[Sideways]

The 3.2mm max collet is common to both. A proxxon with a chuck can maybe take a 1/4" drill but you don't use them for that.
Speeds are high, several thousand rpm, more than any drill and I'd think comparable with a die grinder with a max under 10k rpm. Obviously power is only a fraction.
There are two types of full size die grinder out there. One is geared to max out at 8 to 10k rpm, the other more like 25 to 30k. There is overlap in what you can do with these. The low speed ones are better than high speed if you want to use a 2" flap wheel. The high speed ones better than low speed with a carbide burr. But either will drive each type of accessory.
These dremel and proxxon tools are small die grinders. Put the right sort of burr / cutter / mounted stone in them and they work the same, just on a much smaller scale and more maneouverable. You are after all comparing 100W or so with 500-800W for the bigger guys. You absolutely can use a dremel or proxxon on metal, glass, grp, whatever.

 

[Jake]

Die grinders are usually 6mm, 1/4 inch or 8mm. A lot more robust. But a lot more bulk and weight.

 

[peter-harrison]

I have a corded and a cordless Dremel. I prefer the corded one as it's more compact, better balanced and doesn't run out of puff unless I've forgotten to pay the electricity bill!

 

[Phill05]

I too have the corded and battery Dremel's this way I find I have the choice depending on the job, I also made a router base as I needed to make some very small 2mm stepped round overs, I have also made fitments to hold in them the lathe toolpost when I need to do a square grind on a clock shaft or a tapered grind on a shaft, Dremel would be my first choice if I was starting again.

 

[mwinfrance]

I've got a bunch ( is 3 a bunch ) of "full size" die grinders..and various tungsten bits for them, at least 6 "Dremel clones" ( they are noisier than actual Dremels ), they are so as to avoid keep having to stop to swap bits during powered sculpture, some ( 4 I think ) air powered micro tools ( they go up to over 100k rpm )the vented air makes them noisy. Picked up a couple of Dremel "all in" kits at xmas ( I already had a couple of dremels, but couldn't access them in the atelier, too much stuff in nthe way as this year I'm doubling the atelier surface area. New Dremels are ultra smooth , will be buying some proxons too ( for the same reason as sideways "steel collar" ) ..I could use some chucks for my die grinders ( 6mm ), I have some tools with hex shafts that I cannot use in them. If I were buying my first Dremel type tool now, I'd buy Dremel or Proxon.but for most of the "bits" and sanding rolls etc..Middle aisle of Lidl is good quality and way cheaper than Dremel bits.