I want a Dremel...need help...too many choices. (Purchase Complete)

Corded is the way forward, cordless are not up to anything other than very light work.
I recently bought a Ryobi with flexible drive, stand:- looks like a drip stand :bigsmile: but works well. Oh and the usual assortment of accessories.
The important thing for me was mains operated and the flexible drive, they get very tiring to hold and can be awkward to get into tight places because you block your view of what you are doing so a flexible drive with a smaller lighter hand grip is the way to go and with it the stand that can clamp onto a workbench or table is pretty much essential, a foot control switch would be nice but that’s a luxury unless you are planning to spend a lot of time working with the “Dremel”.

Start by looking at the Dremels then see what else is available. The Ryobi that I bought can use most of the add on attachments from the Dremel range but for £49.99 I got what would have cost £80-£90. I’ve used it for six months fairly hard and it shows no sign of wear so Dremel isn’t the only game in town.

I would stick with corded and the Dremel 4000 is a good rotary tool. 3000, 4000, 4200 any of the variable speed ones. Other than that, you can buy bunches of cheap ones, but they wear out very fast compared to a Dremel. I never found a cordless that had the power or longevity. Corded always worked best. There's a bunch of attachments for them, but one of the ones I like the best is the flex shaft. I learned the hard way to grease the flexible center shaft, by taking it out and using a very light grease or even 3 in 1 oil in a pinch. Just a light coat and then learning that it isn't as flexible as you think or it will bind and wear fast, but it's so much easier to hold the flex handle, than to hold the dremel itself.

Depends on your budget.

I suggest getting a real "Dremel" cordless, I have one and its been working for ages.

If you have big bucks and can live with a cord, get the real thing: Proxxon IB/E or IBS/E (its the same). That thing is so damn hot.

Last time I used a dremel for a big project it was for probably 2-3 hours total. So a corded one would be best imo.

I originally had a cordless, but the runtime was kind of ridiculously bad, and then the battery pack wouldn’t hold any charge, so I got a corded (200i, I think), and have been happy with it since.

I have a cordless Dremel for filing my dog's nails .

I use a sanding drum .

It uses up about half of it's battery just doing this one task .

I use a corded Dremel for everything else . I'm on my fourth one .

In forty years .

Hmmm. I guess cordless is out then.

Like others said, the cordless is good for small jobs. As a primary dremel tool, go with a cord. I have a Ryobi for almost 10 years and it is still going, but sounds kinda funny after the DIY build. I gets pretty hot after an hour or two of grinding. If anyone asks, I really wasn’t trying to kill it. Really. :smiley:
I’ve used the Li-Ion cordless Dremel with a 90 degree handle, and it is quite good for a cordless. Pricey though.

want an awesome rotary tool with tons of power and really long battery life, check out this Milwaukee:

I have this one and love it

I have used both dremel and the Proxxon IBS/E. The dremel is not even in the same class as the Proxxon. Almost no end play and no vibration. A well balanced tool. Very quite and more torque at slower speeds.
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I got turned on this brand by some guys at a miniature CNC milling machine forum. Dremels had to much run out to be accurate. The Proxxon uses a metal nose housing that holds two bearings on each end of the shaft. The dremel I had only had one bearing at the tip and used a plastic housing. The two bearings and the metal nose housing hold the shaft more securely in place with out hardly any run out or vibration. The vibration with cut-off disc is what kills them, sending them flying across the room. I have yet to explode a disc while cutting. The disc runs true in the cut so it never vibrates in the cut reducing jamming which explodes the disc.
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Also the speed controller on the Proxxon is very precise and can be used in low speeds without bogging down thanks to its full wave speed controller. The motor seems to try to hold the same speed no matter how hard you force the cut. I have had mine a little over a year now and love it. I also use it attached to the lathe tool post as a tool post grinder. Its seen some heavy use and still purrs like a kitten. If you can spend the extra bucks I would definetly look into the Proxxon IBS/E. It gets five stars from me.

I like the sound of it. I almost bought a Milwaukee DMM a while ago. Xtar Li Ion battery is nice too.

Hmmm. The Proxxon has caught my interest. How is it size wise to a dremel?

I have this one, very good RT and is compatible with dremel

http://www.harborfreight.com/variable-speed-rotary-tool-kit-68696.html

I got a ton of the M12 line. best cordless tools ive ever used. check out some review on their rotary tool.

I have both Milwaukee’s M12 clamp DMM’s, both are better then my fluke!

Some of the Proxxon 38 481 IB/E I checked just call it a rotary tool, and some state ” grinder motor only”?

This is the one I have and where I purchased it with free shipping. Comes with carrying case and a few bits and tools.
http://www.amazon.com/Proxxon-38481-Professional-Rotary-Tool/dp/B001FWXEO6
Read the 77 reviews there also to see what other owners say.
Its about the same size with very close to the same weight as the dremel 4000.

Hmmm. I had it in my cart and was ready to check out, and decided to read some of the reviews. Now I’m nervous.

The Proxxon 38481 caught my attention too… overall the reviews are good.

Hmmm, I need an air compressor too, which one first?

Does the Proxxon accept Dremel accessories? This feature is on many of the Dremel copycats. Based on the front end in the picture, it does not accept threaded Dremel accessories. May not be a deal-breaker, but it is a nice option to have.

Reading the reviews, and some of them mention that Dremel bits work just fine.