'Dremel' question

[Zaheer]

It seems that many vendors on the easy-e-bay are offering cheapo dremel style hobby drills at very attractive prices, I am wondering if any LAF'ers have bought one of these and been burnt or had any chance to compare the quality of these and Dremels themselves. Presumabely there's a step-up in quality when you get a genuine Dremel, but for the odd bit of base grinding etc would the cheapos be fine?

What are your experiences?

Cheers, Chris.

[Henrix]

I have two cheaper old 'dremel' style drills.

The first one is pretty good, but not terribly cheap. It does have one very big drawback - the speed isn't variable. If I want to drill in plastic the plastic melts, for instance.
Good for when it is good, but at other things worthless.

The other was cheap. But had variable speed. It was no good, and it went to the recycling station when I found it abandoned in a cupboard last year.
The chuck was the worst. It held the drill bit well, but wobbled a little. I used it for some terrain work, but very little.

So be careful. No doubt there are good drills that are good and cheap, but some are not suited for the detailed work we want.
Get one with a brand, and check out some reviews - don't go for just low price.

And make sure it has variable speed.

[OSHIROmodels]

Get a Proxon if you can 

cheers

James

[grant]

I asked for "a Dremel" for Christmas a few years back, and ended up with THREE. A corded, a cordless, and BIG ONE. I use the cordless the most, the BIG ONE for stuff that I don't feel like hauling out the big drill. I have used them for lots of things, not just hobby, including: carving pumpkins, cutting a lock off my back gate when the key disappeared, grinding off metal to make stuff fit, etc.

You won't regret buying an actual Dremel.

[Mitch K]

I've owned three.

I've got a Black and Decker tailed version, which is about one step down from a metalworker's die grinder, i.e. a brute. I use it with a flexidrive and handpiece for heavy work. This tends to live out in the garage and only comes indoors under extreme circumstances.

I own a Lidl "Parkside" brand cordless lithium ion type. This works extremely well, and was as cheap as chips, including a big box of accessories. This is my go-to. Before anyone knocks Lidl kit too hard, remember its got a three year warranty.

I used to own a Minicraft tailed micro-sized one. This was a super thing and I regret selling it.

Both have speed controls, but the cordless with its lower maximum speed is a better tool in my opinion for drilling and burring on models. My experience has been that the friction generate at corded tool speeds tends to melt or sinter the substrate, which then clogs the cutting tools, requiring laborious cleaning out of the teeth!

[Svennn]

I have a couple of cheapies.  One was from Homebase (UK DIY chain) and the other from a local cash and carry.  Both came with about 100 attachments and were less than £20. The one has a snakey extension so I do not have to hold the whole unit to use it.  I have bought a few proper Dremel bits, cutting discs and sanders, but both are still working fine after about 15 years.

[Captain Blood]

You won't regret buying an actual Dremel.

+1

I love my Dremel.
Best present my wife ever bought me (although the paint spraygun and compressor was pretty good too)
 

[zizi666]

Get a Proxon if you can 

cheers

James

Really ? I have one and I find it lacks power as opposed to my fathers Dremel.

[jthomlin]

I've never used anything other than Dremel, so I can't comment on the relative quality except to say that the reason I went Dremel was all the negative comments I heard about other brands.

I can however highly recommend this little beauty:

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=1100

It has the standard Dremel chuck setup so it can use all the same bits and to me at least is far more comfortable in the hand than a flexible shaft. Yes, it doesn't have the grunt of a full sized Dremel, but you don't need that for the sort of modelling we do.

Cheers!
Joe Thomlinson

[FramFramson]

I got a cheap dremel which had been opened but not used from an old woodworker. I didn't realize it was so cheap because it was the fixed-speed version, but I bought a foot pedal that worked just fine for turning it into a variable speed dremel.

[grant]

I can however highly recommend this little beauty:

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=1100

It has the standard Dremel chuck setup so it can use all the same bits and to me at least is far more comfortable in the hand than a flexible shaft. Yes, it doesn't have the grunt of a full sized Dremel, but you don't need that for the sort of modelling we do.

Cheers!
Joe Thomlinson

Oh how I wish mine would die so I could something that sexy! Oh wait, it's just a Dremel... 

I did add an infinitely variable chuck to mine as I got tired of changing the receivers out. Worth every penny that was.

I also found a pistol grip designed for a different model but still Dremel on a mega-clearout and made it work. Very handy for close work!

[dampfpanzerwagon]

HOMEBASE have Dremels on Special Offer  - I think its the 3000, for £30.00.

Tony

[OSHIROmodels]

Really ? I have one and I find it lacks power as opposed to my fathers Dremel.

I prefer the lower power for the types of jobs I use it for 

cheers

James

[Glitzer]

I bought a copy by a German discounter (well it was an obvious copy, et even used the old Dremel moulds for the body).

I disintegrated the carbon sliding contacts someday and replaced them with originals by Dremel...
Asides from that glitch the thing works fine for me (it's propably a licensed copy of an original Dremel anyways).

[FramFramson]

The one thing that drives me bananas is that I've never found a blade that will cleanly cut white metal. The stuff is just too soft and melts too easy for power tools, so any cutting disc I use just gums right up instantly.