Want to buy a dremel, any suggestions?
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Want to buy a dremel, any suggestions?
I would prefer for it to be cheap because I won't be using it too much. Maybe $50. or so, thanks.
dremel
I've bought tools from this place before. Good shipping/service
http://www.toolup.com/productinfo.asp?p ... 34468A4CC}
http://www.toolup.com/productinfo.asp?p ... 34468A4CC}
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This has a more powerful motor than the Dremel, and is cheaper. They also carry a couple of very cheap accessory assortments for this model.
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Hello,
I like this one from Black & Decker:
http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGu ... uctID=7767
It is ~$35 and does come with a decent kit, including some strong spring clamps. And, it is fairly quiet as these things go...
I like this one from Black & Decker:
http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGu ... uctID=7767
It is ~$35 and does come with a decent kit, including some strong spring clamps. And, it is fairly quiet as these things go...
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Neil, when I look for a price on this model, the cheapest I can find anywhere is $50 with almost no accessories at all. There's no price on the URL you provided, and when I decided to "buy online" (to determine the price without actually buying) I could not access that page. B&D doesn't want you to know the price - always a bad thing for a budget-minded would-be customer.NeilBlanchard wrote:It is ~$35 and does come with a decent kit, including some strong spring clamps.
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Believe it or not, Amazon is a good place to find this sort of stuff cheap. Here's that Black and Decker for $29.99.Felger Carbon wrote:Neil, when I look for a price on this model, the cheapest I can find anywhere is $50 with almost no accessories at all. There's no price on the URL you provided, and when I decided to "buy online" (to determine the price without actually buying) I could not access that page. B&D doesn't want you to know the price - always a bad thing for a budget-minded would-be customer.NeilBlanchard wrote:It is ~$35 and does come with a decent kit, including some strong spring clamps.
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I have this one http://www.oneplustools.com/rotary/p530
cordless and you can use dremel or rotozip bits. very powerful
cordless and you can use dremel or rotozip bits. very powerful
Here it the page. There's no flash in either of the pages, from what I can tell. Could you have disabled some aspect of Javascript too?
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First thanks! Second, there's still no price listed!! Third, yes, I have some aspects of Javascript disabled for security reasons.floffe wrote:Here it the page. There's no flash in either of the pages, from what I can tell. Could you have disabled some aspect of Javascript too?
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Thanks, I appreciate it! I now have one on order ($34.98 including shipping). My Harbor Freight is powerful, very useful, but alas not small. This RTX looks as though it will fit inside the case, simplifying removal of internal 3.5" HDD racks to make room for suspension. I may have to mod the way the power cord comes out the back to make it as short as possible. In which event, I'll be using one dremel-alike to mod another dremel-alike. Do I get an award for that?floffe wrote:OK, Felger, I'll link you all the way to the three sites that page links to: Home Depot, Amazon and Target.
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No matter which dremel tool you prefer, you might want to check this $25 249-piece accessory kit instead of the ones from Dremel or Black&Decker. HF also has a 150-piece kit for $20 and a 105-piece kit for $8. I prefer the HF kits not only for their value, but also because the stuff in the kits works best on steel PC cases, while the Dremel and B&D kits seem oriented toward shaping and polishing softer materials, which is not my interest. Just FYI.
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Schweet, thanks for the tip. A kit like that will live long enough to eventually end up at my grand childrenFelger Carbon wrote:No matter which dremel tool you prefer, you might want to check this $25 249-piece accessory kit instead of the ones from Dremel or Black&Decker. HF also has a 150-piece kit for $20 and a 105-piece kit for $8. I prefer the HF kits not only for their value, but also because the stuff in the kits works best on steel PC cases, while the Dremel and B&D kits seem oriented toward shaping and polishing softer materials, which is not my interest. Just FYI.
Sorry Felger, but I have to do this...
NEVER buy any power tools from Harbor Freight. Their stuff is the cheapest of the cheap. I had that exact dremel and it lasted exactly 1 use before burning up. I was using to trim some aluminum 5.25" bay covers to stealth my optical drives on my old case. I've had sanders that break after about 1-2 months of light use. Lastly I've bought a reciprocating saw and hammer drill that the case split open on one and the chuck actually fell off the other.
My brother has bought a few items from there and had a little better luck, and he's pretty rough on his stuff. But overall, buying hand tools from Harbor Freight is fine, never power tools (kind of like how Craftsman used to be).
I also agree with Neil on the Black and Decker rotary tools. They are much cheaper than Dremels and very high quality and can use all the same attachments. I have a variable speed model that cost $35 a few years ago, and have never had a problem with it. I've used it to shave off some extra length off some of my Scythe fans...
NEVER buy any power tools from Harbor Freight. Their stuff is the cheapest of the cheap. I had that exact dremel and it lasted exactly 1 use before burning up. I was using to trim some aluminum 5.25" bay covers to stealth my optical drives on my old case. I've had sanders that break after about 1-2 months of light use. Lastly I've bought a reciprocating saw and hammer drill that the case split open on one and the chuck actually fell off the other.
My brother has bought a few items from there and had a little better luck, and he's pretty rough on his stuff. But overall, buying hand tools from Harbor Freight is fine, never power tools (kind of like how Craftsman used to be).
I also agree with Neil on the Black and Decker rotary tools. They are much cheaper than Dremels and very high quality and can use all the same attachments. I have a variable speed model that cost $35 a few years ago, and have never had a problem with it. I've used it to shave off some extra length off some of my Scythe fans...
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I accept that your unit failed after 1 use. But I bought the same unit, have used it heavily (modded a lot of cases) for over a year, and it hasn't even hiccuped. Some disks fail early (infant mortality), most don't. Disks are also rotating machinery. You ran into a case of infant mortality, which is bad luck for you but luck happens.jhhoffma wrote:Sorry Felger, but I have to do this...
NEVER buy any power tools from Harbor Freight. Their stuff is the cheapest of the cheap. I had that exact dremel and it lasted exactly 1 use before burning up.
ryobi makes pretty good power tools for the home user. I have some ryobi tools I use at home and for work I use ridgid.jhhoffma wrote:Sorry Felger, but I have to do this...
NEVER buy any power tools from Harbor Freight. Their stuff is the cheapest of the cheap. I had that exact dremel and it lasted exactly 1 use before burning up. I was using to trim some aluminum 5.25" bay covers to stealth my optical drives on my old case. I've had sanders that break after about 1-2 months of light use. Lastly I've bought a reciprocating saw and hammer drill that the case split open on one and the chuck actually fell off the other.
My brother has bought a few items from there and had a little better luck, and he's pretty rough on his stuff. But overall, buying hand tools from Harbor Freight is fine, never power tools (kind of like how Craftsman used to be).
I also agree with Neil on the Black and Decker rotary tools. They are much cheaper than Dremels and very high quality and can use all the same attachments. I have a variable speed model that cost $35 a few years ago, and have never had a problem with it. I've used it to shave off some extra length off some of my Scythe fans...
I should have clarified my statement, all those tools I bought that failed on me were Harbor Freight (Chicago Tool?) branded stuff. If it were just the rotary tool, I would chalk it up to a bad sample (hell, I had a Sony DVD player conk out on my 2 weeks after warranty) so I'll forgive a brand for one failure (especially if it's cheap), maybe two. But I've learned my lesson for power tools, buy the brands that work.Felger Carbon wrote:I accept that your unit failed after 1 use. But I bought the same unit, have used it heavily (modded a lot of cases) for over a year, and it hasn't even hiccuped. Some disks fail early (infant mortality), most don't. Disks are also rotating machinery. You ran into a case of infant mortality, which is bad luck for you but luck happens.jhhoffma wrote:Sorry Felger, but I have to do this...
NEVER buy any power tools from Harbor Freight. Their stuff is the cheapest of the cheap. I had that exact dremel and it lasted exactly 1 use before burning up.
Over the years, I've been told to buy several different brands of power tools, (first it was Dewalt, then Makita, then Rigid, etc) and within a couple years people will sour and say they're crap and recommend a new brand. To be honest, of all my tools, my Black and Deckers hold up the longest. Maybe, I just take good care of them (though I think I'm pretty rough with them) because I know most people would say they're cheap crap.
For me though, I'll go to Harbor Frieght for cheap hand tools (hell, I just bought an In-Lb torque wrench the other week that I'll maybe use twice) that I don't need to last a long time. However, now that have free lifetime replacement on all hand-tools just like Craftsman, so even if they do break there's some recourse. However, I won't buy anything with a motor in it from them. I guess I'll end with a big YMMV!!
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Great, do I want my money to go to China (B&D) or Mexico (Dremel).Felger Carbon wrote:This has a more powerful motor than the Dremel, and is cheaper. They also carry a couple of very cheap accessory assortments for this model.
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I got the B&D RTX, and used it for the first time today. It came with 20 cutting wheels, which are very much thicker than the ones from Harbor Freight that I've been using. B&Ds are 1.11mm thick, nearly twice the .66mm of the HFs. More iron dust, more heat, slower cutting. As soon as the cutting wheel broke, I substituted my normal HF cutting wheel (disk?), and it was much better.
It is shorter than the HF model, but (alas) not short enough for the specific use I had in mind. So I cut at an angle, just like before.
I reported earlier that I've been using the HF rotary tool hard for over a year with not so much as a hiccup. That's changed! A couple of days ago, I got several rotary "hiccups", almost exactly like a human hiccup. I swear, it's the first time that's happened! As I said, I've used that tool hard for over a year. If it goes, I got my money's worth.
I suggest, for B&D fans, that you find thinner cutting wheels. Really!
It is shorter than the HF model, but (alas) not short enough for the specific use I had in mind. So I cut at an angle, just like before.
I reported earlier that I've been using the HF rotary tool hard for over a year with not so much as a hiccup. That's changed! A couple of days ago, I got several rotary "hiccups", almost exactly like a human hiccup. I swear, it's the first time that's happened! As I said, I've used that tool hard for over a year. If it goes, I got my money's worth.
I suggest, for B&D fans, that you find thinner cutting wheels. Really!
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I saw this one at Home Depot. It's about $50, also made in China, and the battery pack and charger are separate.res0r9lm wrote:I have this one http://www.oneplustools.com/rotary/p530
cordless and you can use dremel or rotozip bits. very powerful
If I'm going with a Chinese one I may as well get B&D, I don't need it to be cordless. Hell even my phone still has a cord.
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