Seeking Dremel Recommendations
Posted May 10th, 2008 @ 09:55am by Erik J. Barzeski
I'm on the lookout for a Dremel type tool. Does anyone have them? Are they worth it?
There have been several times over the past several years when I've wanted one: as a handy screwdriver that can fit into smaller places than my regular cordless drill, to get those little sanding and cutting things to smoothly cut through baseboards or nails or whatever, and things like that.
So again, are they worth it? I'm sure there are several "Dremel-like" tools out there, and I'm not stuck on the "Dremel" name (if it even exists anymore?), so should I look into one brand over another? What's recommended (again, if they're even worth it)?
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Posted 12 May 2008 at 11:27am #
Dremel is still around and I recommend them. You can get a pretty decent kit for ~$60 that comes with a ton of cruft. I got the one that was most popular+highly rated on Amazon.
It's great for hobbyists and I don't see how a hobbyist can get along without one. I don't use it that much anymore, being wife'd and home'd. But it does come in handy for those situations where i REALLY need it.
Posted 12 May 2008 at 1:00pm #
I have one, though if you have more full size tools, I find it to be a Jack of All Trades (and a master of none). It can be billed as a tool of a thousand uses--you just have to figure out what those are before you buy it.
It would not work well as a screw driver (the speed is way too high).
The standard cutting wheels that I have are horrible on wood (the speed just scorches the wood), hough they do work well on nails in places that you cannot reach with a hacksaw.
Posted 12 May 2008 at 1:58pm #
It's pretty decent at cutting, sanding, and buffing. Pretty handy little tool to have around.
Posted 12 May 2008 at 5:12pm #
I have a Dremel brand rotary tool and it's been pretty handy (specifically, I have the Dremel 400 XPR that came with 5 attachments and 80 accessories). It's been very handy, prior to owning one I didn't realize how many little jobs I'd use it on.
One Dremel tool I highly recommend is the planar (and I believe it an XPR only tool). It makes quick work of doors that swell in the summer humidity.
Posted 14 May 2008 at 4:45pm #
[...] Carey glued the countertop end pieces on. On Monday, we bought and installed the shelves, and I sanded off the overhanging pieces of the end [...]
Posted 19 May 2008 at 1:35pm #
Erik:
Dunno if you've made your purchase, but if you need a general purpose rotary tool, check out the Dremel Stylus. It's a battery-powered unit with a pistol grip, and it's really awesome. If you need huge torque for cutting through lots of steel or something, then go with a corded model, but if you're looking for a general-purpose, around-the-house kinda tool, the Stylus is awesome.
Posted 19 May 2008 at 1:59pm #
I really like the Dremel XPR series. They have a number of special attachments designed specifically for the XPR.
Also, if you are going to be using it a lot I would stay away from the cordless variety. They don't have enough torque for my taste.
Posted 20 May 2008 at 8:24am #
Attachments is a good point - the Stylus can't use the various attachments that Dremel makes, which can be a serious downside to it if you plan to use them. For me, most of the attachments amount to "lite" versions of other tools I have: I sharpen the mower blades with a tabletop grindstone, have a real drill press and router table, etc.
Personally, I have both a Stylus and a corded XPR (and if you can afford to get two, it's a great combo), but I use the Stylus 90% of the time or more. There are some jobs it's just not good for or can't do at all and for those, I pull out the corded Dremel but honestly, most of the time it's collecting dust.
If I had to choose just one, it would be a tough call - for the 90+% of I do that the Stylus handles, I like it so much better. It feels great in the hand, has plenty of torque and power for most jobs, and gives a very high level of control for detail work. But if you have to do a lot of stuff it that requires a lot of torque or extended operation, then a little battery-operated consumer tool is clearly not a good choice for you.
Again, I think the ideal situation is a Stylus and a corded Dremel. The Stylus is always there charged and waiting to be picked up and used with no hassle, but the tradeoff is power and not being able to use attachments like the mini drill press, mower blade sharpener, etc. F
Posted 10 May 2010 at 1:46pm #
im actually looking for some info myself on dremel tools and this has been a great help. They stylus looks like it would indeed give you some extra torque with the handel but is there any other reason its better compared to a normal cordless?