Looking for a multi purpose Dremel or die grinder that is electric, and Doesn’t suck. I have a cheap $10 one from there, and it couldn’t grind the cheese off a pizza.
My current need is tail light housing plastic, but having something that can make quick work of rust, bonds, etc. would be nice. Definitely needs to do discs for cutting. But also grinding or polishing.
This sad sack.
In reply to _ :
cant go wrong with a dremel from home depot, I've used it for metal, platic, etc works great
I currently own an HF version. The bits wobbled right out of the box. I’m afraid getting an actual Dremel is the only way to go. Better to buy once. You might need to buy 4 or 5 for HF’s for every one Dremel.
(I have use a Craftsman that was pretty awesome and lasted a long time but you’re looking at apples and apples)
The WEN we have linked here is surprisingly decent:
I got a Dremel probably 10 years ago, a nice corded one. Buy once, cry once.
My wife got me a Dremel for our first wedding anniversary in 1995 and it is still going strong.
I have a 12v hitachi and it’s excellent. I wouldn’t trust that many rpm to harbor freight
Just get a real Dremel.
I'm a big HF fan-boi. I use a corded Dremel bought from Walmart. I like the one with variable speed.
At the workshop, we've got the Hammer Store model pictured above, a Crafstman, and the "heavy duty" Hammer Store model. The $10 one is just crap, so don't bother. The Craftsman has been around for a few years, has a nice case with spots for lots of bits. It also came with a flex extension (which I broke, so there's there), a light, and some cutting attachments that I think are for drywall or something. Never used them. My brother bought the heavy duty Hammer Store one so I don't know what it came with, but it seems to work pretty well. I think the key is to buy the off-brand tool and the Dremel-brand bits.
Go for the Foredom style and have actual torque
I will reach for the quarter inch die grinder every time. It is a very rare, perhaps once a year occasion I specifically require a dremel.
Used to service Dremel under warranty.
To be perfectly honest, they all suck. Dremel just sucks the least out of the homeowner grade stuff.
The tool is really too small to do much of anything but light woodworking and model building.
Foredom makes proper rotary tools but you will pay for it.
Most times a proper 1/4" shank die grinder is the tool you're looking for.
i burned up a Dremel rather quickly attempting to do some port work. This was years ago before there were offshore imitations. I switched to an air powered die grinder. It's still in use 30 years later.
I just got to use the cordless Dremel I got for my birthday a while back for the first time yesterday. My conclusion? Buy the corded model!
The 3 inch "grinder cut off wheel" from harbor freight is E36 M3.
I've owned a regular Dremel before, now I have a Wen from Amazon. Ummm, I prefer the Wen, with Chinese reinforced cutting discs ($4 for 200 discs). Just don't run it on max speed, those discs are berkeleying scary when chunks fly pass your head close enough to feel the wind.
ShawnG said:The tool is really too small to do much of anything but light woodworking and model building.
Quoted for 100 percent truth.
I dunno, guys. I've chewed up pounds of 304 stainless with a 1/8" carbide bit in my corded variable speed Dremels. My absolutely favorite, must-have bit is a #9903. I have learned over the years to stop when the motor gets hot, and avoid covering up the air vents. Do that and they will last a long time.
Not that I've subjected it to serious hard us, but I really like the Milwaukee M12 rotary tool. Used it to clean up ports on my 2002 cylinder head, and more recently to help in cutting out some tricky areas of the rusty shock mounts in my Saab project. Didn't miss a beat. That it shares batteries with my other M12 stuff is very handy.
ChasH said:i burned up a Dremel rather quickly attempting to do some port work. This was years ago before there were offshore imitations. I switched to an air powered die grinder. It's still in use 30 years later.
Funny.... I burned up a slightly used Dremel porting a throttlebody. It was disappointing. A cable-driven foredom or similar would be the way to go for a tool that would carpet bomb most needs.
I was gifted a dental rotary tool a few years back and I can't even imagine using a regular Dremel now. I have seen them around, so they must not be too tough to get.
I've had an old craftsman 1/8 that did a lot of work before I switched to air grinders. Still have it somewhere, never use it anymore.
The Air grinder will not get hot.
You'll need to log in to post.
