Like a "dremel". I've been finding myself needing a tool that can cut small bolt heads off, or grind a slot into the bolt head for extraction. It's gotta be relatively small, and must be 120v corded.
oh, and preferably under $100. Also, the amazon reviews I've read on dremel brand have been hit and miss.
i bought a $10 "rotary" tool from HF. It couldn't cut bondo.
I;ve had a Wen branded one for 3 years now. It's been pretty good. Not as fine of speed control as a proper dremel, but for $20 on amazon, it's been surprisingly sturdu
Any rotary tools that actually work are a proper 1/4" die grinder. You can get them in electric but they aren't small.
I have both a battery powered and a corded Dremel. Both are awesome and have different purposes.
No, they don't work as fast as an angle grinder but they get into some tight places and rock at detail work.
In reply to Robbie :
Good to know. It's hard to say with amazon reviews. Are they telling the truth? Do they know their ass from a home in the ground? Did they even use it for the right purpose? This is why we come here.
EvanB said:Any rotary tools that actually work are a proper 1/4" die grinder. You can get them in electric but they aren't small.
This.
My problem with most dremel style cutting wheels is that they have the rigidity of a Nature Valley Granola bar.
I bought a high end unit for $60. Still works great. Multiple speeds, toolless chuck, etc. Like to say it was Craftsman brand.
The biggest issue I always had with what I will call 1/8" chuck tools is the bearings wiping out. The HF ones are junk from new.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
Say what?
In reply to _ :
He's right. I have broken them just from handling them. I expect any job using them to go through a few. Maybe a dozen.
In reply to Knurled. :
Oh sorry. By "say what" I was a nominating
_ said:In reply to DirtyBird222 :
Say what?
In the sake of keeping this a family site, I'll post this meme about Nature Valley Granola bars. You can google "nature valley memes" and get the high quality meme about crumbs being everywhere. Anyways, almost every cutting wheel i've ever used on a small rotary tool is extrememly brittle, like a Nature Valley Granola bar.
Black&Decker makes a Dremel alternative that has worked well for me. Its essentially a copy of a Dremel 3 or 4000.
The biggest failing of the dremels I've had was that they overheated if used quite a lot without a break.
If you can find an older one with a metal body then you might be in better shape, provided you don't touch the metal areas.
Here's some variants tested:
https://rotarytoolsguy.com/best-dremel-alternative/ (the Dewalt DW660 has 1/8 and 1/4" collets and many are used for DIY CNC solutions)
BTW, this one from HF:
https://harborfreight.com/corded-14-in-43-amp-long-shaft-die-grinder-60656.html
Worked really quite well for porting/port matching heads and cutting things.
If you're having trouble with dremel and the like, might I suggest moving to a small air powered die grinder?
Knurled. said:I bought a high end unit for $60. Still works great. Multiple speeds, toolless chuck, etc. Like to say it was Craftsman brand.
I think Craftsman rotary tools were rebadged Dremels.
I have a Black & Decker RTX and that one should go in the "Avoid" file. I ended up replacing the collet with one out of a real Dremel (a cordless one where the battery mount had been crushed) - turns out to have been a direct fit and much more reliable.
I use my Dremel enough that it as worth buying a name brand one. I recommend one with a scroll wheel for speed control, so you can cut plastic without melting it or metal.. Cheap (HF-quality) ones suck. My first Dremel lasted about 15 years, I think..
As far as the wheels, I'm using knock off fiber-reinforced cut off wheels. Most people who struggle are trying to cut with the brown non-reinforced ones. They're only good for light materials, not metal.
I think I got 100 for $20 at a flea market or Amazon years ago.
Stefan said:Black&Decker makes a Dremel alternative that has worked well for me. Its essentially a copy of a Dremel 3 or 4000.
The biggest failing of the dremels I've had was that they overheated if used quite a lot without a break.
If you can find an older one with a metal body then you might be in better shape, provided you don't touch the metal areas.
Here's some variants tested:
https://rotarytoolsguy.com/best-dremel-alternative/ (the Dewalt DW660 has 1/8 and 1/4" collets and many are used for DIY CNC solutions)
BTW, this one from HF:
https://harborfreight.com/corded-14-in-43-amp-long-shaft-die-grinder-60656.html
Worked really quite well for porting/port matching heads and cutting things.
If you're having trouble with dremel and the like, might I suggest moving to a small air powered die grinder?
Can't be air powered unfortunately. This is for work in a customers home. And the van has no room for a compressor
I have the Milwaukee 12V version of the Dremel. It replaced a decade+ old Dremel branded one. I went with the Milwaukee because I didn't want a corded one and I already have a bunch of the Milwaukee tools. I've been very happy with it so far, though I've only had to use it a handful of times. It works well with the drawer full of Dremel attachments that I've had for years.
This is the one I have. Maybe they make a corded version as well?
I have a ...wow...20 year old Dremel? It's 2 speed, corded. It was on a sale special with a bunch of bits for like $30. The bearings are shot from me exerting WAY to much perpendicular force on it. Low speed sounds like a banshee and high speed makes a noise that can barely be described. Gets hot as all heck when used for a while. But it still runs and cuts just fine. I don't use it a ton but there are some things that it is perfect for. The fluted side-cut drill bit in plastic is my current favorite
Yeah, the cutting disks are as resilient as sliced cheese, but they do get the job done. You just have to esplode a fair number. Wear eye protection when operating.
I have a Dremel that's probably close to 20 years old now, and I've switched to a only buying the reinforced cutoff wheels.
I do have my eye on one of the new Milwaukee 12V models, I had to run about 75' of extension cords to use my Dremel today.
I'd go with this 
+ this for the extra tight spaces 
I use an older Dremel for small work, but unless it's really light work you need to use the heavy duty cutting discs. Name brand Dremel discs are rather expensive. I eventually ordered directly from China for heavy duty discs (don't remember from where).
For anything that needs a bit more, and if it will fit, a HF electric (~$20) 3 inch cutting wheel tool, is SUPER useful and discs are very cheap.
In general though, I find the Dremel very useful. I have even used it for very small rust repairs.
The really small ones haven't been good for cutting bolt heads or grooves in metal. The last one couldn't shape bondo for cryin' out loud.
79rex said:I'd go with this
This is what I've eyeballing on amazon. Except I see there is a 3000 series. What's the difference?
edit: found it. https://www.tooltally.com/dremel-3000-vs-4000/
When it comes to grinding, I've found that Dremel's aren't great -- the bits are so small that you have to crank up the RPM. Then at 30000 rpm, they are spinning so fast that they overheat whatever you're working on, or the sanding/grinding bit.
When it comes to needing a cut-off tool in a tiny space, they're great. But even the best cutoff discs will only get 2/3 of the way through whatever you're working on before they disintegrate, usually the result of lateral forces on the cutoff wheel once you're deep into what you're cutting. Part of the Dremel experience is the pucker factor of wondering if you're going to use your last disc before you get through whatever you're cutting.
Dremel has saved my butt 100 times, but it's not replacement for a 4" cutoff wheel in a die grinder.
I use a hammer store version and it works well and has held up great.
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