Was thinking about buying a Dremel or similar.
I’ve never had a Dremel so have no idea which model and tools or if there are any alternatives.
Are they even any good?
I could do the work with a saw and sandpaper but i think at my age i ought to own one of these gadgets.
Its going to be used in the first instance for increasing the clearance to avoid wheel bite on a longboard that i’ve put larger wheels on. (i’m going to put a thicker riser on it but i think some woodwork will be inevitable.)
What do you recommend?
i use a basic genuine dremel(after having the displeasure of using a copy in an old job) with bits from aldi – aldi/lidl multitool pack is about 5 quid for hunners o bits where as the dremel stuff is REALLY expensive – even on the interweb.
I’ve had loads of corded ones and they all broke eventually. I’ve replaced with a li-on version and it’s fantastic. It’s over a year old and get used all the time as it’s more manageable without the bloody cable getting in the way. It also means you can use it in the car or wile away from the house/ shed etc
Also, the li-on version have just as much grunt as the corded version but they are bit more ££££
I love my dremel. I honestly don’t know how anyone owns a house without one; I use mine all the time for loads of little cutting, sanding, filing, grinding, polishing jobs. Blummin’ brilliant. Mine is a cordless one; I think a corded one would lose a lot of the benefit.
I have a corded one – cordless would be more convenient, but the lack of charging before a job is a bonus. Tools – especially attachments are eye-wateringly expensive. Use mine all the time it’s proven it’s worth many times. Not had any reliability issues either and mine is 8 years old.
They sound like one of those gadgets that you buy for a specific job and then realise that you can use them for almost anything, although i’m drawing a blank at what else i’ll use it for at the moment.
I’ll check them out anyway, cheers People.
yes good handy kit – buy a corded one as battery is pretty crap and like others have said lacks torque pretty quick. I managed to cut off some cranks on an old bike that had seized to the BB, I culd have spent hours with a drill and hacksaw but this made it much easier.
I’ve got a similar tool to a Dremmel, well, it’s one my dad bought, but never used, and I use it quite a lot, particularly when I made my little bushcraft knife. I’ve got one of the Lidl/Aldi tool sets, and it’s been invaluable.
One accessory that Dremmel do, that would be really handy, is a stand that turns it into a small pillar drill, which can also turn the tool ninety degrees. Costs about £45, on Amazon, IIRC.
Finally given in and decided I need one of these mini rotary tools for some work on the landrover (I know it’s not a hammer, but this job requires something a little more refined)
I can also go past B&Q where they have the Dremel range, starting at £33 for the basic 200, £40 for the 3000 and a Ryobi for £50. Lidl is next door and they might have some accessory packs in stock, but it will be hit or miss.
I dont need the flexibility of a battery one, corded is fine as it will live in the workshop.
I bought one of these when B & Q were knocking them out for 29 quid. Costco were doing nice cases full of attachments/consumables for about a tenner. The 3000’s quite a capable little machine for the money. The cheapest I can find these online is £39.00
love dremels.. theyre so versatile.. use mine all the time!
I’ve had pretty much all of the dremel models and a few others.. they all break eventually…!
use a Draper i got from Wilko’s for £20 now.. its probably the best one ive had in terms of reliabilty.. but it does lack the lower speeds of the other makes.. and best of all its cheap.. 🙂
I always use genuine dremel attachments / bits etc though.. the cheap ones dont work half as well…
Bargain accessory kits tend to be made out of cheese and not very strong cheese at that – I would avoid them. Dremel’s own accessories are much better quality making jobs shorter with a lessened likelihood of having broken bits of blade spinning off towards your eyes.
After having 5 non dremels I’d only buy a propper Dremel now.
If cheap go for the mains powered or IMHO the li-0n 10v is the best of the bunch. Lots of torque and long battery life ( but £80)
I use mine pretty much every day and the battery power gives much more flexibility.
I’m sure others will be along shorty to say the exact opposite 🙂
Bought a “cheap” (£100, cheap my arse!) inspection camera borescope to have a nose around inside my bellhousing before working out if I really need to open it up. Didnt work out of the box, now have to do a special trip to get one that works. Its not the cheapness but the lack of quality control – simple things like testing a sodding thing works would be a good start!
Got a basic dremel with the snake attachment (really useful). agree that cheap tools don’t tend to last as well, the cutting wheels frinstance even if they don’t break wear far faster but they’re more brittle too. But sometimes you only need them to last a little while so it can still work out ok.
For serious grinding etc they’re not up to scratch but every time something happens like a damaged bolt needs a slot cut in it for a screwdriver, I’m glad to have it, it’s a massive stress reliever. (and not just better than a hacksaw for the cutting- the extra heat from the grind is useful too)
Well I completely ignored all of your advice chaps.
Sorry.
But Lidl were doing a special on a cordless 9.6v unit with variable speed and a big box of goodies for £30.
I looked in B&Q first but couldnt bring myself to stump up £60 on the basic corded dremel and the tools were another £30+
I tried it out on the landrover GRP doors and it works well. The more I think of it, the more I wonder how I survived without one.
Yes torque is an issue, but then it seems if you use the right tool it matters not, The sandpaper rolls work particularly well without stalling the motor.
I bought one last year and wish I had done so years ago! Mine is a kit that cost about £180 and came with a remote cable type drive (like a dentist’s drill) and various bits and bobs – spare chuck and loads of fittings/tools. It’s variable speed too.
Last used mine to shape a wee bit of filler. Before that, was removing paint from a frame. Before that was cutting a slot in the head of a damaged bolt. Before that I think was doing a quick tidy on a bit I’d done a wee bit of a rough job of in the lathe. Very versatile wee things.
I use mine for small awkward jobs when I’m working with antler, small detailing on slate, engraving glass, it has a reciprocating head attachment for carving which I use when im feeling too lazy to use real chisels/knives, Polishing small bits of metal and bees waxing small bits of wood and antler. Its permanently set up in my garage with the snake attachment and gets used more than I ever realised it would….
I use a Black & Decker Wizard (RT550)…probably getting on for 20 years old. Just googled it and they are still for sale, design hasn’t changed at all. Corded with adjustable speed and high torque….works very well.
Use mine loads…last few jobs have been cutting slots in seized rotor bolts, cleaning up a internal hub and this evening I was yp a ladder cutting a nail off on a soffit board as the head of the nail was hidden.
Posted 10 years ago
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