Monday, 18 July 2011

Corded Rotary Tool - hobby tool, multitool


This tool works as expected, flawlessly. I picked up two high speed cutters for use on a custom air filter backplate. Speed variability seems like it would fit anyone's needs. The cord on it was around 3-4' long. The bits with it are nice, but if you are looking for something in particular you can probably find a more suitable one. Only complaint is that it doesn't always seem to turn on at the lowest setting. This isn't really a problem since you can turn it on higher and slow it down. I am not sure if I got one with a finicky switch or not. Regardless I would buy again.



Got it from a local dealer because I didn't want to wait for shipment, however amazon was cheaper. Dremel 300-1/24 300 Series Variable-Speed Rotary Tool Kit

I have bought 3 Dremel tools over the years, and none has stood up to moderate use. Usually the speed control goes: either the tool will only run at top speed, or, in the current 300-series models, it quits altogether. Also, the ball bearings Dremel boasts about are not sealed, so they fail due to the dust from whatever you're cutting or grinding getting into them.



No other power tool is so fragile or short-lived: you can get a decent 3/8" electric drill or an angle grinder for about the same amount of money, and they'll last forever. If drills failed so easily, the customers would riot and nobody would buy the company's product. To be fair, I've had the same experience with a Ryobi rotary tool I bought about ten years ago. But it was cheap -- only about $20 -- so I didn't feel quite so shafted when it stopped working.



With the Dremel, you pay a high price for a shoddy product. If you could replace the parts that go bad, that might be bearable. It used to be that you could buy replacement parts. Of course, you couldn't just replace the ball bearings with decent sealed ones -- because you couldn't get them off the armature. You had to buy a whole new armature.



But now, you don't even have that option. Dremel has stopped making replacement parts available!



So now, when the machine packs up, that's it: your expensive Dremel is now a piece of useless disposable junk. Your investment is down the toilet. Dremel talks a big game about quality, etc., but they treat their customers with utter contempt.



As for me, I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and shell out hundreds for a Foredom or something equivalent. They're even more expensive, and they're not as easy to use for my purposes, but they have a reputation for holding up. We'll see.

I have an old Dremel 395, and I recently purchase a 4000 and most recently this 300 series kit. These are all being put to use in an electronics station I've built for different purposes. By far, my old 395 is a far, far better built and more precise tool. You can even tell by the weight of the old 395 that it is a tougher tool. The 4000 is a decent tool, but the feel of it is just light, and cheap, but at least the shaft seems to be centered and true. This 300 I just bought has a very noticeable wobble and bind to the shaft, and I called Dremel about this issue. I was surprised by their attitude and the response of "Dremels are not precision tools". Basically, the conversation ended with "if you don't like it, return it to the store" and was left with a feeling they have tossed quality out the window to save money on production, and it doesn't concern them. I was going to use the 300 in the Dremel workstation's drill press I bought for use with very small drill bit work on circuit cards, but the wobble is so bad I know it will snap the bits. Instead, the 4000 I bought will be used on the drill press, and I have decided to use this 300 instead with the flex shaft I bought since it doesn't seem to impede it's operation any, so that will be it's job from now on. Very, very disappointed with you Dremel. You were always better than this. Also... I would like to note that many of their grinding bits are poorly centered now and off balance. If Dremel doesn't get their act together, they'll gain a reputation of poor quality, and that's hard to shake. I'll be looking elsewhere on the internet for old 395's from now.

Sorry to offer negative remarks, but I was so excited to find this Dremel at a good price for my husband's birthday and disappointed at it's performance. When he first started it up, it vibrated and was so noisy he was ready to ship it back. He's had Dremel's before and always satisfied, just about wore his old one out. So don't know what the problem was, maybe just a lemon because the Dremel product has always been good. Just not this one.

I bought this dremel for a very specific work related purpose. It is basically required for performing repairs on my laboratory equipment. Anyway, it works well, and even though it gets wet and covered with aluminum oxide, it has stayed working and in good condition. If you need this tool, you know why you need this tool and nothing I say will really change it. If you don't know what it is, chances are you don't need it. Basically, it is a low torque turning motor, used for polishing, shaving, and sanding small items, like fine details on something or assembly of small models. It comes with a nice set of tools, most of which I won't ever use. However, it is a decent tool and I got it at a decent price compared to the retail stores. - Multitool - Corded Rotary Tools - Rotary Tool - Hobby Tool'


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