I bought the Proxxon instead of the Dremel. The Proxxon is very quiet compared to the Dremel which is screaming loud at high RPM. The Proxxon appears to be extremely rigidly built unlike the Dremel. It weights about a pound and has about the dimensions of the 300 Series Dremel. You can change the speed from 5k to 20k RPM and the motor is wave controlled to maintain its speed under load - unlike the Dremel which slows down under load. It comes with a set of drills and milling bits as well as cutting wheels. I also bought the drill stand MB 140/S and vice MS 4. The bits appear to be well priced. Notice that Amazon sells many of the bits in kits (as noted in the product descriptions) while most other places sell just a single package of the bits. Dremel bits should fit as well but I did not try this. I am intending to use it for regular repair jobs around the house. The only bad thing I noticed is that the case does not keep things in place when you carry it and you better put the bits in a little baggy instead of the included bit holder. I bought the Proxxon because this unit is regularly used for industrial applications over many hundred of hours while many people reported that they fried several Dremel units at simple jobs like cutting into dry wall.
A small rotary tools is extremely versatile and you can do a lot of things with it like drilling, grinding, sanding, polishing, milling, cutting (sawing), engraving, or routing in many materials like ferrous metals, precious metals, stone, glass, plastic, or wood. There is a bit for every material and job. Most bit kits are useless as they include a lot of cheap tools such as sanding disks. Buy the right bit for the right application. You do not need many different bits. Cheap bits wear out immidiately and are a waste of money. You do not have to buy Proxxon bits - you can use any bits with fits the collier sizes and works with the rotation speed but Proxxon bits are reasonably priced and are of very high precision and quality. Proxxon 38481 IB/E Professional Rotary Tool
I purchased the Proxxon professional model to replace a Dremel that I had burned up trying to make small cuts in some engineered wood flooring, which is tough stuff. The Proxxon handled it quite well. Lots of power, didn't overheat and kept going through the job, which took several minutes for each cut. It is well-balanced, tool change is easy and it takes all of the Dremel tools as well as the Proxxon tools. The Proxxon tools are good tools, but the selection is limited compared to all of the different tools that Dremel offers. Accessories are also a little harder to find, but on-line searching will locate what you need.
I am using this power tool as the spindle of my computer controlled router. The runout and vibration are so low I am able to mill my own circuit boards. My old Dremel is not of the same quality and I can not recommend Dremel over this tool ... if you are in the market for a multi-tool this is the one to buy.
I have owned a couple of dremel rotary tools, a craftsman, and a black & decker, and this is by far the most powerful and smoothest operating rotary tool of any that I have owned to date. The upper rpm range is much higher than any of my previous tools and would actually cause vibration in the Proxxon due to the shaft of the mandrel flexing because it was sticking too far out from the collet(moving the attachment closer to the tool usually solves this problem). Also, make sure the attachment you are using is well balanced. Definitely worth the few extra bucks over the competition.
The positive reviews here are accurate. This tool is quiet and vibration-free through its entire speed range. It is light and comfortable to hold, and the selected speed stays constant when the tool is under load. The power cord's length is generous, but not so much so that it is cumbersome. The collets are finely crafted, and do not need excessive tightening to hold bits firmly. In fact, for work that hasn't required a lot of torque, finger tightening the collets has worked just fine. The included collet wrench is comfortable to use, and has a slit in it through which one can pass the shank of a bit with a large head. While doing my purchase research, I fretted about the problems others have had with the keyless chuck that it turns out is not made for this model. Not having the infinitely variable jaws of a chuck has not been an issue for me. The collets supplied cover six of the most common shank sizes and have met all my needs.
The case is reasonably sized and is roomy inside without being cavernous. The blocks that hold the collets and accessories snap firmly into their receptacles. When the tool arrived, these blocks were loose inside the case. I had to press them in quite firmly to make them snap into place which suggests to me that either those who have had problems have not pressed firmly enough or I got lucky and received a case and blocks with tight tolerances.
I measured for run out using the pre-installed 3/32" collet and one of the included bits. At the place where the shank entered the collet the reading was 0.000. That goes a long way toward explaining the absence of noise and vibration.
This has been a fine purchase, and has been well worth the slightly higher purchase price versus the Dremel 4000, which I also considered. I am happy.
My wife and I bought this to help with our wood carvings. We do chainsaw carving and we have used a dremmil, but this gave us better performance and creativity in details on our carvings, but it did get hot quickly and burned out. I mean caught on fire burnt out. Wondering if its worth it to buy another one. We liked the abiilities it has, but did not seem to last that long.
I researched rotary tools and even talked to a dealer before I purchased this tool. I have looked at Dremels in the store plus other rotary tools. In your hand, this one feels totally different. It is much more solid and has better balance than other rotary tools. Yes, it has variable speeds and I have found that even on slower speeds that it does a fantastic job that could only be accomplished with a higher speed on others.
It comes with a fantastic array of bits in a durable plastic case. The case will hold the bits if you make sure the extra trays are snapped down properly. It is a tight fit on the extra trays, but to keep them secure that is probably the only way. Even the way the collets tighten show the quality of this tool. We are continuing to find new uses for this product and hope others will try and appreciate this great tool!! - Hobby Tool - Woodworking - Rotary Tools - Dremel'
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