Dremel?

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iTzOminousTic

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Didn't really know where to ask this...
Anyways, What's a good, strong, reliable dremel around $25-$40?

I checked the dremel's HarborFrieght has and they had some pretty bad reviews. So I'm gonna say a dremel that homedepot would have.
 
Not sure how the prices are, but around here you'd be lucky to get a Dremel at all for that kind of money. But they probably converted by exchanging the currency symbol again, those greedy... people :)

Make sure that you don't get the very cheapest model. They try to sell their 100 series with a feature called "one speed convenience" - but you'll want more than that, because sanding away at plastic on full speed is going to result in failure. I'd say the 300 series or above are ok.
 
I can vouch for the stylus. It's a fantastic tool. I use it nearly every day. When using power tools, you get what you pay for. Unless you plan on using it a handful of times every year, and precision results are not necessary, get a quality model.
 
Can't vouch for the stylus myself, but I have the Dremel 7700 7.2V Cordless MultiPro and it is incredible. Granted, its a somewhat short battery and only has the two speeds(high(20k RPM) and low(10k RPM)), but still a great versatile tool, with the right bits. Plus its only about 30 USD two miles down the road from me. Other than that, I have a mid-nineties corded Dremel that starts at one thousand RPM and can be tuned up to 60k for the really tough things, but I dunno where to get another like it. Its been going for nearly seventeen years(its just over a year older than myself, and I was born 06/30/96), and still works like a charm. Guess they don't make things the way they used to, if their new stuff burns out a year or two into its use...
 
I have the Cordless Dremel brand 7.2V it comes with 15 accessories and a knife sharpening attachment. I use it pretty much everyday but I still need to buy other accessories since some of the tools dont work well with wood. I bought mine at my local lowes and it cost about $40-60 i forgot the exact but its around that. :p
 
I absolutely DO NOT recommend either cordless dremel tools. They have terrible, and I really mean TERRIBLE battery life. I owned both the 7.2 and 4.8 cordless and they both weren't good enough to get the job done. The 4.8 had a battery life of about 35 minutes after a 3 or 4 hour charging time, so it was a waste of time to me. I returned it, got my money back and upgraded to the 7.2, but it wasn't really any better, and they both only had two speeds only.

I still have the 7.2 sitting here, but about two weeks ago I went out and bought the 200 series corded dremel, and that thing was great. It only had three speeds but I wasn't worried about it. Unfortunately I had to return it, because the wiring on the inside became loose for unknown reasons and wouldn't work anymore. So, just like before, I returned it and spent 10 dollars more on the 300 series, and that dremel far exceeds the 200. It has 10 speeds and has a lot of accessories that comes with it.

Short version: buy the 300 series, or 200 if you don't want to spend the extra 10 dollars. At Walmart, it is $40 for the 200 series, and $50 for the 300. That, in my opinion, is a great deal, especially with all of the accessories, includes grinding wheels, an engraving tool, sanding bits, and various other great tools.

I hope this helps you in your decision. Sorry it was so long.

Also! If you buy extra accessories in the individual packages, like the smaller engraving tool I bought, make sure that you buy smaller collets too. I got home and realized that it didn't fit.
 
Also! If you buy extra accessories in the individual packages, like the smaller engraving tool I bought, make sure that you buy smaller collets too. I got home and realized that it didn't fit.

They also have a chuck (#4486) that you can use instead of the collets. It may seem expensive compared to the collets, but if you change accessories regularly, this is definitely a worthwhile investment, because it eliminates all the hassle with the wrench and those collets and replaces it with a simple turn of your hand.

Also keep in mind that the large sets are usually not exactly put together for armour making. You may be better off buying a smaller set or noen at all and getting the stuff you need separately That can be cheaper as well, especially if you hunt for good deals on the accessories that you do need.
 
They also have a chuck (#4486) that you can use instead of the collets. It may seem expensive compared to the collets, but if you change accessories regularly, this is definitely a worthwhile investment, because it eliminates all the hassle with the wrench and those collets and replaces it with a simple turn of your hand.

Also keep in mind that the large sets are usually not exactly put together for armour making. You may be better off buying a smaller set or noen at all and getting the stuff you need separately That can be cheaper as well, especially if you hunt for good deals on the accessories that you do need.

Didn't see a chuck at all today when I went into Walmart. I've never had to use the wrench either :p but I guess thats just me.

The sets that I got with my dremel works well enough for the basics of armor making. Grinding wheels, sand bits, engraving tools, rotary disks, and lots of extras for them all. What else could you need?
 
Didn't see a chuck at all today when I went into Walmart. I've never had to use the wrench either :p but I guess thats just me.

The sets that I got with my dremel works well enough for the basics of armor making. Grinding wheels, sand bits, engraving tools, rotary disks, and lots of extras for them all. What else could you need?

Maybe it's just a matter of preference with those collets. It certainly got on my nerves that I had to remove that whole metal thing at the front, replace the collet and put it all back together just to simply replace the accessory with a smaller or larger one. And I'm also someone who screws stuff on really tight, so I did need the wrench. Every time.

Not missing something is exactly the problem of those sets. They are usually "multipurpose", because that's the general mentality behind the tool, but trying to cover all the accessory categories with a small number of items means that no category is covered really well and with variety.

For example, these are the two 300 series sets Dremel advertises on their US website:

  • 300 Series Variable Speed Rotary Tool
  • Circle Cutter Attachment
  • 191 High Speed Cutter
  • 401 Mandrel
  • 402 Mandrel
  • 403 Bristle Brush
  • 407 Coarse 1/2" Sanding Drum
  • 414 Small Felt Wheels (2)
  • 420 Heavy Duty Emery Cut-Off Wheel (2)
  • 421 Polishing Compound
  • 422 Cone Polishing Tip
  • 426 1-1/4" Fiberglass-Reinforced Cut-Off Wheel
  • 428 3/4" Carbon Steel Brush
  • 429 Large Felt Wheel
  • 430 Coarse 1/4" Sanding Drum
  • 432 1/2" 120 Grit Sanding Band
  • 438 1/4" 120 Grit Sanding Band
  • 442 Carbon Steel Brush
  • 540 1-1/4" Cut-Off Wheel
  • 561 MultiPurpose Cutting Bit
  • 932 Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone
  • 952 Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone
  • 8193 5/8" Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone
  • 85422 Silicon Carbide Grinding Stone
Everything I marked red is pretty much useless in armour making, mostly stuff for polishing, cleaning and sharpening.

This means you get, excluding the mandrels:

1 Dremel
1 Somewhat useful attachment
12 Not so useful accessories, one of which is double
10 Useful accessories, one of which is double, meaning 9 actual "functions" out of a set with 24 accessories (Note how they count the mandrels as well!)

  • 300 Series Variable Speed Rotary Tool
  • Lawn Mower and Garden Tool Sharpener
  • Multipurpose Cutting Guide attachment
  • 105 Engraving Cutter
  • 107 3/32" Engraving Cutter
  • 150 1/8" Drill bit
  • 191 High Speed Cutter
  • 194 High Speed Cutter
  • 401 Mandrel (2)
  • 402 Mandrel
  • 403 Bristle Brush
  • 405 Bristle Brush
  • 407 Coarse 1/2" Sanding Drum
  • 408 Coarse 1/2" Sanding Band
  • 414 Felt Wheel
  • 421 Polishing Compound
  • 426 1-1/4" Fiberglass-Reinforced Cut-Off Wheel
  • 428 3/4" Carbon Steel Brush
  • 429 Felt Wheel
  • 432 1/2" 120 Grit Sanding Band
  • 445 1/2" 240 Grit Sanding Band
  • 481 3/32" Collet
  • 511 Coarse Buffing Wheel
  • 540 1-1/4" Cut-Off Wheel
  • 560 Drywall Cutting Bit
  • 561 MultiPurpose Cutting Bit
  • 932 Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone
  • 952 Aluminum Oxide Grinding Stone
  • 7144 Diamond Wheel Point
  • 84922 Silicon Carbide Grinding Stone
Here you get:

1 Dremel
1 Useless attachment
1 Somewhat useful attachment
10 Not so useful accessories
14 Useful accessories, out of 28 (Dremel again counts the mandrel and the second collet)

I'm not saying either of these two sets is per se "bad", but I do believe that you can get more for your money if you buy stuff specifically for your needs. I'd start with just a handful of accessories to test the waters, and then see what you really need.
 
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I'd really have to say stay away from the wireless Dremels, you really do get what you pay for. Originally I got a $40 wireless one and it lasted about 25 minutes a charge. I returned it the next day and exchanged it for a $70 300 series. I will never go back lol. Seriously, save up for a wired Dremel! You don't want to be rushing through your pieces simply because you're worrying about your battery life. And you don't want to feel the dissatisfaction of having to stop halfway through because the battery died either...
 
I'd really have to say stay away from the wireless Dremels, you really do get what you pay for. Originally I got a $40 wireless one and it lasted about 25 minutes a charge. I returned it the next day and exchanged it for a $70 300 series. I will never go back lol. Seriously, save up for a wired Dremel! You don't want to be rushing through your pieces simply because you're worrying about your battery life. And you don't want to feel the dissatisfaction of having to stop halfway through because the battery died either...

$70 for your 300 series?!? Wow that's expensive. Mine was $50 including tax
 
Well actually I think I bought the Dremel and a starter set and it added up to $70, but still, Amazing purchase. I have used it on all of my builds and many other times lol. Good choice and good luck :)!
 
plus dont get wirless unless you can find a crazy cheap one. i use one for case modding my pc and wired dremels are the only way for thicker material
 
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