Dremel - Battery or Mains?

[orbiter]

What are the thoughts guys on Dremels or equivilent tools. Is battery or mains the prefered option?

cheers

orb

[Kiriakos-GR]

I would reverse the question ... like   " an tool for PCB work , or for handcraft ?  

The heavy one would be a pain ... for PCB ... and the light weight will not be able to handle metal.

So my choice are one light weight mini drill  8000-18000rpm  9-18DC, at the 1/4 of the Dremel size,
and true power tools , for anything metallic.

The only little issue with my mini drill, is that I have to control the speed , by the input voltage from my external power supply.

But its cheap to get , and practical for drilling PCB holes .
 

[orbiter]

I should have made my question a little more precise I guess. I already have a mini drill for very light work (Model train stuff etc,) and a few good 240v & 14v drills for heavier work. I'm just after opinions really on the Dremel series for the middle of the road type stuff, which will mostly be computer case modding. I've been looking at Dremels for a while now and see that many guys use then with great success, It's a toss up for me really between the battery model (Dremel Lithium-Ion 8000) and the mains (300/4000) series.) But I've heard of a few folk having problems with the battery model in that they have had problems with the thing just packing up after a few minutes use.

So I'd be glad to hear your personal opinions regarding the battery & mains variety of Dremel? 

Cheers

orb

[EEVblog]

I have the 300 mains version.
A dremel is pretty much a tool for life, so the battery version just isn't going to last. Murphy says it will die when you need it the most. A mains unit will still work in 20 years time, will always work instantly when you need it, and will be as powerful as the day you got it.
I'd only get the battery one if you have a very specific need for cordless. As a general purpose tool I'd go for mains.

Dave.

[MTron]

I should have made my question a little more precise I guess. I already have a mini drill for very light work (Model train stuff etc,) and a few good 240v & 14v drills for heavier work. I'm just after opinions really on the Dremel series for the middle of the road type stuff, which will mostly be computer case modding. I've been looking at Dremels for a while now and see that many guys use then with great success, It's a toss up for me really between the battery model (Dremel Lithium-Ion 8000) and the mains (300/4000) series.) But I've heard of a few folk having problems with the battery model in that they have had problems with the thing just packing up after a few minutes use.

So I'd be glad to hear your personal opinions regarding the battery & mains variety of Dremel? 

Cheers

orb

As a fellow modder i must absolutely recommend the mains powered Dremel, the battery powered ones just don't cut it...i mean sure, the portability is handy, and the Li batteries allow for some decent power, but the corded wins in every category except portability, and case modding is not really an on-the-go affair...

Get the most powerful one you can afford, with the highest available RPM. Also a flex-shaft is almost mandatory in my opinion!

If you ever find the need for variable RPM you can buy foot pedals, or dial, speed controllers. They will work on any motor as long as its a brushed motor, which the Dremel is.

Also, as for accessories...i find the Dremel brand stuff way overpriced for the quality you get. If you look around for a local jewelers supply store you should be able to buy extremely high quality burrs, i like Busch Burrs, so awesome.

For cheaper stuff, eBay has a great selection, i have bought from FindingKing before, decent stuff, not high quality, but cheap...


p.s personally i don't use a Dremel, i use a Foredom SR flexshaft...hard for metal cases to argue with 1/6HP & 18000 RPM

[Kiriakos-GR]

Also, as for accessories...i find the Dremel brand stuff way overpriced for the quality you get. If you look around for a local jewelers supply store you should be able to buy extremely high quality burrs, i like Busch Burrs, so awesome...............p.s personally i don't use a Dremel, i use a Foredom SR flexshaft...hard for metal cases to argue with 1/6HP & 18000 RPM

As representative    of the Greek market, I will confirm that Dremel its one over hyped product.
Aggressively marketed at the computer mods group.
Before it, the market had similar tools too, the aggressively marketed Dremel turned the all story to become an rpm race.
The big brand names , never had plan an such of tool for general use ... and the Dremel for some time was with out opponents .
Today  at 1/4  of the price you find similar designs , equally useful .

I am lover of the "old" Jigsaw and classic power tools.
And I will share a tip too,  if you can get an  true Jigsaw , with regulated speed,
you will forget ones and for all  " Dremel or equal design of tools " .

I am not against it, but most friends of my who got it , they rarely use it , or they do not use it at all.

Personally I have "invest" at getting lots specialized blades for the jigsaw,
and I am unstoppable with it ..          

http://dhost.info/ax1/html/bmw__k1200r.html

http://dhost.info/ax1/html/devol_.html

[orbiter]

Thanks for the good responses guys I'm still going to go for the Dremel but as suggested I'll get the mains version. Point taken on the attachments too so I'll keep my eyes peeled for the cheaper, and better quality parts.

The one I'm getting comes with the flexi-shaft so that's an added bonus I guess

Cheers

orb

[djsb]

I have the dremel 400 digital version and use it with a dremel workstand. I used to use a small Minicraft drill with variable transformer at work. I've found that the Dremel can do the same jobs as the smaller drill but has more power in reserve for tougher (ie DIY or automotive) jobs.
One problem Ive found with the dremel is the chuck capacity being limited. This is probably to limit the torque that the drill can supply.
Other than that a very flexible tool.
Praise where it's due.

David.

[orbiter]

I bit the bullet. Just been out and got the Dremel 4000 model The shop had the 300 series drills in stock but I saw that the newer model had a more powerful motor so I got that one. It came as a full kit with 4 attachments including the flexi-shaft and loads of cut-off wheels, grinding bits and drill bits so it seemed a pretty good deal.

[Simon]

I have the 300 mains version.
A dremel is pretty much a tool for life, so the battery version just isn't going to last. Murphy says it will die when you need it the most. A mains unit will still work in 20 years time, will always work instantly when you need it, and will be as powerful as the day you got it.
I'd only get the battery one if you have a very specific need for cordless. As a general purpose tool I'd go for mains.

Dave.

Ditto !