Dremel, Dremel, What type of Dremel!

[HEdwards2009]

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-1130-01-7-2-V...0756&sr=1-3

What do you all think about this combo pack for the Dremel Stylus. I'm also considering the 3 for that is right below the main featured item and wanted some opinions on it before purchase. Thanks

[Guest Davkin]

I think it's awfully expensive. Just go to Walmart and buy the little cordless for $20, it will do anything you want to for building a plastic model. The Stylus design seems rather awkward to me, I think you have much finer control holding a Dremel like a pencil and the little cordless is small and light enough that you can do that. I have a Black & Decker corded moto tool as well that I bought for $30 at Walmart, I use it for tougher jobs, like cutting and grinding brass.

David

[Guest Mustang3.8]

That's the kind of Dremel I have. It's great!

[Foxer]

That combo seems awfully expensive but guess it's pretty good for the two tools if your need both.

The Stylus is the most awesome tool Dremel has made yet and I can't recommend it enough. It is somewhat expensive at the moment, being their newest tool, but if you can afford it it is magnificent! It looks awkward just looking at it, but it is the most comfortable one I've ever held and can be held in a half dozen different ways depending on the job at hand. And yes, you can hold like a pencil. I recently replaced my old corded one with a Stylus and am SO glad I didn't settle for the cheaper battery operated ones.

This is the only Dremel with a charging station/holder that keeps it always charged. The slower speeds advantages is the same as other battery operated ones.

You can use a standard Dremel chuck on it even though it's not listed.. the package labeling has apparently not caught up with the tool.

Edited June 17, 2009 by Foxer

[SSNJim]

I've got a Stylus also, and it is my favorite of the three that I own. I have a constant-speed corded, a variable speed cordless and the Stylus. I think it is the most comfortable to hold, plus you can hold it "upside down" with the handle pointing away from your hand to give it the feel of a very small traditional Dremel.

[Bernard Kron]

I agree with Jim and Mike. I have a Stylus and it's super comfortable and very flexible in how you can hold it. I bought the combo pack but I never use the drill for my modeling work since I work almost exclusively in plastic and resin. However the drill is the best small cordless drill I have and is my weapon of choice for small jobs around the house. If you don't really need the drill I would stick with just the Stylus unless you can get a crazy good deal on the Combo pack.

Edited June 17, 2009 by gbk1

[cruz]

I have a battery operated dremel that I have not been able to find in any store after I purchased it, got it on sale for just 12 dollars and regret the fact that I didn't get a second one. What I like about it is that when the battery is draining it actually works better. You see, you have to keep in mind that while working with plastic the last thing on your mind is a rotary tool that goes too fast. You want to remove plastic, not burn it, the lower the rpm's, the better it will work. Remember, purchase the one w/ the lowest rpm's!!!!

[Bernard Kron]

I have a battery operated dremel that I have not been able to find in any store after I purchased it, got it on sale for just 12 dollars and regret the fact that I didn't get a second one. What I like about it is that when the battery is draining it actually works better. You see, you have to keep in mind that while working with plastic the last thing on your mind is a rotary tool that goes too fast. You want to remove plastic, not burn it, the lower the rpm's, the better it will work. Remember, purchase the one w/ the lowest rpm's!!!!

I agree, Marcos. Low speed is what it's all about. I only use the lowest 4 levels (it's actually continuous so you can set the speed in-between numbers as well) on the Stylus. The lowest speeds are very easy on plastic and don't melt it. For the first 4 levels it's strictly a question of how careful you want to be and how much material you've got to cut or remove. One thing nice about the Stylus is that it doesn't slow down as the battery drains. Of course it doesn't warn you when it's about to stop, either! On the other hand, it holds its charge for a long, long time so if you dock it in the charger when you aren't using it that's never a problem.

[B_rad88]

DON'T GET A CORDLESS!!!!!! you will end up killing the battery and the motor faster! of at lest i did! i went through 4 cordless dremels in about 6 years!

then i got a corded dremel for about $50 it comes with 200 accessories, and this baby lasted me for the last 3 years!

Brandon

[diymirage]

this is the one i have and it is awesome

http://cgi.ebay.com/DREMEL-VARIABLE-SPEED-...alenotsupported

it comes with a strong 110 volt motor that has 6 speeds and a flexible shaft

when i use it i hang the motor upside down from the top of my workbench and as the sheft comes down i hold the handle like a marker

(the handle is about the size of a marker too)

i love this thing, my wife bought it for me for Christmass several years ago and i've used it for anything from body work on 1:1 cars to sharpening lawnmower blades to building models

[B_rad88]

the link doesn't work

[diymirage]

the link doesn't work

try this one

http://cgi.ebay.com/DREMEL-VARIABLE-SPEED-...%3A1%7C294%3A50

[robertw]

I've had a Dremel Stylus for about three years. When I first got it I wasn't sure whether I'd use it as much as my older Dremel, I'm not even sure where the old one is now.

Within a few days I was completely used to the seemingly strange shape and haven't found it difficult to use for any job. In fact, I use the tool for more things now then I used the old one for.

The use of the lithium battery has been the biggest plus to me, I've left it off the charging dock for six+ months with no seeming loss of power.

Mine cost me about $65 (on sale) at Ace Hardware and it is some of the best modelling money I've ever spent.

Rob W

[dwc43]

I have a vari speed Dremel that you can attach this cable drive too. Much easier to hold and operate without the Dremels weight in your hand.

http://cgi.ebay.com/DREMEL-MOTO-TOOL-VARIA...%3D12%26ps%3D33

[Art Anderson]

DON'T GET A CORDLESS!!!!!! you will end up killing the battery and the motor faster! of at lest i did! i went through 4 cordless dremels in about 6 years!

then i got a corded dremel for about $50 it comes with 200 accessories, and this baby lasted me for the last 3 years!

Brandon

And, I still have the first of my Dremel Minimite Cordless units, and it's like the Energizer Bunny, keeps going, and going, and going, and going--AND, I've had it for 20yrs already!

Frankly, around plastic or resin, I won't use anything but the cordless. Have a couple of the corded, 120V Dremels, but they seldom ever see the light of day.

Art

[RyanSilva]

I got a dremel xpr 400 with the flex shaft. It's a awesome tool, VERY powerful, I just wish the base rpm wasnt so high.

[Art Anderson]

And, I still have the first of my Dremel Minimite Cordless units, and it's like the Energizer Bunny, keeps going, and going, and going, and going--AND, I've had it for 20yrs already!

Frankly, around plastic or resin, I won't use anything but the cordless. Have a couple of the corded, 120V Dremels, but they seldom ever see the light of day.

Art

One thing I forgot to add! Part of the problem with using Dremel tools on styrene is the "melting" action rather than simply cutting away excess plastic.

Dremel tools all come with HS (High Speed) steel cutters. HSS cutters have very coarse teeth to them, and those teeth have to have a certain angle to them, or they simply won't work in metals, even in wood, which is what they were originally intended to do, without breaking away. Trouble is, styrene is VERY abrasive, believe it or not, and the rather blunt angles, or "rake" of the HSS cutter teeth makes the cutter tend to "slide" across the styrene surface, wearing the sharp edge away, starting almost immediately. Rubbing metal across styrene at even moderate speeds makes for a lot of heat buildup, very quickly, which will melt, rather than cut, styrene.

One of the best-kept secrets from Dremel is their tungsten carbide cutters. Tungsten Carbide can be ground into a cutter with much steeper rake to the teeth, and MUCH sharper. Also, being extremely hard, Carbide does not wear noticeably against styrene, meaning that these carbide cutters really do cut, with far less heat, meaning a lot less melting. I've noticed in using them, that the only time these cutters seriously melt into styrene is if they get clogged with styrene waste, that rubs, melts the surrounding material, but is easily controlled at lower rpm's.

A drawback might be the cost of the carbide cutters, but that is more than offset by the nearly unlimited life of them. I have one of the 1/8" cylindrical cutters, from Dremel, that is over 20yrs old, used hundreds of times over those years, and it's still just as sharp, cuts just as cleanly, as it did when it was new. Those run about $15 or so now, but if you look at fleamarket tool dealers, Harbor Freight and the like, sometimes you can find them for as little as $5 or so, still the same qualities.

I couple mine with cordless Dremel's, won't use anything else against styrene any more.

Art

[Guest Davkin]

This is my favorite set of bits for working with styrene;

http://www.micromark.com/20-PIECE-DIAMOND-...SHANK,7593.html

Not so much for cutting, but they are awesome for general shaping and cleanup, especially in tight areas.

For cutting I have a Gyro carbide saw blade that works great, handles brass real well too. Pricey but well worth it.

David

[diymirage]

i got to work with a regular dremel today at my job

and it made me realise how much i love mine

the one we have at my job is a 110 volt model that you hold in your hand

and the main thing i disliked about it (apart from the weight) was how hot it gets to the touch

so in short i would really suggest the flexshaft model

[steve_b]

I bought a stylus right after they were released...They are great and surprisingly very comfortable and ergonomic

of the 4 motor tools I have, I use this one the most. The only drawback is they lose ALOT of torque at the lower

rpm range, much more than the 2 other dremel and a ryobi that I have on a dremel drill press.

The nice part is that they do have overcurrent/stall protection, and have pulse width modulated speed controls.

making it only get slightly warm with heavy use.

Expensive, very, are they worth it, very.....shop around, I've seen them cheaper than that......

if you don't care about the cordless feature (I dread having to replace the battery pack in mine)

look at the corded, while most of them fit all the other dremel attachments, unfortunately the

stylus doesnt....and they ARE alot cheaper.....

[Fuel Coupe]

Here's my machine: its a Pfingst motor with flex shaft and head. Its pretty vintage. My Grandfather was a jeweler and when he died He left all his jewelry tools and work table for me. Its all pretty sentimental as most of the tools are over 50 years old. I even still use his old foot controller. Perfect control and speed and never melt anything. They aren't cheap to replace all of it would be about $200 and the company is still around. . I hope I never have any trouble with it as I feel I get some of my abilities from using his tools..

[diymirage]

allong the same lines was my firs "dremel"

my family had been with the same dentist for decades

i was about 13 and he musta been in his 70s when he decided to retire

he gave me his dental drill and some of the bits he used

i used a 12 volt DC power converter to make it all run

also great for scaring the ###### out fo sleeping sisters