Recommended Dremel or other rotary tool??

[twelvebears]

Gents.

I'm sure there are LOADS in use out there already, so I'm after brand/model recommendations for any hand-held multi-tools which folks have been really pleased with.

I'm looking for something reliable and controllable for general modelling work. It's not going to be used for other heavy duty DIY tasks, but there may be a bit of metal cutting/grinding of the type we encounter while modding these tanks of ours.

I look forward to hearing your words of wisdom.

Cheers

[MarkofZollo]

I just asked for one from my girlfriend for my birthday, she said she found one on Halford website for about £15 when I had found it in Modelzone for £40 and Antics for £30. Its a Rotacraft I beleive but looks pretty good and has tons of stuff with it, cant say more than that for a couple weeks
Cheers, Dave

[sparks]

I use a Dremel 800 18.8V Lithium-Ion. Its small enough to be comfortably held and get into smallish spaces and has variable speeds between 5000 and 35000 RPM which makes it good for all sorts of tasks. You can add loads of attachemets including a flexi shaft and drill bench press.
Its not the cheapest of its type, but I have no complaints about its performance.
sparks

[winker]

Hi, i use a old dremel & find it brilliant for cutting grinding etc, + theres load of attachments for it, hope this helps, all the best, Malc...

[raven]

hi twelvebears i also have a dremel found it great for working on these rc tanks i got mine for around £50 with a case

chris

[sassgrunt]

I used to use the Dremel variable-speed rotary tools. and found I burned them out pretty quickly. I liked the ball bearing ones best, but they cost more than the bushing types and didn't really last any longer for me. Then I found a copy made by Black & Decker called the "RTX" that is cheaper and just as durable. It has only three speeds, so you don't get any of those in-between speeeds off the Dremel variable. But to be honest, I only ever seemd to use the "Fastest" and "Slowest" speeds of the Dremel anyway.

The big problem I had when using them for plastic models was that even at the slowest speeds (about 5,000 rpm) they would melt the plastic rather than cutting it. I followed the example of others and build a variable resistor for it using one of those rotary light-dimmers. That worked pretty well, but the Dremel would tend to "lug" a lot at really slow speeds. (Maybe that contributed to their short life spans with me).

Then I found the Dremel 4.8 Volt rechargable rotary tools, and I used them almost every day now - they have really been exactly what I was looking for. You can buy them in hardware stores as "rotary tools" and they can cost almost as much as the electric versions. They are sold with a black body case and called "Dremel Mini Mite 4.8V Model 750" or with a transparent blue case called "Dremel 4.8V Cordless." However, you can find the same tool a lot cheaper on the auction sites with a transparent green case called "Dremel Golf Tool" or with a trasnsparent orange case called "Dremel Pet Tool" (used for trimming pet nails). They use the same collets and fittings as the normal electric Dremel tools. -Mike

[nickmow]

Dremel, best bit of kit I bought in a long time. That said I bought it because I had missplaced the B&Q own brand version I had for years. Of course once Id spent the cash I found the old B&Q one, bit of a frown on, but can report that it fits all the Dremel tools and the Dremel drill stand that I have. If I had the choice I would save a bit and go with the cheaper one, it does pretty much the same job. That said the Dremel seems a bit more robust.

[Tankie]

I use minicraft 12v tools - I have their sander, jigsaw, circular saw and 2 sizes of hand drill - 1 minature and one larger with proper chuck & key. These are excellent tools but of course need a transformer/ speed controller. I also inherited a dremel but use that as a bench drill because I found it a bit heavy and cumbersome and didn't like the chuck, but this was just my personal preference. The smaller minicraft has done 20 years heavy service and still has no issues.
Note, I believe minicraft are made by Black & Decker and Dremel by Bosch so you are comparing the 2 most popular makes of electrical tools. I have no experience of cheaper tools but personal preference would be to buy a second hand dremel/ minicraft if price is an issue - thats how i got all of mine.

[sparks]

Yeah, forgot about the Minicraft
I have a few of them, but as you say, transformer is needed, but still great little tools.

[jonger]

If any one is still looking for a good rotary tool, Aldi have a cordless one in at the moment, 7.2volt li-on battery, adjustable speed, pistol grip with led light and selection of tools for only £14.99
I picked one up yesterday and its brilliant, the pistol grip design works really well for control and being cordless its easy to use anywhere - comes with their usual 3 year guarantee as well.