New Dremel or alternative

[duncanh]

My 10+ year old Dremel 300 wouldn't start yesterday and I need a new one or an alternative. It's worked well for all that time although not particularly heavy use so I'm inclined to get another Dremel. Before that though I thought I'd ask what other people's experiences of the alternatives were.

Most of the time it's hung at the end of the lathe with either a flexible rotary shaft or reciprocating shaft for carving but I sometimes use it in the hand as well. I already have the shafts and a mini chuck so any replacement needs to be compatible with them.

Thoughts?

 

[Claymore]

I have one of these and they make Dremels feel like toys, superb build quality using metals and very tough plastic and has very smooth bearings not to mention much quieter than all the others available.
http://www.axminster.co.uk/proxxon-ibs- ... der-300121

 

[RogerP]

I too have a Proxxon, a BFW 40/E, powerful and very, very quiet. Cheaper to buy direct from Germany.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Everything I've read in the last year or two would suggest Proxxon too.

 

[marcros]

i bought one of these last year and it is much better than the dremel that it replaced. http://www.axminster.co.uk/proxxon-fbs- ... ool-410475

The box is about useless- I replaced it with http://www.powertool-supplies.co.uk/fes ... GwodNFoLeA

 

[sunnybob]

check the brushes under the blue screw caps. might just be caked up with dust

 

[duncanh]

The brushes were the first thing I checked, thanks.

Are the Dremel shafts usable on the Proxxon? A quick look at the Brimarc website (Proxxon distributor) suggests that you can't get a reciprocating shaft for carving.

 

[ED65]

These days I wouldn't get a Dremel if you gave me the money to buy it. Even if I lived in the US where they're so much cheaper.

No point in telling you the name because Black & Decker bought them and then ran the brand into the ground but my mini drill, that I'm blissfully happy with, recently passed its 20th birthday. Still going strong. Now you hear tell of Dremels that have been going that long too, but that's with ones made back then. Those made today aren't a patch on them by all accounts.

The closest you can get in quality to what I have at a reasonable price is a Proxxon. They're bigger (much bigger) in the hand and heavier but build quality appears to be top notch and they run very quietly while still having great torque. Also very important, their duty cycle is excellent which is a big failing in many of the current crop of Dremels.

 

[Harbo]

Proxxon!!!

 

[RickN]

Also Proxxon!!

 

[duncanh]

Yes, clearly the Proxxon is the better. However, it looks as though the flexible shafts from the Dremel aren't compatible with the Proxxon and there isn't a carving head for the Proxxon (probably because they make a separate machine for that). The reciprocating carving shaft probably spent as much time on the Dremel as the regular flexible shaft.

So the options are:
buy a new Dremel and continue using my current shafts (total price about £35)
buy a Proxxon (£62 at Axminster) and Proxxon flexible shaft (£27) and then buy a Proxxon reciprocating carver (£115) (total £204)
buy a Proxxon (£62) and shaft (£27) plus a new Dremel just to use as a carver (£35) (total £124).

Unless anyone has a method for using a Dremel shaft in the Proxxon it looks like the Dremel might win for now. There's an Axminster just down the road though so I may pop along tomorrow and have a look at the Proxxon

 

[ED65]

Crikey, at those total prices I'd be looking very hard at a Foredom me.

 

[lurker]

At those prices I'd need to be a heavy user to justify buying Proxxon, no matter how good they are.

I use mine for chain saw sharpening and the odd job here and there.

Can't remember what mine is, but I bought it in the clearance sale when woollies went bust.
I was thinking of getting a dremmel but after comments here, I'll steer clear.

Might wait until Aldi or Lidl have something.
Anyone got opinions on those?

 

[Eric The Viking]

Proxxon. I've hammered mine (FBS 230) over the years, and it's still running sweetly. It gets really horrible jobs, ingests sawdust, iron & steel filings and grit, and regularly has its cooling slots covered up by the silly person using it. It keeps going.

The only bad thing about it is that the on-off switch is in a stupid place. And the plastic case is rubbish. In every other respect it is brilliant.

It replaced a B+D one which caught fire while I was using it. 'Nuff said on that one.

E.

 

[ED65]

Might wait until Aldi or Lidl have something.
Anyone got opinions on those?

They're adequate to a bit better than that, depending on the exact model and if you get lucky or unlucky.

I have friends on other forums who have them and say they're happy with how they work, but I've bought two over the years to try the out and I didn't think either was great. I had to modify both to reduce runout to acceptable levels so burrs didn't jump off the surface of the workpiece. Unfortunately I burned out the motor on the better of the two (my fault entirely) but the other one while still a bit gutless is soldiering on.