Rotary tools

[Anzik]

Guys, my Dremel died and a new one is $65 but the Durabuilt rotary tool is $30. Does anyone have any knowledge about the superiority/inferiority of these or any others?

 

[Les Walker]

Not sure. I Live by Dremel, but that doesn't mean others aren't good.
Does the Durabuilt take Dremel bits? I assume they all would.
If so, I say take a chance. Might be worth it.
Is it multi speed? Cordless? Any details?

It only spins anyway! It's the hand that weilds it that matters if it's well made enough.

 

[Anzik]

I used to have the cordless Dremel, then i went with the cordED version which i liked better. It was small enough to maneuver and didn't have to worry about losing a charge. The Durabuilt one looks kind of clunky to me. I'm 90% sure I'm just going to buy the Dremel anyway just out of brand loyalty but if someone had a glowing recommendation of another, cheaper, version I'd like to hear it.

 

[DarkArtist81]

I use the Dremel Minimite... It was pretty cheap too, only cost me like $20-30.

It's cordless, has two speeds... Does the trick.

 

[ProgMatinee]

I've got this Kawasaki set and I like it. It came with a TON of accessories. I got it at Sam's Club for like $40.

https://www.amazon.com/Kawasaki-840168-Green-Rotary-Accessory/dp/B000Q7HGWM

Edit. Actually, I think the Kawa set I got from Sam's has more accessories than this and was still $40.

Its a decent set. The motor is probably weaker than the Dremel, but how strong do you really need for most craft stuff? I figure the accessories I got were worth $40 alone.

 

[Les Walker]

Wow! That looks nice! At first, I thought you were kidding, Kawasaki! I was about to joke that Yamaha had a pull crank gasoline version, but you were serious! Looks like a great set to have. Thanks for the link, PG.

 

[ProgMatinee]

I was a little skepticle of the brand myself when I saw it, but I liked the color and all the accessories so I bought it.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Speaking of rotary tools...I'm really interested to know what attachments you customizers use to do what.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Anybody with special tips for these?

 

[Anzik]

I'll see if I can snap some pics Eric. I generally use the little pointy tip for detail, the slender ball tip for tight spots, the larger ball for hollowing out heads to attach to neck stems.

 

[ProgMatinee]

Thanks Andy, any help would be awesome!

I have a device that holds my dremel upside down so I can use it as a router. Thats pretty cool. Do you know if there is a similar device that will lockdown the dremel perpendicular to essentially turn the dremel into a small table saw that you can use to "rip" wood or styrene with the cutting blades?

 

[Les Walker]

One of the most important bits you can use, is a very, very small round bit, for engraving mostly. I use it to clean cast heads and other uses. You can even sculpt with it somewhat. It cleans those casting boogers from noses, and ears. Makes cleaning a lot easier. And a moderate squared off bit, so you can do some angles in things. I sculpt with my Dremel, so I use it in many ways. When I sculpted the legs on the Alien Resurrection figure for Facebox, I used Dremel bits and sanding a lot.
You might look for a boxed set, with lots of sizes in it. You'll figure out what to use when you do it I am sure.