where to get a dremel?

[Dreadhead]

Hey can anybody reccommend me a good place to get a cheap but reasonable dremel? i cant fork out alot of money but i could do with one to aid with leatherwork and messing around with wood and bone etc.

i very rarely use anything electric and prefer to do things by hand so have no idea where to go for good deals with this sort of equipment. im a bit dubious buying things like this as the last dremel i used was utter rubbish and wouldnt tighten enough to hold any drillbits etc without them falling out as soon as you turned it on

any help would be grand

Hamish

 

[mountainm]

I have a Dremel but with hindsight I would go for a proxxon if you have the cash.

 

[Dreadhead]

not sure what a proxxon is if that is a make or a different tool? i want a dremel to use for drilling aswell as the small rotary sanding pads you get etc very handy for all sorts of nifty jobs. i just cant spend much im looking for around £30-40 mark. so i know im not aiming for great quality but then again i have no idea about good brands when it comes to electricals

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-Gri...=sr_1_35?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1341522406&sr=1-35

seems okay for my price range

 

[fishfish]

go to ebay mate and avoid the newer ones made in Mexico,they have problems with the armatures,buy one made in germany if pos,if you do buy pre-used buy a new set of brushes they are a user replace part and take 30 seconds with no dismantling needed.

 

[mountainm]

Any rotary too will do you, but if it's for leatherwork get the thinnest you can. Personally I'd avoid rechargeable ones as they're never ready when you need them.

 

[Stood]

Hi DH,

That would appear to be ok at that price.

If Aldi or Liddle have them in stock they will be quite a bit cheaper but they only tend to get them in once/twice a year, dont think they come with so many 'extras' so you gets what you pays for.

Cheers


Boots

 

[Dreadhead]

just found a draper rotary on ebay with no bids on it so ill watch that see if i can nab it on the cheap side then can always buy extra parts should i need them hopefully

 

[chas brookes]

Hi Hamish

Aldi have their version in their Special buys this Sunday

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_25517.htm

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_25516.htm

may be worth a go

 

[plastic-ninja]

Hamish I have the Aldi version and find it pretty good.
I got the extra kit with it and still have plenty of discs and stuff left after 2 or 3
years use. It was pretty cheap and has the Aldi guarantee so if it breaks take it back.
In my experience Draper tools have been very poor quality and soon die the death.
HtH , Simon

 

[Dreadhead]

thanks for the advice guys just the sort of information i needed. reckon ill snap up one of those cheap aldi ones then and see how it goes

 

[Biker]

+1 on the Aldi kit. I nabbed one of those myself about 6 years ago for under €8 and the accessories for about €10. Prices are often different between UK stock and French stock. But the tool seems to be good and sturdy and I have used it a fair bit. There's a shop outlet called Hobbycraft, not sure f it's a chain of shops or not, but they sold a carving point kit for about £15 which is brilliant. Basically it's a series of cutting points and balls like minature rasps that fit in the "Dremel" and carve wood. I htink there were abut 18 different sized cutters and shaped points in the kit. That was GOOD investment for me.

Good luck with the search Hamish.

 

[John Fenna]

+1 on Aldi!
I find the little sanding drums invaluable - cheapo accessory kits can be had from £1 shops when you run out.
I did manage to wear out one of the Aldi "dremmel clones" but after years of hard work ... so when I saw them next I got 2 ... just to be on the safe side!
I use mine on wood, bone , antler, steeel, leather, brass ..... well - everything!
It is the most useful electrical tool I have

 

[HillBill]

Hamish. A word of advice mate. The dremels spin at a minimum of 5000rpm, but have virtually no torque at that speed, so wont drill through a decent thickness of leather. If you speed it up to get the torque, it burns the leather. I bought a dremel for this very thing and have been unable to use it for drilling the holes. Still having to use the pillar drill in the workshop. They are good for many other things though, always find a use for one.

 

[HillBill]

You get different sized collets for holding different size tools. Sounds like your collet was too large for the tool you had.

. im a bit dubious buying things like this as the last dremel i used was utter rubbish and wouldnt tighten enough to hold any drillbits etc without them falling out as soon as you turned it on

 

[Dreadhead]

cheers for the info guys and Hillbill, i thought that might be the case so plan on getting a manual finger drill should i ever need to drill leather with a thick welt etc. luckily manage with a stitching prong for now. im sure the dremel will still have plenty of use for wee crafty things

 

[HillBill]

The thing with stuff like manual finger drills is that it is hard to get a straight line at the back, when your drilling 10mm of leather. Ideally you need something that locks the drill in place so that its going through at the same angle each time. I've got a drill press attachment for our dremel, but its not much good when the dremel is the weakest link for drilling

 

[mountainm]

The thing with stuff like manual finger drills is that it is hard to get a straight line at the back, when your drilling 10mm of leather. Ideally you need something that locks the drill in place so that its going through at the same angle each time. I've got a drill press attachment for our dremel, but its not much good when the dremel is the weakest link for drilling

I made a little jig for my finger drill, works a treat.

 

[tartanferret]

Hamish,

Can I recommend one of these to fit to your rotary tool for more intricate work, (It makes it more like holding a pen)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=dremel+flexible+shaft&_sacat=0

jon

 

[mountainm]

The thing with stuff like manual finger drills is that it is hard to get a straight line at the back, when your drilling 10mm of leather. Ideally you need something that locks the drill in place so that its going through at the same angle each time. I've got a drill press attachment for our dremel, but its not much good when the dremel is the weakest link for drilling

My Dremel does fine on the slowest speed with very fine drills through 15mm of veg tan?

 

[HillBill]

I use 1.5mm drill bits for my stitching holes. The dremel really struggles to get through 10mm, it'll stop/jam up more times than not. Need to use 10,000 rpm to get it through, but then it burns the leather. Maybe i need a different drill bit, just using a HSS bit atm, which works perfectly in the pillar drill at 2000rpm.

Any suggestions on what drill bits work better for leather? I'm tempted to try the wood drill bits i've got in my Makita set, they are like mini augers. Not sure if they go down to the size i need though, cant remember exactly whats in there.

My Dremel does fine on the slowest speed with very fine drills through 15mm of veg tan?