ATOT Recommend Me a Dremel I can Buy Locally!!

[fbrdphreak]

Says it all in the title. I was thinking I could get away with a cheap little $30 cordless from Sears, but the more I think about it it might be a better idea for me to get a decent one.

Sears has one for $70:
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product....okie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00961122000

I'd rather not spend that much, but I don't believe in wasting money on complete sh!t.

THX!

 

[mwtgg]

An actual Dremel?

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: mwtgg
An actual Dremel?

Its Made in China. I bought an American made Craftsman that works well. Its similar to the $70 one you are looking at.

 

[fbrdphreak]

All I need it for right now is cutting a groove into some stripped screws so I can remove them w/a flathead, but I figure I might want to invest in one since it will be useful in the future.

EDIT How horrible would the $30 battery powered one? From Sears

 

[Black88GTA]

I have this one and this one.

The Black and Decker beats the $hit out of the Dremel. The Dremel overheats very quickly, and bogs down much easier than the B & D, despite both of them having a 2 amp motor. Also, the Dremel has this annoying chuck lock button you have to hold down while changing bits, while the B & D has a nice flip lock. And the Dremel kit cost more!

I originally bought my first RTX sometime in 2000 (right when it came out) after breaking 2 Wizards. I'm sort of hard on them, lol. It finally gave up a couple weeks ago, so I emailed B & D because I didn't know whether or not it was under warranty still, and I had no receipt.

Per their instructions, I brought it into the nearest factory service center (just the broken tool, not the case or any accessories) and had a new RTX, complete with case and accessories, shipped to my house free of charge, courtesy of B & D.

 

[mwtgg]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
All I need it for right now is cutting a groove into some stripped screws so I can remove them w/a flathead, but I figure I might want to invest in one since it will be useful in the future.

EDIT How horrible would the $30 battery powered one? From Sears

To be honest, I'd go for a Craftsman or a Black and Decker. Because once you get one, you'll always find more uses for it.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
All I need it for right now is cutting a groove into some stripped screws so I can remove them w/a flathead, but I figure I might want to invest in one since it will be useful in the future.

EDIT How horrible would the $30 battery powered one? From Sears

Don't get the battery powered one. You'll regret it later. They have little torque compared to the corded models, and the batteries don't last long. I have a cordless Wizard in addition to the Dremel kit and the RTX. It's nice for small jobs where an AC outlet isn't available, but if you want to use it to cut metal / slot screws, it won't get the job done.

BTW, I'm pretty sure the Craftsman rotary tools are rebadged Dremels. Specs, shape of tool, and case design are all identical to that of Dremel products...

 

[fbrdphreak]

So Home Depot has the RTX-6:
Link

Where can I get a better version of that for sure? Gonna go shopping tomorrow and trying to minimize my driving. Can't find the RTX-1 listed on Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, etc web sites.

$60 is do-able, as that is the price for the RTX-1 I found on Froogle; anything a little cheaper that will do the job?

 

[Black88GTA]

Harbor Freight has some rotary tools cheap. Don't know much about them, as I've never used one. I would definitely get the RTX-6 at HD over any of those though.

I believe the major difference between the RTX-6 for $30 at HD and the RTX-1 is that the RTX-1 has a rotary dial that allows you to adjust speed, where the RTX-6 has a 3-speed selector switch. The one with the rotary dial seems to be sort of hard to find in stores.

 

[fbrdphreak]

It looks like the difference is the number of accessories and that the higher end ones are variable RPM instead of just three speeds.

Even the RTX-6 has "30 accessories" and the speeds are fine with me. $30 sounds good :thumbsup:

Thanks ATOT, but if anyone has a better bang/$ lemme know!

 

[LookingGlass]

Someday if you want an even better one. Try a Foredom.

Foredom