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Dremel Question (Corded, not Cordless) Operation and maintenance
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Prolific poster 1,114 posts Al Carter tabooma county rwy Prolific poster 1,114 posts
Al Carter tabooma county rwy

Hi,

I have a question about two Dremel tools, both corded...  Listed in the latest Micro Mark catalog are two choices:

- The Micro Rotary tool (20 watts, 6 oz weight)

- The Mini Rotary Tool (35 watts, 8 oz weight)

Does anyone have either of these tools, and if so, can you offer an opinion?

I have a cordless 4 volt Dremel Lite, but don't use it "that often" and when I do reach for it, the batteries are dead and I have to recharge them (the tool/batteries haven't been used too much).  So I want to go the corded route.  

I already have a regular sized Dremel, and also a Grizzly, but both are big and bulky and I'd like something smaller and lighter, like for drilling small holes, reaming, etc.

Any opinions?

Thanks,

Al Carter, Mount Vernon, WA
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Ted Becker rail.bird Regular poster 362 posts
Ted Becker rail.bird

Collets, Lithium

Both those tools use collets which is a deal killer for me.  Especially the one that only takes 3/32 shanks.  If they can't be converted to a chuck I'd reject them.

A few weeks ago I bought a Dremel Lite 7760 with Lithium batteries because of the same dead battery problem you're experiencing.  I put a Dremel 4486 keyless chuck on it.  So far it is great.  It has not set idle long enough to be sure the shelf life is good but performance is better than either the 4.8Volt or 7.2Volt Dremels.  $37 on Amazon.

Lithium batteries do not "self-discharge" like NiCad or NiMH do.  My RC airplane lithium batteries held over 90% charge over 18 months.


Ted Becker

Granite Falls, WA
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riogrande491 Active Member 76 posts
riogrande491

Chucks available for Dremel

I have a 3 jaw drill chuck sold by Dremel some years ago. I believe it is still available. It fits all my corded Dremel  motors and a marvelous discontinued Stylus that has an easy to control grip and a pair of 18650 batteries. After many years the lithium batteries failed to charge and I was able to find a replacement pack. All of my Dremels accept the same collets, although the runout in newer collets and the 3 jaw chuck is more than I would like.

For delicate work, such as drilling precise holes and even power tapping in styrene, the General low-speed screwdriver is difficult to beat. Joe wrote about it in an issue of Running Extra. A matching 3 jaw chuck is available from MicroMark. It takes a pair of alkaline batteries and they last quite a long time.

Just my opinion. All the best.

Bob
 
Bob
Appalachian & Ohio Signal Department
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Douglas Meyer Prolific poster 2,043 posts
Douglas Meyer

Are the new Dremel Battery

Are the new Dremel Battery tools any good?  

I have an older model from about 10 years ago and its battery life was bad from day one.  Ironically i am a huge supporter of wireless drills and drivers and i love them but my wireless Dremel from back then sucks.  Oddly i bought it about the same time (actlly after) i bought my 12v Bosch wireless drill and driver.  My  drill and driver are still doing fine and my dremel has sucked from day one.  So hopefully the newer models are better?

I have my older wired Dremel with flex shaft i keep at my workbench permanently wired in but that is easy to do at a work bench.  Not so easy out on the layout.

-Doug
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Al Carter tabooma county rwy Prolific poster 1,114 posts
Al Carter tabooma county rwy

Thanks

I had pretty much decided not to buy another battery operated Dremel, but maybe I'll give that Dremel Lite and additional keyless chuck a go, as recommended by Ted.  It would be convenient not to have to deal with a cord in the way....

Al Carter, Mount Vernon, WA

 
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pierre52 MRH Author 1,495 posts
pierre52

Cordless may be the way to go.

IMHO Lithium xxx battery technology/chemistry has now improved to the point where I would buy a Cordless rather than corded version of pretty much any tool.

Have a look at this web post that comes up with a review of what's available in 2021:

https://housegrail.com/best-cordless-rotary-tools-guide/

Peter

The Redwood Sub
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jimfitch Prolific poster 5,276 posts
jimfitch

Might be worth a try for a

Might be worth a try for a cordless but I have two corded Demels and for now they do the job well.

.

Jim Fitch
northern VA
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UPWilly Prolific poster 1,964 posts
UPWilly

About the keyless chuck

It would be wise to get the original Dremel 4486 - there are "knock-offs" that have slightly different dimensions ans so do not work well with small drill bits on some Dremel tools. (I got bit on this one).

BTW, the shaft is, as I recall, not hexagonal - it is square.

 

Bill D.

egendpic.jpg 

N Scale (1:160), not N Gauge. DC (analog), Stapleton PWM Throttle.

Proto-freelance Southwest U.S. 2nd half 20th Century.

Keep on trackin'
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oldline1 Active Member 91 posts
oldline1
I have a very old corded Dremel I bought in 1973. It uses collets which can be a PITA when changing bits and things. It has worked very reliably since day one. I want to replace it with a newer one with speed control and other better features but I guess I'm too cheap! If it ain't broke don't replace it! LOL
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Pennsy_Nut Prolific poster 3,631 posts
Pennsy_Nut
All I can add is that: Every time I try a cordless tool. It fails. The batteries never last as long as you'd like. I'd hate to tell you how many battery operated tools I've had to throw out. A new battery costs almost as much as the new tool. I had a cordless weed eater that I paid $49 for. (Yes, that was years ago.) And when the battery failed, a new one cost $39. So that's my take.
My Dremel is ancient. Yes, it's a pain to change tips. The collet is awkward with the little wrench they give you. But it's still working.
And even a brand new Lithium powered tool I bought last year has also gone. So, those of you with Lithium batteries, I wish you luck!
On the other hand, look at all the Toyota Prius's still running.

Morgan Bilbo, DCS50, UR93, UT4D, SPROG IIv4, JMRI. PRR 1952.
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Neil Erickson NeilEr Moderator 5,782 posts
Neil Erickson NeilEr
I have two cordless and three chorded - all Dremels. Only one has had a problem that the collet has rusted in the shaft so it is dedicated to the cutting tool stick there. Other than that there have never been problems and the batteries last a long time. 

Neil Erickson, Hawai’i 

My Blogs
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mvlandsw Regular poster 163 posts
mvlandsw
The small stamped metal Dremel wrench can be difficult to use. A regular 3/8" mechanics wrench works much better on either the collets or the chuck. Usually I can just hand tighten the chuck for drilling, but when using a cutter, cutoff disc, or grinding stone I use the wrench to tighten the chuck  or the vibration will loosen it.

Mark Vinski
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