Spyderco Forums

After many years of service my Dremel is finally having some issues. Seems it won't start unless I press on both brushes and seems to be worse when the Dremel is cold. I think the springs are wearing out. Over the years I've changed the brushes twice but this time it doesn't seem to help at all with the new brushes.

So it got me thinking of buying a new one and came across another brand called Proxxon on Amazon. I've never heard of this brand before as Dremel is the dominant brand I see in most stores along with a couple other names like Mastercraft or Jobmate.

Does anyone have any experience with the Proxxon rotary tool? From what I've read it's quieter and vibrates less than the Dremel. They make two different models. One is the Professional 38481 and the other is the Precision 38472. Is the Proxxon a good rotary tool or should I just stick with the Dremel?

I've been familiar with Proxxon tools for a while and I consider them to be of reasonable quality. Do I see them as appreciably superior to Dremel? Not at all. It's about a wash in my opinion. If, however, you are looking for a very high quality rotary type tool and you don't mind spending the money for it, , , I'd suggest a Foredom as they are unmatched in both quality and capabilities (IMHO). However, for occasional hobby type tasks I doubt most anyone would come near the capability limits of either the Dremel or Proxxon.

SQSAR wrote:...I'd suggest a Foredom as they are unmatched in both quality and capabilities (IMHO)...

Any particular details on why this is better? I've been looking at maybe picking up one of the SR-series and was wondering what opinions were out there.

Thanks for the info on the Foredom. It's another option I'll have to think about. I don't use my Dremel every day but have used it quite a bit over the years. Nothing beats using quality tools but I'll have to think about it if it's worth it for me.

angusW wrote:Thanks for the info on the Foredom. It's another option I'll have to think about. I don't use my Dremel every day but have used it quite a bit over the years. Nothing beats using quality tools but I'll have to think about it if it's worth it for me.

2nd the Foredom. I've had mine for a decade. More importantly, my mother has had hers for many years longer than that and uses it professionally.

+1 for fordom I have used one daily for many years with no problems
the torque and smooth bearings are FAR better than the ever cheapening dremel
take your problem one apart and you will see where the bearings have heated and distorted the plastic, after that happens the bearings can get canted and groove the shaft.
plus the aquarium airline they use for a shaft coupler is one of the worst designs I've seen

Doesn't Dremel have a "commercial/professional" line of tools? I've been told that they do have a higher end line up that is sold by many of the woodworking tool vendors.

Also if I remember correctly there is a wood carving magazine either out of the UK or Australia that sells and rates all the rotary tools? I once had 2 copies of that magazine and it's been a while since I looked at one of them.

Also does Bosch or any of the other high end tool companies have a high quality rotary carving tool?

I use the crap out of my Dremel, and it finally stopped working - the brushes were fine. I took it apart and carefully vacuumed all the rock, bone, wood, and metal dust from it, put it back together and it works great. You might try this. I love my Dremel - best gift I ever got.

- best wishes, Jazz.

Jazz wrote:I use the crap out of my Dremel, and it finally stopped working - the brushes were fine. I took it apart and carefully vacuumed all the rock, bone, wood, and metal dust from it, put it back together and it works great. You might try this. I love my Dremel - best gift I ever got.

- best wishes, Jazz.

This is a good point. As much as I like Foredom, the bang for the buck that Dremel brings to the table is pretty good. I know I've got a couple that I still can't believe are still working. All told though, the Foredom brings more torque to the equation and can accept a larger diameter shaft = more cutting options.

My Foredom just showed up today. Build quality seems very high and the motor is nice and quiet. I'm certainly looking forward to putting this to work on my Mule project!

hey guys,
i received a black and decker rtx as a christmas gift from the last place i worked.
i know it's not considered a quality brand any more, but mine has served me well for home projects and the occasional scale making project i've tackeled over the last couple of years.
it's lasted longer than the last dremel i bought, and seen about the same amount of use.
later,
don

Jazz wrote:I use the crap out of my Dremel, and it finally stopped working - the brushes were fine. I took it apart and carefully vacuumed all the rock, bone, wood, and metal dust from it, put it back together and it works great. You might try this. I love my Dremel - best gift I ever got.

- best wishes, Jazz.

^^^^Hehe.


I had an old, base model Dremel a while back, never used it much because I just found it too cumbersome for precise work.
A month or so ago I found this;





The Dremel Stylus. It's a little short on power compared to the corded models (but not much).
I love it.