Battery operated rotary tools

[Blind Bruce]

Does anyone have experience with battery operated rotyary tools like a Dremel? I am tired of tripping over the cords and wonder if the battery units are any good.
What brand should I look for?
BB

[ARTHILL]

I just bought the new Dremel Lithum-Ion Cordless. So far it is wonderful. I have used it a lot. Has good power and lasts a long time between charges. The balence is nice. It holds all my old bits and drills. So far I am a fan.

[Anonymous]

I don't even use my regular Dremels anymore,unless I'm doing some really heavy stuff,like cutting 1/4 inch bolts.The battery operated ones have a lot more power at slow speeds,which makes it great for fine work.I use the cheap ones cause they're small,and if ya get 4.8 and 7.2 packs,you get 4 different speed ranges.There's one that's pretty cool.They make one for golfers.It comes without batteries,but it has a pack that has squeeze tabs so you can take it apart.You're supposed to use Alkalines in it.The batteries you get in the tools are okay,but you can put better stuff in the golf ones.I think the ones in the tool packs are 700 MAH,these days,you can buy 2200's!!! They'll last almost 4x as long,and are cheaper than buying packs if they go bad..

[Anonymous]

I brought a cheapie on e-bay,(not a dremel) and it works realy well.

[Javern]

I have a rechargeable Dremel, best purchase of a tool I've ever made

[IRONROOSTER]

I have the Dremel lithuim-ion 10.8v rechargeable. I love it.
Enjoy
Paul

[Rotorranch]

We have a couple battery powered Dremels around the house, and it never fails to run out of charge about halfway through a job! [:(!]

I prefer my corded dremel, or for really big jobs, my air powered die grinders.

Rotor

[SpaceMouse]

Yep, rechargable Dremmel. Oh-Ho-ho-ho-ho!

[DavidGSmith]

I bought one and found out after I got it home that it won't hold numbered drills. I took it back. They (Home Depot) didn't know what a numbered drill was so they could not tell me if a collett was available. I'm tired of the cords in my way to. If there is one available I would have one in a heart beat.

[rlandry6]

All of my battery tools run out of power only when I'm using them. I have a cord model Dremel purchased sometime around 1978, and it still handles everything i need it to do. Tripping over cords????? last time i looked my Dremel only had one, and I don't ever remember it getting in my way.. it just keeps on ticking..

[DavidGSmith]

Yeah only one cord but it drags across everything. Maybe I'm just trying to work too fast.
That cord is stiff and catches on everything I don't want to snag.

[ARTHILL]

For numbered drills wrap a little aluminum foil around the shank and use the next larger collet. Will work for light and medium use.

[Anonymous]

Battery operated Dremel is the way to go - however, I always keep a spare battery pack in the charger for all my battery operated tools, so I don't run out of power before I run out of project.

I also believe that I saw where you can get a Dremel collett for numbered drills in the Micro Mark tools catalog.

[Anonymous]

Dremel cordless: Have a spare battery ready for all jobs. Also, I hang my corded Dremel flexible shaft from a ceiling mount (NO TRIPPING),

[Anonymous]

I started using the battery version about 15 years ago, just bought my first corded one this year for drilling all those grabiron holes in Walthers passenger cars.

[Anonymous]

I have a Dremel model 770, which is a 7.2v tool with two speeds (something like 10,000 and 20,000 RPM). I immediately bought an adjustable collet that Dremel also sells, and it fits 0 - 1/8" which obviously makes it very versatile. I actually love using it to drill grab iron holes because I can maneuver it every which way without getting tangled in the cord, and it's pretty lightweight so I can control it very well. The low speed is technically still somewhat fast for drilling plastic, and I do sometimes have to stop and clear some molten material off the bit, but the overall process of drilling holes goes so quickly that I don't touch pin vises anymore unless I really can't get the Dremel into an odd location.

It does sometimes run out of juice when I'm doing heavier work, like grinding away at plastic or metal, although it'd be less of a problem if I had a spare battery. In those cases I usually switch to a corded tool because portability isn't much of an issue, but torque and current draw are.

[Anonymous]

Folks:

I have two battery packs, and I haven't turned on my corded model for a year.

The killer way to use the cordless dremel is to chuck a 1/8 spiral cutting bit. It is absolutely the best thing for cutting thin plaster or thick foam. I used to use an old steak knife. No more.

Joe

[CJBeard]

Sears sells a small battery powered rotary tool that works very well. They also have numerous collets available.

[DBMitchell]

I have both the corded model with flexible shaft, and the smaller one that came as a free bonus when I bought the flex shaft kit.

I use the cordless for everything on the layout, and keep it in my toolbox that I take to the club. You can get a collet set that fits both at any store that has the Dremel display.

As to drillng all those #80 holes in Walthers kits, I much prefer the flexible shaft with a Micro-Mark foot switch. (Get the off-on type, NOT THE VARIABLE SPEED,as the speed control on the foot switch is not compatible with the Dremel speed control) I set the Dremel on Speed #1, hang up the motor on a hook above the work bench, and form a 90 degree bend in the flex shaft. Step on the foot switch and the motor runs at a slower speed than #1 due to the friction of the flex shaft. This is the ideal speed to drill the plastic (you will know when you get a continuous spiral of plastic ejected from the hole. Through practice you can fine tune this by adjusting the degree of bend in the flex shaft. The best part is, at this low power, if the drill seizes up it will stall the motor and not break the drill! I have drilled hundreds of holes with the same bit using this method in plastic.
Good luck

[LVJJJ]

I don't buy anything but battery powered tools, for convenience and the fact that I'm an RV'er. Hard to plug into a 12 volt battery. The key to using battery power is always having two batteries, charge one while using one is the way to go. So, when I buy a tool, I always budget for an extra battery.

[cefinkjr]

Absolutely love my 10.8v lithium ion Dremel.

One minor caveat though: "Digging" (OK, routing) an ash pit in maple plywood went a whole lot faster with a corded Dremel. The battery powered Dremel was doing the job but very slowly.

Chuck

[Anonymous]

I have both the battery and corded Dremmel. I like them both but use the battery one the most. It is powerful and have used it for everything from working on HO gauge structures to removing rust from the trailer hitch on my car. I do have extra batteries, but if I know I will be using it for a long time will use the corded one.

[Anonymous]

There are two solutions to the problem of not having a collet for every numbered drill there is. The printed circuit board industry uses drill bits from #96 to 1/4" with a 1/8" common shank for all sizes. The major draw backs to these drills are: A) they are expensive when compared to a standard high speed twist drill. B) they are "solid" carbide. This is why the expense and especially in smaller sizes they break very easily. I have seen these drills available through MicroMark and others. The other solution is the adjustable chucks that are available for the Dremel tool. They have a shaft to the rear that is compatible with the standard Dremel chuck and have three jaws that grip the drill when they are adjusted.