New Dremel tool : Which one to get

[Clarence Martinn]

Need to get a new Dremel tool to do some wood carving on Walnut, Cherry and Maple. looked at the Dremel website, and they have cordless and corded. Which model has the least problems ?

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have a Ryobi that has performed very well for years. I also have a new corded, low voltage Dremmel, the smallest one. It is great for delicate stuff but not powerful. I have had Foredom in my cart for years, I hope to follow through and buy one soon.

[Richard Coers]

One of the first generation cordless Dremel's was a horrible tool. I'd stay with a cord if you want torque. I'd even recommend a flex shaft if you intend to use it a lot.

[George Yetka]

I had one of their cordless. I eventually threw it out. You have to build speed and then once it comes in contact with the work it slows or completely stops. I dont know if they ever improved on that but i now have a corded. I rarely use it but it works

[John K Jordan]

Need to get a new Dremel tool to do some wood carving on Walnut, Cherry and Maple. looked at the Dremel website, and they have cordless and corded. Which model has the least problems ?

I avoid cordless when possible because of batteries (they all eventually go bad and replacements are never cheap), the fact that they sometimes need charging at inconvenient times, and the speed and/or torque is sometimes limited. I do have numerous cordless tools and use them a lot around the farm where AC power is not easily available. Unless carving out on the middle of the woods i’d go with corded.

I have several Dremels and prefer those with variable speed. If planning to do a lot of carving you might look into a Foredom with variable speed. I far prefer those to Dremel for the power and the small, comfortable handpieces. Another thing I use a lot is a reciprocal carver - often quicker, more accurate, and can give a smoother surface than a rotary carver.

JKJ

[Keith Outten]

I own four Dremel tools, one of them I purchased in the late 70's and its been repaired several times.
I also own a 80,000 rpm air grinder that would be my choice for anyone who was doing a lot of carving work. Adjusting the air pressure allows you to adjust the rpm and the tool runs much smoother then any of the electric models. The body diameter fits nice in your hand, much smaller than any of the electric or battery style Dremel tools.

[Michael Schuch]

I love my 1/8" air grinder for polishing and carving. It doesn't have a huge amount of torque like a flex shaft but it is usually enough for most jobs I do. My 1/8" air grinder seems to be pretty close to the torque of my plug in Dremel by feel... without any real measurements. I love that the hand piece is small, lite and very maneuverable while the air line isn't stiff like a flex shaft. If you are going to be doing some heavy cutting the flex shaft will probably be a better option for you though.

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I would not buy a cordless rotary tool unless I had some special use case where I would not have access to an AC outlet. Not only do you have to worry about running out of power you have the weight of the battery that you have to manipulate with the tool itself.

The angled 1/8" die grinders can also be VERY handy for carving!
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[Keith Outten]

Michael,

I lie the little Jet with the 90 degree head. I'll have to go looking for that one.