Subject: Re: Dremel - pros and con

From: [email-masked] (John Whitmore)
Date: 3 Mar 1994 22:35:14 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
Phil Ngai <[email-masked]> wrote:
>In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (R.C. Jones) writes:
>>In my opinion the Foredom is far superior to the Dremel even though it 
>>costs more. I've worn out three screaming little Dremels. Both are
>
>No kidding. It sure would be nice if the Dremel sounded as though it
>were made with ball bearings. (I don't know if it is or not, but to
>me it sounds like it's about ready to destroy itself any minute.)

	The sound of the Dremel is not its bearings, it's the 
BRUSHES.  You can't get the speed this high (25000 rpm or so)
without either gearing or brushes, short of using an expensive
electronic control system.

	I've never had any trouble with the journal bearings
in Dremel tools; they are quiet, long-lasting and trouble
free.  Ball bearings would not be a noticeable improvement.

	What is annoying about Dremel tools is their inadequate
cooling: after a quarter hour's use, the things get hot
and start to smell funny...  :->

	John Whitmore

p.s. you can get a lot accomplished with a hand grinder
before the quarter hour is up.

---

From: [email-masked] (Cory Carpenter)
Date: Fri, 11 Mar 94 04:41:02 GMT

>free.  Ball bearings would not be a noticeable improvement.

Unless they've changed the design substantially in the last, oh, 12 years or 
so, Dremel tools *do* use ball bearings.  (John is correct though: the
brushes are the culprits as far as noise is concerned.)

-coryc

-- 
|     >> Disclaimer: I speak for Sequent only in our hardware manuals <<     |
| Cory R. Carpenter, Senior Tech Writer  |                                   |
| Sequent Computer Systems, Incorporated |       Nerds have needs too!       |
|  [email-masked]                     |                           --Me    |

---

From: Doug White <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 94 18:14:50 -0500

In article <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]> writes:

> >>In article <[email-masked]> 
> brushes are the culprits as far as noise is concerned.)

Although I have occasionally considered getting a Foredom, I still wouldn't
get rid of my Dremel.  When used with the drill press stand or router base, 
you can do a lot you can't do with a Foredom.

I have an old fixed speed ball bearing Dremel (Model 280?) that I use with 
the Dremel foot pedal speed control.  This is a wonderful combination!  The
problem is that if you want the ball bearings, you can't get the Dremel in
a fixed speed model anymore.  The internal speed control argues with the 
foot pedal control, even with the internal speed control set to full 'ON'.
You are stuck with either a bronze bearing model you can use with the foot 
pedal, or getting ball bearings and no foot pedal.  The only other possibility
is to bypass the speed control in the new ball bearing models, but I haven't 
torn open the one I have at work to see how tricky that might be.  I've
complained to Dremel about this problem, and although they admitted the
problem exists, they weren't very hopeful about changing it.  If my Model
280 dies, I will probably get a bronze bearing model, and just accept the
fact that it won't last as long.

------------------------------------------
Doug White
Satellite Communications Technology Group
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
244 Wood St.
Lexington, MA  02173-9108