http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=94076

is that a good bang for the buck?
also, which attachment would i use to cut wood?

In my opinion its worth getting a name-brand rotary tool...
Something cheap like that is bound to "burn-up" under heavy loads or just down right die in the middle of a project!

Expect to pay $30+ for a decent rotary tool...

Chicago Electric branded stuff is all old refurbised crap that breaks usually within a month, stay away...FAR away, I would rather have an ECS motherboard in my main rig than one of thoes in my toolbox...

EDIT: I guess i should explain that a bit more indepth, the parts used to make thoes tools are mostly parts that dont make the cut from other manufacturers or parts that they got back with a broken product that was refurbished, Chicago Electric will salvage parts that others consider to be worth replacing even if they are not damaged and it results in some VERY poor quality tools. (Source local Harbor Freight store manager) I would normally say get it for the price if you only need to cut a few things, but a friend bought one of their electric impact wrenches and had it break after removing 3 lug nuts, took it back for a replacement, got the wheel off, and one of the lugnuts tight again before that one broke... Others friends of the family have bought various things of the brand and NONE of them have said good things about the stuff.

im not doing any massive heavy duty projects, i just want to cut a tiny piece of wood lol. and that is the last time i would use a rotary tool. that is why i dont wanna spend 30+ for a 1 time use thing. which rotary bit would i use to curve a circle in wood.

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/tools/tool-det...981&I=69724


enjoy it. Also if you ever need to etch, cut plexi, remove rust, anything like that this is the tool

Ok, let's look at this again, guy doing brake work on his car, buys $50 impact wrench that SHOULD last him several years and hundreds of uses and TWO of them cant even complete the job, heck they only removed 5 lugnuts and put one back on...

Personally I wouldnt touch the crap, you'll spend more money getting the POS replaced that you'll save by not getting a better brand to start with. There IS a reason the other brands cost more, a small part is price, but most of it is in quality looking at this situation.

EDIT: also I'm assuimg that by

you meant either carve or cut. For carving the bit you use will depend on the type of wood and the amout of material you want to remove, usually many bits would be used for the best result and sanded once finished.

If you meant cut (which I doubt)
You should forget these tools and buy a hole saw and some sand paper...

Yeah I'll have to agree here as well. Another option, depending on the amount of material you will be removing and type of material, you may want to look at using a router(the wood kind, lol). Those dremels are nice for certain things, but remember this, there is a tool designed for virtually anything and everything you can possible think of, so with that said, ALWAYS use the proper tool for the job. You don't want to get yourself hurt in the process of doing your work!

I'll have to 100% agree here, but this certainly sounds like it's a small job he's doing so a dremel or similar QUALITY tool should get it done ok.

It seems that you can get 10 Chicagos for one dremel...

I would try the Chicago and if it breaks, you will know to get a dremel.

Stay as far away from the Chicago branded stuff as possible i have dealt with some of thier stuff and it last maybe a month then its a paper weight

I have one of those, it's a complete joke. Right out of the box the shaft was bent so the bits would wobble. On top of that it had no power, you could stop it from spinning with you fingers. Look for sales, I got my Dremel 275 for 29 bucks at walmart.

Well depending on the location of their store to you no you cant. It takes time to drive there/have another one shipped to you, and it costs MONEY to drive there or to ship the defective POS back to them.

Even though...since when does $40 (nice dremel kit) / $8 (POS chicago electric thing) = 10? (it's actually more like 5 for the math challenged) Even so a Deremel can be had for under $30 if you skip the nice features (afterall the Chicago Electric version doesnt even have variable speed, something you NEED for woodworking).

A dremel is well worth the money. You may think this is the only thing you will do with it, but once you have it you will use it more than you think. I got handed down a 5 year old dremel when my brother upgraded and I have used it alot from day to day stuff. Such as modifying a license plate cover, case mods, making desk hole larger, etc. There will always be a use for it once you have it.

Another vote for a real Dremal, those ones from habor freight are crap. You will be happy that you got a nice one.

Chicago as everyone said= cheap CHEAP..... i bought a drill press from them.... motor died within a couple months

Yes demels are a little expensive, but they are pretty good. Try going to sears and looking at there rotary tools

Craftsman are pretty good for the price(there generally cheaper than the dremels), and they usually have a dremel stand right next to it. Try both, compare and see what you like IMO there both good, i'd just go with the craftsman as there cheaper

take it to a local hardware store, or borrow a neighbor/ friends

never buy anything for a one time use, unless u know u will need it again, or u are running into road blocks all the time, by not having one

I purchased a PowerMaster rotary tool from Bunnings (a hardware store in Oz) and 3 mod's later it's still going strong!

I have one of those chicago rotary tools. Junk. all i can say is JUNK. Mine also had a bent shart. and as the other guy said they have no power. it would not even cut plexi glass. u could grab the cutting wheel with your fingers and stop it from spining. I just went out and bought my Craftsman for 35 bucks. now two years and hundreds of proj. later it is still working fine. i have not even had to change the brushes yet. Stay as far away from cheap stuff like that. there is a reason they are cheaper then the other tools. Good Luck if you do buy one.

Don't buy generic tool crap like that, ESPECIALLY with power tools. I made that mistake with my first rotary tool. Wasn't as bad as a Chicago, but the motor quit on me after a few months. I then went out and spent my b-day money a few years ago on an $80 Dremel kit (LCD display variable speed. 5k to 35k RPM I think), and it's STILL going on strong. A good Dremel rotary tool is well worth the investment, and you'll learn a ton of things that it's useful for once you start working around the house more (modifying Phillips screws to standard, buffing up metal or woodwork, case modding, et cetera). It's a great all around tool, and well worth the money.

i wanna sell my dremel if ju want :-P

how muoch?

You'll be very happy if you get a Dremel...make sure that you get a variable speed tool as well, having just one speed sucks if you are actually going to use the thing.

"Tools are like hookers. You get what you pay for."
~ Old Proverb at State Parks.

QFT
*yay I got to use it!!*

is there anything better than a dremmel? but less than a compresed air rotary tool?

I have really bad luck with Dremels. Ive broken like 4, and am tired of geting new ones.

Foredom
They are awesome!!
The motor mounts onto the wall in your shop or w/e and a flex shaft comes out...
Just as maneuverable (sp?) as a dremel but obviously not portable.

They are expensive though, but totally worth it if you mod alot and have the space to mount it...

They even have drill press kits that the cutting tool mount to!

I dont do enough moding to get something like that. I was thinking more like a dremmel, but higher quality.

I own 3 different Dremels. I have a rechargeable for small stuff. One variable Pro, and the good ole fashioned Solid Black one with variable speed. I bought the variable Pro because I lent my old one to some one and forgot who had it. Well about a week after buying the Variable Pro I had my other one returned to me. I love my Dremels and there is no replacement for them. My old black one has been used to do cylinder head work, mod cases, remove suck bolts, and all kinds of other things. It has actually had the brushes replaced in it 2 times I think. Most of the other cheaper ones I have seen do not have user accessible brushes so just swapping them is out of the question. That is another BIG PLUS for Dremel.