Dealmonger: A Dremel 400 Set For $47
By Chuck Cage
Long time TM reader Stuey writes: “For this very decent price you get get a Dremel 400, a case, a few accessories, a circle/parallal cutter, and a lawnmower blade sharpener. Note: This kit does not appear to include a flex-shaft attachment. If you want the flex-shaft, it’ll cost you another $30 or so. Remember to add the coupon code ‘SAVEXTRA’ at checkout to get 20% off, landing the final price at $47 and change. Also, I strongly disagree with the bad reviews of this tool on Amazon. This exact tool has served me well for over a year now. But if you buy the tool are are unhappy with it, Amazon has a pretty lenient return policy.”
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July 18th, 2007 at 11:59 am
I use to own this exact kit with just about ever attachment you can think of, I loved it right up until the Dremel caught fire in my hands. I still have all the accessories and bits, but just haven’t gotten around to getting an new Dremel.
July 18th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
I bought one for work and one for my shop. The one in my shop has lasted me over a year and works great. The one at work sparked and caught fire after a fewe months, much as Stephen’s probably did. Seems it’s a quality control issue.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Truth be told, i’m not a fan. The older, US-made dremel was better.
July 19th, 2007 at 8:47 am
I just bought the 55-piece, 4 attachment Dremel 400 kit from Lowes last week for $89. Normally I’d be ticked to read about the above deal, but check it out: Lowes’ current inventory of this item comes with the flex shaft attachment and the Dremel engraving tool as a bonus! Check the shelf inventory carefully; one store had only a 3 attachment package for the same price. There’s a yellow blurb on my box that states the engraver is included.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:03 am
I wonder if there is a good comparison somewhere of all the Dremel like tools. Including differences between the different dremel models. I have a cordless dremel but find it to be a bit gutless and I am going to buy a corded model, but want to get a good one.
anything that catches fire is not a good tool in my book.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Worst case scenario, if you’re concerned about the quality of a 400 series Dremel, go for a 300 series. There are a few differences between tools which may or may not matter to you.
The 400 (XPR) accepts a few of the newer attachments such as the planar, mini-saw, and jigsaw attachments.
The 400 has an on/off switch and speed control whereas the 395 only has soeed control with 0 being the “off” position.
The 400 has a different body shape and grip.
Umm, uh, er… that’s it? Yea, that looks like it. My XPR has served me well and never caught fire, but if I read the reviews and heard about spark fires, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:39 am
The Craftsman dremel clone looks identical aside from color scheme - is it possible that Bosch manufactures these tools for Sears?
The B&D was featured in a Hot or Not recently and from what I read, it wasn’t favored by too many TMers.
Aside from these 3 brands, there are numerous imports available at HF and Amazon (GMC branded) that can be found in the $20 range or less. It would be pretty interesting to see a head to head comparison, but given the performance of the B&D model, I don’t think the cheap no-name imports pose any threat to the Dremel.
As for Dremel cordless units, I keep reading about their underperforming lack of muscle. Perhaps Bosch will release a better one in the future since they’re now producing more and more Li-Ion tools. I’ve heard good things about the gun-grip Dremel, although its performance target is for fine detail work.
July 19th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
The AA-powered cordless units previously featured on TM are decent: http://toolmonger.com/2007/01/09/reader-find-dremels-alkaline-powered-minimite/
The power available depends on the batteries you put in ‘em, so a set of gonzo high-drain NiMH cells will blow the doors off the alkalines they’re designed for, or the ancient, anemic NiCd packs that the rechargeable Cordless MiniMite comes with.
If you’re really nuts, pick up some 1/2AA cells from http://www.cheapbatterypacks.com/main.asp?sid=576611&pgid=loosecells and turn that 2.4/4.8-volt tool into a 4.8/9.6-volt monster. Since those cells are made for high-drain R/C applications, the voltage sag under load shouldn’t be too severe. Y’know, I’m sorta tempted to try this now…
The Lithium-ion tools are promising, but is an ounce of weight worth $50? I’ll wait ’til the designs mature a bit and the prices come down. Seriously though, this would be a perfect place for that little 3x 18650 pack the Bosch pocket tools use.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
I would suggest finding the 5-35k RPM ‘Variable-Speed MultiPro Rotary Tool’ tool from Dremel.
It is a slight revision of the older model and thus it will not work with some of the 400-series attachments such as the planer, but it ‘feels’ like a much better tool and seems to carry a much better reputation. I have a MultiPro and I have never had any problem with it, runs perfectly and does anything you expect form a Dremel/Rotary tool.