Dremel Stylus

[cwalker3]

I just picked one of these little guys up today from Home Depot. It looks and feels like it’ll be much more controllable than the old Dremels we are all familiar with. It weighs about a pound and is the size of a small glue gun. Lithium ion battery which the mfg. claims will hold a a charge for up to two years. Speed adjustable from 5K-25K rpm. It uses all of the standard Dremel accessories. Mine also came with a driver drill of abaout the same size as well as a few assorted bits and accessories. It should make a neat little addition to the modeling bench.

[squeakie]

I just picked one of these little guys up today from Home Depot. It looks and feels like it’ll be much more controllable than the old Dremels we are all familiar with. It weighs about a pound and is the size of a small glue gun. Lithium ion battery which the mfg. claims will hold a a charge for up to two years. Speed adjustable from 5K-25K rpm. It uses all of the standard Dremel accessories. Mine also came with a driver drill of abaout the same size as well as a few assorted bits and accessories. It should make a neat little addition to the modeling bench.

about two weeks ago I went to use my moto tool, and promptly fried it under a no load condition! So I’ve been shopping for a new one, and saw that one. I liked the way it felt in my small hands. Keep us posted on how well it works cause I’m very interested in it.

gary

[hkshooter]

I’ve had one for almost two years now. Love it and I never use my regular Dremel anymore.

[cwalker3]

I used the driver drill today to assemble an Ikea computer desk. If anyone has ever assembled one of these beasts from Ikea, you know it comes with hundreds of various size screws. I was a little concerned about the lack of torque and battery power but the tool handled them all without a problem. Torque was surprising for such a small battery. And it stayed powered up for the entire build, about 4 hours. Pretty impressive I think.

If the dremel tool works as well, I’ll be more than satisified.

[Kolschey]

This is a review of the Stylus that I wrote when I purchased it a few years ago. To this day, It has continued to meet or exceed my expectations. Indeed, I just purchased one for my father this year for the holidays.

Dremel 1100 Stylus Review

Recently, while checking on Dremel tool parts, I went to Dremel’s web site. To my surprise, I discovered that they had released a new tool this March. Specifically, the model 1100 Stylus.

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/tools/tool-detail.htm?H=188091&G=66204&I=69808

I was immediately intrigued. As a sculptor who creates work from various found-object materials including hard plastic and light metals, I have found that a Dremel tools is an essential piece of equipment in my workshop. On seeing the new design I was struck by two features.

The first thing that jumped out was that it is cordless. Given that there are times where I find that my shop is a veritable snake’s pit of cables and wires run amok, and the frequent need to be able to move about the workspace without concern for my distance from a socket, I prefer the convenience and flexibility of a good cordless tool for many tasks. Furthermore, the description indicated an improved Lithium Ion battery that could hold a charge for a prolonged time. One of the challenges of the earlier generations of cordless tools having been that they often seemed to lose power at a substantial rate from the moment of being removed from their charger.

The other quality that caught my eye was the basic configuration. The new design seemed to offer the ability to “choke up” on the grip of the tool, thus bringing more control to the tip. Given that I often work on smaller parts that need a high degree of precision in reshaping, this immediately offered me a potential advantage.

After a few weeks of consideration, I found the tool at Amazon.com and placed my order.

The box from Amazon arrived shortly after 6:00 Wednesday evening, and I was just out the door to dinner with my wife and friends, so I had to wait until the next morning to open it.

Thursday morning after breakfast, I had the opportunity to play with my new Dremel.

The tool was well packaged in a handsome hexagonal display container.

(I should probably insert an obligatory joke about how I could well have used a Dremel to free my new tool from it’s packaging 8) ) That said, everything was in good order in the box. I was pleasantly surprised to flip the switch and discover that the tool had a charge right out of the box. Given that part of this tool is an improved rechargeable battery that is supposed to be much better on battery memory, it indicated to me that firstly, the tool was likely tested at the factory (kudos for quality control!) and secondly, that from the point of testing and packaging, it had kept a charge up to the point that it found itself in my happy little hands.

I brought the tool down with the charging base and plugged it in at 9AM sharp. As of 11 AM, it had fully recharged itself.

The tool is pleasantly lightweight. Having worked with a Dremel 500 series with a Flexible shaft attachment and a Craftsman Moto Rotary Tool for a number of years, I found that it is lighter in the hand than the Craftsman tool, and easier to control than the Dremel flex-shaft attachment, due to the lack of cabling to constrain the rear axis of the tool’s movement. It is absolutely easier in the hand than the standard corded Dremel tools without flex-shaft attachments.

The grip is very close to the chuck, which facilitates close work; I found it gives me very precise control when held in the standard pistol grip. Indeed, one of the virtues of that alignment is that I am able to use my left hand (the hand holding the work) to simultaneously serve as a steadying influence on the butt of the grip.

The manual shows several suggested grips, but so far I am most comfortable with the standard pistol grip. That may likely be as much my own preference, however. The tool is certainly light enough that it seems that were I inclined towards the “Reverse Grip” position, this would likely not be an undue strain.

I found that up from the low through the mid-power levels, the tool is surprisingly quiet. For light plastics like styrene, you can set it as low as “2”. For harder plastics, I’ve adjusted it up to around “6” in order to get a good balance of power and control. It has performed perfectly satisfactorily on all the plastics I have used it on.

The tool also seems to do pretty nicely with light metal. I’ve used it on some die-cast toy parts recently, using a carbide cutting head. I did this as much for the sake of testing, however. While in general I do some reshaping and grinding of smaller metal parts with a Dremel, for any serious cutting work I use either a hacksaw or a dedicated metal cutter like a chopsaw.

I have no doubt that this tool will prove itself perfectly versatile in dealing with most wood stock, for small scale reshaping and detailing, within reasonable expectations.

Now one thing to keep in mind about this tool is that it’s maximum speed is 25,000 RPM, as opposed to my Dremel 595 Corded tool, which is capable of 30,000 RPM. At this point, I can’t honestly say whether that last 5,000 RPM truly makes a significant difference in most cutting applications.

So far, I like this tool. Indeed, I could definitely foresee this becoming one of my most frequently used pieces of equipment. It has a good deal of power and control in a surprisingly small and comfortable frame. The ergonomics of the piece are comfortable in the hand, and attractive. It is definitely aesthetically reminiscent of the Phaser pistols from Star Trek.

What pleases me so far about this model is that it is clearly the result of some serious design and engineering work specifically tailored towards the needs of everyday users. I imagine that the prototypes must have gone through some serious Beta-testing in order to get the functionality and balance just right.

Now I have only had the tool for a short while. At this point, the real questions that will have to be answered are ones of long-term durability. There are a few things I will keep my eye on.

For one, the controls. The trigger is reasonably responsive, and requires only a gentle pressure to activate or deactivate the tool. It is a semi-flexible button that is activated with the first finger. It will be worth observing whether this is eventually a point of failure, or holds up under months of use. Similarly, the rear dial for adjusting power is smooth and requires only a gentle touch to dial up or down. I am hoping that this element also holds up over time. Perhaps this is my concern as much due to the fact that I am accustomed to working with more “chunky” industrial tools.

I am also interested to see if the powerplant holds up. At present, I imagine that it will. My old Dremel 595 Type 3 is still going strong after fifteen years. Unlike the standard Dremel tools, however, there are no user-serviceable parts.

My last question regards the battery. The new Lithium Ion battery is designed to be better for holding and maintaining a charge. I will be curious to see how long the internal battery holds up before requiring factory replacement.

These are simply a few thoughts, however, and not serious concerns at present.

At this time, I am rather pleased with my new Dremel, and seriously look forward to exploring it’s potential further in the months ahead. Should it hold up satisfactorily under conditions of daily use in a workshop environment, I will indeed consider it well worth the investment.

[squeakie]

This is a review of the Stylus that I wrote when I purchased it a few years ago. To this day, It has continued to meet or exceed my expectations. Indeed, I just purchased one for my father this year for the holidays.

Dremel 1100 Stylus Review

Recently, while checking on Dremel tool parts, I went to Dremel’s web site. To my surprise, I discovered that they had released a new tool this March. Specifically, the model 1100 Stylus.

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/tools/tool-detail.htm?H=188091&G=66204&I=69808

I was immediately intrigued. As a sculptor who creates work from various found-object materials including hard plastic and light metals, I have found that a Dremel tools is an essential piece of equipment in my workshop. On seeing the new design I was struck by two features.

The first thing that jumped out was that it is cordless. Given that there are times where I find that my shop is a veritable snake’s pit of cables and wires run amok, and the frequent need to be able to move about the workspace without concern for my distance from a socket, I prefer the convenience and flexibility of a good cordless tool for many tasks. Furthermore, the description indicated an improved Lithium Ion battery that could hold a charge for a prolonged time. One of the challenges of the earlier generations of cordless tools having been that they often seemed to lose power at a substantial rate from the moment of being removed from their charger.

The other quality that caught my eye was the basic configuration. The new design seemed to offer the ability to “choke up” on the grip of the tool, thus bringing more control to the tip. Given that I often work on smaller parts that need a high degree of precision in reshaping, this immediately offered me a potential advantage.

After a few weeks of consideration, I found the tool at Amazon.com and placed my order.

The box from Amazon arrived shortly after 6:00 Wednesday evening, and I was just out the door to dinner with my wife and friends, so I had to wait until the next morning to open it.

Thursday morning after breakfast, I had the opportunity to play with my new Dremel.

The tool was well packaged in a handsome hexagonal display container.

(I should probably insert an obligatory joke about how I could well have used a Dremel to free my new tool from it’s packaging 8) ) That said, everything was in good order in the box. I was pleasantly surprised to flip the switch and discover that the tool had a charge right out of the box. Given that part of this tool is an improved rechargeable battery that is supposed to be much better on battery memory, it indicated to me that firstly, the tool was likely tested at the factory (kudos for quality control!) and secondly, that from the point of testing and packaging, it had kept a charge up to the point that it found itself in my happy little hands.

I brought the tool down with the charging base and plugged it in at 9AM sharp. As of 11 AM, it had fully recharged itself.

The tool is pleasantly lightweight. Having worked with a Dremel 500 series with a Flexible shaft attachment and a Craftsman Moto Rotary Tool for a number of years, I found that it is lighter in the hand than the Craftsman tool, and easier to control than the Dremel flex-shaft attachment, due to the lack of cabling to constrain the rear axis of the tool’s movement. It is absolutely easier in the hand than the standard corded Dremel tools without flex-shaft attachments.

The grip is very close to the chuck, which facilitates close work; I found it gives me very precise control when held in the standard pistol grip. Indeed, one of the virtues of that alignment is that I am able to use my left hand (the hand holding the work) to simultaneously serve as a steadying influence on the butt of the grip.

The manual shows several suggested grips, but so far I am most comfortable with the standard pistol grip. That may likely be as much my own preference, however. The tool is certainly light enough that it seems that were I inclined towards the “Reverse Grip” position, this would likely not be an undue strain.

I found that up from the low through the mid-power levels, the tool is surprisingly quiet. For light plastics like styrene, you can set it as low as “2”. For harder plastics, I’ve adjusted it up to around “6” in order to get a good balance of power and control. It has performed perfectly satisfactorily on all the plastics I have used it on.

The tool also seems to do pretty nicely with light metal. I’ve used it on some die-cast toy parts recently, using a carbide cutting head. I did this as much for the sake of testing, however. While in general I do some reshaping and grinding of smaller metal parts with a Dremel, for any serious cutting work I use either a hacksaw or a dedicated metal cutter like a chopsaw.

I have no doubt that this tool will prove itself perfectly versatile in dealing with most wood stock, for small scale reshaping and detailing, within reasonable expectations.

Now one thing to keep in mind about this tool is that it’s maximum speed is 25,000 RPM, as opposed to my Dremel 595 Corded tool, which is capable of 30,000 RPM. At this point, I can’t honestly say whether that last 5,000 RPM truly makes a significant difference in most cutting applications.

So far, I like this tool. Indeed, I could definitely foresee this becoming one of my most frequently used pieces of equipment. It has a good deal of power and control in a surprisingly small and comfortable frame. The ergonomics of the piece are comfortable in the hand, and attractive. It is definitely aesthetically reminiscent of the Phaser pistols from Star Trek.

What pleases me so far about this model is that it is clearly the result of some serious design and engineering work specifically tailored towards the needs of everyday users. I imagine that the prototypes must have gone through some serious Beta-testing in order to get the functionality and balance just right.

Now I have only had the tool for a short while. At this point, the real questions that will have to be answered are ones of long-term durability. There are a few things I will keep my eye on.

For one, the controls. The trigger is reasonably responsive, and requires only a gentle pressure to activate or deactivate the tool. It is a semi-flexible button that is activated with the first finger. It will be worth observing whether this is eventually a point of failure, or holds up under months of use. Similarly, the rear dial for adjusting power is smooth and requires only a gentle touch to dial up or down. I am hoping that this element also holds up over time. Perhaps this is my concern as much due to the fact that I am accustomed to working with more “chunky” industrial tools.

I am also interested to see if the powerplant holds up. At present, I imagine that it will. My old Dremel 595 Type 3 is still going strong after fifteen years. Unlike the standard Dremel tools, however, there are no user-serviceable parts.

My last question regards the battery. The new Lithium Ion battery is designed to be better for holding and maintaining a charge. I will be curious to see how long the internal battery holds up before requiring factory replacement.

These are simply a few thoughts, however, and not serious concerns at present.

At this time, I am rather pleased with my new Dremel, and seriously look forward to exploring it’s potential further in the months ahead. Should it hold up satisfactorily under conditions of daily use in a workshop environment, I will indeed consider it well worth the investment.

one thing about the 25K speed is that it actually will be easier on grinding wheels. Most units I’ve used in the past that had a 30K speed seemed to eat wheels up. But on the otherhand it’s barely fast enough for diamond tipped tools. They like 40K or more when you get in the small sizes.

With the above being said I may also opt for a new small compressor in the future. I have a turbine grinder that runs off 40psi and about 2.5cfm. It’s about the size of a large crayon, and is the best thing I’ve ever seen with diamond or solid carbide tools. But you have to always be carefull with it, as if you put it in a normal 85psi sir supply it becomes a hand grenade. I have three or four really nice miniture die grinders. Problem I have is with the electric ones. I seem to eat them up on a regular basis.

gary