After 25+ years my faithful 395 Type 3 Dremel went down. I have a replacement part for it coming. Thank goodness it is something minor. In the meantime, because I had a rod I absolutely had to keep working on, I ran to town and bought a cordless 8100 series Dremel. What a disappointment! Within 15 minutes of operation, the tool started randomly shutting off. I finally started a stopwatch and counted 14 shut offs in a 1 minute time frame. After reading reviews online, I see I'm not the only one with that issue. So, in the end, Dremel is taking this 8100 back and I am going to upgrade to another tool.

What model of Dremel do you have?

How long have you had it?

How does it perform for you?

What are your most common rod building tasks you use it for?

And, if you had to buy all over again, would you want that same model again?

Thanks in advance for your input. (BTW...I can't stop looking at the 9100 Fortiflex)


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Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Not sure of the model Number. Have had it about 22 years and have rebuilt it once. Use it for cutting ferules for rod repair and sanding drums for cork work.

I've owned three. The best of the lot is one my dad bought for himself in the very early 1960's. It is a vastly superior tool to any model Dremel makes currently. The cordless model I bought wasn't very good and the batteries failed completely within a year. The current model I'm using is Multi-Pro 395. I've used it quite a bit over the past 4 or 5 years and found it to be reliable.


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I currently have a Lithium-Ion Cordless Model 800. Have had it for several years so I think it has been replaced. Battery hold a charge well. Don't build a lot of rods but I do use it for repairs. Cut off broken reel seats, shorten blanks, polish and buff off tarnish, etc. I've also used it to make golf clubs, polish and modify lures, and even trim my puppy dogs toe nails. I like the fact that I can take it to the job and I'm not tied down by an electrical cord or a cable. it gets hard use. Now of course if I needed a dedicated tool at a workstation to just assemble fishing rods I probable would want something a but more industrial. By the way, as far as your described problem, did you try to just replace the motor brushes? As a retire Army Maintenance Officer, my experience tells me that is generally the first step in getting an uncooperative Dremel or any other rotating electrical tool to work better. That is of course unless you can feel that the chuck (shaft) wiggles side-to-side (bad bearing) or it has too much end play (move it in and out).

Matt,
I have had 3 or 4 different Dremel's over the years. Two of them gave up a long time ago and the current ones are about 20-30 years old and work fine. I do have replacement brushes for them and have replaced the brushes from time to time.

I have put keyless chucks on both of them, which I enjoy having. I still use a tool now and then, but I never use them at all very much for rod building.

I have mini chop saws as well as medium and large chop saws that I use for any sort of rod building - chopping.

Be safe

I have the 3000 Series Variable Speed and it does the job. I think I've had it 5 or 6 yrs. I use it for grinding guides and cutting blanks, cutting off seats, etc. I'd get it again if I had to.

_________________________________________
"Angling is extremely time consuming.
That's sort of the whole point." - Thomas McGuane

If you want the top shelf rotary tool, check out a Foredom. 1/6hp, reversible, foot speed control, and a small chuck separate from the large motor. You hang the motor, and use the flex cable connected chuck to do the work. Very nice piece of gear. Higher price than a Dremal, but a lot more capability.

I also have the Foredom. They are American made in Bethel Ct, and have a very fine line of power tools. I have an accessory that clamps to a bench or table top and to the hand held portion
of the tool letting you hold guides, etc against a stationary wheel, rather than using the tool as a handheld. Being USA made, availabily of parts & accessories is assured and they
are very easy to deal with.

I also have the Foredom. They are American made in Bethel Ct, and have a very fine line of power tools. I have an accessory that clamps to a bench or table top and to the hand held portion of the tool letting you hold guides, etc against a stationary wheel rather using the tool as a handheld. Being USA made, availabily of parts & accessories is assured and, as a company, they are very easy to deal with.

The Foredom tool is a superior and high quality piece of equipment, no doubt.

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I was afraid someone was going to mention Foredom. I used one on my internship many years ago and looked them up. They're even more impressive than I remember.

I have to admit, the Dremel I see today isn't the Dremel I remember from the 90's and its hard to overlook that.

I appreciate the positive feedback for Foredom.


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Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

My 25+ year old dremel crapped out about 2 years ago. The shaft stripped. For a while, I installed a scrap piece of a St Croix crankbait blank as the shaft. It lasted for another year or so. I can't remember the model I have now, but it works just fine. I still need to get a new 90° head for it cause the one for my old one doesn't fit. The 90° head makes I easier to trim blanks and grind guide feet.