i want to pick up a dremel but i'm not sure which model to go for. it will be used mostly for car related projects and i'm willing to spend a reasonable amount for it. i was looking at this one...

http://www.dremel.com/en-us/tools/tool-detail.htm?H=188091&G=66981&I=69673

we have it at the home depot i work at for 80 bucks which didn't seem bad and it does what i need. any opinions?

You don't really need a Dremel persay. There are other brands of grinders that use the Dremel bits. I think I have a Cummins.

Either way, you will want the Dremel bits for sure.

Actually, the funny thing is, the bit kit is more important than the Dremel itself (though I do have a Dremel). Look closely at your needs and then look at the kits available. You may not even want a kit depending on your needs. You may just want a couple of bits. If in doubt go with the Dremel. I haven't bought one in many years but given the choice (if they have one) get the one with the most power.

MB

I have www.dremel.com/en-us/tools/kit-detail.htm?H=188091&G=66981&I=69724&KI=66977. So far, I've barely used any of the bits that it came with. No shit. I got this to p&p my TB a couple years back. I used a couple grinding stones (annoying, the way they pack up with material like aluminum) and the polishing bit (but with my own polish). That's about it. The TB looked great when I was done, until about a year and a half later, when I had Eddie Fierro bore it out for me, it was almost too out-of-round for him to put on his lathe. He had to "finesse" it to get it to work. He did though. :thumbsup

Otherwise, we went through all the cutting wheels in the kit just trying to cut off ONE of the rusted cat bolts on my exhaust. Seriously.

If I had it to do all again, I would get the Dremel, the flex attachment, a couple wire brush bits, a couple grinder bits, and a couple flap wheel sanding bits (these kick ass). Maybe one cutting wheel just in case.

It all depends on what you're going to use it for. Cutting things out of interior trim in a car? P&P? It's best to know what you want to do with it up front.

it'll be mostly used for polishing up various parts of the engine bay and possibly porting my s/c.

#1) get the most powerful one you can. Nothing frustrates me more than getting a cutting wheel up to full speed just to watch come to a stop when it contacts the material being cut.
#2) don't get this to port things, taking material off/out of something is why God invented the Die Grinder and Air Compressor.

These are really good for small projects on soft materials (plastic, wood, etc.) and clean/polishing hard to reach areas on manifolds and wheels, and other assorted things. I've gotten plenty of use out of mine, and I am to understand that they've gotten more powerful as of late, but don't go into the purchase as if it's the last power tool you'll ever buy (unless you get hit by a 747 as you walk out of the hardware store)

Originally posted by Keith2172
#1) get the most powerful one you can. Nothing frustrates me more than getting a cutting wheel up to full speed just to watch come to a stop when it contacts the material being cut. #2) don't get this to port things, taking material off/out of something is why God invented the Die Grinder and Air Compressor. These are really good for small projects on soft materials (plastic, wood, etc.) and clean/polishing hard to reach areas on manifolds and wheels, and other assorted things. I've gotten plenty of use out of mine, and I am to understand that they've gotten more powerful as of late, but don't go into the purchase as if it's the last power tool you'll ever buy (unless you get hit by a 747 as you walk out of the hardware store)

this definately won't be the last tool that i buy. the main things i want it for are the polishing and engraving features, i just figured i might try porting at some point.

i use a dremmel with an attachment i got from bcheads.com. it has the 1/8 shaft and holds the abrasive sanding rolls. i'll get pics of it. very easy to work with. and you don't have the noise of the compressor in your garage either.

i have one of the cordless ones.... it SUCKS. seriously if you want to stop what your doing every hour because the battery is dead, and wait a day or 2 so you can work on it for another hour, by all means get one...

here is that attachment holding the sanding roll. nice setup imo!