Dremel 8000-03 10.8-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Rotary Tool
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Dremel 8000-03 10.8-Volt Lithium Ion Cordless Rotary Tool
Customer Review: Best rotary tool out there period
Summary: 5 Stars
Out of all of my tools this one is used practically everyday. The old Dremel battery-powered units cannot hold a candle to this Li-Ion unit, it actually has some power and it lasts - I would not consider being without one. I have used to clean off the jagged edge of an aluminum propeller without a recharge and have actually used it to cut off the handcuffs on a detainee without any problems (ensure you wrap the wrist with a wet towel, the metal of course gets hot). I recommend you obtain a second battery, I use it often and when it's depleted it's now, not gradually like the old Ni-Cad powered units. With the Li-Ion it charges up in less than 15 minutes. I have one and purchased one for my father - he loves it.Customer Review: By Far The Best Cordless Choice
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me say that I am not a craftsman by any means, but have studied and purchased tools for many years. This tool has become one of my favorite tools in a short period of time. Here are some of my reasons.
1) Customer service.
I had to call in because I didn't understand something on the unit and could not figure out the manual, and received a live person and the answer I needed in 1 minute!!! Unbelievable!! When I was at Menards looking for attachments to add to this unit, the sales people there didn't know squat, but I was able to get Dremel customer service on the phone after about a four minutes wait. She knew her stuff and helped me again. So they have the best customer service I have experienced with any tool company.
2) Quality of the device. This tool is sturdy. It feels like a quality piece with practical and durable components. For example, the little collet nut is easy enough to loosen with your bare fingers, but it locks down tightly without a problem. This tells me that the 'crowns and roots' of the threading inside the nut and the threading on the housing of the unit is of a higher quality than some tools offer. This is a little thing, but it shows a company is detail oriented and not just cranking out parts as cheaply as possible. The housing is light and strong. A great engineering choice in my view. The adjustable pieces on this all work well. It has a metal hanging clip that works well with things like the Dremel Workstation or a hook on a peg board. Even the metal clip is a little better than some tools have. This is a good tool guys.
3) Features. The features on this unit are all easy to use. The blue button to hold the collet in place while loosing the nut or tightening the nut is smooth and works with little pressure (that's a good thing if you just nailed your finger with a hammer). The thumbwheel speed control is variable. Variable speed is important for certain applications (some of them are explained in the 'Quick Start Book' that comes with the unit.
Not only is the variable speed smooth and easy to use, it's positioned so that you do not tend to bump the speed up or down while using it. That's another feature I like. The feel in the hand does not require a cramped hold, and so if you are older or have any kind of hand pain, this unit probably won't intensify your pain.
4) Web support. If you are a visual learner or just don't feel like reading the books (there are two with this unit). Then you can go to the Dremel site and just click on videos. These are short and well done. I really enjoyed that. All the links worked well and the website is clean and up to date, unlike some companies I have worked with recently.
5) Flexibility. One thing that the Hardware store clerks I spoke to and the Dremel person I spoke to did not know, is that this unit really works in attachments that do not specify the 8000 series. I found it works in the workstation as a drill press and as a wood shaper (free hand). The reason for this is that the housing nut matches the other Dremel units. A Dremel employee told me that the reason they don't recommend this model for certain attachments is because this is a battery operated unit. I found my new battery down only about 30% after 20 minutes of cutting and sanding. This unit also works really well with a variety of other brand accessories, like Ace Hardware's accessory packs (they are pretty good with more pieces for the money than other brands). In reality this is the only cordless Dremel that lasts long enough to work in the attachments they offer. So, with this cordless you can add attachments that don't list the 8000 series on the box.
By the way, Dremel staff are trained to distinguish between attachments and accessories. Accessories are the mandrels, cutting discs, grinding and sanding tips, etc.... The attachments are the workstations, router guide, etc... I found that out by accidentally calling an attachment an accessory and then customer support started talking about the tips that go on the tool. It took a few minutes for me to figure out why she wasn't answering my question exactly. I had inadvertantly switched the topic because to the uninformed (me), accessories were the same as attachments. Anyhow, just remember that accessories are the bits and tips. Attachments are the jigs and other things that can be mounted onto the tool to accomplish drill press or routing, etc....
6) Battery power is superior because it is the lithium pack. These last longer and are a major improvement over the two speed cordless that so many have complained about because it does not have a long lasting battery.
7) Storeage case: The case has a spot for everything. The little wrench fits into a spot in the case that keeps it visible and snug. there is a slick spot for the books to slide into in the top half of the housing, which shows about a third of the book. Dremel has the title of the book visible in that third, so if you put it back in as they send it, you can see which book you are taking...the owners manual or the quick start book. The quick start book is a color book with a lot of pictures in it.
This book has become a source of a wide variety of ideas for using the tool to solve problems. Some are common problems and some are really neat. For example, the tell you what bit/piece to put into the tool and give you simple step by step instructions for how to prepare an egg shell and make it into a painted decorative present with a cut away section that enables you to put a photo in it or some decorative pieces. They give step by step pictures/instructions on how to make signs (like a street address sign). For every idea, the show the bit photo and part number needed. All the project ideas are organized into categories like: Outdoor projects, Indoor projects and Gift/Craft projects.
This product is a mature product with a well thought out manual and project (quick start) book. Again I iterate that I've fallen in love with this tool. It's become one of my primary go to tools for small jobs around the house. I'll probably end up using it on my car and at work too. In my view it's a five star tool.
Customer Review: Can't beat it!
Summary: 5 Stars
The lithium is what makes this thing not only plenty powerful, but it lasts at full power till its dead.
My only gripe at all is that there is not two batteries... I realize this would raise the initial price, so that was a marketing decision.
Usually be the time the battery is dead, you've been running so long, you're ready for a break anyway.
But you can do most any job on one charge anyway.
I've had mine for two years, the only time I've used the battery up was when I was polishing a stainless steel pistol "quite tedious".. I could go non-stop for about 45 min to an hour while polishing with constant on and off friction.
Although the unit gets a bit hot, just position your hand so the vent holes get air and your good.
If you ever overload it with too much too fast, it will protect itself and shut off for a cool down.
Pretty hard to damage this unit from regular use.
An excellent little device.
I use mine for sharpening my chain saw to doing light trim work around the house and of course cutting metal, fiberglass etc.
Pay attention to which way the wheel is turning and use glasses of come sort!
Customer Review: Cord or cordless?
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought the Dremel 10.8v rotary cordless drill for the purpose of removing tile grout. At first it worked well. But, the battery only lasted 45 minutes. Then the problems started. The 1/16 inch grout bits only lasted a few minutes then broke. I had better luck when I was removing 1/8 inch grout because the 1/8 inch bit lasted for hours before it started getting dull. Since the grout bits are not well made, I found another brand that cuts much better, much cheaper in price, and last longer.
I HAD to get the grout removed and this was the only tool I found that would do that. But, after a few days the Dremel broke. I still had grout to take care of, so I bought a corded Dremel to continue the work while the cordless was sent in for repairs. To the credit of Dremel, the cordless was promptly repaired and returned along with a free accessory for my trouble. I started using the cordless again and it stopped working again. This time it just stayed on fast speed. So, off it went to the post office again to send in this thing for repair. It is repaired again, but this time I am using the corded Dremel.
I also tried the tool on other jobs such as removing paint from a window frame, sanding a small section of wood, drilling a pilot hole for a screw, and cutting off a screw that I could not remove. What I found was that the Dremel did a fair job if you have a steady hand. However, some of the accessories either break easily or grind down quickly. And these accessories are not cheap. You can easily spend 3 times the price in bits and accessories than what you pay for the tool itself.
The bottom line is, this thing is mostly good for small work such as crafts. But, can also come in handy when a large drill or sander just will not fit. Just stay away from the cordless.
Customer Review: Cordless Dremel
Summary: 5 Stars
This Dremel set works extremely well, and only costs 70% of the full retail price. It's great when you can get the same product at a better price. Very convenient tool, and the cordless feature is a must!