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Ok guys dont know if I am posting this in the right area but here goes. I am debating with my self about purchasing a dremel for my wargaming hobby. I am thinking of getting the 200 or the 300 model as they are currently cheap in stores however I do not know if they are should we say a "relevent helpful tool" in the hobby and will it be a worthwhile purchase. What do you guys think? Any suggestions will be brilliant.
Regards Quad.

What do you intend to use it for?

Terrain making,homemades and scratch builds, removing mould lines and that sort of thing.

I don't know, I've used x-acto knifes for all those activates with a fair amount of success.

Yeah x-acto's are great for light use but not for heavy duty projects.

Damn why do i keep contradicting myself?

QuadX wrote:removing mould lines

Oh my god please don't remove mould lines with any kind of power tool

Dremels are very usefull tools to have handy. But I wouldn't advise removing mould lines with them unless were taking a model cast out of iron in which case I'd agree,

I'd always advise people to buy one just to have handy for that scenery/ construction/furniture project you haven't thought of yet.

I have been building models for close to 15 years, been doing 40k now for almost 2, and I bought a dremmel about 8 years ago.....I think I have maybe used it on hobby related stuff perhaps a half a dozen times.

Now the instances I have used have been very specific and required that kind of tool, but for general 40k hobby use I really can think of only two times that I have used it. Once was to cut the heads off of some metal cast boars to make some chaos boar minotaurs, and the other time was after I removed the head from the finecast Sternguard sergeant(the one with the power fist) His helmet was badly cast, so I cut it off then dremmled out the helmet hole so I could place another helmet.

In the end it is not a high priority tool.

Ashton

i have a dremel and it is pretty useful, but only in a limited capacity. i've used it with great success to take off caked-on glue, used the round grinder to clean out shoulder joints, and even used brushes to strip pewter models. you can use a cutting bit for clean cuts on conversions with no problem.

chances are if you have the right bit you can use the dremel to acheive an aim.

but there's things that other tools can do as well or better: a regular drill for installing magnets, exacto for preparing models, etc.

I find it a useful tool. I use mine with very small drill bits to drill out the barrels on my bolters and guns etc. Also to drill battle damage holes into my tanks, and use the grinders to scratch up my tanks to create all kinds of battle damage effects.

It's also instrumental in building my own custom sheet metal movement trays for Warhammer fantasy, so that way all of my models can be magnetized and I can build metal movement trays to any size I want.

Rotary tools are WAY overkill for any modeling need.

The only exception is if you're going to be working a lot with metal models, in which case it would be highly useful.

What he said. I used to use my Dremel a LOT back when i was converting metal. Right now, I honestly do not know here it even is. Since I'be gone exclusively plastic I don't have a clear and present need for it. There was ONE conversion I'd have liked to have had it for, but I still got through it.

For what my opinion is worth, save your $$$ and buy an airbrush instead. I don't have one yet but wow do i want one.

Are you a homeowner who is pretty handy and doest things yourself? If so grab one it's a handy tool to use around the home.

As for modeling uses barrels can be drilled with a pin vice and a razor saw will take the head off most models.

I use mine all the time. You don't have to spend a future on one. You can find a good one for around 20-30 bucks and be well worth it for sure.

All I have to say is you will be disapointed if you need it and don't have it.

Dremel and other similar rotary tools.

-Great for terrain. I use it quite often.
-Great for kitbashing toys into terrain and vehicles
-Great around the house
-Great for polishing metal models (some folks do this for the absolute smoothest painting surface)
-Great for large metal model surgery such as taking off heads or limbs but you will likely have to do some cleanup with a hand file anyway.

-Not great for taking off mold lines. Tend to be too agressive
-Not great for fine cutting of very small model parts or plastic. A "razor saw" is a much better tool.

Final Recommendations.

If you've got the $ and you have use for it around the house and you make a fair amout of terrain then I'd recommend a nice rotary tool. in the $30-$50

If money is tight or you have limited use for one, I'd recommend getting the wal-mart or Harbor Freight cheapo models.
http://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/rotary-tools.html?hft_adv=10041&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=cheap%20rotary%20tool&utm_campaign=Power%20Tools%201%20-%20Exact&gclid=COeSn_e7kqkCFUa8Kgode109sw
At 10 bucks for the above, there's almost no reason not to have one.

If you only use plastic and resin models and don't make terrain, I wouldn't bother.

Like others have said, I think youll find it less useful than you thought. Buying some better quality hand tools would probably be a better place to spend your money.

Yes thank you guys, I have decided to purchase one after these comments as although they are not a must for hobby activity the will be hand around the house and also for my new lightsaber project that i have decided to take on.

Top comment Eilif thanks mate.

By and large, a dremel is overkill for working with minis. However, there will occasionally be a project where it will be worth its weight in gold.

For me, it was converting the IoB Swordmasters into Executioners. Using the Dremel and a 1/8" cylindrical cutting bit, I was able to easily remove the sword blades and leave a nice hollow for the replacement blades (the 'clipped tip' spearblades taken from the DE Warriors set) to fit into. I shudder to think how tricky that would have been with an X-acto or pin vise.

Since you've already decided on getting a rotary tool (which I recommend for general handy/hobby use, just not so much for minis, as has been established), I'll add my $.02 about actual products.

My advice is to avoid the Dremel brand. You pay a premium for a name that no longer carries the weight it justifiably used to. I've used a single-speed Dremel from the '70s that, while underpowered, is still going strong (for lack of a more appropriate phrase), but entry-level Dremels today are a gamble, as cost-cutting has resulted in cheaper parts and lackluster quality control. If you're going to have to return the thing until you get one that works, might as well pay 1/5 of the price for a knockoff from Harbor Freight.

If you want a solid tool, I'd recommend the Black & Decker RTX. Double to torque, ridiculously solid construction, and half the price of a comparable Dremel, allowing you to get a flex shaft (to counter the greater weight, as well as increase control and comfort, in general) and a handful of bits for the same amount of money. Rotary tools are rotary tools, so Dremel bits and a number of accessories (collets, mandrels, etc.) are fully compatible.

Just dont buy a rotacraft one, biggest waste of money I ever made! I'd stick to Dremel or Proxxon myself.

Dremel stylus with a keyless chuck using diamond bits & various others. Great for grunt work ok for general use crap fror really delicate stuff.

yes. i have two

Redfinger wrote:I have been building models for close to 15 years, been doing 40k now for almost 2, and I bought a dremmel about 8 years ago.....I think I have maybe used it on hobby related stuff perhaps a half a dozen times.

Now the instances I have used have been very specific and required that kind of tool, but for general 40k hobby use I really can think of only two times that I have used it. Once was to cut the heads off of some metal cast boars to make some chaos boar minotaurs, and the other time was after I removed the head from the finecast Sternguard sergeant(the one with the power fist) His helmet was badly cast, so I cut it off then dremmled out the helmet hole so I could place another helmet.

In the end it is not a high priority tool.

Ashton

After wanting one for many years, my wife bought me one for my birthday a few months back. I haven't used it yet, but that's because I really haven't had the time to do anything hobby related (except buy more models)
What Ashton describes there is pretty much the kind of reason I wanted it anyway. I have decades of metal figures, and I want to do some interesting things with many of the white metal and pewter figures. Of course, I'm at the stage where I'm looking at things like an Airbrush, compressor (I had one of each when I was young, but a douche former friend borrowed them and I never got them back) and a Ultrasonic cleaner.

I have a dremel, but have hardly used it since I got a Tamiya Hobby Drill.

Dremel is overkill on most models, the hobby drill is a nice small size, cheap (<£20) and perfectly accurate.

Its also a model kit, which is fun.

Dont use a dremel for mold lines, youll murder your minis no matter how slow the speed is. That is meant for the razor drag and thats it. But I can say, I use my dremels on damn near everything. If your planning on building something, they are going to be handy, trust me, well worth the purchase

You won't use it every day but will be thankful that you have it when you need it!
BTW there are other mini-drills available - a few months ago I bought one from Aldi's of all places.
It's cordless & has a little LED light too!
Can't remember the make though but look around.
It doesn't need to be ultra-powerful.
Good for drilling lots of holes in big heavy metal minis for pinning.

notprop wrote:I have a dremel, but have hardly used it since I got a Tamiya Hobby Drill.

I love my Tamiya hobby drill! They need to start selling that thing in more places.

Though they may not be essential, they can save incredible amounts of time and do jobs that no other tool can.
And P.S. i have a stiff nylon brush attachment that set on a medium is speed on my dremel stylus will remove mold lines and flash with no model damage.
I say get a dremel stylus.

I think they are less useful now that we have fine cast, I found that I used mine most of all when working on Metal models.

I have a 36000 RPM Dremel that I inherited from a friend who moved away. I use it for SERIOUS stuff that a pin vice just doesn't cut it with. Like. Drilling holes through a rhino, or tearing up big chunks of armor. It's a good tool, but IMO, if you're going to get a Dremel, get the best one for your price range..

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=202049588&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=202049588&ci_kw={keyword}&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-202049588&ci_gpa=pla&locStoreNum=2583

This one is garbage. A friend has it, and I couldn't believe how crappy it was. Don' buy this one, unless all you're going to be doing is is giving manicures.
http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-4000-6-50-120-Volt-Variable-Speed/dp/B002L3RUW0/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1324912676&sr=1-2
They don't sell mine anymore, but this is as close as it gets, and I'd recommend it.

Good luck! If nothing else, you drill screws in with it for general home improvement