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My cheap, non brand, battery operated pseudo-Dremel is doing odd things with its battery, so it's time for a replacement.

As it's proved it's worth, I'm happy to spend a bit more than the princely £14 my current one cost me, chiefly to get mains operation and variable speed, and I was wondering if anyone had any they'd recommend?

Please note U.K. based, so suggestions from the US or US retailers aren't much good because of shipping and taxes, and I'd appreciate links as there's a lot of non-brand stuff which might be harder to search for.

I have a Dremel 3000, which has been a really good bit of kit. Amazon have the standalone version for £35, so when it's that sort of price may as well have the proper thing. Though I'd recommend the multi chuck with it, it makes changing the accessory very quick and easy.

I would have suggested maplins but they are no more. I had one from them years ago

 Bellerophon wrote:
I have a Dremel 3000, which has been a really good bit of kit. Amazon have the standalone version for £35, so when it's that sort of price may as well have the proper thing. Though I'd recommend the multi chuck with it, it makes changing the accessory very quick and easy.

Yeah, thing is I'm not seeing where the extra money goes on a Dremel other than the brand when approximate non-brand equivalents are available for nearly half that.

If there's a compelling technical reason to get the proper thing, I've got no argument, but if it's simply (or mostly) a branding thing them I'm not into spending the extra.

But then that's precisely the discussion I'm hoping to generate.

+1 to the Dremel 3000. I have one and it works better than my other power tools on cutting and hole drilling.

It's hard to find good off-brands. Most are drowned in a sea of cheap China based options that fail to have enough torque to get anything done or has a dangerous lack of quality. When it comes to something that can shoot pieces of itself out at near-bullet speeds, the extra $10 is worth your flesh.

I do have an old Tayiama hand drill that's battery powered, but it's only good for old-school resin. It's just fails when it comes to modern hard plastic. I think I've kept it mostly out of affection - Tayiama is one of the few companies that insist you assemble your power tools yourself from a sprue, making it a fun project.

Another +1 for the Dremel. I've had mine for years, and use it around the house as well as for hobby stuff. My friend keeps replacing his knock off one due to various issues. I'm not big on buying a name, but the reliability simply can't be matched.

Another vote for an actual Dremel. You CAN get rotary tools for cheaper, but the Dremels are still cheap enough that I don't feel like going with knock-off is particularly worth the small amount you save, and I've picked up enough accessories over the years that it's nice knowing they'll just fit without any fuss. Beyond just modelling, they're super handy for around the house repairs when they spring up