If anyone has tried this CHICAGO ELECTRIC rotary tool that Harbor Freight has on sale please let me know if it is worth buying. I would like to use it in my Phlatprinter I have issues with my current Dremel. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/D ... 138_168532
7up, this really not advice, but its my opinion and way of thinking...i look at things with logic, and keep my heart feelings out of making my decisions, i have made very bad decisions in that way, lols. i look at things like this in whats the upside, and downside.....i always start with the downside, lols. the tool is substandard, has no power, real pain to maybe install, generally is a piece of junk that i wasted my time and money with....then the upside....it mounted easily, had plenty of power, was real inexpensive only gambling $20 bucks on. quality as good as any dremel, as it maybe came out of the same factory.....so i suppose that my advice would just try to make a decision knowing that the real downside is ya wasted 20 bucks and a lil time.... and the upside ya got a printer that cuts any foam model that meets your needs, and works great.....randy.
At only 20 bucks, and if you have the time you could take it apart and inspect, manicure, deburr, oil, re-solder, bless, then re-assemble the parts for an easy break in period and hopefully a long life. I do that for their cheap drills. Always find something that could be better and fix it.
I bought a cheapy off Ebay when I first got my Phlatprinter and I still use it in the Phlatprinter to this day. I did have a problem with it though a couple of months ago. The power cord they supplied in it was junk and it would turn on and off intermitingly, I swaped it out for a better cord and it runs great again. For $20 why not.
Another option, is you can get a refurished rotozip for $35 shipped from ebay. Yes, you will need to buy a flex shaft, too.
I have owned one of these in the past. It lasted about 9 months of very light use. The first thing to go was the speed controller, after which I used it by just plugging it in and then unplugging it. Sometime after that, the motor burned up. I may have just gotten a bad unit, because most of the stuff I get from HF works just fine. I don't think I would go to the trouble of mounting one of these in a Phlatprinter though... Greg
I used this one one my Phlatty and it works GREAT!, I did have to mod it to make the code come out the bottom side rather than the end, but that was easy enough. It is multi speed and has been a work horse. It fits well and for the $$ is every bit as reliable as the Dremel. -Glen
Thanks for all your advice guys. I think I'll give it a try for $20 if it turns out to be a flop I can use it for something.?
