On Sat, 08 Dec 2007 21:50:59 +0000, John Rumm
wrote:

If you were looking at high end machines then 1500W would be ok (ish)
but something nearer 2kW would be more versatile
[snip]
For the largest cutters, the maximum speed can be as low as 9000 rpm. So
a range of 8000 - 20K+ is quite handy.

I had a quick look at Screwfix, I know other stores exist but it was
handy to look at their web site; it seems that the £30 model is rated
11,000 to 26,000 rpm but the £70 Bosch version is only 10,000 to
26,000 rpm, so I think you have to spend over £100 before you get the
ideal range of speeds.

The Ryobi is £109 and does 8,000 to 23,000 rpm and the Trend (£119) is
"variable to 27,000 rpm", so does this mean it does any speed between
0 and 27,000?

These cost four times as much, and once I use one regularly might be a
sound investment but at the moment, I'm not sure I could justify that
price for the occasional job.

It seems the speed is controlled by a dial numbered one to six on most
of these, so how do you relate the number on the dial to the speed? Do
you just set it to one when using something big and six when using
something small?

Thanks.