"SteveB" wrote in message
news:_OcBe.30009$4o.12697@fed1read06...
Lowe's has the Dremel xpr400 for about $75 on sale. The Foredom is $239,
and is stated as being for woodworking.

I intend to use it on steel, but nothing really heavy. Just some fine
finishing.

What do you use and like?

I hae a Dremel and two Foredoms (actually, a Foredom and a Pfsing -- about
the same as a Foredom, with interchangeable handpieces).

If I go with Foredom, do I have to use proprietary bits?

Depends on the handpiece you get. You can get several different collet
chucks, or a jacobs chuck handpiece. Nothing is proprietary.

I know Foredom is a much better unit, and it has a handpiece on a shaft
instead of you holding the motor. Do I really need to spend the extra for
the Foredom, or will the Dremel do most stuff?

The Foredom will last you a lifetime and almost all components that wear out
are replaceable. You can use it for hours at a time, day after day, for
years and years. Don't think in those terms for the Dremel. It is a
hobbyist tool. The Foredom is a professional tool. You get what you pay
for.

It should be against the law to sell motor tools that do not have a
flexible shaft and a foot pedal control. The job takes three hands: one to
hold the tool, one to hold the work, and one to control the speed. A
flexible shaft and foot pedal does that job. If you want to go the cheaper
route, by a Dremel and get the flexible shaft for it. Then go to a sewing
machine place and buy a cheap foot control. This will cost far less than a
Foredom. Then, as time goes by you'll luck in to additional Foredoms at
yard sales, etc. Eventually you'll end up with a half-dozen.

Boris

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