Alternative to Dremel

Unlike a Dremel unit,a flex-shaft unit is built to take a lot of
abuse for a good long time.

In our jewelry shop we use Foredom and RioFlex flex-shafts. The
Foredoms are pretty good but they do have an Acchilles heel. After a
while, the contacts on the armature wear away to the point where the
unit is kaput. We work with abrasives all the time, so I am sure this
contributes to their untimely demises.

I have been using (abusing, more like it) a RioFlex since at least
1990 and it is still going strong. I am using it to make jewelry
models, so it doesn't get the workout that the production units get,
but it is in the same harsh environment as the others. The RioFlex is
more powerful at 1/5 hp against Foredom's 1/8 hp. It also runs a bit
faster at 20,000 rpm against Foredom's 18,000 rpm.

If anyone is thinking of using a flex-shaft (or flex-shaft motor) for
a cnc router, I would highly recommend the RioFlex. It is available
from Rio Grande Tools in Albuquerque, NM. They are online at
www.riogrande.com, however they don't have a lot of their products up
on their site. You can request a catalog at their site, though.

-Tom Murray