Who makes the best dremel bits?

[Tokarev]

Bought an air dremel tool from the eBay and it came with a few bits.
They were of such poor quality that it felt like they were wet and dried sand - sprayed me with the particles but would hardly cut through 1018.
My son wants to use them for his historic re-enactment pieces so there is quite a bit of work for the tool and we want to get the best quality set.
Who makes the good ones?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I've always had good luck with the bits made by Dremel. I purchased a couple of kits early on and they lasted and lasted, but eventually some of the pieces wore out and I replaced them on a one by one basis at Home Depot.

[mold maker]

Dremel changed suppliers for their bits quite a few years ago. I guess the bean counters won. The quality went downhill from there.
I used to buy them by the gross but finally gave up. Even the glue that held the stone to the shaft was cheapened to the point that heat released the stones.
Sad end for a great product.

[JSnover]

It's been hit-or-miss for me.
You might find some good stuff at McMaster-Carr, they have a section for 'dremel-compatible' tooling.

[JSnover]

http://www.mcmaster.com/#dremel-compatible-mounted-abrasive-points/=141cwwk

Should be something you can use in there.

[AbitNutz]

There are definitely some junk 1/8th bits. It's a really just a case of keep trying till you find what brand works. Fortunately, even the best is pretty cheap so you're never out much if it's trash.

You did the right thing going with air. I have a C/P, Chicago Pneumatic, pencil grinder. I have a 1/4" Harbor Freight hose running it. Weirdly enough, it's some of the best hose I have ever tried. They have two really high grade varieties, polyurethane and rubber. At less than $30.00 for 50ft, they can't be beat.

The difference between an electric Dremel and one running on air is night and day. The little C/P pencil grinder is 1/4th the size and 5 times the power. It never gets hot. It never quits. After less than 5 minutes of hard use my electric Dremel 4000 is ready to burst into flames and cook my hand in the ensuing conflagration.

[TCLouis]

Bits, grind stones.
What size shank?
What exactly what are you looking for/going to use them to do.

[country gent]

Find a local tool supply shop that sells machining tools and equipment. They should have industrial quality mounted points and burrs. These are way ahead of the dremils and hardware points and burrs. At these shops you can get the right stones for the materials your working with. ( the india stones sold in hardware stores are to hard and load up not breaking down to keep cutting). The burrs are sharper and truer running. Buy a small dressing stick and lightly dress the points when you install them, this has them running true to the spindle and sharpens them. Some rawhide bobs and felt bobs go along way for polishing, along with some cupped nylon brush points. A little red rouge on the cupped brush will make a mirror. Diamond lap compound is even faster and better, but more expensive also. Also on the air tool you need to macth the points burrs and tools to its RPMS as there are air tools from 20,000 rpms to 100,000 rpms. what size shank do you need If your die grinder is 1/4" there are collets to go to 1/8" available also. A pencil grinder can be very handy and usefull.

[country gent]

Other sources for points are Graingers, MSC, Mc Master Carr, You might also look at Norton ( maker of grinding wheels and abrasives) if you want to mail order.

[mozeppa]

what i can't understand is why the bullet shaped buffers are $4 each!

really? 4 bucks?

[country gent]

I have a set of cratex rubber bonded diamond polishing points here 3 ahrbors and probably 40 diffrent wheels that was $80.00 years ago. But when needing to polish carbide parts theres nothing better. Fet bobs for the higher rpm grinders are expensive, and in reality the cupped brushes and rouge or diamond compound work as good or better. The brush needs to be flat on the surface so the lines cross over when polishing and in a short time you can make a mirror

[RoyEllis]

Micro-Mark hobby tool supply.... micromark.com is full of reasonably priced quality tools for what you're looking to do.

[AggieEE]

Also check out Pacific Abrasives. As good as cretex and not as expensive. The thing to remember is not to heavy hand the tool. Keep a light touch.

[M-Tecs]

For bits use quality carbide. For the cutoff wheels and rubberized wheels light pressure is the key. If you force them they tear themselves apart.

[Tokarev]

Good advise, appreciated!
Mine takes 1/8 and 3mm collets, it's variable speed up to 50k rpm. It runs really cool, but draws a lot of air too.
I find Grainger way overpriced, but will check the other mentioned suppliers.

[rondog]

If you're going to run air tools make sure your air is DRY! Nothing kills 'em quicker than water in them, rots the bearings in a hurry.

[country gent]

WHile we used quick couplers on our die grinders we also had a 4' tail on the grinder to the coupler. This kept the wirght of the couplers connection off the grinder. When setting up a couple drops of light oil in the hose before starting each day will greatly increase life. A air tool oil or light oil works fine for this and lubes vanes and bearing. Start and run a few minutes with exhaust pointed in a garbage can to catch the excess oil. I always strated the higher speed ones with a new point under the bench top in case the point blew up. I also dressed it lightly under the bench top to start and get it running true.

[DerekP Houston]

I may need to look into graingers. This is not the first item I've had trouble with nor the last, but I wore out a number of the "ez change" metal cutting bits just by the center post snapping off.

[Traffer]

I have been buying bits on eBay from China now for a couple of years. They are so inexpensive you can buy tons of them and you WILL get some good stuff. There is no way of knowing ahead of time who has the good ones and who has junk but they are typically 1/10th to 1/20th the price of bits here, so you can buy lots and check them out. Really. The standard stone cut off wheels that come 20 to a pack are actually better from China than the ones you get at the hardware store. And inexpensive. I think I paid less then $4 a pack of 20 or 36 for the thin ones. But I don't use them much anymore. I am using almost all diamond coated wheels burrs etc. And diamond impregnated rubber for wheels and polishing burrs. I just bought a pack of 10 t shaped diamond bits at 5mm. "try even finding them in the US" for about $3.50. I had previously bought a pack of the same only in 9 or 10mm for a bit more money that are outstanding quality. If you don't believe me I will send you some for you to check out yourself. For $50 you can get hundreds of bits wheels, rubber polishing burrs and wheels etc.
I have never tried an air model of grinder. I have used the bigger die grinders which are air. They run much faster too. I think typically 20,000 rpm. I use Black and Decker RTX imitation dremels. You can pick them up for under $30 and they are better than the $100 Dremels. I have 2. One of which is about 18 years old and I use it for steel only. I use it almost every day. I even made a holder for cutting wheels from my 3 1/2" cutting wheel tool when they get worn to about half. I cut steel rod over an inch in diameter with it. My entire "machine shop" consists of two Black and Decker RTX grinders, a $54 Harbor Freight Drill press, A $26 1/2" Harbor Freight hammer drill, Two $12 Harbor Freight 3/8" drills, a couple of cordless drills, 2 cheap 4 1/2" hand grinders, many files and hundreds of bits and wheel for the grinders, and a couple of vises. Using Grade 8 bolts I make all my dies and tools for reloading 22lr.
I do truly wish I did have a lathe though. A project that is for the near future is going to be to get a cheap wood lathe and mount a dremel type grinder on a "tail stock" and make a functional metal lathe. I still do truly wish I had a real metal lathe though.

[Maven]

what i can't understand is why the bullet shaped buffers are $4 each!

really? 4 bucks?

Try Duro Felt for those felt "bobs".

[Steve Steven]

Don't forget dentists bits, I got a LOT of them from my dentist years ago, the carbide ones are great. They have them in 3/32 dia and 1/16 dia shanks. They also have grinder bits, up to 1/8" dia.

Steve

[EDG]

Try a company that supplies the plastic injection mold making industry. All of those molds must have an excellent finish.

http://www.gesswein.com/

M.A. Ford is a major supplier of carbide burrs to companies all over the US.

http://www.maford.com/Products/Index.aspx?cell=Bur

Severance is another tool carbide burr company that provides tools to top machine shops across the US.

http://www.severancetools.com/