Pencil Grinder Recommendation?

ACHiPo

ACHiPo

H-M Supporter - Gold Member
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2017
Messages
1,234
I have a cheap Dremel knock-off set that is underpowered, slow, and frustrating to use. I've thought about replacing it with a Foredom tool. Of course once the decision was made that I need something better, down the rabbit hole I went. I'm now thinking an air pencil grinder might be a good addition. The question is which one. There are the HF, etc. imports for $20-$30, or at the $150 price point there are presumably better quality grinders from names I don't really recognize. The "industrial" models seem to be in the $400 range from names like Dynabrade and Dotco. The industrial units are similar price to a Foredom, but I'm wondering if I could be happy with a less expensive one.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of independent information/reviews out there, so I'm soliciting input.

Thanks in advance.
 
What is your intended use? For detail work or mounted in the lathe for a makeshift tool post grinder? If the later I wouldn't recommend a pencil grinder but it should work. A full size electric die grinder would be better for that. I bought a HF pencil air grinder & mounted it in a boring bar holder. But I've never actually tried it & I scored two Dumore TP grinders.

For detail work the HF one is ok, you definitely get what you pay for though. I can stall it plus I don't like having to use air & oil with it. I definitely would not buy it again. I've got a Dremel flex shaft from the 90s that works ok, overheats if you flex the shaft too much for long periods of time. Works good but it's a Dremel & only for quick work. Can't go wrong with a Foredom.
 
For general use that a Dremel is good for, a Foredom is a better choice. It's like a Dremel on steroids. If you need high speed, a pencil grinder works well. They don't have a lot of torque, though. I use Foredoms and have several hand pieces with different chucks for flexibility.
 
Will,
I use the rotary tool about once a month for various hand-held detail tasks--grinding, buffing, cutting. One of my considerations for getting a better unit is the potential for more precise work. I haven't had the capability, so I don't know if I'd use it or not.

When I mentioned Foredom I was thinking the hanging motor with separate handpieces. I didn't realize the RPM was so slow--"only" about 18k RPM vs >50k for the air grinders. Not sure whether this is an issue? (I think my Dremel knock off is ~50k RPM top speed) I've read somewhere that the higher RPM helps make the bit more controllable. I discovered that Foredom actually sells a "super Dremel-type" grinder for about 6X what a Dremel kit goes for.

Thanks.
 
Air powered pencil grinders use quite a bit of air, I have found, I have a couple of Dotco units, had no idea what they may have cost, even the nearly 50 years ago that they were made.
 
I have an old Foredom flex shaft with foot pedal, a 15,000 rpm electric Royobi (dremel), a 60,000 rpm TTC air pencil grinder, and a 100,000 Dotco air grinder. Bought them in that order too. Now that I have them all, I mostly use the Dotco and Roybi. Never was able to use the Foredom for grinding, but it is a very good polisher. The TTC collet and wrenches are dead soft, and tool had no power.

Every tool & die shop I ever worked in had a Dotco 10R9000 (100,000 rpm) air grinder. With a grinding wheel it is very controlled, with a carbide burr it cuts fast. About $700 new, and typically $200-300 on fleabay. Looked for a deal for long time after deciding I was going to buy one. Finally, after waiting 6 months I got a decent one of fleabay for $125.

I only have a 2hp compressor, and after 2 minutes with the Dotco I do have to wait for it to refill. The TTC uses more air, as my compressor kicks on faster. Never use the TTC now.
 
I picked up a Dumore hand grinder similar to this one on eBay for a little over $100. It was like new. Powerful and runs very smoothly.

Ted

Dumore.png
 
I’ve had a Dremel since high school and found the low power frustrating. A friend suggested Foredom and I’d never heard of it. Found out they are a crazy deep rabbit hole. There is all kinds of different amperage with the cheaper ones not that much stronger than Dremel. Tried pencil grinders and wasn't for me. After much virtual vulturing on eBay I got an old heavy duty one in great shape and bout a couple of different heads for it and am very happy with it. Very solid versatile grinder, sander polisher. Mostly I use the little angle grinder head that you have to use at lower rpm.
 
C-Bag said:
I’ve had a Dremel since high school and found the low power frustrating. A friend suggested Foredom and I’d never heard of it. Found out they are a crazy deep rabbit hole. There is all kinds of different amperage with the cheaper ones not that much stronger than Dremel. Tried pencil grinders and wasn't for me. After much virtual vulturing on eBay I got an old heavy duty one in great shape and bout a couple of different heads for it and am very happy with it. Very solid versatile grinder, sander polisher. Mostly I use the little angle grinder head that you have to use at lower rpm.
Click to expand...
I almost fell for that also, always wanted a more powerful Foredom, noticed there are some models for under $200 and some for close to $500 or more, I soon discovered what I was looking for was one of the more expensive models . I'm still looking for a deal.
So far my Dremel has been more reliable than I thought it would be .
 
Yup, the high power ones are the expensive ones. Took a while to understand what I was looking at and wanted. One finally came up and i wish I’d had one years ago. I needed something to do detail weld grinding and the Foredom was ticket. I know custom jewelers use them probably because they don’t need a compressor. The cable is not all that fun but being able to easily change attachments is wonderful.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top