- The product is Moto Tool Flex Shaft
- Easy to use
- The product is manufactured in China
- Comfort grip hand piece allows finger tip control to cut, grind, sand, sharpen, polish and more
- Integrated shaft lock button on the hand piece allows for easy accessory changes
- Quick connect - easily attaches to your Dremel rotary tool
- More flexible cable - provides more comfort during use.
- For use with rotary tool models 4000, 400, 398, 395, 300, 285, 275, 200, 100, 8200, 800, 4200, 3000, 8220
The product is Moto Tool Flex Shaft. Easy to use.
By Terrakian
I've had my 350 series Dremel for over ten years, now, and that poor workhorse of a tool has seen a LOT of use in that time, carving everything from wood to bone to amber to turquoise. My only beef about that awesome little bit of technology is the amount of vibration it puts my wrist through- ouch. If I've been going for a couple of hours (my average time on it is three hours at a stretch), my hand is a distorted, cramped up mess due to the vibration...
Enter the flex-shaft. I got to try one of the old ones (the plain, black cased pen type) a bunch of years back, and I'd loved it then, but couldn't afford one. They were still fairly new, and I was just starting out with learning how to use my tool anyway. But I'm getting serious into the carving, lately, and my wrist just couldn't handle it, so I went nosing around for that wonderful little pen I could carve with and found the new model here. At first, I was worried that it wouldn't be compatible with my beastie, which was old when I got it as a gift, but I looked up the specs, did some digging and found that it should fit with my model.
Awesome.
So I ordered it. :)
Got it in less than a week and a half, and I immediately went for the little set of instructions, read 'em, did all the prep stuff to set it up, and started playing around with some silver I'd been saving to polish. Yes! I could work without my poor hand going numb! More awesome.
So, all that windy blather aside, I'm happy with the flex-shaft. It's everything I'd hoped for it to be: lightweight (definitely an issue with my joints), easy to use, and quite compatible with my old Dremel. I should have gotten one these ages ago!
Enter the flex-shaft. I got to try one of the old ones (the plain, black cased pen type) a bunch of years back, and I'd loved it then, but couldn't afford one. They were still fairly new, and I was just starting out with learning how to use my tool anyway. But I'm getting serious into the carving, lately, and my wrist just couldn't handle it, so I went nosing around for that wonderful little pen I could carve with and found the new model here. At first, I was worried that it wouldn't be compatible with my beastie, which was old when I got it as a gift, but I looked up the specs, did some digging and found that it should fit with my model.
Awesome.
So I ordered it. :)
Got it in less than a week and a half, and I immediately went for the little set of instructions, read 'em, did all the prep stuff to set it up, and started playing around with some silver I'd been saving to polish. Yes! I could work without my poor hand going numb! More awesome.
So, all that windy blather aside, I'm happy with the flex-shaft. It's everything I'd hoped for it to be: lightweight (definitely an issue with my joints), easy to use, and quite compatible with my old Dremel. I should have gotten one these ages ago!
By Amie McIntire
I have only just attached this accessory to my Dremel tool today, but I like it so far. The packaging states that this tool fits the following model Dremel tools: 400, 300, 398, 395, 285/200, 275/100, 800, 780, 4000, & 8200. The directions state that you cannot use router bits or other large diameter cutting bits because of possible kickback and loss of control. Also, the instructions advise that the flexible shaft can become disengaged if you don't elevate the rotary tool to a height that is higher than the flex shaft end, so you may want to purchase part #2222 (Rotary Tool Stand) to keep the rotary tool elevated. It accepts the following four collets: No. 480 (1/8"), No. 481 (3/32"), No. 482 (1/16"), & No. 483 (1/32"). The directions don't state anything about whether or not a chuck can be used with this system.
By Ethan "Fizzler" West
They have the MultiSaw, they have the Chuck, even the magnet-powered Dremelite, but nothing comes close to the Flexshaft. This baby is THE essential attachment for a Dremel. It comes with easy-to-read instructions on How to put it on, and it even has a diagram showing the different parts and the part numbers. (in case something gets broken, as in my case). This thing is incredible. I polish silver Quite a bit with my Dremel, and this thing makes it easy to get into those ultra-hard-to-reach areas. (my current project is a silver clarinet of my grandmother's). If you only get one attachment for Your Dremel, This one is way out in front for the choice. (just don't put it past 30000 RPM unless you have the flex-shaft tool holder, not that anything bad will happen, it just makes this annoying chattering noise).
By Alicyn
I use my dremel to drill holes in glass. The flex shaft is great because it's easy to handle and allows me to drill into water without risking putting my dremel into water. I also like using it with the foot pedal and the chuck. The flex shaft does what it says it does and does it well.
By LooneyLucy
This is wonderful for doing pet nails. It keeps the Dremel farther away from the animal so the noise doesn't bother them as much. It is also flexible which is nice for a project that is a hard to reach spot.
By Wendy Music
I highly recommend this to anyone that owns a dremel that it will fit on. It is so much easier on the hands and arms. It's light weight and super easy to use. My only complaint is that it doesn't have it's own carrying/storage container and it won't fit in the one that came with my dremel. I've only had it 24 hours and I have etched everything that isn't nailed down and filed the dog's toe nails. I etched my cell phone case, drilled and etched a stone, cut a nylon halter and converted it to a break-away and tried it out on wood. It's so much easier than holding the whole unit when I am trimming the dog's nails. I'm telling you... this thing is magic. Below are the photos I took of my projects. I can't wait to find more stuff to play with tomorrow. I think this is going to be fabulous for making birthday and Christmas presents for friends and family. So far, I haven't found anything that I don't like about the flex shaft except that maybe it doesn't fix dinner.
By Omega Man
I own the Dremel 8000-03 Cordless which is only 14oz. I partly bought it because I wanted a relatively light tool for small work.
Most of the usefulness of the flex shaft attachment is in reducing the weight of what you have to hold in your hand for detail work, so this attachment isn't quite as useful to me as it would be if I had one of the corded models that weights twice as much. I bought it anyway, along with the Dremel 575 Right Angle Attachment just so I'd have it around in case I needed to get in to tighter spaces or needed further "weight reduction" over holding the tool itself in one hand. If I were using a corded model it would be absolutely essential for me for what I do.
Because it isn't something that I normally need, I haven't used it that much and probably won't use it routinely, so I can't properly speak to its durability. (I usually go back and update these reviews after a while though to update people on that.) But in my testing it feels very sturdy and solid and so I feel confident in its ability to hold up when maintained properly. (Not stored so that it bends at sharp angles, greased at intervals as specified in the manual, etc.)
It seems to have no problem working with the Dremel 4486 Keyless Chuck. Attaching and removing the flex drive from the tool itself it is similar to attaching and removing the right angle attachment (you need to replace the collet nut or chuck on the rotary tool with a "drive" adapter that the cable slots into) both of which are pretty easy. I am not entirely sure if it's OK to attach the right angle adapter to the handheld part of the flex shaft as it seems like together they may create too much friction on the drive and thus possibly too much additional load on the motor. (Remember these rotary tools power accessories based on speed, not on torque. High speed low torque often does not deal with too much continuous load very well.) Anyone who knows if this is considered OK or who has long term experience using both together please post a comment.
A couple of things that you must keep in mind when using this:
1) You really do want to hang the tool up above where you're working when you're using this flex thing. I can't say exactly why, but most likely it has to do with keeping the amount of friction low (increased when more of the shaft is curved vs straight) and keeping the shaft from bending at too sharp of an angle. If you have the Dremel 220-01 Work Station drill press type thing then that comes with an extendable hanger but I can't see any good reason to buy that thing just to get a hanger. In fact almost anyone could come up with something much less expensive and more secure than using the hanger on that. Screw an eye screw into the ceiling and hang it from a rope or run a "clothesline" across your work area and hang it on a couple of "S" hooks, or something. If you don't hang the tool I doubt the shaft is going to shred itself immediately but I'm sure it won't last as long, will be more likely to get damaged by an accidental sharp bend, and won't be able to run at as high of a speed due to the increased friction.
2) NOTE! In case you miss the little note in the box, you really do want to run this thing at high speed for a couple of minutes with it hung straight down and no accessory attached. It'll make some disconcerting little ticking sounds at first but those will stop after several seconds. I suspect the point of this is that you want to evenly distribute the grease inside the shaft before running it while bent or otherwise doing any real work. Again, I doubt you'll shred the thing if you don't do this, but at the very least you might have a little trouble with your grinding, etc, for a minute if you try to use it immediately since it's going to distribute grease or otherwise break itself in when first used no matter what. It really will run at 35,000RPM and it really is OK to run it like this for two minutes straight without doing anything. It won't whip around or anything so this is pretty safe. (My cats weren't even that afraid of it while it was doing this.)
3) You will need to grease the thing at periodic intervals as the manual says or you will eventually shred the flexible cable inside the jacket. The grease you use for this is as common as dirt at auto parts stores though.
So in short, this attachment is pretty important if you want to use a heavier model of a dremel in one hand. The other option in this case is to buy an additional smaller rotary tool for one-handed use but you'll probably end up with less power for more money if you take that option. If you already have a light tool that you can hold in one hand for a sufficient time without much trouble then you might want to hold off on buying this until the need arises. But in any case, this is a solid quality attachment that you'll likely be very happy with if and when you do have a use for it.
Most of the usefulness of the flex shaft attachment is in reducing the weight of what you have to hold in your hand for detail work, so this attachment isn't quite as useful to me as it would be if I had one of the corded models that weights twice as much. I bought it anyway, along with the Dremel 575 Right Angle Attachment just so I'd have it around in case I needed to get in to tighter spaces or needed further "weight reduction" over holding the tool itself in one hand. If I were using a corded model it would be absolutely essential for me for what I do.
Because it isn't something that I normally need, I haven't used it that much and probably won't use it routinely, so I can't properly speak to its durability. (I usually go back and update these reviews after a while though to update people on that.) But in my testing it feels very sturdy and solid and so I feel confident in its ability to hold up when maintained properly. (Not stored so that it bends at sharp angles, greased at intervals as specified in the manual, etc.)
It seems to have no problem working with the Dremel 4486 Keyless Chuck. Attaching and removing the flex drive from the tool itself it is similar to attaching and removing the right angle attachment (you need to replace the collet nut or chuck on the rotary tool with a "drive" adapter that the cable slots into) both of which are pretty easy. I am not entirely sure if it's OK to attach the right angle adapter to the handheld part of the flex shaft as it seems like together they may create too much friction on the drive and thus possibly too much additional load on the motor. (Remember these rotary tools power accessories based on speed, not on torque. High speed low torque often does not deal with too much continuous load very well.) Anyone who knows if this is considered OK or who has long term experience using both together please post a comment.
A couple of things that you must keep in mind when using this:
1) You really do want to hang the tool up above where you're working when you're using this flex thing. I can't say exactly why, but most likely it has to do with keeping the amount of friction low (increased when more of the shaft is curved vs straight) and keeping the shaft from bending at too sharp of an angle. If you have the Dremel 220-01 Work Station drill press type thing then that comes with an extendable hanger but I can't see any good reason to buy that thing just to get a hanger. In fact almost anyone could come up with something much less expensive and more secure than using the hanger on that. Screw an eye screw into the ceiling and hang it from a rope or run a "clothesline" across your work area and hang it on a couple of "S" hooks, or something. If you don't hang the tool I doubt the shaft is going to shred itself immediately but I'm sure it won't last as long, will be more likely to get damaged by an accidental sharp bend, and won't be able to run at as high of a speed due to the increased friction.
2) NOTE! In case you miss the little note in the box, you really do want to run this thing at high speed for a couple of minutes with it hung straight down and no accessory attached. It'll make some disconcerting little ticking sounds at first but those will stop after several seconds. I suspect the point of this is that you want to evenly distribute the grease inside the shaft before running it while bent or otherwise doing any real work. Again, I doubt you'll shred the thing if you don't do this, but at the very least you might have a little trouble with your grinding, etc, for a minute if you try to use it immediately since it's going to distribute grease or otherwise break itself in when first used no matter what. It really will run at 35,000RPM and it really is OK to run it like this for two minutes straight without doing anything. It won't whip around or anything so this is pretty safe. (My cats weren't even that afraid of it while it was doing this.)
3) You will need to grease the thing at periodic intervals as the manual says or you will eventually shred the flexible cable inside the jacket. The grease you use for this is as common as dirt at auto parts stores though.
So in short, this attachment is pretty important if you want to use a heavier model of a dremel in one hand. The other option in this case is to buy an additional smaller rotary tool for one-handed use but you'll probably end up with less power for more money if you take that option. If you already have a light tool that you can hold in one hand for a sufficient time without much trouble then you might want to hold off on buying this until the need arises. But in any case, this is a solid quality attachment that you'll likely be very happy with if and when you do have a use for it.
By 13djdave13
So far I love it. Instead of holding the whole rotary tool in my hand I'm able to hold something with a width equivalent to a ink pen with a grip or highlighter marker. I've used it to sand down a lexan RC body shell and remove rust from an old bicycle. The only con I can think of is being careful when disconnecting the Flex Shaft from the Dremel because the turning mechanism piece will fallout if caution isn't taken.
By Kim
I use this with my 10 speed Dremel for doing my dog's nails. The size keeps my hand from cramping and it is easy to maneuver. I use #432 Dremel sanding bands (120 grit) that you can find at a local hardware store. I use that grit on both the small and large dogs. Just be careful and keep the nail pad that you are working on and the next pad out of the way of the band. They bands do get hot. I recommend using the slowest speed until you get used to the tool. I now use the slowest speed on my small dog's nails and the 3rd speed on my large dog's nails.
By William Callahan
I got this attachment as part of a kit with my Dremel 4000. This tool is great for fine work and finishing. I don't understand why there are so many reviews about the flex shaft breaking. The destruction of the flex shaft is an exact result of the misuse of the product. If you are an irresponsible idiot who bends it too far or too much at a higher speed, it will burn out. There are simply too many people who don't know what they're doing when it comes to the flex shaft. To ensure the life of your flex shaft:
--->DO NOT BEND FAR
--->DO NOT MAKE MORE THAN ONE BEND
--->DO NOT OPERATE CONTINUOUSLY ON HIGH SPEED
--->DO OIL THE FLEX SHAFT EVERY 20-30 HOURS OF USE
--->TIP: Hang the Dremel with the flex shaft hanging down straight into you reach.
Just remember; the flex shaft is just a piece of wire in a tube. What do you think would happen if you spun a wire 35,000 times a second and tried to bend it allot while doing so?
--->DO NOT BEND FAR
--->DO NOT MAKE MORE THAN ONE BEND
--->DO NOT OPERATE CONTINUOUSLY ON HIGH SPEED
--->DO OIL THE FLEX SHAFT EVERY 20-30 HOURS OF USE
--->TIP: Hang the Dremel with the flex shaft hanging down straight into you reach.
Just remember; the flex shaft is just a piece of wire in a tube. What do you think would happen if you spun a wire 35,000 times a second and tried to bend it allot while doing so?
Comments
Post a Comment