Got my Tamiya Handy Drill today ... Here's a review
A while ago, I posted a question wondering if anyone has used Tamiya's Handy Drill: http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/tam/tam74041.htm
I decided to buy one and it came today in the mail. Here's a little review of it so far:
PROs:
- Small size. I fits in the palm of my hand and easily in my tackle box
- Light weight. Maybe a pound.
- Slow speed. I read the RPM's are around 450. Much slower than a Dremel.
- Takes bits from 1 mm to 3 mm with two collets included
- As a saftey lock for the trigger.
- As a shafty stopper for changing bits.
- Runs on two AA batteries.
- Easy to lubricate since it's a kit (see below).
CONs:
- It's acutally a kit you have to put together. Took me about 30 minutes.
- The gears are plastic but not like soft plastic. Seems very tough and durable.
- Only has one speed (see above).
The motor in the drill is from a 4 wheel drive R/C car. It should be plenty powerful with enough torque. I drilled a few holes in some 3mm thick plastic with a 1 mm bit and a 3 mm bit. The holes were perfect!! Much better than if I used a pin vise. The holes were smooth, nice and round all of the way through, and no melting at all. The drill didn't bog down, slow down or bind at all.
For $12.99, I'm extremely happy with my purchase. I can see this drill being much easier to use than a Dremel. Corded Dremels can be bulky to work with and you need a seperate speed control so that you don't melt the plastic. The cordless Dremels are just too fast. The only question I have to answer is the long term durable of the drill. We'll see...
If you have questions or comments let me know.
Jesse
PS. I order the Tamiya Handy Router yesterday. We'll see how that is.