Dremel just stopped - but surprisingly easy to fix

[GB]

My Dremel 'just stopped'. Quite a common problem, it seems.

Taking mine apart, there's a weak point where the field coils are terminated in tiny clips. The thin copper wire had broken just there.

The 1 minute fix is to unwind one turn off the field coil, take the clip out of the plastic housing, feed the wire through the housing and stick the clip back - preferably with a bit of slack on the wire.

It obviously takes a few minutes to disassemble and reassemble the machine.

It seems a nicely made machine, apart from that one flaw.

[Brian Gaff]

Why don't they fix it properly, one is forced to ask, seems crimped, soldered or wire wrapped with a slight slack loop would be the way to go. Looking inside older motors of that type shows more robust terminations often lacquered afterwards to stop forces bending the wire near the join. Brian

[GB]

Mine's a Dremel 3000, which retails for £50. If I hadn't fixed it, I'd have been tempted to buy one of the clones, at half that price.

[Pancho]

I bought a clone, ~£20, years ago. It has lots of attachment's it spins. Great on the few occasions that I need it.

If it did break, I'd like a battery one. I'm not sure how a Dremel would be better.

[jkn]

I remember dismantling my Dremel, years ago, for a different problem(*), and noticing that. Definitely a fault waiting to happen.

These days I reach for my Lidl/Aldi alternative usually. I've not come across a use where the Dremel was better enough to justify the price.

(*) The thyristor on the speed controller blew on mine. I found the replacement, but for some reason opted to instead run it via a variac. I think I decided that the drill was designed to run at 110V, and the speed controller parts were not good enough for 240V. It works fine with the Variac but is a bit of a pain to set up.

[Rod Speed]

Brian Gaff [e-mail] wrote

Can't see that lacquering is going to stop the wire bending.

[Cursitor Doom]

Same here. Never had a problem with the clone I have, even though it's had to take commercial-level abuse. With Dremel I believe you just pay double for the name and it ain't worth it.

[Animal]

My Dremel's still going after almost 50 years. And it should considering what it cost. The new ones are nowhere near as well built.