PROXXON Professional Rotary Tool IBS/E, 38481

After tiring of duct taping the speed control and the front piece of my Dremel so they would stay in place and after reading several reviews on Amazon, I bought this little gem. As several other reviewers have noted, this tool is far better made than a Dremel (metal front piece and gear box, far better speed control design and construction, much sturdier plastic portion of the tool) and is far quieter. In spite of the wide quality gap, the price of this German-made unit is surprisingly similar to the Dremel. The Proxxon attachments are very good quality - I have purchased mostly the grinders and the metal cutting wheels - but the Dremel and other standard size attachments fit fine since the Proxxon comes standard with a set of collets that allow it to adapt to several spindle sizes. A couple caveats - DO NOT BUY THE KEYLESS CHUCK made by Proxxon if you buy this unit. Several people have because it is listed by Amazon as frequently purchased with this unit - but it DOES NOT FIT this model! (you can guess how I found out!) The other is to wear safety goggles - debris does fly off when cutting and grinding and the cutting wheels (multiple brands, not just Proxxon) can suddenly fly off the spindle, particularly if they bind a little, taking off like tiny little frisbees. Most of the time the screw just pulls through, but once in awhile it gets a little exciting (I have been cutting and shaping a lot of metal with this - it works terrifically!) Also, it is a little difficult to search for the Proxxon attachments on Amazon for some reason, but you can eventually find most of them by looking at the list of "frequently purchased with" items once you locate a few. There is quite a selection. Anyhow, I would recommend this product without hesitation and am thrilled with the purchase. I love using this little unit and have already logged a few hundred hours on it.

I bought the Proxxon Professional Rotary Tool in April 2012 as a replacement for a Dremel. Everything about this product screams quality: The packaging and case; the housing; the controls. The grinder motor was incredibly smooth and very quiet. Much more quiet than the Dremel grinder. I used the Proxxon to cut thin mild steel sheet to make forms, polish aluminum, perform porting work on iron cylinders and aluminum engine cases in vintage scooters, cut plastic, etc. The grinder was typically used once or twice per week since April 2012. Today I plugged it in and turned it on, but got nothing. I checked to make sure the electrical cord was in good condition and such. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, I plugged it back into the outlet and attempted to turn it on again. This time the motor began to turn slowly while white smoke came from the back of the housing. Very disappointing to have a tool listed as "Professional" completely fail after less than a year of use. The limited warranty is for 2 years so I am returning it to Proxxon USA for repair. Based on my experience wit this tool, I would not recommend this tool. UPDATE***** Feb 2015 I received the repaired Proxxon rotary grinder from Proxxon USA. Repair took about 3 weeks, including shipping to and from. I would rate this as a very quick turnaround time. I could tell that it was my original tool and not a replacement, which means they actually put their hands on it. And they did a great job. I've been using it about three times a week since, usually grinding/cutting metal. So I am very happy. It is still quiet and very powerful with no other problems. Fantastic no-nonsense support.

The positive reviews here are accurate. This tool is quiet and vibration-free through its entire speed range. It is light and comfortable to hold, and the selected speed stays constant when the tool is under load. The power cord's length is generous, but not so much so that it is cumbersome. The collets are finely crafted, and do not need excessive tightening to hold bits firmly. In fact, for work that hasn't required a lot of torque, finger tightening the collets has worked just fine. The included collet wrench is comfortable to use, and has a slit in it through which one can pass the shank of a bit with a large head. While doing my purchase research, I fretted about the problems others have had with the keyless chuck that it turns out is not made for this model. Not having the infinitely variable jaws of a chuck has not been an issue for me. The collets supplied cover six of the most common shank sizes and have met all my needs. The case is reasonably sized and is roomy inside without being cavernous. The blocks that hold the collets and accessories snap firmly into their receptacles. When the tool arrived, these blocks were loose inside the case. I had to press them in quite firmly to make them snap into place which suggests to me that either those who have had problems have not pressed firmly enough or I got lucky and received a case and blocks with tight tolerances. I measured for run out using the pre-installed 3/32" collet and one of the included bits. At the place where the shank entered the collet the reading was 0.000. That goes a long way toward explaining the absence of noise and vibration. This has been a fine purchase, and has been well worth the slightly higher purchase price versus the Dremel 4000, which I also considered. I am happy.

I've burned up two Dremel 4300 pro units in the past two years. The problem with the dremels is that the guides for the brushes are plastic so if you start getting heat build up, replacement brushes don't slide in nicely (and Dremel sends the wrong brushes anyway). The Proxxon is brushless so that's a plus right there. It's also more quiet than the dremel. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that you have to change out the collets as the adjust-ability range is non-existent. I'll update with longevity if it fails prematurely. EDIT: I ended up buying an additional one a couple months later so I can quickly switch between die grinding and flap wheel finishing without wearing out the collets. One of the units, not sure which, started squealing on me which I think is the bearing wearing out. Since I don't know which unit it is, it could be the 1.5 year old one or the 1.8 year old one. Either way both are under the 2 year warranty so I'll update on how that process goes. Really I can't complain at all because these tools get at least 10 minutes of daily use, five days a week. 2 Year Update: I have now purchased my fourth unit because the units I purchases approximately 19 and 23 months ago have given up. The one that had the bearing squeal was supposedly fixed under warranty and sent back to me but it's still making the noise. The one that is now 19 months old just blew out a bunch of white smoke and shorted out my power strip. I would send it back for warranty but the ID plate where the serial number was printed is worn to unreadable so I don't want to be accused of trying to warranty a unit that is out of date. The bottom line is that these are the best small rotary tools on the market, far better than dremel. You just have to know going in that if you use them a few minutes on daily basis that you'll get about 2 years out of it. I'm OK with it at this pricepoint. I've put clear packing tape over the ID plates of my newer ones so I can invoke the warranty on them. 3 Year Update: I'm now down to ONE working unit out of the four I bought. Again, to reiterate, they don't owe me anything. I just wish the bearings would last longer. I don't like throwing tools away and buying new ones.

Purchased to replace my Dremel #2 from the early '60's because the bearings have become worn and the armature overheats. This Proxxon comes with a set of collets in metric sizes but will take the eighth inch tools that were the Dremel standard. Replacement tools mostly use metric shanks anyway so this is convenient. Excellent speed control and good balance. The aluminum casting on this model houses the collet shaft in its own bearings, which is driven by the motor armature shaft through a coupling. I like this as I think it reduces vibration and improves concentricity at the tool. The tool is smaller than my old one and has a smaller motor but is powerful enough for my needs and is a pleasure to use. Applications include grinding, deburring and polishing steel, brass and aluminum; cutting and sanding of wood and plastic. I am very pleased with this tool.

I own a range of power tools from home-/hobby-grade to professional-grade. Very rarely, I run into a tool that's priced to be accessible to the home user, but provides quality at a professional level. This is one of those rare tools. Certainly, this tool is more expensive than Dremel's competing products, but it's almost unfair to compare this tool to anything Dremel makes. I have owned a lot of Dremel products, and I was considering purchasing the Dremel 4000 to use as a spindle for a homemade CNC PCB router. I had no previous experience with anything Proxxon makes, so it was a bit of a leap of faith. I'm more than happy I bought the Proxxon. The Proxxon IB/E is 30% more expensive than the Dremel 4000, but you get about 200% more tool for your money. The tool is built with far better precision. The plastic parts of the body feel like a serious power tool, and the aluminum nose that supports the bearings makes the whole thing feel indestructible compared to other tools in its class. You can run the Proxxon at its highest speed setting, and it's far quieter than the Dremel running at its lowest. A quieter tool isn't just beneficial to the operator's hearing. A quieter tool is also an indication of fewer wearing surfaces inside the tool (brushes, bearings, gears, etc). All Dremels I've used sound like they're actively trying to destroy themselves. The Proxxon sounds like other tools that are far more expensive. From the perspective of a student of CNC machining, the Proxxon excels at my use as a milling spindle. Even if it wasn't a more precise tool (the most important aspect), the noise level and separate power switch puts this tool way ahead of the pack. The 20mm round mounting surface (used to attach the IB/E to any "Micromot" accessory), makes this tool far easier to integrate into a micro-sized milling machine than its competitors. A lot of tool manufacturers are in a free-fall of decreasing quality right now (largely a result of dramatic cost-cutting and outsourcing of their facilities). The Proxxon tools will not disappoint you like most of the established brand names will.

I have the cheap Dremel (400 series?); I can't use that without hearing protection, the lever speed control is crude and inaccurate, it has a ton of run-out, and it vibrates horribly. The Proxxon (which I just received) is in a whole different league - at maximum speed it is barely audible, and it doesn't vibrate at all. The Proxxon's rotary speed control is really smooth and precise. The Dremel's body is all coarse molded plastic - crude but functional like a Yugo. The Proxxon design and finish is really a pleasure to look at - I'd describe it as "the Porsche of rotary tools". The only mild negative in the comparison is weight/size and ergonomics - the Dremel is small and light, and fits the hand nicely; the Proxxon is hefty and lacks a shaped grip around the tip. The size/weight are the price you pay for power and robustness. It would be nice if there was some kind of accessory grip, but the Proxxon is so good in every other respect, I can't knock off a star just for that. I will probably get the flex shaft and mount the motor on my bench most of the time. The included tools appear to be good quality, especially the collets, which are very nicely machined. I didn't expect much from the included case, but actually it is smart and sturdy and holds the accessories very nicely.

The product is failing after very little use. I thought it was an upgrade to dremel.....its not an upgrade to anything.

Esto es de lo mejor que ha pasado por mis manos, no demerito el valor y capacidad de los dremel peor ete modelo sobre pasa por mucho todos los modelos similares de dremel, lo recomiendo ampliamente.

I use rotary tools as part of my business; I'm a professional leatherworker and burnish edges of my products using a custom made cocobolo attachment. I have broken 3 dremels and one mastercraft rotary tool before finally getting the Proxxon 38481. Every Dremel I bought burnt out after about 20hrs of use.. so far the Proxxon has been amazing. The Proxxon makes sense: Dremel and Mastercraft rotary tools spin clockwise, so I would have debris fly into my face as I worked. The Proxxon spins counter-clockwise so debris flies away from you. The Proxxon is quiet: Compared to the Mastercraft and Dremel rotary tools, this thing is almost whisper quiet. The Proxxon is well built: I can get up to 20,000 RPMs on this thing and it won't shake or whine like the Dremel or Mastercraft tools. I would almost get carpal tunnel syndrome with how badly the dremel would shake at 14-15k RPM. The proxxon just whirrs and never complains. It's a mistake to think this is a hobby tool, it's much more robust and well worth the price. I often call it a 'dremel' but have to correct myself as I think it's an insult to such a great tool.

Muy buena calidad de acábados y función excelente

I've used several rotary tools in the past, with most being cheap hardware store brands. While this one is a fair bit more expensive, it's also much higher quality than what I'm used to. Unfortunately I haven't had any exposure to the better Dremel models, so can't really compare, but I chose to buy a Proxxon when I used one and discovered how quiet and precise it was compared to the cheap tools. Even at full speed this model is much quieter than the lowest setting of the cheaper tools I've used. My use is in hobby electronics, so mainly using the alumina abrasive cutting wheels and occasionally the milling bits. So far I've found that I break far fewer of even the thinnest cutting wheels when using this tool, as the spindle is much more accurate and less wobbly. Also, this tool is even capable of reliably drilling with solid carbide PCB drills (if held with the drill-press stand, or a very, very steady hand) which is definitely not something I could say of my previous rotary tools! Overall, a dream to use compared to most cheap tools, and easier on the ears (if not the wallet) as well.

I've only had this tool for a few days so far, so I cannot comment of longevity, but love this tool. Could have went for the Dremel, (or other brand which sell for as cheap as $30) but a previous Dremel died on me in less than a year, so I went for this. First thing, when you turn it on, you'll notice is that it doesn't have that high pitch scream sound that other rotary tools have. More of a tolerable hum. Has a dial for adjust the RMP's up to 20K. Seems to be solid and well built. The case that it comes with could be a little more form fitting for the tool, but other than that, I'm very happy with this tool so far.