Dremel 400-3/71 400 Series XPR 2 Amp 5,000 to 35,000 RPM Rotary Tool with Planer, Flex Shaft, and Circle Cutter

by Dremel

Product Description

Amazon.com

The Dremel rotary tool idea was great to begin with, but now, they’ve revved up the basic rotary tool and added some exclusive attachments that make the XPR series one of the coolest tools we’ve tried.

It’s got all the bells and whistles of previous models and tackles the same tasks: you can carve, grind, polish, trim, sand, cut a wide range of material, shape, clean, remove grout, smooth, sharpen, drill, rout, sculpt, engrave, strip finishes. Similarly, it has Dremel’s huge array of accessory possibilities and the variable speed (from 5,000 to 35,000 rpm), but it has almost twice the amperage of its predecessors for plenty of power. In addition, the speed selector switch is separate from the power switch, allowing you to leave the tool at a certain speed setting for next time. Its design is a bit of departure, and that’s a matter of user preference, but after some getting-used to, we like it.

The primary reason you’d step up to this model from another rotary, though, is the plethora of great attachments made only for the XPR that emulate shop full of tools. First, there’s the planer head that turns your Dremel into a portable planer. It’s designed for two types of planing – straight and at 45 degrees, with a width capacity of 2-1/8 inches, perfect for a warped or sticking door. Though we didn’t try any shaping or carving with it, we think it would do a great job of that, too.

Not included in this set but definitely worth picking up is the MultiSaw attachment that turns your XPR into multipurpose saw that does clean straight and curved cuts in a variety of materials, perfect great for cutting out shapes for woodcrafts. There’s also a flex light exclusive to this series that dovetails easily into a groove on the rear of the tool. It’s powered by lithium ion batteries (included) and does a fantastic job illuminating detailed work pieces. As with all the other Dremel rotaries, you can attach the flex shaft for super-fine detail work as well as reaching into places practically no tool has gone before. The circle cutter’s easy to use, too, and works like a charm, giving you perfect circular cutouts every time. And everything has its place in the well-designed storage case, making the whole shebang perfectly portable. If you’re a rotary tool fan, you’ll love the XPR. --Kris Jensen-Van Heste

Product Description

400XPR ROTARY KIT W/71 ACCESSORY

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Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 8.4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B0002QZ1OW
• Item model number: 400-3/71
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,634 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A tool that feels like a toy..., March 6, 2005

By 

lee280zx "lee280zx" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dremel 400-3/71 400 Series XPR 2 Amp 5,000 to 35,000 RPM Rotary Tool with Planer, Flex Shaft, and Circle Cutter (Tools & Home Improvement)

*****At present there is only one other review for for this item, a five-star review. If you click to see all of that reviewer's reviews, you'll see he only has two--both Dremel items. This always makes me wonder if the reviewer works for that company.*****

Here is my honest opinion of this Dremel:

I bought this Dremel because it is the only one that works with Dremel's new multisaw attachment. With that attachment, which is sold separately, you can use it like a miniature reciprocating saw (Sawzall). Just pop any "T" or "U" shaped jigsaw blade in, and you're in business. I don't know of another tool that can be used in this way, and for that reason and that reason alone this Dremel is worth owning.

I already own another multiple-speed Dremel, and I thought I'd sell it once I bought this. But I'm keeping both because this new Dremel simply feels cheap and poorly made. It seems like its plastic case is flimsier and it doesn't feel as balanced when it's operating. It certainly isn't ergonomic. Any Dremel user who buys this latest model will instantly notice the drop-off in quality.

On the good side, the multisaw attachment works well and the molded plastic case is designed to hold the Dremel, the multisaw and planer attachments, jigsaw blades, the included circle cutter and flex shaft. The kit also includes two bit sets that lock onto the top of the case, with room for two more on the sides.

There's no way I can tell if this Dremel will last. I've put a pretty good load on the motor, and it hasn't failed. But I think that if I drop it more than a few feet onto a hard surface, it will break. The shaft lock button feels particularly cheap and uncertain. I expect it to break first.

Despite all my concerns I'm keeping this Dremel. But I'll only use it when I need the multisaw or planer attachment. Any other time I'll use my other Dremel (model no. 3956-02).

It's extremely unfortunate that at the same time it has chosen to make the most versatile Dremel yet, the company also decided to cut corners on quality. Dremel doubtlessly wanted to keep the price down on this unit, but in doing so they've produced a multi-function tool that feels like a toy.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't fall for marketing spew, September 7, 2006

By 

John Suit - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dremel 400-3/71 400 Series XPR 2 Amp 5,000 to 35,000 RPM Rotary Tool with Planer, Flex Shaft, and Circle Cutter (Tools & Home Improvement)

Definetly a good value for the price, but the 400 XPR itself is much more cheaply built than previous Dremels.

The review from Woodpecker "usbeetle" above is SO obviously a review by Dremel PR that is reeks of marketing slang. Just look at some of the comments that individual made...

"...affordable addition to the high quality Dremel family..."

This is not an individual's wording.

"Luckily, all your old Dremel attachments still fit..."

Again, marketing thoughts, not an individual reviewer's thoughts. A reviewer would state something similar to: 'still works with all of my old attachments'.

"...the new XPR 400 rotary tool..."

Individuals do not call it an "XPR 400 rotary tool", even though its classified as such. Individuals call it a Dremel or 400, or XPR, etc.

It sounds like this reviewer works for Dremel division, added a couple lines of his own words, sandwhiched between marketing spew. It's a shame Amazon and other places on-line can't do much to stop this self-rating. Also, if you look at this user's other reviews... he has none. So out of the blue, he gives this product 5 stars, some marketing lingo, and absolutely nothing negative about it? Get real.

This is a good tool, but it's not perfect. Its biggest flaw is cheap construction compared to past models and other brands, as well as sub-par cooling.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overheating issue, February 28, 2007

By 

D. Liu - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dremel 400-3/71 400 Series XPR 2 Amp 5,000 to 35,000 RPM Rotary Tool with Planer, Flex Shaft, and Circle Cutter (Tools & Home Improvement)

Hope I'm not the only one to notice this, but compared to the older Dremel that I had used for years, this new model feels a little more flimsy in comparison. The real problem came when I used the XPR for an extended amount of time. After using the stone cutting blade for about half an hour, the unit got too hot to hold with bare hands, and stated emitting a burning smell. I had to let the unit cool off, and left wondering if I made the right purchasing decision...

If it's any indication, the unit comes with a small set of rotary bits. Though the inside of the toolbox holding the bits was made of cheap molded plastic that can be crushed by a finger. Leaves me wondering what other corners were cut to keep the cost down. My confidence on Dremel as a brand had been scarred by this new series.