Customer Reviews

Dremel 400-6/90 400 Series XPR Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit With 90 Accessories

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

Keep in mind that this is not a heavy duty construction tool.

This tool will NOT be useful for:
a) cutting wood studs,
b) cutting large numbers of nails (though a couple is ok),
c) cutting large holes in drywall/sheetrock.

You will want to
a) avoid using in dusty environments. The internal parts are not sealed so that if you do not repeatedly clean it out after heavy use, you will kill the motor. (I should know. I killed mine after cutting through drywall for only 4 recessed can lights before it started smoking.)
b) move slow. It works by high rpms and has almost zero torque. Bring it to full speed and THEN cut.
c) use ear plugs. These suckers get very loud at the higher settings.
d) check out alternatives if you want construction equipment. The Dremel is actually MORE expensive than its alternatives because you are essentially paying for its small size.

What I like about the Dremel:
a) It is small.
b) It has more attachments and accessories than you can shake a stick at.

What I hate about the Dremel:
a) The documentation sucks. If you don't know the difference between a routing bit and a carbide bit, or what polishing creame is used for, then you're up a creek. The accessory packs are especially horrible. Nothing is labeled. You need to be able to tell what type of spindle goes with what type of gadget and the equivalent grit of the grinding stones by trial-and-error only.
b) Has small range. Only really useful for finishing and polishing. Very very light duty. I've heard people talk about using Dremel for this and/or that. When I tried it, it didn't work. Then I read in the little amount of documentation there is, that its not meant for doing that. Lots of misperceptions. Basically, do all the rough cutting work using other tools and finish off with this.
c) Accessory hell. Accessories are how they make the $$. Be prepared to pay through the nose for anything that doesn't come in the first box.

I have gone through 5, count them 5 of this model. 3 failed right out of the box! I had an older Dremel from about 1997 but sadly it was stolen from my shop. The basic design is flawed. The motor and switches get clogged and choked with dust and debris from everything I have tried to cut. The stop button to change the tips locks up. The on/off switch is so difficult to turn on and off I almost cut my hand off. I am saddened to see what has happened to the Dremel. Bosch seems to have taken a once great tool and ruined it. Same as they did for Skil. I am not trying to bash Dremel. I purchased the 3956-02 model and it works fantastic. Its just seems to be the 400-6 model. My recommendation is to skip this model and go for the less expensive Dremel 3956-02 model.

I have gone out of my way to review this Dremel under each of its listings (for the various kits it is included with) because I don't find any other reviews sharing my opinion.

I have owned 2 other Dremels, and used at least a half-dozen. I looked forward to owning this one since first seeing it advertised. It looked to be a significant improvement.

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.

Since I don't own a drill or reciprocating saw, I thought that this tool would replce those. I live in an apartment and need it only for small jobs. For the most part it had worked as a replacement for those. However, I still needed to buy quite a few parts not included in the kit - drill bits, blade for the saw, extra chucks. I realize that I'm not quite utilizing the tool for its intended use, but it has served my purposes. I've been fairly happy the few times I used it. Just note that the tool get very hot with extended use. Overall, this was a good package with the best variety of tool attachments, as for the bits themselves, they could have provided a better selection and slightly better instructions for their use.

I've been using Dremel tools for years and made the mistake of buying the cordless model a few years ago. I decided to make it right and buy this corded model with all of the goodies.

The reality is that I don't need all of the extras that came with this kit. But who cares? I experienced a certain level of glee when I opened the box and found lots and lots of attachments to play with. That in itself makes it worthy.

Moving on to the performance of this tool. It's the most powerful Dremel at 2 amps. It has worked well over the last week that I've owned it. I've ground metal, polished, cut and sanded with it. The tool doesn't slow down significantly when pressure is applied like the cordless model does.

So overall, I'm happy with my purchase. Bear in mind, you shouldn't use this tool for any "monster" project. I'm guessing that it will slow down, burn out or just plain disappoint you. I find that trying to substitute one tool for another when you know you shouldn't usually doesn't work out. So use common sense when deciding what projects the little dremel will be good at.

Oh, and one more thing. That little jigsaw attachment seems like a piece of junk at first. But I used it. While it can't compare to my 6 amp Bosch, it will cut 1/4" plywood just fine!

The XPR is a modest departure from the traditional Dremel Handle. Ergonomically, it may be a slight improvement, operationally I don't see a great diffence with the expception of the variable speed and the on/off switch being seperate, although I think some of the previous models have this feature as well. Dremel engineers tried a little too hard to make a compartmentalized "carry all" style tool box for this unit. I find it cumbersome, especially due to the difficulty in storing the power cord for the drill handle itself. All the little drawers are tedious to deal with. The "sabre saw" attachment works but I would rather use a conventional sabre saw. The Dremel really doesn't have the power to handle that kind of cutting. Overall a good product at a reasonable price.

...but it's pretty close. I may have gone with 4.5 but none is available so I had to go with 5 stars. This kit has just about everything anyone could want for detail work in and around the home. This new unit has more power than previous Dremel's I've owned, enough to even cut through 5/16" hardwood plywood using the mini-saw attachment. I was able to custom cut a number of strange angles sitting on the roof of my house to make each siding piece fit perfectly. This saved me going up and down the ladder or lugging larger tools to the roof, also allowing me to make minute adjustment trims realtime while being able to test fit each piece.

I use every accessory that comes in this kit and can't believe the number of tasks I'm able to complete on my 45 year old house. For those that don't understand the numbering of this kit, the 400 is the new hand held unit with more power although it does run a bit hot so be sure to cool it off when working it hard - the 6/90 represents 6 external attachments and a total of 90 pieces. I usually throw the plastic storage cases away that come with other tools but the one Dremel provides with this kit is a keeper. Dremel is American made and they do stand behind their products, in my own personal experience. Just remember not to burn this or any other power tool out when working it hard. I just burned out a heavy duty drill I've been using to mix cement and epoxies by letting it overheat and not backing off - then next thing I knew was it sparked, smoked and quit working. Time for a new drill! I did the same thing once with a Dremel and after describing the issue via their web site, they sent me a new unit, no questions asked.

I'm happy with this kit and think most people will be too, just remember to follow the rule of the right tool for the right job and you shouldn't have any issues with this Dremel tool.

When my old dremel finally gave out, I needed a quick replacement to finish a project I was working on at the time. This kit had all the attachments I needed for the project and then some. This dremel is a lot better than my old one. Seems to not bog down as much under load like my old one did. The tool box is well designed and now holds all the little bits I had from past projects.
The only problem I have with the dremel is that it gets quite hot when running at high speed.

The first time I held the Dremel 400 XPR I knew I was holding a real quality product, with its thin multi-colored plastic housing similar to a cheap chinese toy. I finally found the adapter needed to attach the snake extention and the 'single' fiberglass reinforced cutting wheel amongst the wide variety of practically useless accessories. It was nearly impossible to tighten the collet with the little blue push button that you would expect to find on a Pez dispenser. After about 15 minutes of light use, the Dremel 400 XPR began to emit copious amounts of blue smoke and smelled of burning plastic and epoxy. Not finished with cut I was making, I stopped the Dremel 400 XPR and let it cool off for a bit, thinking it may just be burning itself in. I took the snake extension off and resumed cutting, when all of the sudden, the Dremel 400 XPR started sputtering like an arc welder, and emitted a blue ball of glowing plasma from the air vents! I dropped that thing like a hot potato in fear of my life. It sat there on the ground sputtering and smoking until I unplugged it from the wall socket. It no longer works. Never again will I buy another Dremel product, I will look for a suitable American made, quality product to replace it.

Pros: Cost.

Cons: Emits smoke and glowing plasma. May catch you or your home on fire. Push button does not hold collet very well. Overall build quality extremely poor. Most of the accessories are cheap and not used very often.

Highly NOT recommended!

Be very careful! Apparently an Amazon supplier is attempting to pass off a Dremel 3/71+ XPR as a Dremel 400-6/90 Series XPR Kit (by overlaying the actual UPC code with a faux UPC code)
but it does not have all of the required parts!!! I am sending the kit I received back in the hopes that Amazon will actually make good on the kit I purchased. If not, I will have to report Amazon to the Better Business Bureau for violation of the UCC rules of representations/warranties!