| | |  | Proxxon | Home » » » Proxxon 38481 IB/E Professional Rotary Tool | | | | | | | Description: | | The Proxxon Professional Grinder is the smoothest and most powerful hand held rotary tool we have ever tested. The quality of this tool is exceptional. This tool has features not found on other rotary tools | | | Features: | |
• Comes with 6 high concentrically steel collets, 1/32-, 1/16-, 5/64-, 3/3-2, 7/64-, 1/8-inch
• 34 industrial quality bit and cutters and blow-molded storage case
• Ideal for grinding, polishing, cleaning, cutting and engraving
• High-revving motor has full-wave electronic speed control
• 5,000-20,000 rpm,110-120 VAC, 60HZ, 1/8 horsepower, 9 inches long, 1.3 pounds
| | | Product Details: | | | Package Length:
| 13.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 8.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 4.4 inches | | Package Weight:
| 3.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 51 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 51 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
93 of 94 found the following review helpful:
 Much better than a DremelMar 27, 2009
By Stefan Brunner
I bought the Proxxon instead of the Dremel. The Proxxon is very quiet compared to the Dremel which is screaming loud at high RPM. The Proxxon appears to be extremely rigidly built unlike the Dremel. It weights about a pound and has about the dimensions of the 300 Series Dremel. You can change the speed from 5k to 20k RPM and the motor is wave controlled to maintain its speed under load - unlike the Dremel which slows down under load. It comes with a set of drills and milling bits as well as cutting wheels. I also bought the drill stand MB 140/S and vice MS 4. The bits appear to be well priced. Notice that Amazon sells many of the bits in kits (as noted in the product descriptions) while most other places sell just a single package of the bits. Dremel bits should fit as well but I did not try this. I am intending to use it for regular repair jobs around the house. The only bad thing I noticed is that the case does not keep things in place when you carry it and you better put the bits in a little baggy instead of the included bit holder. I bought the Proxxon because this unit is regularly used for industrial applications over many hundred of hours while many people reported that they fried several Dremel units at simple jobs like cutting into dry wall.
A small rotary tools is extremely versatile and you can do a lot of things with it like drilling, grinding, sanding, polishing, milling, cutting (sawing), engraving, or routing in many materials like ferrous metals, precious metals, stone, glass, plastic, or wood. There is a bit for every material and job. Most bit kits are useless as they include a lot of cheap tools such as sanding disks. Buy the right bit for the right application. You do not need many different bits. Cheap bits wear out immidiately and are a waste of money. You do not have to buy Proxxon bits - you can use any bits with fits the collier sizes and works with the rotation speed but Proxxon bits are reasonably priced and are of very high precision and quality.
Lessons learned after 2 1/2 years use:
The Proxxon is still very much alive and running. As other reviewers noted, it can get hot. This happens when you run it for a long time without a break, eg sharpening a lawn mower blade for 20 minutes straight, or drilling into oak for a long period of time with a 4mm drill. The trick is avoiding putting too much pressure onto the tool. When you set the tool to high RPM and the attachment slows down the motor still works as hard but does not get the fan cooling anymore. Often it works better when you drill holes more slowly or put on less pressure while grinding or brushing, or set the tool to lower RPM to start with.
The second thing I notice is, that the cooling slots are close where you would hold the Proxxon if you would hold it like a pen. If you wear cloves, you need to be particular careful not to cover the cooling slots for a long period of time. Give the tool a regular break and let it run free for a few seconds to help cool the motor.
Some reviewers said that the Proxxon vibrates and makes a lot of noise. I can assure you that it does neither. It runs so quiet that I usually hold it like a pen. There are various people on the Web which use it as a spindle to run homebrewed CNC machines. There is absolutely no wobbling of the attachment, precise to the fraction of a tens of a milimeter. There is very little vibration and the tool is so noise quiet that another person in the same room may not notice you working with it. Vibration can also come from bad attachments. If you experience such issues, request a warranty replacement.
Another thing one user said is that wheels fly off and grinders disintegrate. I never had a wheel detach because of the screw which holds it. However, those thin wheels do break and fly around. You absolutely need to wear safety classes. I found the attachments of quiet good quality. But if you use a little grinder pin which is for engraving or fine little repairs to sharpen a lawn mover blade, you should not be surprised that it wears off before you even can finish your job. Use the right attachment for the right job. Btw, you can use Dremel attachments but they are not any cheaper. I always order Proxxon attachments on Amazon. Attachments generally can add up and double easily your purchase price, independent of vendor. Those cheap attachment sets sold at home improvement stores mainly contain useless and cheap polishing and sanding disks. Carbide cutters are expensive.
36 of 37 found the following review helpful:
Excellent toolJan 06, 2009
By M. Wright
I purchased the Proxxon professional model to replace a Dremel that I had burned up trying to make small cuts in some engineered wood flooring, which is tough stuff. The Proxxon handled it quite well. Lots of power, didn't overheat and kept going through the job, which took several minutes for each cut. It is well-balanced, tool change is easy and it takes all of the Dremel tools as well as the Proxxon tools. The Proxxon tools are good tools, but the selection is limited compared to all of the different tools that Dremel offers. Accessories are also a little harder to find, but on-line searching will locate what you need.
35 of 36 found the following review helpful:
Excellent toolNov 12, 2008
By J. Couture
I am using this power tool as the spindle of my computer controlled router. The runout and vibration are so low I am able to mill my own circuit boards. My old Dremel is not of the same quality and I can not recommend Dremel over this tool ... if you are in the market for a multi-tool this is the one to buy.
15 of 16 found the following review helpful:
Proxxon 38481 IB/E rotary toolJan 07, 2009
By eli
I have owned a couple of dremel rotary tools, a craftsman, and a black & decker, and this is by far the most powerful and smoothest operating rotary tool of any that I have owned to date. The upper rpm range is much higher than any of my previous tools and would actually cause vibration in the Proxxon due to the shaft of the mandrel flexing because it was sticking too far out from the collet(moving the attachment closer to the tool usually solves this problem). Also, make sure the attachment you are using is well balanced. Definitely worth the few extra bucks over the competition.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
A Very Fine ToolMay 06, 2010
By James Webb
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.
See all 51 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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