Foredom Still King in its Class?

[Chips O'Toole]

I am thinking of upgrading my flex shaft grinder from Chinese. Is Foredom still pretty much the gold standard in its price range, or has somebody else passed Foredom by?

 

[Chips O'Toole]

I bought a used Dumore hand grinder a few years back, and I ended up throwing it out. Turned out there were breaks in the winding, and they could not be fixed. I don't blame Dumore, because I don't know what caused the breaks. It was supposedly NOS when I got it, but maybe someone abused it and ruined it in a hurry. Of course, an industrial tool should stand abuse well, so I don't know if Dumore has an excuse.

While I had it open, I noticed it was a piece of junk. The bearings were cheap and small, for one thing. It was worse than a Dremel. I was amazed. I thought Dumore was a quality brand.

I have a Makita which cost way, way less than a Dumore. I paid $124. It has much bigger bearings and is built much better. No comparison. It's far superior in every way. I found out Makita was once known for balancing motors, so I guess they know what they're doing.

I'm pretty skeptical about Dumore because of this.

I don't think there is a practical way to add a flex shaft to the Makita.

 

[yota]

I have a somewhat older Foredom and it's smooth, powerful and controllable.

 

[GeneT45]

We're a two Foredom household. My wife's has a quick-change collet handle, which I envy. Mine's a bit older. Both are rock-solid machines and still the gold standard in my book.

GsT

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Foredom master race checking in.

Mine is an older plain bearing model, but it will likely last longer than me.

 

[Steve-F]

2 Foredoms here as well, bomb proof

 

[Chips O'Toole]

You can buy a shaft for a Foredom for around $20. Makita should make one for its grinder.