The Rotozip Revolution is certainly an extremely unique and versatile tool, when used within the boundaries of its design. It can handle many cutting and grinding jobs that my Dremel just couldn't cope with. But in no means does it replace the Dremel. There are certain tasks where the Dremel's size and ability to work more easily in the hand make it more useful. But a Dremel can't begin to touch the versatility of the Rotozip Revolution. Grinding, sanding, polishing, plunge cutting holes, freehand cutting in materials up to 1 inch thick, *perfect* circle cuts, definitely make this a very versatile tool. For many trades, it's capabilities are ideal, and it's ability to perform "near" finish quality work quickly and easily, all from one tool are certainly a plus.
The suggested retail on the tool is $224 (note: this is
EVERYTHING in and including the case...The tool by itself should be considerably
less)if you purchase it through their website, or from the T.V. infomercials
I've seen. From what I was told, this tool should be available at home centers
by now, but my local Lowe's and Best Buy only stock the older SCS01 spiral saw,
which is missing some key features this tool has. The SCS01 is alot cheaper
however. $224 is a tad pricey, but I'd say it would be worth it if you were an
amateur hobbyist, or a homeowner who's watched too many Tool-Time shows! ;) I
believe the bare tool, without the fitted case, Zipmate or circe jig sells for a
decent bit less. It's versatility at cutting, grinding, and sanding tasks is
clearly unmatched. If you have needs for such a tool, then I heartily recommend
the Rotozip Revolution!
In the case of doing PC case mods, the whole point of
the article, it excels at the type of task I approached. It's not going to do
all the types of cutting needed to make your next blowhole monster case, but it
can be a huge timesaver when working in plastics, and the ever popular plexi
paneled case mods. Still deciding on how to finish mine. I left off the standard
fan grilles, because I'm trying to find the material to make those nifty pop on
acoustic grilles in home speaker construction. Hopefully I'll have an update pic
of that soon to keep ya abreast of that. (might even be worth a mini article)
;).
They are debuting a new tool this month, similar to the
Revolution, at a significant cost reduction, called the Rebel ($109), and
another tool called the Solaris, which is for women, or people with smaller
hands that will go for $89. Keep an eye out for these two tools. If they're
anywhere near as good as the Rotozip, I'd say they were keepers!
Pro's
Speed and Torque. 30,000rpm - GOOOD! (yet another gratuitous NapterBad reference....sorry... I know everyone is tired of this by now)
Versatility. Not a tool I've seen that can do everything this tool can do. Not by a long shot.
Design. It's clear just holding it, and using it, that alot of thought went into ergonomics, and useful features
Cons
Out of it's element working in metals harder than
aluminum siding with the spiral blades. (This is noted in the literature, I
just got my hopes up.)
Bit storage door on handle is weak. I doubt it'd last anywhere near the life of the tool. Mine's about shot already.
Not a "finish" quality tool for many applications. Circular saws, jigsaws, and hole saws still have a useful place in the world.
No straight line ripping fence (which would go a long way to alleviating the above complaint).
Rating: 8/10
[Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4] [Page 5] [Page 6] [Home]