Proxxon drill - or something else?

[Torper]

I'm considering buying a new power drill for modelling purposes.  I currently have a 12v one I got in either Lidl or Aldi some years ago and while it's fine for coarse work using cutting discs or grinding tools it's not nearly precise enough for accurate drilling and indeed is incapable of using finer drills without breaking them, such is the wobble in the shaft.  I now really need something much more accurate that will take fine drill bits and drill holes with them, mainly in brass, without breaking the drill or, for that matter, spraining my wrist with the weight of the thing.

 

So which make?  I've been looking at Proxxon as it seems to get the best reviews for drills in this class and my price range, and it seems that the FBS 240/E comes nearest to fitting the bill.  The chuck takes shanks down to 0.3mm and it's quite a small unit, measuring 200mm althiough at 450g it seems quite heavy.  It's directly mains operated.  Asuming that that's not going to be too heavy, the only snag that I can see is that the slowest speed it works at is 5000rpm (my Lidl unit is controllable down to a (wobbly) 1rpm).  The alternative to the 240/E is the 12/EF which runs off a 12v supply and can work at 3000 rpm.  It's no lighter than the 240/E but a bit cheaper.  I think I'd prefer a mains unit, if only because I suspect it'll have more torque and also because the 12v one has a curly flex and, in my experience, these invariably get tangled up.  Either of these units can use the Proxxon Micromot drill stand which might also be a good buy.

 

I'd be very grateful to hear if anyone has any experience of these units, either good or bad or indeed any alternative recommendations.  I've got some etched brass coach sides ready for drilling for handrails and door handles and it would be nice to have a new drill to use on them as recent experiences using a handheld pinchuck and drill for any great length of time left me with quite a painful thumb and wrist.

 

 

DT.

[Jol Wilkinson]

I have had a Minicraft drill for many years and found it very satisfactory. They are now sold by Hobbys; https://hobby.uk.com/collet-rotary-tool.html who may also manufacturer them. A member of another forum bought a replacement chuck and had to get it replaced as it wobbled. They supply the drill with collets which should be accurate and the keyless chuck is an accessory. I have an original but older Minicraft variable speed transformer but the slowest speed is sometimes too quick for drilling. If you want really low speeds, then a 12v railway model controller may be better.

 

The Proxxon range has a good reputation and I wonder if using a good variable voltage supply would also enable you to run it at a lower speed.

 

Drilling holes with very small drills will too easily cause breakages but I have found that a "drill press" mounting for the drill reduces this, as it keeps the drill steady and you can feed it slowly.

[Arthur]

 

I too use an aging Minicraft 12v drill and also a cordless Dremel. The latter is heavy but I find it useful for various tasks.

 

I don’t have a Proxxon drill but I do have a couple of other Proxxon products and would recommend them, well made, quality products.

 

I’m just wondering about the quest for torque leading you towards a 240v drill.

 

How much torque do you want, expect to be able, to apply to a No. 76 drill bit for example?

 

I think you might find a 240v drill snapping them whilst with a 12v you’ll just stall it or trigger the overload. Maybe something to think about.

 

Either way, Proxxon seem to make quality tools.

 

.

[Zero Gravitas]

I’ve got the Proxxon FBS240E and I’ve been very pleased with it. I also have the Micromot drill stand, and have had no problems will small drills at any speed.

 

Hope that helps.

[Western Star]

You have not mentioned your price range...  you might not like the price of this recommendation.  Good tools worth what you pay and this drill stand is going to out live me.

 

Proxxon TBM 220 is the bench drill of choice for those who build on the the Western Thunder forum, whenever the question is asked on that forum then there are two answers:-

 

1/ TBM 220

2/ discussions about what is worth adding to the drill, such as the machine vice in the range (circa £40), the drill chuck (circa £12, the TBM 220 comes with collets) and an X-Y compound table.

 

OK, you do not need to buy the add-ons straight away although I suggest that the drill chuck be given serious consideration.

 

The only time that we do not use the TBM220 is when we cannot find a way of holding a part on the base of the stand.

[Podhunter]

I'm considering buying a new power drill for modelling purposes.  I currently have a 12v one I got in either Lidl or Aldi some years ago and while it's fine for coarse work using cutting discs or grinding tools it's not nearly precise enough for accurate drilling and indeed is incapable of using finer drills without breaking them, such is the wobble in the shaft.  I now really need something much more accurate that will take fine drill bits and drill holes with them, mainly in brass, without breaking the drill

My experience of the Proxxon multi-tool is good.  I think you'll like the chuck arrangement: there are several collets that accept difference drill sizes, ensuring a good fit.  The motor and shaft appear well-designed -- I haven't noticed any wobble.  It's variable speed as well.

[brack]

The proxxon mains multi tool is very good. Got it to replace a cheap unbranded fake Dremel and it is better - like night and day. The cheapy one is really rubbish compared to it.

 

Having said that, if you wanted a drill press I got a £60 Chinese small one and it is really really very good (pretty much no runout) and lots cheaper than the proxxon 220 mentioned above. I might've been lucky and got a good one though - often unbranded ones can be hit and miss for quality whilst proxxon stuff is generally excellent.

[ISW]

For what it's worth, I use an Ozito RTR-2000U (240v, 170W) that I obtained from Homebase about a year ago for the princely sum of £21 (including 109 bits for it). The main advantage I found was the flexible shaft accessory, which is small and light; ideal for cutting / grinding plastic in confined spaces.

 

The speed settings are a bit 'quick' for me. Even on the lowest setting, drilling into plastic causes enough heat to melt the plastic. Other than that, very happy with the machine.

 

Ian

[sjp23480]

Lidl had acordless 12v drill on offer a few weeks back and I have found it excellent, as good as my equivalent dremel.

 

Steve

[Enterprisingwestern]

I have both Proxxon and Minicraft, both transformer powered.

The Proxxon is far better built, has more grunt and the choice of collets is better as all diameters can be held, unlike the minicraft.

Personally, I'd go for the Proxxon.

 

Mike.

[gordon s]

No brainer, Proxxon every time.  Had three of them for many years now and they still work really well.  Quality piece of kit.

[PenrithBeacon]

I have a Minicraft; it's OK but the motor lacks torque

[Robin2]

I had a Dremel for several years but never used it much. I never bought the drill stand because it seemed like a kludge.

 

A couple of years ago I bought a Proxxon FBS240/E and a Proxxon drill stand at Warley as they were on special offer. When I got it home, plugged it in and switched it on I was sure it was broken - because I could not see the chuck turning. It was working fine and is so much better than the Dremel. The fact that one of the items supplied with is a 0.5mm drill suggests that Proxxon have faith in their product.

 

I particularly like the fact that I can remove the drill from the drill stand and refit it and it will still be on the exact same centre.

 

I also have a Proxxon X-Y table that attaches to the drill stand which makes precision drilling much easier. I actually had the X-Y table long before I got the drill - but that's another story.

 

...R

[Giles]

I junked my old Minecraft when I got my Proxxon- it is just superb in comparison.

[Mike Storey]

I had a Dremel for several years but never used it much. I never bought the drill stand because it seemed like a kludge.

 

A couple of years ago I bought a Proxxon FBS240/E and a Proxxon drill stand at Warley as they were on special offer. When I got it home, plugged it in and switched it on I was sure it was broken - because I could not see the chuck turning. It was working fine and is so much better than the Dremel. The fact that one of the items supplied with is a 0.5mm drill suggests that Proxxon have faith in their product.

 

I particularly like the fact that I can remove the drill from the drill stand and refit it and it will still be on the exact same centre.

 

I also have a Proxxon X-Y table that attaches to the drill stand which makes precision drilling much easier. I actually had the X-Y table long before I got the drill - but that's another story.

 

...R

 

Interesting!I have persevered with a Dremel for years, both because it is easier to obtain the extras and replacement bits over here, and because it can do more robust cuts and drills for garden railway work and for DIY. But I have never been entirely satisfied with it for small detail work. I tried a Lidl (or was it Aldi) cheap and cheerful substitute a few years ago, but having broken several bits, could I find compatible bits or sleeves? Could I xx##yy. Perhaps I am going to have to go small with a Proxxon? Ugh, more sovs....

[gismorail]

Proxxon every time is my vote

[tender]

Another vote for the Proxxon, also have the MF70 Mini Mill that i have converted to a mini CNC machine.

[pctrainman]

I've been following this thread with some interest as I now face the final task in completing my layout which is the drilling of 0.35 mm holes in MSE N gauge Midland semaphore signal posts X 5 , I have made an initial search to find a way of drilling the said 5 holes and keep coming up against a wall as virtually everything i've looked at cannot hold such small drills , does anyone have any ideas as to a solution for this problem ?.

[Siberian Snooper]

I've been following this thread with some interest as I now face the final task in completing my layout which is the drilling of 0.35 mm holes in MSE N gauge Midland semaphore signal posts X 5 , I have made an initial search to find a way of drilling the said 5 holes and keep coming up against a wall as virtually everything i've looked at cannot hold such small drills , does anyone have any ideas as to a solution for this problem ?.

 

I use a pin chuck/vice and put that in the chuck of my milling machine, used at fairly low revs.

[Jol Wilkinson]

I've been following this thread with some interest as I now face the final task in completing my layout which is the drilling of 0.35 mm holes in MSE N gauge Midland semaphore signal posts X 5 , I have made an initial search to find a way of drilling the said 5 holes and keep coming up against a wall as virtually everything i've looked at cannot hold such small drills , does anyone have any ideas as to a solution for this problem ?.

Very small drills are available from jewelry trade suppliers such as Cooksongold. Www.ukdrill.com list a .4mm drill. It is worthwhile buying good quality individual drill, those supplied in the multiple size sets are often not good quality.

 

I find the large shank drills better, but don't if they are available in smaller sizes than .5mm

[Torper]

I've been following this thread with some interest as I now face the final task in completing my layout which is the drilling of 0.35 mm holes in MSE N gauge Midland semaphore signal posts X 5 , I have made an initial search to find a way of drilling the said 5 holes and keep coming up against a wall as virtually everything i've looked at cannot hold such small drills , does anyone have any ideas as to a solution for this problem ?.

 

The Proxxon FBS240E chuck apparently takes drills as small as 0.3mm, one of the reasons I was attracted to it.

 

Otherwise, thanks to everyone who has posted - it's all been very helpful.  Proxxon appears to have received a pretty universal vote of confidence and so I have ordered a "bundle" of an FBS 240E drill, a Micromat stand for it, and a machine vice.   I did think about the TBM220 drill press, but I wanted something that was a bit more flexible in terms of usage.  I hope that the Micromot stand will go someway to giving me the best of both worlds.  As to price, I noted that you can buy the TBM220 considerably more cheaply directly from Germany than you can from the UK.

 

Again, thanks everyone.  Your postings basically gave me the confidence to proceed with what is a relatively expensive purchase.

 

DT

[ColinK]

Interesting thread. I’ve got an old minicraft drill on my workbench, but really need a battery powered drill for use on my layout. I was thinking of getting a Dremel. Is that a good choice?

[Izzy]

I've been following this thread with some interest as I now face the final task in completing my layout which is the drilling of 0.35 mm holes in MSE N gauge Midland semaphore signal posts X 5 , I have made an initial search to find a way of drilling the said 5 holes and keep coming up against a wall as virtually everything i've looked at cannot hold such small drills , does anyone have any ideas as to a solution for this problem ?.

Make sure you use other than a collet chuck. Most drill collets are not cut fine enough in the small sizes to hold small diameter drills properly - none of them do with any size really, (don’t confuse these with proper precision lathe collets which are totally different), but usually the ordinary three jaw chuck type can. Most drills/mini drills have these or they are available as spares.

 

Izzy

[sjp23480]

Make sure you use other than a collet chuck. Most drill collets are not cut fine enough in the small sizes to hold small diameter drills properly - none of them do with any size really, (don’t confuse these with proper precision lathe collets which are totally different), but usually the ordinary three jaw chuck type can. Most drills/mini drills have these or they are available as spares.

Izzy

Collets are a real pain.

 

Amazon sell the Dremel three jaw chuck for around £5, compared to £12+ from my local Dremel stockist (B&Q).

 

Couldn't tell you if it fits a Proxxon though.

 

Steve

[Arthur]

Interesting thread. I’ve got an old minicraft drill on my workbench, but really need a battery powered drill for use on my layout. I was thinking of getting a Dremel. Is that a good choice?

As your only drill, no. They’re heavy and a bit unwieldy and there’ll be times it’s just a bit awkward for some tasks.

 

However, as a second drill, one that’s readily moved around, they’re very good. Accurate, plenty of power and they hold power for a decent length of time. Probably best for scenic and structural modelling than very accurate drilling of small holes in kits etc.

 

.