How would this rotary tool be for mods and such?

[Urzu402]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BYRFGO

Like cutting the tabs out of an SNES or region modding a Genesis model 1.

[Steve W]

Heh, I just posted a few seconds ago in another thread about how I used something like that to scoop out the plastic prongs and things inside an E.T. Atari cart and stuff in a tiny USB hub with three USB drives to make the cartridge into a portable flash drive. And in the early '90s I used a Dremel to saw a slot into the interior of CD jewel cases and to sand down the center plastic hubs to make storage cases for Atari Lynx games that could fit in a CD storage rack. Those rotary cutters can be useful if you decide to do something along the lines of what you've mentioned. Hope you like the smell of burning plastic! Remember to have good ventilation and safety goggles!

[understatement]

I found that exact kit in Wal-mart years ago for about the same price. I used it for a long time it was okay for small jobs like you stated but, when I got more in to making custom items (like arcade sticks) and more complex mods the more the quality of the tool showed.

So I would suggest the Black & Decker 3 Speed RTX Rotary Tool (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-Decker-3-Speed-RTX-Rotary-Tool-Model-RTX-B/9714694) for only $10 more it's so much better.

[MrNelson]

My friend actually bought one of those from a Big Lots while we were making our Nintoaster. That should work fine (worked for him at least). And just for the record, you can just use some needle-nose pliers to pull out the tabs in a SNES, I did it a few weeks ago and it only too me 5 minutes to get them out and clean it up a bit.

[Flack]

I'm sure it would work for basic mods, but it looks fairly cheap and doesn't spin that fast. Amazon says it spins 16,000 RPM; my basic, entry level Dremel goes up to 35,000 RPM.

[InsaneDavid]

Don't cut corners, get a Dremel from the start and save wasted money. You can get a nice starter Dremel kit for about $40.00 and it will last you for years. Bosch (who manufactures the Dremel brand) makes quality tools that will give you the power and precision needed for mod work. You can get by on the cheaper accessories however. For instance there's a 130+ piece rotary tool accessory kit that Harbor Freight sells from time to time for less than $15.00 - one of those will last you a couple years. The off brand accessories aren't as nice as the Dremel stuff, but you can't beat the value.

That kit on Amazon is similar to the lowest cost setup that Harbor Freight sells and in all honesty it's worth about $5.00.

[Compute]

I will second that. I use a black and decker unit which works pretty well. You can use any brand of bits. Some are better than others, but having a poor base tool just means you'll have to replace it sooner. I say spend the extra few bucks for a real dremel (or at least something with a brand name) and then get a cheap assortment of bits.

Also Bosch is an awesome company. They stock a complete line of replacement parts for all of their brands. I was able to find a bunch of random parts for my dad's old circular saw, bringing it back to life and saving me $45.