Choice of PCB drill and stand (Dremel?)

[TTL]

What are your recommendations for a good drill and suitable stand for drilling holes in PCBs?

Dremel tools are readily available where I live but apparently, according to several people their quality isn't much to speak of (motor burns out quickly, cheap, low quality ball bearings etc.) and they recommend Proxxon instead (which I had never heard of and is harder to find) whereas others say they're fine.
Mind you, this is for hobby use and won't be used on daily basis.. I also don't have an unlimited budget for this but would rather pay a little more and have something that lasts.

I was thinking of the Dremel 3000 "bronze" kit which is on a Christmas sale, and a Dremel 220 workstation (stand) -the latter being a bit on the expensive side though:



Would this be a nice setup or should I go for something else?

 

[BobK]

I use a Dremel tool and the drill press stand you show and I find them to be about perfect for PCB drilling. No complaints.

My wife and I have both used Dremel tools for various purposes for a long time and have never had one burn out. People who say that are most likely misusing it.

Bob

 

[Martaine2005]

Agreed, I have a few dremels and the baby brothers 'minicraft' tools as well.
Never had a problem either. In fact, my Minicraft tools are 30+ years old and still going strong..

Martin

 

[Minder]

I also have never experienced burn out of my 25 yr old Dremel, they are not that precise for accurate drilling etc due to the run out of the spindle.
M.

 

[TTL]

It appears from the postinks/links above that people claim Dremel used to make quality products whereas now they aren't any longer.
It would probably be hard getting hold of old Dremel or Minicraft tools these days if the this is true.

Regarding the drill stand -I assume for their asking price that this is a very high quality unit (strong, stable and without much play), but are there stands that cost less and work equally well?
Another thing: is it possible to attach some sort of adapter to allow for bigger diameter drill bits (I believe they take max 3.2mm bits out of the box) such as 4 or 5mm? Could come in handy for drilling mounting holes on those PCBs.

 

[Martaine2005]

Minicraft are still sold regularly on Ebay. And they have larger chucks too..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Minicraft...056000?hash=item2ca5ca3ec0:g:1QAAAOSw1S9WbxML

But if you want to drill bigger holes, then you need a bigger drill.
I am sure you can find third party attachments for the Dremel like chucks etc.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=d...-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=kol3VquiLsLfUYrWmYAE
Regarding the stand.. Dremel are definitely good but there are cheaper stands available too..
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=r...tRQKHcqZBT0Q_AUICCgC&biw=1429&bih=705&dpr=0.9

Martin

 

[Windadct]

Dremmel has a pretty good name / reputation - it is tricky getting honest feedback on consumer products, they make millions of these - but the vast majority of people that comment only do so because they are not happy - and looking to vent / complain.

 

[nederlander]

What about a Dumore drill press? http://www.dumoretools.com/sensitive-drill-press