@awk@fuzzmanmatt Yeah it’s a weird setup. The multiple “thing charges the other thing” is just odd.
However I do have some Worx 20V garden stuff I bought on clearance at Wallyworld a few years ago. So with this I’d get an extra battery (though smallest capacity). The thing is… do I need this rotary tool?
I have one of these and they are great! There are also other tools avaiy that work with the same battery. I have a small heat gun and soldering iron. Both also work great
I use my dremel 4000 1.6a 120v pretty regularly. This battery operated one might be good for sanding and light cutting, but for any metal cutting and moderate work get a plug in
@tentalces1349 I had a corded Dremel for a (short) while. Then it suddenly quit working (just outside the warranty period, of course). I replaced the Dremel with a cordless Milwaukee rotary tool. It uses the same batteries as my other Milwaukee tools, has plenty of power and, most importantly, has continued to work for years.
(My dog really hates it when I try to trim his nails with it. )
There’s a whole assortment of cordless hobby tools in this line. I’ve seen a heat gun, glue gun, airbrush(!), angle grinder, woodburning tool, and more. Shame it’s maybe not taking off. But Worx isn’t that well known so trying to pull off a premium line of equipment against established brands so dominant as to be the generic name for the thing you’re selling is hard.
I’ve had a few Worx tools and they are worthwhile. Not pro quality but not complete junk. They do try to innovate, even if some of their inventions are closer to Wayne Szalinski than Doc Brown.
This tool with a brushless motor and lithium batteries surely beats the cordless Dremel with a brushed motor and 7.2V nicad memory unit I had a while back. And the semi wonky form factor of a battery on an umbilical cord helps with balance and mitigates unwieldiness. If you had a 20V pack on the tool, you couldn’t get into tight spots. If you had a battery you could get into tight spots with, it wouldn’t last very long or be very powerful. A fat pack on a cord means you can have reasonable power but not be tied to an AC outlet.
@djslack
the ability to have multiple tools that all use the same battery form factor is precisely why most all my cordless stuff is from the Ryobi 18v One+ line. I love those tools and have a ton of shop and garden tools that can use the same half dozen batteries. That being said, this is a good bit cheaper (and a more complete set-up) than the Ryobi equivalent.
Tempting but maybe I’ll buy the 2 pack of On+batteries on sale right now that will get me the rotary tool for free. Of course, Father’s day is soon so…
@chienfou I had my eye on that Ryobi rotary tool myself
I am with you on platforms. I have some stragglers where I either had something already, Ryobi version didn’t exist or was too expensive, or I got a deal I couldn’t pass up. There exist adapters to use Ryobi batteries on other tools that might be helpful.
@mediocrebot@TrinSF Yay for the random image. Washington is wet and stylish, apparently. The “wet” part has certainly been true the last few days. I’m in the lower left corner. Not sure about the “stylish” part.
I’m kind of conflicted. I already have a cordless rotary tool, albeit it’s only a 4v, so it’s not all that powerful. I also have too many tools on different battery platforms already and this would mean yet another platform …
@narfcake
see above note re Ryobi… for that very reason. I got super tired of buying tools only to find the batteries were no longer available to fit them, and each was different. I have been buying Ryobi stuff for about 20+ yrs now and it has been wonderful!
@chienfou I’m mostly in with Skil PWRCore 12 and 20 platforms now, as nearly all were acquired with significant discounts from Woot and Amazon Warehouse. My old Porter Cable tools are still fine and will chug along with adapters to B&D 20v batteries that I use for the string trimmer, blower, and the expendable drill.
On the topic of adapters, I burned out the 14.4v DeWalt impact running it at 18v (20v). Oops. I may gut it to see if I could power it with one of my extra brushless Skil drills that I got for under $10.
I’m not up for a new battery system, but… the magic of the interwebs provides some options. For example: www.ebay.com/itm/313539258823 which will allow you to run this off the bog-standard Makita LXT (18v) tool battery. (Keep in mind that all “20v” Li-ion battery systems are 20v-max/18v-avg, so you can completely safely run battery adapters for discharge. Just make sure li-ion batteries are charged in an oem charger to ensure safe management by the correct charge controller). A quick search for “worx battery adapter” turned up adapters for Dewalt, Milwaukee, and some others too.
That makes this a much safer long-term purchase for many people, if you know you can always get batteries for it.
I have a bunch of the other accessories including hot glue gun, grinder (use it to cut thin metal pipes), heat gun, and the rotary tool (Dremel). They work great. But there are two standouts- the air brush (I use it for watercolors) and the hot glue gun. The glue gun is amazing- heats up in literally 10 seconds and has an indicator light. Also the soldering iron is great! Forgot about that. Being cordless-ish means I can solder outside and not stink things up inside. Anyway big fan of the makerx series. Sad and happy to see it on meh.
I got into this system earlier this year because of the range of tools. I have a 25 year old corded dremel that is making angry noises and this is VERY comparable to that, plus I have the soldering iron and a couple other tools. I have purchased all of mine refurbished direct from Worx via eBay for less than this price and the refurbs look brand new, bundle of rotary tool and soldering iron was $37, but that was during an eBay sale of refurbs
I’m pretty sure meh is listening to me. There’s been several sales recently where I was just talking about needing x thing and then it goes on sale here soon lol.
Also, the writeup is a good example for why makers spaces are so important! I love seeing libraries doing this more frequently these days.
@majorpun OK I trust that you have a secret line to request future Meh offers. But please don’t ask for any more bluetooth speakers or microfiber sheets….
To everyone wondering why the battery is external, decent cost effective Li batteries aren’t weightless, and rotary tools generally are used for finer work where you would want a balanced tool. Having the tool weigh less/better balance would reduce hand fatigue. But you still have to futz with a cord, just not have an outlet near by.
While I don’t have this set, I do have a fair number of Worx tools. I LOVE them! They really think of everything (at least everything I need) and all the tools work great and have great power.
@c00leen Depending upon how skillful and ambidexterous you are, it might work. But is saving five bucks really worth the risk of accidentally grinding through one of your fingernails? It isn’t for me. And I’m pretty damned handy with a Dremel.
I’m conflicted… My Dremel died years ago. Instead of replacing it, I’ve been using a Rotozip for Dremel tasks. I want to buy one 'cause Confucius says “don’t kill a mosquito with a hand grenade”.
Okay, so the variable speed sold me; The Rotozip is only 2 speed.
$43 is less than a tank of gas for the econobox. My corded Dremel is useful and works well, but schlepping the long extension cord to it in the driveway or other inconvenient spots is a pain. And I’ve always been a bit of a tool junkie. Order placed.
Specs
Product: Worx 20 Volt Maker X Rotary Crafting Tool Kit with Accessories
Model: WX739L
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$73.26 on Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Jun 10 - Tuesday, Jun 14
This deal is a cut above!
Um, description says $39, buy button says $43. $43 is not less than $40.
@enville yeah our bad on that! We wanted to retail for that initially, and got hit with higher inbound freight than expected and had to adjust.
@enville @troy Meh’s transparency is always refreshing.
“Because we’re selling this thing for less than $40”
Is $43 less than $40 now? Is this using some kind of reverse hexadecimal numbering system?
@k3p13r I ninja seems to have snuck in and made a correction. Wasn’t me this time.
@ExtraMedium you can be the hero that changes thirty something to forty something in the paragraph above that, though
@djslack @ExtraMedium lol
@djslack @ExtraMedium @troy
43 is the new 39?
@k3p13r Common core?
I need a Dremel, uh, I mean a Rotary Crafting Tool. /buy
/giphy eccentric gifted verse
/buy
@craigthom It worked! Your order number is: implicit-mossy-barbarian
/image implicit mossy barbarian
I have several Dremels, but none of them are cordless. Hmm.
@awk It was the cordlessness that sold me on it.
@awk “cordless” seems like a stretch for this one… Battery operated, sure, but looks like a heck of a cobble job from battery to tool.
@awk @fuzzmanmatt Yeah it’s a weird setup. The multiple “thing charges the other thing” is just odd.
However I do have some Worx 20V garden stuff I bought on clearance at Wallyworld a few years ago. So with this I’d get an extra battery (though smallest capacity). The thing is… do I need this rotary tool?
@awk I had/have a battery powered Dremel. Very low power and no adjustable speed. My corded one of course, is way better.
@awk Cordless, except for the cord? I’m confused.
previously marketed as the “Junior Home Dentistry Kit” but it included a glue gun & some candy corn.
@alacrity you can never have enough candy corn
@alacrity @wstull1 Is it safe?
@mehcuda67 @wstull1 for you- perfectly.
for the guy who is being worked on- not so much.
I love the idea that it is ‘cordless’. At least no need for an extension cord like my Harbor Freight version.
@Vrysen Sorry, but it is not cordless.
I have one of these and they are great! There are also other tools avaiy that work with the same battery. I have a small heat gun and soldering iron. Both also work great
/buy
@Vrysen It worked! Your order number is: numberless-bejeweled-shelf
/image numberless bejeweled shelf
@mediocrebot @Vrysen
Well, that’s a perfect image!
@mediocrebot @Vrysen Nice shop!
I use my dremel 4000 1.6a 120v pretty regularly. This battery operated one might be good for sanding and light cutting, but for any metal cutting and moderate work get a plug in
@tentalces1349 well, I am just pretty handy
@tentalces1349 I had a corded Dremel for a (short) while. Then it suddenly quit working (just outside the warranty period, of course). I replaced the Dremel with a cordless Milwaukee rotary tool. It uses the same batteries as my other Milwaukee tools, has plenty of power and, most importantly, has continued to work for years.
)
(My dog really hates it when I try to trim his nails with it.
@macromeh @tentalces1349 to add another data point, my corded Dremel from ~2001 is still going strong!
There’s a whole assortment of cordless hobby tools in this line. I’ve seen a heat gun, glue gun, airbrush(!), angle grinder, woodburning tool, and more. Shame it’s maybe not taking off. But Worx isn’t that well known so trying to pull off a premium line of equipment against established brands so dominant as to be the generic name for the thing you’re selling is hard.
I’ve had a few Worx tools and they are worthwhile. Not pro quality but not complete junk. They do try to innovate, even if some of their inventions are closer to Wayne Szalinski than Doc Brown.
This tool with a brushless motor and lithium batteries surely beats the cordless Dremel with a brushed motor and 7.2V nicad memory unit I had a while back. And the semi wonky form factor of a battery on an umbilical cord helps with balance and mitigates unwieldiness. If you had a 20V pack on the tool, you couldn’t get into tight spots. If you had a battery you could get into tight spots with, it wouldn’t last very long or be very powerful. A fat pack on a cord means you can have reasonable power but not be tied to an AC outlet.
Also, I believe you can get Worx batteries with higher capacity and use them with the power hub for longer runtime.
@djslack
the ability to have multiple tools that all use the same battery form factor is precisely why most all my cordless stuff is from the Ryobi 18v One+ line. I love those tools and have a ton of shop and garden tools that can use the same half dozen batteries. That being said, this is a good bit cheaper (and a more complete set-up) than the Ryobi equivalent.
Tempting but maybe I’ll buy the 2 pack of On+batteries on sale right now that will get me the rotary tool for free. Of course, Father’s day is soon so…
@chienfou I had my eye on that Ryobi rotary tool myself
I am with you on platforms. I have some stragglers where I either had something already, Ryobi version didn’t exist or was too expensive, or I got a deal I couldn’t pass up. There exist adapters to use Ryobi batteries on other tools that might be helpful.
/buy
@TrinSF It worked! Your order number is: wet-stylish-map
/image wet stylish map
@mediocrebot @TrinSF Yay for the random image. Washington is wet and stylish, apparently. The “wet” part has certainly been true the last few days. I’m in the lower left corner. Not sure about the “stylish” part.
Cordless, but with a battery pack that attaches via a cord.
I’m kind of conflicted. I already have a cordless rotary tool, albeit it’s only a 4v, so it’s not all that powerful. I also have too many tools on different battery platforms already and this would mean yet another platform …
/8ball
Outlook not so good
@narfcake
see above note re Ryobi… for that very reason. I got super tired of buying tools only to find the batteries were no longer available to fit them, and each was different. I have been buying Ryobi stuff for about 20+ yrs now and it has been wonderful!
@chienfou I’m mostly in with Skil PWRCore 12 and 20 platforms now, as nearly all were acquired with significant discounts from Woot and Amazon Warehouse. My old Porter Cable tools are still fine and will chug along with adapters to B&D 20v batteries that I use for the string trimmer, blower, and the expendable drill.
On the topic of adapters, I burned out the 14.4v DeWalt impact running it at 18v (20v). Oops. I may gut it to see if I could power it with one of my extra brushless Skil drills that I got for under $10.
I’m not up for a new battery system, but… the magic of the interwebs provides some options. For example: www.ebay.com/itm/313539258823 which will allow you to run this off the bog-standard Makita LXT (18v) tool battery. (Keep in mind that all “20v” Li-ion battery systems are 20v-max/18v-avg, so you can completely safely run battery adapters for discharge. Just make sure li-ion batteries are charged in an oem charger to ensure safe management by the correct charge controller). A quick search for “worx battery adapter” turned up adapters for Dewalt, Milwaukee, and some others too.
That makes this a much safer long-term purchase for many people, if you know you can always get batteries for it.
yeah why not
/giphy hulking-grody-manatee
Can it make Margarita scream in agonizing pain? Oh absolutely!
I have a bunch of the other accessories including hot glue gun, grinder (use it to cut thin metal pipes), heat gun, and the rotary tool (Dremel). They work great. But there are two standouts- the air brush (I use it for watercolors) and the hot glue gun. The glue gun is amazing- heats up in literally 10 seconds and has an indicator light. Also the soldering iron is great! Forgot about that. Being cordless-ish means I can solder outside and not stink things up inside. Anyway big fan of the makerx series. Sad and happy to see it on meh.
I got into this system earlier this year because of the range of tools. I have a 25 year old corded dremel that is making angry noises and this is VERY comparable to that, plus I have the soldering iron and a couple other tools. I have purchased all of mine refurbished direct from Worx via eBay for less than this price and the refurbs look brand new, bundle of rotary tool and soldering iron was $37, but that was during an eBay sale of refurbs
I’m pretty sure meh is listening to me. There’s been several sales recently where I was just talking about needing x thing and then it goes on sale here soon lol.
Also, the writeup is a good example for why makers spaces are so important! I love seeing libraries doing this more frequently these days.
@majorpun OK I trust that you have a secret line to request future Meh offers. But please don’t ask for any more bluetooth speakers or microfiber sheets….
/buy
@majorpun It worked! Your order number is: crazy-sweaty-morning
/image crazy sweaty morning
Just for reference, this is what a cordless rotary tool looks like.
Look Ma, no cords!
@blaineg This is correct.
Or less than $35 at Lowe’s…https://www.lowes.com/pd/WORX-MakerX-21-Piece-Variable-Speed-Corded-20-Volt-Max-Amp-Multipurpose-Rotary-Tool/5001252351?user=shopping
@donrull
That is for the tool only, doesn’t include battery, charger or hub.
@donrull @GeeWillLarry
Damn that fine print!
To everyone wondering why the battery is external, decent cost effective Li batteries aren’t weightless, and rotary tools generally are used for finer work where you would want a balanced tool. Having the tool weigh less/better balance would reduce hand fatigue. But you still have to futz with a cord, just not have an outlet near by.
While I don’t have this set, I do have a fair number of Worx tools. I LOVE them! They really think of everything (at least everything I need) and all the tools work great and have great power.
I hate having to work on things with a cord in the way anymore. Definitely worth a shot for me
.
I’m just here for the battery
@ckcarlton I’m just here so I don’t get fined.
That last picture - I had a coworker whose husband had really hard thick toenails, and used his dremel to grind them down.
@Kyeh
That’s what they use at the podiatrist’s office I take mom to…
It’s also what my manicurist uses to remove gel polish! Now if I just want my polished removed, I can save the $5 and do it myself perhaps?
@c00leen Depending upon how skillful and ambidexterous you are, it might work. But is saving five bucks really worth the risk of accidentally grinding through one of your fingernails? It isn’t for me. And I’m pretty damned handy with a Dremel.
I’m conflicted… My Dremel died years ago. Instead of replacing it, I’ve been using a Rotozip for Dremel tasks. I want to buy one 'cause Confucius says “don’t kill a mosquito with a hand grenade”.
Okay, so the variable speed sold me; The Rotozip is only 2 speed.
/buy
@Roadie It worked! Your order number is: pressed-kissable-dingo
/image pressed kissable dingo
$43 is less than a tank of gas for the econobox. My corded Dremel is useful and works well, but schlepping the long extension cord to it in the driveway or other inconvenient spots is a pain. And I’ve always been a bit of a tool junkie. Order placed.
I have a corded Dremel and while the power is great, it lacks any kind of ergonomic balance. This is worth the gamble.
/buy
@accumulator We’re sold out except for a small amount we set aside for existing VMP members to be released at 4pm ET.
@mediocrebot screw you, mediocrebot:
/giphy mindless-derelict-morning
I think this is going to replace my dremel I puchased back in 1999…