Nifty little attachment, but not quite a home run.[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was pretty excited to get my plunge router attachment in the mail and get to work. In the past I've had to borrow a router to finish the projects I was working on. Out of the box, the plunge router attachment is ready to use for free hand routing, but needs just a little assembly to use the two included guides that can be attached to the base. An edge guide and circular guide is included and the booklet that comes in the box does a good job of explaining how to use each of them. Before I attached my rotary tool, the attachment felt very lightweight and I was afraid that it being mostly made of plastic, it was going to be a little too light duty. However, once my rotary tool was attached, it felt solid and really comfortable to hold.
Attaching my Dremel 3000 to the base was a breeze with just unscrewing the nut off the end of it, lining it up in the base, and then using the included wrench to tighten it into place. The plunge router attachment does not include any of the router bits that Dremel makes, but they are easily found anywhere you can find Dremel accessories. I used 3 different sized straight bits as well as 2 different edge bits to do my testing and finish my project. Changing bits can done two ways, by either removing your Dremel or while it's attached to the base. Personally, I found it difficult to change bits quickly while it was attached to the base. After several hours of use, here's what I found.
Things I liked:
Easy to use right out of the box with clear instructions on how to use it.
Inexpensive way to add a plunge router to your toolbox.
The clear base makes it easy to see your lines and cuts.
Compact, easy to store away for future use.
Compatible with most Dremel rotary tools.
Versatile, can be used free hand, with guides, or for doing edge work.
Things that keep it from being a home run:
The up and down spring mechanism sticks, even after lubricating it making it harder than it should be to move the tool up and down.
The depth stop and limiter are cheap plastic and the nuts will move due to vibration of the tool. (the bottom nut kept unscrewing all the way to the bottom on me)
The locking handle is on the opposite side of the depth stop and limiter which allows for some play from side to side making it hard to switch back to a previous set depth.
Only 2 edge guide knobs, guide rods, and hex head nuts are included so switching back and forth from the edge guide to the circle guide is more hassle than it should be.
Final Thoughts:
Dremel made a fun little attachment that adds even more uses to their already versatile rotary tools. It does what it's suppose to, but should be made clear that it's made for smaller projects and detail work. With a few tweaks, I think this attachment would be even more valuable than it already is. I look forward to using it more in the future!
by WoodcarvingDoc