Dremel is soon coming out with a new vacuum-powered rotary tool, model VRT1. That’s right – this is a new Dremel rotary tool that’s powered using a shop vacuum!
The new Dremel vacuum-powered rotary tool can be connected to any 1-1/4″ shop vacuum nozzle or adapter. Not only does the vacuum pressure (or negative pressure if you will) turn the tool’s motor, it sucks up dust and debris that’s created by the tool.
Advertisement
Dremel says that the new VRT1 rotary tool is ideal for users wanting to keep their workplace clean and airborne dust to a minimum. They recommend it for use with dusty projects, such as when working drywall, wood, glass, ceramic, Styrofoam, and other materials that can be messy to work with.
Dremel also emphasizes that this is designed for small projects. In other words, you probably shouldn’t expect it to be able to perform at its best if you’re hogging away so much material that there’s a cloud of dust.
The VRT1 can be used for cutting, sanding, polishing, carving, and engraving tasks.
There’s no mention about speed limits, although you do get variable speed control, and there is also an on/off switch that lets you stop the motor even when the vacuum is still attached and running.
Price: $30 $10-20
ETA: Unknown
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Advertisement
First Thoughts
It looks like Dremel might have been inspired by a vacuum-powered rotary tool accessory found on Thingiverse, or maybe this one. Or maybe one of their engineers really did have a eureka! moment.
This seems like the PERFECT accessory for small sanding and engraving tasks. The fact that you get power and automatic cleanup of light dust and debris is a fantastic idea.
It’s also one of those tools with an obvious and never in a million years design. In hindsight, it almost seems silly that Dremel engineers and other rotary tool brands haven’t thought of this before.
And for $30 $10-20, a lot of Dremel rotary tool users might see this more as an accessory than a standalone tool.
Dave L.
At that price point I bet they sell plenty of them. Dremel has been getting smart about branching out from their main product line over the last few years.
Garrick
When a 1 1/4 ” hose is attached, it may too cumbersome for delicate work. For that I would prefer a cordless Dremel with a vacuum hose somehow fixed to the area being worked on.
Kurt
I’m not sure where I would use this. Delicate control and a vacuum hose sticking out the back doesn’t seem to go together, nor does the typical shop vac’s noise level improve on a Dremel’s sound. I suspect that it won’t produce very much power either. Still, out of the box thinking is to be congratulated.
Dennis
The vacuum aspect would be ideal for cutting out holes in drywall. I hope that job is not too big for the device.
Jerry
That was my thought exactly. If it had enough power to spin a drywall cutter bit, while sucking up most of the dust, they will sell a ton of them.
Ben
I bought one for exactly this reason (drywall) and it does NOT function well at all. You need an EXTREMELY strong vacuum to propel the motor. Anything less and the tool completely bottoms out with no spin.
fred
Neat idea – but as others have said the hose may prove to be the Achilles’ heel for such a small tool. Even with some larger tools (e.g. Festool, Bosch and other powered tools) with vacuum hose attachments the hose is a bit cumbersome. Dust collection and metal grinding can sometimes result in a fire hazard – if hot debris and sparks are carried into a vacuum system laden with wood dust. For a tool as small as a Dremel this is probably not an issue.
We had a commercial downdraft table in our metal fabrication shop – and if I had the space and budget for one – it would be a neat addition to my home shop. I’ve seen plans for building a homemade version (none that I’ve seen would handle hot metal debris) – and I’m thinking it might be a nice project for woodworking. For now – in the shop – I sometimes duct-tape a shopvac hose and nozzle in the general vicinity of my work when I’m using a tool that does not have integrated dust collection.
Doc
Aside from the issue of the attached vacuum hose limiting mobility, can we expect a vacuum-driven tool to perform at the same level as an electric or forced-air tool? The idea sounds great on paper, but i’m curious to learn of any real-world performance drawbacks.
jimmie
I’ll play devil’s advocate…
Unless it offers excellent dust collection (given that there’s no dust shroud, I assume dust collection is mediocre), it seems like a good way to burn 12 amps instead of 3 amps whenever you use your Dremel…
MT_Noob
I honestly first thought it was an old April Fools post. But it sounds legit. I guess it would work in theory, it seems like it would stall pretty easily, bu then again it is for light duty. I’d love to see it in action. The price is very tempting.
Matt E.
Eh.
I’ll stick to my (discontinued) Trio, which has a vacuum port.
Would rather pay $30 for an ATTACHMENT for my current dremel rotatory tool as well.
NERemodeling
Nice find, Stuart!
Do you know if the plastic nose piece on the tool unscrews like on most dremels? I’m curious if some of their attachments could be attached to it, specifically their 565 drywall cutout tool part. If this had enough power for drywall and could be used with that attachment it would be awesome!!!
Hang Fire
Interesting. I see this as having a place on an assembly line, lab, or factory floor, but not so much as an artisan or even hobbyist’s tool.
I see two issues. First, maneuverability with the attached vacuum hose must be very limiting. Take a look at the ongoing debate about heavier battery powered rotary tools versus lighter corded tools versus remote Foredom style tools. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. If a power cord is bothersome in some situations, how much more so a long, heavy vacuum hose?
Second is noise. Combined with a pricey Fein or Festool portable vacuum, this could work well, as long as maneuverability is sufficient. The last thing I would want is to work for hours with a sawdust vac or Shop Vac roaring in my ears. We put up with them momentarily because the table saw makes its cuts in a minute and the router is even louder but is done in a few minutes; a Dremel, on the other hand, I might use for a half hour or more at a time.
Bill K
Very interesting new tool. I agree with readers comments on the imposed limitations due to the bulky vacuum hose. To counter this negative, bench mounting this rotary tool looks like a no compromise use of the tool. In fact bigger might be better for this application. I’d buy this rotary tool just for a bench mounted limited use, assuming it has a reasonable level of power. Anyone know of any other bench mount vacuum powered rotary tools?
Joe M
I’m going to think a tiny bit outside the box here… I think this might be a decent way to do the odd pedicure, or something small like that. Being so small, and relatively under-powered, it might be safe to use to remove dead skin, or sand down nails. Perhaps for people or pets in a long-term situation like a groomer’s, or spa?
I’d buy one. It’s too low a cost not to, really. Just for the sake of having one. Too low a cost to have to say “It wasn’t worth it.”
I DO agree with the rest of you, though. If the dust collection abilities aren’t all that great, I don’t see large-scale heavy use for this thing.
jesse
I wouldn’t want to deal with the noise of a vacuum.
Brian
neat… but wont be buying. Id rather a shroud on my powered dremel, or just hold my shop vac hose near to the work.
Phil
The concept is good, but the practicality hinges a lot on how flexible your vacuum hose is. It probably work well when working with potentially harmful materials, such as carbon fiber or fiberglass materials to keep down airborne particles. As others have said, this tool is limited in maneuverability, and running a larger shop vac or dust collector instead of the motor on a electric Dremel isn’t practical for long term use.
Julian Tracy
Why on Earth would you ever want to use a dremel tool for drywall in the first place? Talk about the wrong tool for the job….
JT
Joe M
Dremel makes several Drywall-specific bits for the Rotary, MultiMax, and Trio tools. They’re for cutting holes for outlets and other spaces in the Drywall. A contractor might use a Cut-Out tool for this purpose, maybe a Jigsaw? Dremel offers these bits for, I guess it would be homeowners and/or DIYers, who just want to do it themselves.
Joe A.
I just saw and picked up this tool at Lowe’s today. It is late and the wife is asleep so I do not want to run the vacuum until tomorrow. (My hobby room is made from a bedroom next to ours).
I have inspected it and read all the paperwork though. It feels pretty comfortable in the hand and comes with a clear , screw on dust shield and some accessory bits and such. It is stressed in the write up that it has no real power and is for light duty work, not for hogging material. I can accept that considering the price and I have several other electric Dremel’s and this will fill a specific need for my projects. You can vary the speed by rotating a vent closure and even stop it while the vacuum is running. I will see tomorrow just how bad it is to use with a hose connected to the back. This reminds me of a reverse air turbine hand piece I have.