Is the Rotozip worth buying?

[radhak]

Saw a 'brand new' Rotozip SC01 on CL for $35.

I recall mixed reviews about this tool. What exactly can it do, and what can't it?

The Fein multimaster might be a better option for some, but not for shallow pockets like mine ...

[crokett]

It is worth it for that price. I wouldn't buy it full price. I own one, got it as a gift years ago. It is a great drywall cutter, though noisy. It will also cut wood up to about 1/2" thick. I tried 3/4 ply more than once and all it did was burn the bit. I've never tried cutting tile but supposedly you can. Mine has the grinding/cutting wheel attachment, I've never used it. If the stock is thin enoiugh it is easier to steer than a jigsaw and doesn't need a starter hole, but doesn't track as straight a line.

[JoeyGee]

And here it is...the annual Christmas Rotozip thread .

[Ed62]

I've had one for maybe 3 years or so. Probably used it 2 or 3 times. Good for drywall or other light stuff. It's not a tool I couldn't do without.

Ed

[vaking]

Motor in rotozip is basically same as in most laminate trimmers. it spins the bit at 30000 rpm, close to laminate trimmer. It comes with 1/8" and 1/4" collets, so it can take router bits with 1/4" shank and dremel/rotozip bits with 1/8" shanks. Speed is not variable natively but works with router speed controls. It does not come with any decent router bases, out of the box there is only attachement that works only with drywal cutting. I have a dremel plunge base that fits my rotozip. Combined with this base it comes close to full functionality of laminate trimmer. Plunge action and depth control are crude but it is usable to edge wood surface. If you have a laminate trimmer - I would definitely skip rotozip. If you don't - you probably still will be better off buying a normal trimmer - for woodworking trimmer has better controls. If you do a lot of drywall construction - that is a different story.

[tjr]

I have one of the pre-Bosch cordless Rotozips that I picked up on a whim a few years back. It's really best as a drywall cutter, and maybe tile - the other stuff you could do with it, you'd most likely be happier using some other tool. Rotozip will cut thin wood, but a sabre saw works better. And I find it's a bit hard to control for drywall because the tool is pretty heavy, it cuts very fast, and it's got that gyroscopic spinning business going on.

If you've got a dremel or equiv, you can just chuck a Zip bit in that and cut the occasional drywall freehand. I think dremel even makes an attachment that gives a bit of depth control.

[cabinetman]

What will it do that a laminate trimmer can't do?
.

[Uncle Cracker]

I don't use mine much. Every once in a while, I go looking for it, just to make sure I still have it...

[radhak]

Like CM asked - looks like a trim router would do most of what it does. I have two trim routers. Could I use them instead?

[jhart]

Like CM asked - looks like a trim router would do most of what it does. I have two trim routers. Could I use them instead?

If I were going to be using it to cut a lot of drywall, I don't think I would use my Bosch colt as there's just too much dust and I think it could really foul up the motor. The Roto Zip is better encased for that purpose.

I got a Roto Zip kit about 4 years ago and it sits in it's case about 99.9% of the time. Just don't think about using it for many jobs, and I do a lot of fixing up type jobs with the apartments I own.

For $35 though, it's a pretty good price.

[LCHIEN]

i think its one of those products that make the rounds for Christmas, it videos well cutting everything in sight, its the right price range so a slick sales campaign can hook all the wives and kids who are desperate to buy something for their hubby/father who does som handiwork. Looks like the do-all end-all too from the ads.

In reality its a not that great at anything, there are specialty tools that do better at most tasks.

Anyway, that's my impression.
OTOH, I'd probably rather get one of these than an electrically operated clamp or electrically-adjustable adjustable wrench (Yes, B&D sold those the last few years at Christmas time).

[phrog]

I've had one for several years. I've used it a number of times to cut holes with the circular hole cutting attachment. You can cut holes several inches in diameter with this attachment (which came with my kit) and it does a very good job in this regard. It will not cut deep and it is hard to cut a straight line unless you use a jig. Great for dry wall.
Richard

[docrowan]

I got a Dremel version of the Rotozip for Christmas one year and I've tried it on 4 or 5 projects over the past 4 or 5 years. Apparently my short-term memory is something less than a year, because about once a year I'll haul it out and try using it on some project and wind up with a disaster. Back on the shelf it goes for another year. I don't do a lot of drywall, but the little I do I find a utility knife is more accurate, lots less noisy, creates far less dust, and is almost as fast (or faster when you factor in the set up time).

[dbhost]

For the money, I'd pick up a cheap Dremel copy and just burn a mess of those up... Wally World sells a B&D Dremel clone for something like $12.00 on sale...

[Bill in Buena Park]

Mine sits on the shelf. It'll probably be handy when I get back to drywalling, and I've heard its supposed to work OK for grout removal with the right bit - I have some of that to do, so I'm hoping it works faster/better than a grout saw.

Otherwise, its relegated to a space by my sawzall - "fast & dirty con/de-struction tools" that add no value in the woodshop.