Hi all,
I need to buy a flex shaft… i can’t afford a foredom right now, can anyone tell me if this seems like a decent compromise? I need to drill holes, polishing, grinding etc.
Thanks!
Hi,
I would have a few questions:
1( does the listing specify what size burs fit in the quick cgange collet?…ie: it is usually 3/32” …ie is it standard or metric?…
- also, will the flex shaft (key, at the end) fit other handpieces?…ie: a jacobs #30 chuck handpiece?…this handpiece collet opens and closes to accept various sized burs…and wires (for twisting etc)…and is good to have…or…a hammer handpiece?…
Peter Keep did a video reviewing different hammer handpieces, and i noticed he had 2 different flex shafts with different flexshaft “keys”…(he is in australia)
julie
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Hi,
here is a video by Andrew Berry’s “AtTheBench” YouTube channel, where he reviews the various Flexshaft shaft styles and handpieces that fit in them
(5 minute mark- Euro Slip Joint, and USA key joint)
he also reviews “QC” Quick Change handpieces and keyed chuck handpieces) ie: the #30 Jacobs chuck handpiece)
the #30 Jacobs chuck handpiece collet opens wide and closes down completely…ie: for use with burs and drills that do not have a 3/32" shaft…ie: a tiny twist drill…
All About Flex Shafts / Pendant Motors and Handpieces
Julie
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A quality tool will pay for itself, while a compromise will only make you appreciate, later, why you should have gone with the quality choice to begin with…
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I have been buying tools for over 50 years. What we recommend depends a bit on what you want to do with a flex shaft. A flex shaft is one of the few tools that I would go into debt to replace. I have two. I purchased the first one probably 45 years ago and it is still going strong. It has two speed ranges resulting from the fact that it has two output gears. Low speed with torque is needed for some tasks and high speed for others. I use it mainly as a bench mounted lathe, but also to drive my hammer tools. Hammers need to be run at low speeds. The other, newer model, is my go to for any one of a number of higher speed, yet powerful, tasks. Several quality suppliers that we use also sell Grobet tools. You might take a look at them as they offer several lower cost flex shaft packages. You might consider starting with a Jacobs type handpiece as it will accomodate a range of tools sizes. The quick change handpieces are specific to 3/32 " tools. You will find that the flex shaft is just the beginning. The cost of the tools driven by them may cost far more than the cost of the flexshaft depending on what you want to do with it. The cost of tools is a real challenge. It never goes away and just gets worse as you get more experience and buy more expensive tools. Don’t just buy tools. Let the need for them appear first. You then can make a much better informed purchase. So many people starting out thinking that it is the tool that will make them a better jewelry maker and the lack of it is standing in their way. This is not entirely true. I have a small museum of tools that I had to have that I have never used. There is a lot of great jewelry made with very crude tools. Take a look at the Toolbox Initiative run by Tim McCreight and Matthieu Cheminée.
Keep us posted on your progress and don’t be shy about asking for suggestions. Remember, tool catalogs are made to sell tools, many of which you likely don’t need or don’t need right away. Sometimes the solution to a problem is fairly simple and not that expensive. Many times you can make the tool yourself. Good luck…Rob
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At least 15 years ago I bought my first flexshaft, a no-name Chinese model. It was quite inexpensive, bought from Contenti in Rhode Island. It is still going.
Much later I bought a Foredom SR for the reverse switch and so one flexshaft could hold a quick change handpiece, the other a #30.
For no good reason the cheap flexshaft got my Lucas Lowboy foot controller and Foredom quick change handpiece, and for those reasons it is the flexshaft I use the most. The Foredom SR is of course perfectly fine, but the very cheap Chinese model has been going strong for over 15 years, and if I were to be blindfolded I would not be able to tell the Chinese machine from the Foredom. (Some might suggest that my work would be improved blindfolded, but don’t listen to those trolls.) 
Consider buying the cheapest one from a reputable supplier. If it does not do what you need, return it. Eventually you may buy a Foredom and have two, one for a quick change handpiece, the other for a #30.
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Hi again,
ah, I see…the OP’s listing shows a Euro Slip style flexshaft and handpiece…
i would suggest, looking around, to see which handpiece styles are available in your country as well, for future additions
Julie
I found one on Craigslist or marketplace for 100$. Now I have two. One for a quick change, another for a hammer handpiece. But I’d buy a cheap import if I needed one. I think they’re probably fine. The Lucas lowboy pedal is more of a game changer in my book.
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Hi,
yep, agree…so sad they are no longer in business…glad i have 2…
julue
Hello Orchidland,
Ditto on the Lucas foot pedal. Smooooth operation. Definitely worth it!
Judy in Kansas
I have two Lucas pendals and am sorry that they went out of business…Rob
Hi,
Maybe someone will buy the design and produce them again…
Julie
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I found a used foredom and it is worth the $$
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My first was a Grobet, purchased about 8 years ago. It was about half the cost of a Foredom (SR?). I used it for everything, drilling, sanding, polishing, several days a week. About a year and a half ago, I grabbed a Foredom SR from Pepe tools on Black Friday (and one of their flex shaft driven belt sander) to take the stress of Christmas shopping of my poor husband’s plate. 
So I now have two! They both do the same thing for sure, but the Foredom is forward and reverse, has a more powerful motor and feels more solid. That being said, the Grobet still works great and is almost permanently attached to the belt sander, or the handpiece that is set up with the blade for the jump ring maker, which I could not live without either.
Not sure if that helps, but the cheaper model worked fine and still does.
Edie
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I bought the cheap Harbor Freight flexshaft for $40 as a backup years ago, telling myself I’ll just get a Foredom when it dies. Well it never died. Still use it today.
When I was working in a shop and not for myself we had two Foredoms die on us in the same day. Guess what we had to rush out and go get. 
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Do they use the same attachments?
It uses a chuck style handpiece. I’m pretty sure you can swap it out and use a foredom handpiece. Some might not be compatible you’d have to check.
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If the hand pieces are interchangeable that would be slick
Brennan, the end of my Chinese no-name flexshaft cable that inserts into a handpiece is a wee bit thicker than the Foredom’s and can take a little effort to fit it into some handpieces. Minor filing or sanding would make for an easier fit but I’ve never needed to do that. My handpieces of various types and brands, Chinese, American, European, all fit on the Chinese and the Foredom shafts.
Neil A
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That’s great. Thank you