I discovered the Jooltool whilst surfing for bristle discs yesterday
and thought Id throw the subject out there to see what your opinions
were.
It seems like a very nice piece of equipment even if it does look
like a cheap toy.
It is quiet and takes up very little space. Just like the Radial
Bristle discs, it polishes without compound and with compound. It
uses large Bristle disc styled wheels and grinding wheels and shows
great results.
The unit can be used upright or turned on its side for better
polishing angles plus, it has an attachment available to connect the
unit to a vacuum system. It also has a inbuilt light and even discs
that when in motion become transparent, giving you a perfect view of
the work as it progresses. You can even add a flexi shaft drill to
the unit and it works great!
Another nice feature is the fact that the JoolTool motor runs on
either 110 volts or 220 volts because it has a converter built right
into its power cord. You need only select the appropriate plug or
(plug adapter) for your wall outlet. The converter will do the rest.
I looked up so many reviews and even the most experienced jewelers
reluctantly gave it the thumbs up!
Sadly there is a downside. the wheels and grinders are ridiculously
expensive and unfortunately. only the brand named accessories seem
to fit the system. Each disc has to be applied to a hard backing pad
and once applied, it cannot be removed! So, you have to buy a lot of
backing pads to make it work for you. Rio are selling the backing
pads for $38.99 a piece!!! I wonder if anyone has found their way
around this problem. Is there any other brand accessory that fits
and works well with this unit. This is a major drawback and put off
for me.
Two other nagging concerns. It is made with a plastic casing and
runs on a 12V DC motor. I have not seen any mention of warranty’s on
any site selling it.
Ok, enough said. over to you!
What do you think? Would you take this unit seriously? can the cost
of the accessories be overcome? with less expensive alternatives?
Tina you pretty much covered the pros and cons of the Jooltool. I
don’t think it is something I would like to add to my arsenal of
tools, as it does not do anything that my current tools don’t do.
If I had limited space in my studio, or was just starting out and
needed an all purpose tool, I might consider it, but would have to
get the more expensive model which costs almost $800, else I would
be constantly ordering extra pads etc. etc…
I rarely do any polishing as I make most of my fabricated pieces
with fine silver, except for items that will receive hard wear. For
casting I use de-ox silver and it never seems to tarnish.
Although it is a very handy multi-purpose piece of equipment, it
would not be anything I would need in my studio.
I discovered the Jooltool whilst surfing for bristle discs
yesterday and thought Id throw the subject out there to see what
your opinions were.
I have an old Jooltool (probably the original model as it’s several
years old).
I love the thing! The bristle discs are the most-used accessories on
mine, although I also use the ceramic abrasive disks for grinding
casting sprues.
My only complaint about it is that it’s hard to get larger pieces
under it, so I did have to look at the newer one when you mentioned
that it can be turned sideways.
Now I want to upgrade, even though mine is still perfectly fine…
thanks for nothing.
Hope the newer version works better for you. Have you found any
alternatives that fit the unit? the stick on disks and accessories
are horendously expensive.
I have always used the polisher at the jewelers I worked at in
Dublin. It was a Euro style polisher with covered motor (as
explained previously). Now that I have moved to the states I have
been looking at all polish solutions and alternatives including the
Jewel tool.
Hope the newer version works better for you. Have you found any
alternatives that fit the unit? the stick on disks and accessories
are horendously expensive.
Yep, their stuff is rather expensive, but I haven’t found anything
off-brand that has the see-thru feature.
When I need supplies for the Jooltool I shop around. Buying directly
from Jooltool is very expensive.
I’ve found identical accessories a bit cheaper from other sources.
Otto Frei and Fire Mountain both have Jooltool accessories at
somewhat lower prices.
Sometimes I find things in unexpected places–one time I found some
of the Jooltool back pads at a woodworking show.
I’m not going to upgrade my Jooltool motor just yet, even though the
new design is really cool. I’m too cheap for that. I’ll wear this
one out first.
Last year I added the Jooltool to the shop, adding a suction hose to
the Quatro Pro polishing system.
We use the Jooltool mainly as a lap system, small, compact, and
easily slid out of the way when not in use, and we can quickly
change the feltbuffs for different compounds.
