Are brushless micromotor hand pieces better the ones with brushes? Vincent LaRochelle
Hi,
if i recall correctly…i think they are thinner/smaller…?
julie
Generally, brushless motors last longer and are more mechanically efficient. I am not sure about their comparative electrical efficiencies. That being said, I have two brushed flexshaft motors hanging in my shop one of which I have used daily for over 45 years. I have only changed the brushes once. I have looked at buying a brushless micro motor, but it appears to be a solution without a problem. I just like to buy tools…Rob
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Hi,
with micromotors, the motor is in the handpiece.
brushless are sealed, thinner
brush-type have fan, so vented not sealed, thicker
my problem to solve was “control”… eliminating the weight, whipping action, and curve limitations of the flex shaft “shaft” itself…
…speed control was secondary because i use a lucas lowboy foot pedal rheostat on my flexshaft and it provides amazing, sensitve control.
because the micromotor handpiece houses the motor, the handpieces are a tiny bit bigger/ heavier than flexshaft handpieces…so ability to hold and manipulate the handpiece is a tiny consideration…
julie
here is the link to the lucas lowboy footpedal:
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It can get tiresome using a flexshaft for a long period of time, especially the larger #30 handpiece. And the fight with the shaft when you need to get into a particular position is also an issue. A long time ago I spent some time getting the right height and location to minimize these issues and am very happy with both of my flexshafts with the exception of when I use the hammer piece. Next time around I will get the model with the spring shaft. Then again, maybe I will get a micromotor. I have two lowboys and like them a lot…Rob
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Hi Rob,
I weirdly love the #30 handpiece the best…perhaps because it is short…
i have an old quickchange handpiece with the duplex spring as well…it is a nice slim handpiece but i feel like the spring exacerbates the whipping action…
i looked into the that model without the spring, and was very surprised at the steep increase in prices since i bought mine decades ago…
https://www.ottofrei.com/Faro-Foredom-H.10-Quick-Change-Handpiece
so i bought a less expensive H.20 quickchange handpiece…i ended up returning it…i thought it would be nice and short, but the flex shaft sticks out of it stiffer than the #30, if that makes any sense…also the bur got stuck in the qc collect the first time i used it…i tried tapping/ poking the bur against my bench like i sometimes have to do with my older qc, but it would not release…rio grande tech support said, “yep, it wont come out, nothing can be done”…which i thought was kinda weird…it is a known flaw(?)…with qc collets, it is best practice to always leave a bur shaft in it, to that it doesn’t get stuck/ lock up like that…but a quick tap always worked for me…
https://www.ottofrei.com/Foredom-H.20-Quick-Change-Handpiece-with-3-32-Collet
regarding hammer handpieces…i watched a video on JewelleryTrainingSolutions.com by Peter Keep (amazing website!)
https://www.jewellerytrainingsolutions.com.au/
where he tested 4…a foredom rotary hammer handpiece, a clip slip on type for his carlo di giorgi rotary hammer handpiece, a foredom micromotor handpiece, and a dremel engraver unit fitted with a steel anvil tip in the collet (tricky collet size…he made a tube sleeve…needs to be tight)
edited:
interestingly, the foredom rotary hammer handpiece seemed to be in 4th place…the least effective… not as forceful…it did not seem to be moving the metal as much or as nicely as the carlo de giorgi rotary, which came in 1st…
the dremel came in 2nd, it performed almost equally to the carlo rotary…weirdly although the dremel is a fatter unit, it has no flexshaft, and it seemed to have more finesse in setting…less of a bull in a china shop while still getting the job done quickly…
the foredom micromotor hammer handpiece also has no flex shaft, seemed a close 3rd in effectiveness…
julie
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(i edited my hammer comments)
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