Marathon minimotor

[p3aul]

Hi!
Ebay offers the marathon 35,000 mini motor for around $100 US I would like to use it for making woodspirits in walking canes around 1.5 inches to 2 inches sorta like Gene Webb shows in this youtube video:

Gene Webb Woodcarving Series- Vol 6 Roughing out a Woodspirit - YouTube

Are these units any good? Will this unit do that or will I have to pay $250 or more for one?

Thanks for all your recommendations and suggestions!
Paul

[susieq]

Hi Paul,
Are you referring to a Marathon Micro motor? These are great tools for fine detailing. Roughing out and shaping a carving/walking stick, should be done with something more powerful.

If you don't want to spend a lot of $ you could use a Dremel with a shaft. Shaft tools are probably your best bet since you are looking at power equipment. I have 3 hanging at my work station right now and they are a grand little tool for the money. You cannot "hog" the wood as hard as you can with a larger Foredom type shaft tool but they turn 30,000 rpms and if you put a 1/8 kutzal bit in it, it will remove wood nicely. Just let the rpms do the work for you.....

I have read on here that a few guys have not had great luck with Dremels and the only thing I can figure is that they treat them as if they were a Foredom. I've had several last well over 10 years with out any problems.....and I use them pretty hard.

Dremels are a nice, introductory tool for new power carvers..... I started with one nearly 20 years ago. I have a Foredom too, for the larger bits that have 1/4 inch shanks on them. But anything 1/8 or smaller goes into the Dremel.

When you are ready to buy a micromotor, Marathon makes some good ones but you want a unit that runs at least 45,000 rpms and you want to buy it from an authorized dealer. We've had members buy Marathons from unauthorized dealers and it's hard to get service on them later on.
Good luck with your carving.

[p3aul]

Susieg, thanks, for replying so quickly! I have a Foredom 1/8 hp but the shaft is such a drag(pardon the pun!) It gets in the way when I need to hold the handpiece a certain way to make a cut, I'll still have a cable to contend with but it will be small and flexible.

Gene sells the Ram on his site and that probably is what he's using. At $250 the Ram is a bit expensive for me, so That's why I was wondering about The Marathon. There are 45000 rpm units on Ebay but there is a big price jump also. I have did some research on the web and it looks like all these Micromoters are made in third world countries principally in Korea and China. I've seen websites where you can import them in quantity and resell them singlely.

What I just need to know is this particular brand any good?
Thanks,
Paul

[torpidhummer]

Paul,I agree with Susie,when I first started using power tools,I started out with a dremel,I still have two of them,they are a great unit for one that wants to venture into power carving units.I was one of those members that purchased a Marathon 700 unit from an unauthorized seller and had a whole lot of problems getter my unit serviced.
The only thing I question is the S100.00 dollar price tag,is a new unit and just be careful about buying this unit. I have had my unit going on three years,sometimes I run it up to four hours a day and it is flawless and joy to use.
Oscar

[susieq]

Hi again Paul,
Yes, the shaft is a drag.... no doubt about it. But micro motors won't stand up to the same use as a shaft tool. The cord between the hand piece and the box on a micro motor is just a power cord....the tiny little motor inside the hand piece is a delicate little piece of machinery. It can be damaged easily by the wrong kind of use.

As for where most micro motors are made, yes, they are from Korea mostly or China. Marathon is made in Korea by the exact same factory that makes the Foredom micro motors. A half way decent low end micro motor usually costs in the neighborhood of $300. Anything new that cost less than that, is probably not worth having. The high end Marathon is $700. The high end Foredom micro motor is $1100. Keep those things in mind while mulling this over.

[p3aul]

Thanks for the replys folks! I'm in no real hurry, and I have a feeling that those units or something like them will still be available should I decide on one. I have seen some wonderful videos on youtube about carving woodspirits. Even though most are carved by hand I think I will adapting them to power.

Paul

[telecarver]

The Marathon on Ebay for $100 is only the motor. You would still need a controller. It only takes 3/32" bits. I have one and use it for detail work. It works fine and seems to be of good quality. I've heard that Marathon is made by Foredom.

[susieq]

Actually, it's the other way around...... Marathon and the Foredom 1050 micro motor are made in the same factory in Korea and are identical. I don't think Foredom actually makes anything they sell. They have it made and put their name on it. But Foredom is a good company. Their people are good to deal with.

[p3aul]

The Marathon on Ebay for $100 is only the motor. You would still need a controller.

Actually if you look here:Dental Lab MARATHON Handpiece 35K r/m+Micromotor N3 | eBay

This add clearly states you recieve the power supply AND your choice of handpiece.

Paul

[davidinsarasota]

Nice looking unit for $100. I wonder what the 'C' option handpiece is for.