Let me start by saying I have an innate aversion towards direct-to-Amazon cordless power tool brands.
Is it safe? Is it an actual innovation, or just anther copy? Can I trust the brand to back their products? These are just some of the questions that go through my mind.
I’ve seen the Fanttik brand around Amazon a couple of times, and they seem to have decent reviews. Still, I’m not sure if I’m ready to give them my business.
Advertisement
That said, wow – this is a beautiful cordless rotary tool.
The Fanttik F2 Master Mini cordless rotary tool kit looks like no rotary tool I have ever seen before.
Features include a brushless motor, USB-C charging, and an innovative-looking case with storage for the rotary tool and dispenser slots for the included bits and accessories.
I have come around in other product categories, and embraced the idea of new-to-market brands that have out-innovated long-time players.
Right now I’m fine admiring Fanttik tools from afar, but maybe talking about them will help me inch closer to actually giving them a try.
Besides the attractive design, the price seems reasonable. I feel myself iching closer to buying one.
Advertisement
I don’t expect this to power through heavy duty tasks, but it should suffice for a lot of cutting, sanding, and polishing tasks where it’s be nice to have a very compact and lightweight tool.
Some of Fanttik’s other tools also caught my attention, such as the oddly shaped Fanttik Pro cordless leaf blower, which has since been redescribed as a “blower for car, garage, tool shed, and patio.”
Levi
Pretty sure I’ve seen some other Fanttick tools at Costco lately.
Doesn’t always mean quality, but Costco usually doesn’t carry too much crap either that’s going to be returned.
Scott K
Yes- I saw a cordless inflator the other day. I make enough purchases beyond my shopping list, so I didn’t want to look too closely 🤣.
Looking online, they have quite a few other tools- including a mini chainsaw that is shown cutting what appears to be a 1x board.
G Newl
Sams Club also had some Fanttick when I was there the other day.
john
Stuart, I’ve seen you mention positive Amazon reviews several times recently. Especially now that Fakespot is defunct, how do you assess the authenticity of product reviews on Amazon? I can sometimes tell when a whole bunch of reviews are fake/paid, but maybe only in the most egregious cases. What’s your approach?
Stuart
Look over the positive and negative ones, and look for answers to specific questions.
I don’t easily trust opinions or recommendations, I trust in things that can be proven or repeated.
Experiences and intent can be different, and so I dismiss many subjective opinions.
When reading or watching any review, anywhere, ask yourself a simple question: if the reviewer is being paid or otherwise incentivized, what remains true, reliable, or trustworthy?
You can also see how things trend, such as by looking at the 4- and 5-star reviews, and also the negative reviews in between.
Look at what happened with the Dewalt cordless snow shovel. It received very positive incentivized reviews early in the season, and then the overall sentiment turned quite negative once actual customers started using it.
Most of the time, what I’m looking for are potential signs of deep flaws.
john
I’ve found it useful to read the 3-star reviews, especially if there are more than a handful. By their nature, they tend to have less hyperbole, and are more measured. I can usually spot a bunch of fake reviews by their similar style of writing, similar length and often beginning in nearly similar ways, just with some synonyms swapped out. Looking for specific negatives in an otherwise positive review (likely 4-star) is often a useful strategy, I think.
fred
I try to read between the lines – which is often well-nigh impossible. If the review sounds like it was just a gee-whizz – I opened the box and found a shiny tool sort of thing I usually dismiss it. Similarly, if the complaint is about bad shipping or damage – I take that with a grain of salt. I also try to weed out good or bad ratings that seem to be based on using the tool for tasks that would either not tax it or expect too much. It always seems that most Amazon reviews might be based on first impressions – so, I try to look for ones that might reflect some longer-er term use of a similar nature to what I’d expect to put the tool to use. Most often I figure that any single review is unreliable – but that if there are thousands – the distribution of ratings might be an OK indicator.
928'er
I go right to the one star ratings. Some of them are left by cranks or morons like guy who left a Misono carbon steel knife in the sink over night and then complained about it rusting, But often they alert you to the problems others have experienced.
If I get a crap product from Amazon I don’t hesitate to give a 1 star review. Fortunately, Amazon has a pretty seamless return policy.
Charles
I recently got invited to the Amazon Vine program, where you get stuff for free that you must then review.
I suspect that I’ll get kicked off the program at some point because I call a crap product crap.
From looking at the products I’ve reviewed that were less than satisfactory, I’ve realized that most Vine reviewers never actually look at the products – they just slap a 5 star label on it and rewrite the listing.
Ergo, you can ignore most 5 star Vine reviews unless they read far differently from the listing and include specifics about why the item is good.
I recently got one of those portable water pumps described for use in emergencies to bail water out of flooded areas. It was to be powered by a Milwaukee M18 battery.
What arrived was a pump the size of your fist with the inlet and outlet hoses the size of straws.
It claimed the unit could be submerged in 2 meters of water. The battery adapter was a separate unit that said was for the Milwaukee M20 battery and would connect to devices via cigarette lighter plug – in fact, it had a 6 inch pigtail with a connector that mated up to a plug on the 5ft cord connected to the plug. It had no on/off switch, so the only way to turn it off is to disconnect the battery or connector. There were labels all over the battery part about not getting it wet.
How do you submerge the pump 2 meters using a 5ft cord without getting the battery wet?
I could go on, but that, IMO gave it a 1 star rating.
The other 4 reviews were glowing 5 star reviews.
To summarize – disregard any reviews where the item has less than 100 reviews or so.
Disregard the 5 star reviews if they are all from Vine reviewers and the ‘verified purchaser’ reviews are all lower.
Disregard the 1 star reviews obviously written by the competition or have nothing to do with the item itself (it came late, it was used and dirty, it said it would fit Milwaukee, but it didn’t fit my DeWalt – and so forth)
Look at the 3 and 4 star reviews. If the majority are 5 star (and there are thousands), then look at them too.
Does the listing make sense? Are all the pictures photoshopped? Do the pictures match the listing.
Finally, vendors will solicit buyers directly to review items – in general, there are the ‘verified purchasers’ – those that bought the item, the Vine reviewers, that got the item gratis and the ‘reviewer’ who didn’t buy the item on Amazon, but decided to review it. The last group could be legit (bought it elsewhere, but had strong feelings – good or bad usually – and wanted to report them – – or they were paid by the manufacturer.
If all the reviews are from ‘reviewer’ then the seller probably paid for the review. If the reviews are all from Vine Reviewers then the item (or seller) is new to Amazon.
The only real reviews you can really trust are the 3 star and below from a vine reviewer
Scott K
That’s a bummer- I haven’t used Fakespot in a while, so I didn’t know it was acquired and shut down. I try to look for reviews that specifically describe things that address concerns I may have.
Unless Amazon offers meaningfully better pricing or delivery, I try to avoid them because of platform rot- their focus on third party sellers with seemingly no oversight or quality control makes it hard to even find genuine branded products with explicit search terms. They’ve also made it harder to connect with a live CS agent which is frustrating when the automated options don’t fit your needs.
Charles
Don’t get me started on the number of counterfeit I’ve gotten as a vine reviewer that Amazon doesn’t want to do anything about.
fred
It certainly looks interesting – but I’d like to see it working in person before I’d buy one. There have been a few times when I’m using a Foredom handpiece (I have 2 motors hanging over a bench) that I’ve wondered if the more portable Foredom K.2030 might not be nice to have. If I were back in my Scouter days sitting around a bench in the woods – it would be very nice to have. But now -at “just nice” – I could not justify the Foredom’s $600 (after tax) cost. Maybe $60 is worth a try??
Here’s the Foredom for comparison:
https://www.amazon.com/Foredom-K-2030-Portable-BRUSHLESS-Micromotor/dp/B0FKNTGPM1
MM
Looks like something out of the Sharper Image catalog. Or the Apple Store. My first impression is that it looks expensive yet probably doesn’t perform all that well as it looks like it was designed for looks rather than function. I don’t think it would be very ergonomic to grip. That said I don’t want to judge it without actually using it. Maybe it’s great?
Jared
Dang, I would try that right now if the price were reasonable in Canada. I have to replace my rotary tool – and I will also be replacing my die grinders, so it’s not like I won’t have a “high power” option if needed.
For some reason the price is 200%+ higher on Amazon.ca even though it says “20% off”. I’m not THAT excited by it.
CMF
Yes. Amazon.ca – not many, but some items like the mini pry bar that Stuart reviewed today, can be less than AMZ.com. Most items are in line with currency exchange and the other factors that make products a little more expensive in Canada.
Then, like you mentioned, some products are double or even more ridiculously higher. And this does happen more often than the first instanced I mentioned where they are cheaper than AMZ USA.
BRITT
I own this tool and while it might be good for cleaning up 3D prints and engraving your name on an object, it won’t replace your corded or battery powered Dremel rotary tool.
Stuart
I’m wondering if it’s a good replacement for the kinds of quick or lighter tasks where I drag my feet on setting up a corded tool.
Cleaning up 3D prints also seems like the perfect type of task.
I was testing a steel tool cabinet with drawers, and each drawer had a spot or two with sharp burs. I had to dig out quick a bunch of hand tools to scrape and remove them. Being able to bring a compact cordless tool to the drawers might have been a good idea. Maybe this tool would be a good fit for tasks like that.
Chris
As a mechanic I wouldn’t own any fantik tools, but if I was a hobbyist, I’d consider it. I’ve seen a bunch of fantik tool reviews. Most notable being from John Malecki. Him and his team thought they were reasonable for the price.
Kurt
I have a few of those little usb orange and black cordless tools that have popped up on Amazon under various trade names, such as Hardell and Goxawee (you have to love those Amazon names LOL)
They are not as elegant as this one, but they do the job at 1/3 to 1/4 (albeit with a different set of accessories.). I use them for light duty rotary work, and keep one with a .020″ bit in an aftermarket collet to use for pinning small details onto working models.
For near the same price I would get a Dremel Micro instead. Lots of power, and dedicated charging cradle so no pluggin in. That tool covers light to medium duty rotary work.
David
I got this over the summer. It is a little underpowered, as you guessed. It uses bits that are smaller diameter than the “Dremel standard” ones, so you can’t share bits or easily replace one. It has cool bit storage, but no way to hold larger polishing bits, like cloth wheels or wire brushes. The tool also falls out of the case easily. But it is quiet when running!
Albert
I have a Fanttik cordless soldering iron (good for microsoldering) and a cordless precision screwdriver. I am satisifed with both. I considered this mini rotary tool, but it uses 3/32″ shank bits (rather that common 1/8″ shank Dremel bits) which I cannot find anywhere. Also I saw some bad reviews (I believe on YouTube or TikTok, but not Amazon itself) that said the rear switch cover eventually loosens and starts vibrating, and that it did not have adequate power.
Luke
I have the fanttik straight screwdriver which is conveniently charged with usb c and comes with a neat case that holds 16 bits. Its useful for some furniture assembly and stuff that doesn’t require a lot of torque. I’ve found it to be a handy tool to keep in the house, especially while slowly changing all the old outlets.
I received it as a gift last Christmas. I don’t have any of the big brands’ similar small electric screwdrivers to compare it to, though.
Tim D.
I recently picked up a fanttik vacuum(dust buster) for the car. We just needed something convenient to get crumbs out of kids seats, and dust off the floor mats. It actually works really well so far. No clue on how well it will hold up.
I have a few small rechargeable electric screwdrivers that I keep in drawers around the house. I think one is a hoto, and one is a generic. Both have been absolutely fantastic.
JoeM
I have to say, as a Dremel user, I’m not offended or turned off (no pun intended) by these kit designs. If they sold just the mini rotary tool, and the case, I would still purchase one. Not for much, but it would be a really handy light-duty tool. And at those low speeds, they’d be perfect for cleaning and sanding really hard to get to items. Electronics, that edge of your nail that is always too sharp once you’ve cut it, cleaning your smart watch, or any watches for that matter! For bigger jobs, there’s bigger tools. But detail work, this thing would be absolutely beautiful to use. And yes, it is also a comment about how nicely styled it is! It’s very cool looking!
JoeR
I purchased the Fanttik rechargeable inflator from Costco. I appreciate the size, the pressure set and auto turn-off when that pressure it met. It beats pulling down the pancake compressor attaching the hose, etc.. I’ve had it for about a year now and have had no issues. Only gripe – I wish the inflator’s standard hose had come with a quick release attachment. Getting old fat fingers to screw off the connector can be difficult in tight spaces.
The inflator was a researched purchased. I needed a dependable, easy to transport and use tool. Their other products, though space saving, haven’t really garnered much of my interest. I doubt I would impulse buy this rotary tool if I saw it at Costco (like I almost did the 1/43 Ferrari F1 garage diorama – “Dude, you don’t have grandkids! Really???”). They had the screwdriver and I simply could not think of a need to justify the purchase.
Ron
I just saw the Fanttik screwdriver on the Costco site for $55. I didn’t realize it’s a digital torque screwdriver.