Sealey E540 Multi-Purpose Rotary Tool Review

If you’re hoping to cut a side window, you should use larger, reinforced cutting discs. However, the discs included are perfect for most other tasks, such as cutting acrylic, wood and aluminium. In addition, there are several sanding bands and sanding discs too, as well as felt polishing wheels and 2.3mm and 3mm drill bits – most bases are covered. Sadly, the E540’s locking cap had as lightly different thread to that of Dremel 300 and 4000 series.


This means that it isn’t compatible with Dremel’s excellent Flexible Shaft attachment. The shell of the E540 has an angled hand-grip that allows your thumb to rest near the speed adjustment wheel, with your index finger lying within striking distance of the power switch. However, whichever way you hold it, you invariably end up blocking a proportion of the ventilation holes.

As a result, the E540 became quite warm during testing; thanks to its low power draw, though, this didn’t make the tool uncomfortable to use, even during the ten minute stress test. A few other issues became evident when we started using the E540. The spindle-lock button is too small and awkward to use, while the chassis hasn’t been moulded particularly well; there are sharp edges and the power switch doesn’t sit flush with the chassis.


While neither of these issues is a deal-breaker, they make the E540 inferior to the Dremel tools we've looked at. At least the fully adjustable speed range of 8,000 to 30,000rpm is welcome. Despite its lowly power rating, the E540 proved to be capable in all our tests, and had a very positive feel, despite the issues with its chassis.

Conclusion

Despite including a wide range of accessories, a hard carry case and not suffering from major cooling issues, the Sealey E540 still left us wanting. It has a wide array of precision grinding tips, but they wore out fairly quickly. And, while the cutting discs proved fairly hardy, they weren’t as capable as the reinforced cutting discs included with other rotary tools.

Likewise, its range of engraving tools is adequate at best. Also lacking were accessories for polishing and dealing with rust. There are no bristle brushes or polishing points included at all, so you need to spend a fair bit on accessories, unlike other tools we've looked at recently.