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Dremel Versa Quick Summary
The Versa power cleaner offers 2,200 rpm of rechargeable power and four interchangeable cleaning pads.
Comes with a plug-in adapter for charging and a rubber guard to prevent the pads from flinging water and/or cleaning solution.
For this review, we tested it on our office vehicle, a 2016 Fiat 500X, and then on the stove at home.
Under heavy use, the Dremel Versa’s battery life might run down quicker than expected.
Dremel Versa Cleaning Pads
The Dremel Versa comes with four different cleaning pads, depending on the task at hand.
White Foam Eraser Pad: Use this multi-purpose pad for harder surfaces like a countertop, glass, baseboards, and non-stainless steel appliances. The eraser pad has micro-abrasive characteristics, so using it on a softer surface could result in scratches. For example, it’s not recommended for wood, copper, or stainless steel. However, you can use it to shine your shoes.
Brown Abrasive Heavy-Duty Pad: This pad is for deep-embedded grime and grit. It can handle a number of metal items, from lawn furniture to uncoated cookware.
Blue Microfiber Non-Scratch Pad: This pad is the “go-to” for most things around the house, including pots, pans, appliances, outdoor tools, and lawn equipment.
Black Nylon Bristle Brush: This is for heavier jobs like the brown pad. For car enthusiasts, this is the attachment to use when cleaning tires. This brush is the ticket for anything that would take an excessive amount of elbow grease.
How To Assemble The Dremel Versa
The individual pads attach with a hook-and-loop fastener. The “backing pad” holds the cleaning pad in place, which attaches to the Versa itself.
The funnel-looking accessory is the rubber splash guard, which has two positions: extended and retracted. When extended, it helps keep water and/or cleaning solutions from splashing back at you. If working on a narrow or harder-to-reach area, the splash guard retracts. If necessary, it can be removed entirely.
The splash guard is helpful and does its job, but it can be flimsy depending on what you are cleaning. If you move the Dremel Versa just right, the splash guard will collapse.
Dremel Versa Battery Life
Dremel recommends charging the unit before and after each use and not running it while plugged in. According to Dremel, the internal lithium-ion battery will last for 25 minutes under constant use. If the battery is dead, a full charge takes about two hours.
It took us around 15 minutes to clean our stove (outlined below), which nearly drained the Versa’s battery.
Cleaning Vehicle Interior Panels
We have plenty of applicator pads and soft towels for our vehicle’s exterior to get that “showroom shine.” However, we tend to detail the exterior of our vehicle more often than the interior. This is where the Dremel Versa came in!
For example, the lower panels directly inside our 500X get hit with our shoes (and our passenger’s shoes) during exit and entry. It doesn’t take long for that part of the interior to get really dirty, especially during the winter or after a series of rain showers.
Before
After
White Foam Eraser Pad
With the white foam eraser pad and a few sprays of Rain-X interior detailer, we could remove the excess dirt and grime that builds up on those lower interior panels. Usually, we would scrub with an old towel, but it is much easier to let the Versa do the work (just guide it up and around the curves of the panel). We did the passenger side panels, dashboard, and center console from there.
A particular spot of dirt on our driver’s side door panel was too ingrained for regular towels. As with the lower panels, we hit the area with a few sprays of Rain-X interior detailer and guided the Dremel tool over the surface, removing the dirt stain.
The Dremel Versa works well on harder interior plastic surfaces, although resist the urge to “push down” on the unit when using it. In this case, with the white foam eraser pad, we were able to remove that stubborn spot of dirt on the door panel by letting the Versa do its thing as we guided it. Likewise, the Versa will make short work of soda or coffee stains on any interior plastic surface.
A particular spot of dirt on our driver’s side door panel (left photo) was too ingrained for regular towels. With the white foam eraser pad, we removed the spot with the Dremel Versa (right photo).
Cleaning The Stovetop
After our vehicle’s interior, we tackled another area we often overlook: our nasty stove!
The burners on our stove had these caked-on brownish rings around them. By this point, they were so far into the surface that scrubbing by hand was honestly a waste of time. The extent of our stove cleaning is to run a soapy rag over it, removing any immediate residue but not really getting all of the grime off.
According to Dremel, the Versa was designed for these types of dirty jobs, so we thought we would give it a shot.
If there was ever a cleanup for the Dremel Versa to conquer, our stove was it. Nasty!
Blue Microfiber Pad
We started with the blue microfiber non-scratch pad, which removed about 70 percent of the grit. From there, we switched to the brown abrasive heavy-duty pad to eliminate the rest of the grime.
With both pads, we went slowly with the Dremel Versa, holding it over the troublesome spots for a moment to let the pad work. The slower you go, the more effective it is on something like a neglected stove. We used Bar Keeper’s Friend, but regardless of what cleaning solution you pick, use the splash guard in the extended position to keep it from flying across your kitchen.
The total time to clean our stove was about 15 minutes, which wiped out a good portion of the Versa’s battery. The gallery below shows the finished product. We were pretty impressed!
Dremel Versa Uses & Pad Suggestions
Grill Exterior (Non-Scratch)
Stove and Countertops (Eraser)
Inside the Oven (Non-Scratch)
Pots/Pans (Heavy Duty) (Eraser)
Vehicle Wheel Hub (Bristle Brush)
Shower Glass Door and Tubs (Eraser)
Shower Tile Grout and Sink Faucets (Bristle Brush)
Metal Patio Furniture – Rust Removal (Heavy Duty)
Dremel Versa Pro Tips
Wipe down and dry the unit after each use.
Resist the temptation to push on the unit, which will cause it to turn off.
When dealing with stubborn spots and stains, apply light pressure and keep the Versa positioned directly on the area. The pads will eventually do their job.
When fully charged, the Versa runs for about 15 to 20 minutes, which should be enough to do most jobs.
Extended use will require additional charging. A full charge, according to the owner’s manual, takes about two hours.
Is The Dremel Versa Worth The Money?
The Dremel Versa is nice to have around the house or garage and is reasonably priced. If you struggle with grip or arthritis, it should prevent excess scrubbing or elbow grease.
Not counting any promotions or discounts, it’s available on Amazon for about $80 (hit the red “Best Price” button above). If you need replacement pads, they are also available on Amazon.
Carl Anthony is the Managing Editor of Automoblog and the host of AutoVision News Radio and AutoSens Insights. As a respected automotive industry thought leader, Carl has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio shows, including Wrench Nation, Cars Yeah, The Car Doctor, and Brains Byte Back, in addition to appearing as a regular contributor on MotorMouth Radio on WHPC 90.3 FM. His work can also be seen and heard 24/7 on the Automoblog YouTube channel.
Original article: Dremel Versa Review: Is This Small Portable Power Cleaner Worth The Money
