Forget Sanding By Hand: The Quicker Tool That Makes Home Projects Easier

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Woodworking purists will tell you there's nothing like hand-sanding to get up close and personal with your work and find the tiniest of flaws. Most of us, though, would rather not have aching muscles and scuffed, sore hands. Power sanders (one of the must-buy power tools for new homeowners) can help make sanding less manual, but there's also an alternative tool to consider for those powered sanding tasks: a rotary tool, like the Wen 23103 1-Amp Variable-Speed Rotary Tool, available on Amazon for $20.64.

This option includes the tool, plus a carrying case, a flex shaft, and over 100 accessories. Those accessories include discs and drums for sanding wood, as well as grinding burrs and polishing stones, diamond bits, and cut-off discs for working with metal and stone. In addition to the flex shaft, the Wen tool also comes with two different-sized collets: 1/8-inch (standard size) and 3/32-inch. With these grips, the tool can work with other accessories you might have beyond the ones in the kit.

As of this writing, over 4,000 customers have given the Wen rotary tool a 4.4-star average rating (out of five), with 72% giving it five stars and 15% giving it four. Six percent of buyers over the years have rated the product one or two stars. One verified reviewer, who gave the rotary tool five stars and called it their "sidekick," spoke of its versatility, "I've cut and sanded wood projects, trimmed custom cabinet panels, smoothed jagged hole edges, and more. ... My next project is to cut away some protruding screw threads and my immediate thought was to reach for the Wen rotary."

While customer complaints on the Wen 23013 rotary tool are fewer, some have commented on the product's durability and overall quality. One customer from 2025 reported that the power switch on their tool, for instance, "broke" after using it maybe five times. Some customers, meanwhile, even those who gave the tool four or five stars, caution that the tool can heat up quickly.

Note that devices like this are excellent for detail work. If you're sanding the varnish off a picture frame or removing old paint from the scrollwork of a period chair, for example, a rotary tool is one to opt for. The tool is not, however, what you'd use for large areas like stripping a tabletop. A random orbital or belt sander is best for that kind of task.

There are lots of good reasons for adding a rotary tool to your collection of home improvement gadgets. As noted, it's a versatile tool, and can be used for other DIY tasks beyond sanding, as well as for crafting projects and model-making.