After reading other reviews I proceeded to order the Milescraft 1300 Orbiter just to have around the house for those odd occasions that require drilling in difficult spaces... big mistake!!! I did notice, as at least one other reviewer pointed out, that the run-out or wobble of the drill bit was pretty significant. That didn't bother me because I typically wouldn't use this item for precision drilling so 1/16 of an inch error, give or take, is not a big deal for my intended use.
Finally the day came (months after I received the 'Orbiter') that I needed to put a hole in a 2X6 with limited clearance. I'll spare you all of the details of what happened during my attempts to put a hole through 2" of pine but my attempt was unsuccessful. I don't know if I hit a knot or possibly a nail coming in from the unseen side but the 'Orbiter' self destructed on the very first use. Apparently the gears inside must have stripped. Turning the input shaft no longer results in motion at the output shaft.
My conclusion is the 'Orbiter' is a flimsy POS that has no practical use in my tool box. They probably should have put a maximum of 1/4 inch chuck on the output side to prevent the unit from being so easily overloaded. I was using a battery powered 3/8" VSR drill. I can't imagine how quickly the 'Orbiter' would have self-destructed if I had used my corded drill, with serious torque, instead.
From what I can see this product is a TOY not a tool. Give it to a child and warn them not to be to rough with it. I am not familiar with Milescraft but if this is representative of their product line I won't be buying any more of their stuff. In fairness to them I have not attempted to return the item or have it repaired under warranty or even spoken to or notified them of my experience. My view is what's the use. It seems like they used cheap plastic gears inside the 'Orbiter'. While the design is novel and could be useful, this device is certainly not up to the standards I would expect of a real tool. If I contacted the company and they sent me a replacement I would still have a flimsy POS that I wouldn't use so why bother?
If you are inclined to buy an 'Orbiter' I recommend you use very small drill sizes and don't try to drill anything hard such as metal or hardwood. Read the other reviews and take their message to heart. If you have an extra $30 and want to find out for yourself how good the 'Orbiter' is go ahead and get one. Just don't be surprised if you too find it isn't capable of doing real work. I ignored the other reviewers comments thinking "How bad can it really be?" Now I know, I didn't learn from other peoples experience and had to find out firsthand about the 'Orbiter'. Okay so I should have listened to the other reviewers and didn't.
Again, to be fair, perhaps I just got a defective 'Orbiter' and they really are wonderful, durable tools that will stand up to years of use without failing. IMO, doubtful but possible. I am only one user and only have experience with one 'Orbiter'. Statistically this is an insignificant sample.
While I applaud the design concept it appears that the choice of materials really degrades the potential of the 'Orbiter' from being a useful tool to a useless toy. Would it have cost that much more to make it a robust product? Could it have been designed with a friction clutch to prevent the gears from stripping if it encountered greater torque than it could handle? To me these apparent 'short comings' in the design and manufacturing of the 'Orbiter' will keep it from ever becoming the hit product it could be. To bad for tool freaks like me who love to have all the nifty gadgets that make DIY projects a breeze. IMO, this device fell so short of the mark that it cannot reasonably be considered a worthwhile investment. A real disappointment as I had high hopes for the 'Orbiter'.
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