Blade recommendation for Festool Vecturo OSC 18

[Josh2]

Hi,

I need new blades for my OSC 18. All the blades I have pretty much burned and are unusable now. My default option would have been Festool USB 78/32/Bi. They cost $85 for a 5 pack and I like that they are longer so they can be used with plunge base. But a bit pricy. Any alternative suggestions? For example, are Fein blades a good alternative (about half the price)?

Also: So far, I always used universal blades but they burn pretty quickly when cutting wood. Are wood blades much better?

 

[rst]

I use Bosch blades more often than not

 

[Bernmc]

Apart from the original Fe$tool blade that came with the OSC, all of my blades are Fein. Happy with them, although I can't really compare with anything else as they're all I've used.

 

[Cheese]

I use Festool, Fein and Bosch it just depends on what I'm doing. I've also had good luck with Imperial blades manufactured in Wisconsin. Most of them are TiN coated and seem to last a long time. Woodcraft handles them.

 

[Josh2]

Thanks everyone. Are any of the Fein, Bosch etc blades also longer so that they can be used with the plunge base?

 

[Bencan]

I don’t have the vecturo but I really find the bosh blades with the curved ends are excellent. I am considering a vecturo in the very near future though [emoji23][emoji23]. Would be a huge upgrade from my Milwaukee

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Cheese]

Thanks everyone. Are any of the Fein, Bosch etc blades also longer so that they can be used with the plunge base?

Here's a comparison between the Festool and the Fein.

Some of the Bosch are longer as are the Imperial blades.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Josh2]

I don't think either of these really work with the plunge base. I thought you need the longer length, like the 78mm blade. The Festool 50mm always didn't feel right with the plunge base, which I sometimes use.

Thanks everyone. Are any of the Fein, Bosch etc blades also longer so that they can be used with the plunge base?

Here's a comparison between the Festool and the Fein.

Some of the Bosch are longer as are the Imperial blades.

[attachimg=1]

 

[TinyShop]

FWIW I only use Bosch carbide blades now - a 10-pack is the gift that keeps on giving:
https://www.ebay.com/c/2256102938

Note - my setup consists of a Fein MM 350QSL paired with the OSC accessory kit. With these blades, there's nothing I can't handle.

 

[Cheese]

I don't think either of these really work with the plunge base. I thought you need the longer length, like the 78mm blade. The Festool 50mm always didn't feel right with the plunge base, which I sometimes use.

I do know they work in the Vecturo 400 plunge base. Maybe the plunge base for the OSC is different...that'd be strange but somehow typical Festool.  [eek]

I've also used the Bosch carbide OSL114C that TinyShop recommends for cutting plaster walls. It's incredible because it just doesn't wear out.  [big grin]

 

[yetihunter]

Only the long supercut/starlock max blades from Fein and Festool work with the plunge base.

For Fein, you are looking for blade types 200, 201, 202 and 203.
However, I’ve never come across them being stocked by a supplier and you’re better off buying the Festool branded ones as they’re much easier to get ahold of and they are just about the same price.  (maybe a dollar difference).

The longer blades from Bosch do not work with the plunge base as they are completely straight.
Shorter blades from any make may appear to work, but it’s just not designed with them in mind.

I’ve used every Bosch wood, wood+nail and scraper blade and in my experience the Bosch blades fall off the welded starlock mounting portion or otherwise break under heavy use while the Fein equivalents simply wear down at the business end.  Both do the job equally well and Fein does have curved blades now (if you can find them). 

For general scraper blades, I much prefer the 234 “rigid scraper blade” out of the 3 from Fein and over the ones from anyone else.  It’s very easy to regrind/rehone after chipping it out and burring it up by scraping sealant off of concrete.  It’s also great for glues and general caulk removal.  I strongly dislike the flexible scraper blades.  The Bosch general scrapers are tiny and borderline useless.  For the long cone shaped and rectangular starlock max scrapers that you cut from the side with, I’ve only used the Bosch and I like them but will be ordering the Fein to compare.  For window sealant (the kind on buildings and not cars) pretty much all of them work.

Bosch OSL138K is friggin awesome for cutting carpet and murdering boxes. Fein has a similar “multi knife” but I’ve never seen it out in the wild.  If you live near a big city like I do, you’ll begin to pick up on the trend that all of retailers have a lot of Fein blades on hand, but none of them have a selection worth writing home about.  Meanwhile, if they have Bosch blades, there will be a notable variety.

For cutting into wood, I’ve never...never..noticed much difference between the standard wood nor bi-metal wood and nail blades.  I have fine tooth “japanese” blades and I’ve never touched them, so, who knows.  For cutting nails and staples, no lie, the Bosch carbide blades seem to last longer than the rest. 

The short of it, barring the limited acceptable blades for the plunge base, go with Bosch or Fein and you’ll be good.

 

[yetihunter]

I don't think either of these really work with the plunge base. I thought you need the longer length, like the 78mm blade. The Festool 50mm always didn't feel right with the plunge base, which I sometimes use.

I do know they work in the Vecturo 400 plunge base. Maybe the plunge base for the OSC is different...that'd be strange but somehow typical Festool.  [eek]

I've also used the Bosch carbide OSL114C that TinyShop recommends for cutting plaster walls. It's incredible because it just doesn't wear out.  [big grin]

They added a garbage depth collar to the OSC18 version.  But that is irrelevant.  They’re the same in the blade length requirement because they both have the flush mounted magnet.  You’re shortening the life of the blade and also weeble wobobbling your cut line if you use the shorter blades on it.  It’s meant to be used in such a way that the blade is touching the magnet when completely unplunged.  If the magnet “feature” (supposedly keeps the blade straight) wasn’t there, you could use any length of blade.  I’ll post pics on Monday.

 

[TinyShop]

[member=19475]yetihunter[/member] - are we saying something different from one another? In my experience, as long as the blade is "offset" (as opposed to "straight") it is compatible with the plunge base. The amount of offset must be a standard of some kind since every Bosch offset blade I've used has worked with the plunge base. Let's be honest here, too: the Fein and Festool blades are essentially if not completely identical, made in the same German factory and just baring different branding. The Bosch blade are made in Switzerland and are probably also available in other-branding.

 

[yetihunter]

[member=19475]yetihunter[/member] - are we saying something from each other? In my experience, as long as the blade is "offset" (as opposed to "straight") it is compatible with the plunge base. The amount of offset must be a standard of some kind since every Bosch offset blade I've used has worked with the plunge base. Let's be honest here, too: the Fein and Festool blades are essentially if not completely identical, made in the same German factory and just baring different branding. The Bosch blade are made in Switzerland and are probably also available in other-branding.

It works and it doesn’t.  You’re supposed to only use the longer blades.  That’s how it was engineered/designed.  There’s a magnet at the base that is supposed to aid with alignment.  It’s only your friend with the longer blades.  It becomes your enemy when you use the shorter blades.  If you’ve been using the shorter blades without an issue, then don’t worry about it.   

 

[TinyShop]

[member=19475]yetihunter[/member] - got it. I guess I haven't encountered a situation where I've had reason to try a short offset blade in conjunction with the plunge base. That said, I only ever buy long offset blades anyways so that probably explains why I've never encountered the non-compatability issue you speak of.

 

[yetihunter]

Yeah, I literally have no real reason to buy longer cutting blades so I learned about needing them on the plunge accessory the hard way.  So I bought some long Bosch blades (as that was what was immediately available to me), completely brainfarting about the fact that they’re not offset. 

I have walked the wrong path so that others need not follow.

 

[Cheese]

I have walked the wrong path so that others need not follow.

100 LOL’s

 

[TinyShop]

[member=19475]yetihunter[/member] - Don't feel bad.  The moment my OSC accessory kit showed up (direct from Europe about a year ago), in the second I had to review its contents before heading out to do something else, I determined that the plunge base wasn't compatible with my Fein MM 350QSL. My evaluation consisted of me grabbing my MM, fitting the Festool collar to it, installing a blade and then attempting to twist the plunge base into place. My rash evaluation overlooked the fact that I'd grabbed a straight (not offset) blade so, of course, the plunge base wouldn't work. Regardless of the make and model of tool in play, it requires an offset blade. Thereafter, and before I'd had a chance to revist the issue myself, I alerted the FOG to the (non-existent) problem only for a kind fellow-member to point out the obvious. We all do silly stuff from time to time!  

 

[TinyShop]

Having since tripped and fallen down the rabbit hole of "various blade lengths", I can report that all of the rectangular offset blades that are included in the run-of-the-mill, Swiss-made, Bosch OSL006 blade set (the OSL114, OSL114MF, OSL114JF and OSL114 BIM), all of which measure a full four inches in length (from end to end), are all perfectly compatible with the OSC plunge base. In other words, the slots they cut are perfectly in-line with and plumb to the sliding-action of the plunge base. In use, I can see no detrimental effect of using any of these blades in conjunction with the plunge base. There's plenty of excess travel in the sliding action of the plunge base to allow for the use of 4" long blades. 

In comparison, the Festool-branded blade that some retailers at least are making the point of stating is specifically spec'd for the plunge base (Festool 500129) - though, I need to point out that, unless it says so in the OSC owner's manual (which I haven't bothered to read since I don't own an OSC), I can't find any official mention anywhere by Festool of the absolute requirement to use this long blade and only this long blade when also using the plunge base - appears to measure out at only just over 3" (78mm to be exact) in length.

Meanwhile, the Swiss-made Bosch OSL134C carbide-tipped blade (straight/rectangular with an offset) measures 3-1/2" in length and the Swiss-made Bosch OSL114C carbide-tipped blade (also straight/rectangular with an offset) measures 3.61" in length.

So, in conclusion, if the Festool 500129 really is only just over 3" in length - and this needs to be confirmed - and since the other blades I've listed would thus be, in comparison, quite a bit longer than it, then perhaps the guidance we should be putting out there for folks is that, generally speaking (of course, there might be an exception lurking out there somewhere), any straight/rectangular blade that features an offset and that is at least 78mm long will work just fine in conjunction with the plunge base.

Thoughts?

 

[DynaGlide]

Having since tripped and fallen down the rabbit hole of "various blade lengths", I can report that all of the rectangular offset blades that are included in the run-of-the-mill, Swiss-made, Bosch OSL006 blade set (the OSL114, OSL114MF, OSL114JF and OSL114 BIM), all of which measure a full four inches in length (from end to end), are all perfectly compatible with the OSC plunge base. In other words, the slots they cut are perfectly in-line with and plumb to the sliding-action of the plunge base. In use, I can see no detrimental effect of using any of these blades in conjunction with the plunge base. There's plenty of excess travel in the sliding action of the plunge base to allow for the use of 4" long blades. 

In comparison, the Festool-branded blade that some retailers at least are making the point of stating is specifically spec'd for the plunge base (Festool 500129) - though, I need to point out that, unless it says so in the OSC owner's manual (which I haven't bothered to read since I don't own an OSC), I can't find any official mention anywhere by Festool of the absolute requirement to use this long blade and only this long blade when also using the plunge base - appears to measure out at only just over 3" (78mm to be exact) in length.

Meanwhile, the Swiss-made Bosch OSL134C carbide-tipped blade (straight/rectangular with an offset) measures 3-1/2" in length and the Swiss-made Bosch OSL114C carbide-tipped blade (also straight/rectangular with an offset) measures 3.61" in length.

So, in conclusion, if the Festool 500129 really is only just over 3" in length - and this needs to be confirmed - and since the other blades I've listed would thus be, in comparison, quite a bit longer than it, then perhaps the guidance we should be putting out there for folks is that, generally speaking (of course, there might be an exception lurking out there somewhere), any straight/rectangular blade that features an offset and that is at least 78mm long will work just fine in conjunction with the plunge base.

Thoughts?

[member=64030]TinyShop[/member] I have the Festool OSC accessory set for my Fein MM too and ran into the blade length issue. It's been a while but my understanding was the Festool blade had a 3" length for the blade portion itself and was quite a bit longer end to end than other available options. The Festool long blade would contact the magnet and extend beyond it in the resting position, before plunging. Can you confirm these Bosch blades also are long enough to do this?

My problem with a blade that isn't long enough is if you try to use it, you either have to retract the magnet, or push the plunge base down far enough before starting the tool. Otherwise the blade digs into the magnet during the plunge because it's too short.

Pics would be great.