Fein Multimaster or Festool Deltex and Rotex Sanders for remodel work

[Mark]

I'm bracing myself for my first remodel job of my parents house and there is a lot of scraping and sanding and crud removal to do. Would the Fein multimaster be better for getting into every nook and cranny to remove 20 years of gunk or a battery of Festool sanders? I've got a RO150, an ES125 but nothing that can really get into a corner aside from a scraper or block of sandpaper. I'm a crew of one so I'm looking for tools that will get the job done. Thanks in advance

 

[fcraven]

If you get a multimaster you may find that you use it much more as a cutting tool then a sander, I bought mine for sanding when the current model first came out; however, today I almost always use it for cutting. It can often do the job of a jig saw or sawzaw, in a small area, quicker and safer. Sanding is still good too, and has a plethora of applications

The Fein Multimaster, began its life as a caulking/sealant cutter--back a long before the current design Then the caulking cutter version got more power and became a different tool. Someone came up with the triangle sander idea, and the "detail sander" or "delta sander" became the corner sander of choice.

Along the way cutters and scrappers were introduced, and then the true strength has come to be in precision cutting, and it still sands well. If you reaaalllllyyyy need cutting/scraping power than you can get the Fein Super Cut... it costs a little bit more.  The new Multimaster (not yet available) is 250 watts, with a quick release --I really want one of those.

Many here have commented that the Festool is a better "sander" and that would not surprise me. The osculating action of the Fein means that the center of the sanding pad isn't moving, not so with the Festool. Although the dust extraction of the Fein does work, it's an add on; whereas, the Festool's dust extraction is built in.

I can't image NOT having a Multimaster, it's one of the best tools ever invented (now being joined by the domino) but for sanding, I would go for the Festool.

Fred

 

[Dongar]

HI Fred
I have the older model Fein sander [before multimaster].It is single speed and I origanally bought it to sand off epoxy drips in the spaces in the gunnel's of a glued lapstrake skiff I was building.The high speed of the sander just melted the glue and clogged the paper.It did the same thing on paint or other finishes.It sands fairly aggressively on wood but leaves more scratch marks because the same grains are always oscillating in the same path so it is not really useable for finish work.Maybe one off the newer variable speed models would work better.Over the years I have purchased most of the attachments but I find I only use the saws, scrapers, and rasps not the sanding ones I originally bought it for.The festool is a much better finish sander altough not quite as aggressive as the fein.I have a pile of sanding attachments and paper I haven't touched in years.Some of those shaped scrapers, a good hot air gun ,the deltex or the larger delta sander,and some sanding tadpoles would probably work best for you.I have a P.O.S. PC detail sander that I keep just to use the shaped rubber inserts for hand sanding.
Donald

 

[AMC]

As Fred said, the MultiMaster is a brilliant tool for the renovator. But if sanding is your emphasis, you probably want Festool. I've found that aggresive sanding with the MM melts the Vecro hooks on the sanding pad. But it's good for quick touch-up sanding, and for general versatility it can't be beat. I'd commend the MM to any renovator.

Matt

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Lots of corners and tight spaces?  I faced the same problem and solved it by purchasing a Deltex 93, and a Proxon triangular sander for the even tighter spaces the Deltex won't fit into.  The Deltex has true orbital action and built-in dust collection, and you can even mount the auxiliary sanding pad upside down in case you need to sand the side of a door molding that is to near to an inside corner which blocks normal positioning of the sander because of the position of the motor of the sander relative to the sanding pad.  The Proxon is like a miniature version of the Fein Multi-Master, and has no dust collection.

Dave R.