what is the best multitool to buy?

[Michael Kellough]

I guess I need to pay attention to the attachment methods. I have had a MM for 20+ years with an Allen screw to tighten it and never once came loose.  I rarely sand with it and pretty much scrape or cut.  It's my main jamb saw!

I didn't even know they made a quick attach. Lol.

Same here. While it would be nice to avoid having to keep track of the hex key
it would not be so nice to loose the infinite blade position adjustability.

I bought the dust extraction kit for sanding and used it (the sanding pad) once.
The dust chute is okay but it's more convenient to dust plug the MT into the CT and place the end of the hose near the cut.

 

[JoggleStick]

Yeah, mines in the 15-20 year vintage as well. I mainly used the segmented diamond grit blade for grout and more recently the saw blades. I've probably worn out a couple of 9" grinders and a couple of dozen 4" grinders in this same period.... But I can't kill this MM, no matter how hard I try. If I recall correctly I paid around AUD$450- for the kit in the steel case with dust extractor fittings I never used or missed. It really doesn't generate enough dust of any description. The kit was way overkill as I probably only use a half dozen or so various blades- which can all be purchased separately. Never bothered with the sanding bits either.

Anyway, mine is the old Allen key bolt fixing and I've bought a couple of replacements over the years. The newer models have a much improved and far superior blade fixing mechanism. The problem I have is that my trusty Ol' MM will not die, so I can't justify buying a new one when my Ol' MM still does the job perfectly well.

Another tip- when I was going through a lot of the diamond segmented head blades, I went to a local guy who made me custom blades. I had to buy 10-20 at a time, but they were half the OEM price and had a better grade of grit so they worked better and lasted a little longer. Excellent value!

 

[redbirdone]

Another vote for a tool less blade change model.  I'm partial to the Bosch 3.0 amp model with the tool less blade change.  Has worked flawlessly for me and there are so many different attachments readily available.  My brother bought a Dremel for $100 about 4 years ago when he remodeled his house and has always extremely frustrated by the blade constantly coming loose.  He finally saw the light and picked up the Bosch (but in the 2.5 amp model). 

 

[L.J]

The new Rockwell x3 for the cost is my fav. Accepts every blade and is cheap in cost.
It performs as well if not better then my multi master.
Did I mention it accepts every blade wo a tool to change it!

This was recommended to me by a friend who owns both, the cost of the Fein blades and how fast they wear is a huge turn off according to him.

 

[kev carpenter]

I had the Bosch up till 2 weeks ago, when I first bought it 1 battery died, got the vein mm and world of difference and corded is the way to go.

 

[jmbfestool]

I had the Bosch up till 2 weeks ago, when I first bought it 1 battery died, got the vein mm and world of difference and corded is the way to go.

I have used few Bosch ones and they are not very good.  

They are more of a vibrator than a cutter.   I believe they don't have a very large cutting stroke hence why don't dont cut no where near as smoothly and as fast as the Mm.

They just vibrate your hands like mad.   I bought the milwuakee cordless one again not as good as my corded fein mm but much better than the Bosch one.

Fein have brought out a cordless so if you wanna go cordless I would buy the cordless fein.  It wasnt available when I bought the milwuakee one if it was I would of bought the fein instead.

 

[Guilliaume woodworks]

I agree with the majority , the MM is the way to go. I've also had mine for eternity and have the old blade changing system. It's a tool I use almost daily and have replaced the bolt & washer to tighten blade a few times, but other than that its perfect. I would go with a corded model of this type of oscillating tool, cordless will lose its mojo when your gonna need it. Also I have and recommend the tanos systainer for mm , huge improvement from fein case.

 

[kev carpenter]

I couldn't believe the difference and I have used it everday most of the day since I bought it, both for sanding and cutting, potty the box is not a systainer but can't bring my self to put it in one as fein one is well made.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I had the Bosch up till 2 weeks ago, when I first bought it 1 battery died, got the vein mm and world of difference and corded is the way to go.

I have used few Bosch ones and they are not very good.  

They are more of a vibrator than a cutter.   I believe they don't have a very large cutting stroke hence why don't dont cut no where near as smoothly and as fast as the Mm.

They just vibrate your hands like mad.   I bought the milwuakee cordless one again not as good as my corded fein mm but much better than the Bosch one.

Fein have brought out a cordless so if you wanna go cordless I would buy the cordless fein.  It wasnt available when I bought the milwuakee one if it was I would of bought the fein instead.

I too have an M12 Milwaukee cordless multi-tool. It's okay in a pinch when the cordless aspect is important but it's so far from the genuine Fein corded version in terms of smoothness and power (even the old versions) that if the Milwaukee is better than the rest of the cordless MT's then those others aren't worth the trouble.

 

[andyman]

Had my mm a few months soooo wish I'd bought one years ago.
I can't believe how much I use it.
Been using it sanding the awkward areas on my boat.
Lending it to a mate tomorrow as he had to bring his boat out of the water yesterday when we were out racing. A poor repair from the previous owner failed so he's going to try the carbide rasp to grind the fibreglass back with a midi as its inside the cabin.

 

[JoggleStick]

@andyman
Just a little heads-up... The Carbide blades are quite mediocre in performance compared to the diamond grit blades...
Just sayin...
Also if you're workin with laminates you'll find that a heat gun on a medium/high setting and a paint scraper for pulling or chisel for pushing is so much better at removing cured resin. It's hard to explain in words without writing a book.... But suffice to say I would never sand a laminate to strip excess material... Once you warm the cured resin, it will shave off in slices, just like slicing cheese - with great control and finesse. Warm it though- DO NOT scold it. A sharpened paint scraper on the pull stroke offers the most control. You'll quickly get a feel for it and I promise you, once you master this technique you will never think to sand an excess off again. BTW fairing is another topic and a different kettle of fish all together. We are talking removing excess or stripping for substrate repairs with these methods here.

Edit: had another thought too. I have stripping/ripping blades for my 4", 41/2" and 5" grinders. They are primarily used for industrial floor stripping of membranes. They are shaped like a standard cup grinding wheel, but there are scattered carbide teeth (just like saw teeth) on the flat of the platen. I've never seen anything else that will rip through epoxy laminate membranes, epoxy flooring, etc like these. Not particularly expensive either- commercial floor preparation suppliers carry them. If set up with a dust shroud they can also be used with good depth control. I have no trouble stripping epoxy/fibreglass laminate membranes off chipboard flooring, without tearing into the flooring... And clean up the corners, dags, etc as above. The operator would have to be very competent with power tools though... One slip and.... Oh dear!....

 

[Scott in Bend Oregon]

The Fein 250 Quick change is by far the best for me.  I owned the previous two models of Fein MM 636 I and II, dating back to the early 90's and the blades were forever coming loose.  They were also a pain to change out in a hurry.  As in, "where did the hex wrench go?"

I have also owned or used a variety of cordless ones including...Bosch 12V, Milwaukee 12V and Makita 18V.  They are okay and best suited to ladder work or cutting holes in drywall.

 

[Kevin D.]

Just for those who are wondering, a while back on another forum, a discussion about the Fein MM was going on, and people were wondering whether they have cheapoed their MM when they started selling them for cheaper a while back in an obvious attempt to have to compete with the lower priced competitors out there.

I picked up the phone and called Fein here in Canada, and I was informed that other than the quick change design change that happened (guessing) 7-8 years ago, the guts and materials used has not changed one bit nor has the location of manufacture.  It's been the same for decades apparently. 

Basically, they have not cheapoed the physical product in an effort to compete, they just lowered their MSRP pricing structure.

 

[semenza]

Just for those who are wondering, a while back on another forum, a discussion about the Fein MM was going on, and people were wondering whether they have cheapoed their MM when they started selling them for cheaper a while back in an obvious attempt to have to compete with the lower priced competitors out there.

I picked up the phone and called Fein here in Canada, and I was informed that other than the quick change design change that happened (guessing) 7-8 years ago, the guts and materials used has not changed one bit nor has the location of manufacture.  It's been the same for decades apparently. 

Basically, they have not cheapoed the physical product in an effort to compete, they just lowered their MSRP pricing structure.

The one I bought at HD a year ago is very solidly built.  A smooth , precise running tool. Especially when you compare  side  by side with other brands. Which I was able to do when HD had a display with all of them plugged in.

Seth

 

[andyman]

Didn't want to use a grinder inside the cabin due to all the debris flying off it.
Turns out that the previous owner has done a right bodge job using car body filler and a small plate on top.
This is on the keel so my mate now has to remove the keel to sort it out.
Why anyone in their right mind would do a crap diy job on such an important component baffles me.
Luckily we were only out in the Severn estuary on a calm day, if it hadn't been spotted it could have ended up as an RLNI job [embarassed]

 

[JoggleStick]

Frankly, that's an indictment on the modern world we live in....

I reckon Harry Potter has a lot to answer for.... People actually believe things can be fixed with a wave of a wand and a few Latinish sounding words...

I specialise in bathroom renovations and specifically 'leaking showers'.... My whole week largely consists of telling people that have just bought their home that the just finished (handyman) shower that was so- called 're- sealed' and now leaking out under the tiles... Well they need open heart surgery performed on their house....

Still, they want the $200- 'fix' that just makes the problem go away....

 

[jacko9]

I have the Fein and it's a very nice tool, well built.

Jack

 

[Floorman70]

I`m on for my third fein in about 12 years,the first one broke due to it accidently getting wedged in and snapping something inside(my fault),but i`d had it about 6 or 7 years with no problems and it does get a lot of use.The second one went bang after about 4 years,it`s probably something and nothing,haven`t got round to looking at it yet,but replaced it with the toolless one,so probably wouldn`t use it again even if i fixed it.I`ve never thought about buying one of the cheaper ones,mine makes me money and i could wipe out my saving the first time it let me down.I believe there is a good reason they can still sell them at that price with so much competition

 

[Holz-Her]

btw. blades...
the new Bosch blades directly fit on the current Multimaster

 

[BUTTER]

DO NOT BUY THE BOSCH TOOL!

The weak link in these is the connection between oscillating shaft and the motor.  A couple of years ago, my Fein failed in this way after 15 years of service.  The repair cost was going to be nearly 200$, so I picked up the Bosch corded model (a brand I have trusted in the past.). The same failure happened to my
Bosch just over a year later.  I needed the tool the next day, so I picked up the Bosch 12V version (I was using their drills, too, so didn't need batteries.). Nine months later, the Bosch cordless failed in the same way!

I am going back to the Fein.  Two failed cheap tools = expensive waste of time.