Great to hear, I was looking at the Fein tool for ever but could never justify the price. When I saw the Dremel version I bought it without hesitation. $89 on sale used mine on a couple dozen jobs in the last few months. I love it. I will be picking up a HF one for my guys to beat up; they keep steeling my Dremel multi, lol...

 

I rencently saw that tool at HF and wondered how well it would perform. Thanks for the info.

 

Handy,
My brother in law has the HF tool. He likes it. I bought the dremel not too long ago and have a few chances to use it on the last few jobs I have done. I have been cutting trim in place that has to have say a 1/2" taken off. Draw a line and follow the line, works great. I used it to cut holes for electrical boxes in the backs of cabinets. It is kind of amazing how it cuts through wood. Very fun to use.
Mike Hawkins

 

Just got one as a birthday present from my little brother. I actually was gonna take it back and exchange it with something else. I was at work and needed to cut a corner out that was in a pretty tight spot. So I broke it out and tried it out. I was stunned at how well it was built and how well it functions. The sanding pads were pretty much junk though.
Does HF or Fein or Dremel use the same attachments?

 

Allthumbs I have looked at the Dremel and the one sears sell, and mine form HF and all three of take different blades. As far as I can see, you will have to buy the blades made for each brand.

 

also drememl

I think fein mm is too exp :icon_smile:.. so i choose the dremel ... :yes:

 

After reading this thread I visited the closest HF, and bought one, with a couple replacement blades.

The blades themselves have 4 holes in a + sign configuration around the center allen key bolt. There are no corresponding pins to hold the blade firmly in place. In my experiments, the cutting saw blade would spin off center, and the bolt loosened with the vibration.

So I centered it again and really torqued the bolt down again. It still loosened up and the blade rotated.

So I wound up drilling a small hole in the base of the tool, and screwing in a little machine screw and grinding off the head.
Problem solved.

But I didn't account for the fact that the tool doesn't stop perfectly centered and thus my machine screw is not perfectly centered and the blade slightly offset.

But it does work pretty well. It cut through the corner of a 2x4 about 5/8 inch deep in around 5 seconds.

 

Buy one Fein MM and never have to replace it for the rest of your life.

It only takes a few of those cheap ones to add up to the price of the MM.

 

Got to agree whole heartedly here, you get what you pay for. Save Time money and frustration by buying Fein, and when you decide to sell it or hand it down, you can. The other brands are disposable.

Larry

 

How long can you use fein mm?

 

Probably for the rest of your life.

 

I started this thread about the same type of tool.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/...k.com/f12/dremel-multi-max-vs-fein-multimaster-vs-rockwell-sonic-crafter-10557/

The Fein is expensive because they had a patent on it until last fall. Since the patent expired there is a plethora of oscillating tools. Dremel, Rockwell, and Bosh now make similar tools as well as the HF. (I bet Ryobi and Craftsman won't be far behind)

And here is a thread comparing all of them:
http://www.toolsnob.com/archives/2008/10/dremel_dremel_multimax_oscilla.php

 

Sears Craftsman is coming out with one, but it has not hit the stores yet. It's called the "Craftsman 12 Volt NEXTEC Multi-Tool".

It's battery powered and has a built in dust port.

$99

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00917438000P?keyword=multi+tool

 

What about RTX-6 from Black & Decker? http://blackanddecker.com/ProductGuide/Product-Details.aspx?ProductID=7767

I find it interesting and capable? Planning to buy one. Does anyone else has practical experiences?

regards, Iconsort.

 

The multimaster is not a rotary tool.

 

As for how long it will last, We will see. But for what it saved me in time and clean up, It paid for it's self on this last job.

When you buy something from HF that is electric it generally comes with a 90 day warranty. For the $39 item it probably would cost like $5-$9 more to get a 1-3 yr replacement warranty. I don't buy allot at HF but if I do I buy the heavy duty model if possible or get the warranty. I have a $7 brad nailer a $30 coil nailer and a $50 framing Gun that are all used for 3 years and no problems. I have a 20" 1 1/2 hp production drill press, there biscuit jointer and of course a ton of clamps also all over 3 yrs old and no problem. But I used their miter saw and its not worth it. I also have a 29 Gal 4hp twin piston compressor that works well except for the regulator switch is crap and I plan on replacing it.

 

I have seen this Chicago Multi tool at Harbor Freight. As a matter of fact, I have a coupon that I can use to get it for $29.99. But, I have never heard of any type of warranty thru them. Does Harbor Freight offer a warranty with their power tools?

thanks
JJ

 

Fein MultiMaster

The Fein MM is a wonderful tool; the newest model is even better, as the star-shaped shaft holds the blades very reliably compared to older round shaft.

The issue for me was the cost of the blades; they were VERY expensive, and in light of the cost, I thought their longevity was only average. SO, TWO QUESTIONS:

1) How often are you going to use it?

2) How good are the blades and scrapers compared to their price?

 

My local Orange Borg has had the Bosch PS50 for either 99.99 or 109.99 for some time. I wish they would do a corded model in addition to the 12V battery model.

 

Hammerhead After using my HP multi tool and loving it my boss bought the Bosch cordless 12 volt multi tool. Cant tell you the model number of it. What I do like about it is it come with an adapter plate that allows you to use almost any brand blades. The bosch has a row of pins that hold the blade in place. He went to buy the dremel at lowe's but saw they had a bosch cordless. He already has a whole set of bosch tools that take the same battery.
I looked at the one sears sell today and it is about the same size as the dremel, but the sears one has a blade that won't fit any other brand. So I wouldn't buy the sears model. We buy replacement blades at HP because the sheetrock half moon blade is around $5.00. The same blade at Lowe's is almost $19.00

 

When I bought mine, I figured it would be a fluke if I ever used it. Well last week, I installed a new microwave and had to trim 1/4" off the top of the splash between two upper cabinets (for 30"). It was mica laminate on 3/4" plywood up against a stucco wall. It took about 10 minutes, but was easier to do than any other method. It cut nice and clean up against the cabinets.

I wish I had it recently when I had to notch a baseboard for a toe kick. Easier than a chisel and a hammer. The size of it is OK, fits my hand comfortably. Does get a bit hot.

We should start a Multi-Function Tool club, and have meetings, serve coffee and doughnuts, and each of us could get up and introduce ourselves and tell our unique stories.:laughing:

 

What time are the meetings?

And do you have to own one? Can you just gawk without participating? How much are dues? What kind of donuts, cream filled are my favorite? Will others bring their worn out blades? How hot does yours get? What brand is it and how much did it cost and where did you buy it? How long have you had it? heh..heh :laughing: bill

 

I don't know if it's relevant or not but, the online manual for the Dremel comes from Bosch web services. Is the Dremel made by Bosch?

 

I am not sure, but i think so. They are verry similar tools.

 

I've held both the Bosch and the Dremel. I like the feel of the Bosch. My wife did too; it's narrower and fit her smaller hand well. We usually do remodeling projects together and believe the multi-tool tools could be useful. If Bosch has not come out with a corded model before our next project we may just go with the cordless Bosch.

[We have the Bosch driver (not the impact driver) that uses the same batteries. We love that driver. :yes: ]

Handyman - thanks for the info about blades

 

Lots of functionality for a knife. The file works great in conjunction with the magnesium fire starter. The rough edges of the file scrape more flakes making your fire starting task that much quicker.

 

This is NOT that multi-tool

Did you read any of the above posts before you answered?
Are you selling these? :thumbdown: If so, it's not allowed. :no:

 

I bought the Rockwell a couple of months ago and have been very pleased with it, although it does run awfully hot sometimes. They warn about that, particularly at low speeds.

I've played w/ all the attachments and used a couple in projects and they all work very well.

Can't even remember now why I chose it over the Dremel. The HF sounds like a good deal if it lasts for a substantial amount of use.

 

I agree with glassyeyes. I bought a Fein when they first came out. Great for remodeling and it paid for itself the first job I did with it. BUT!!! the replacement blades are expensive. The average around $35 to $40.00. I can't buy them locally and have to order them. For the price of two replacements, I bought the Dremel from Lowe's. Replacements are cheaper and I can buy them here. Both work great. My last project was refinishing an old dresser I bought at an auction. The sander attachment was great for getting into the tight corner without messing up the old detail work.