Multifunction/oscillating pwr tool

Well ... my only experience with one is with a Rigid brand, so I don't know what else fits the oscillating head.

But one of the blades with the kit was quite useful in cutting into drywall for running additional wiring, as well as for cutting the outlet holes in the drywall.

But -- there are several other heads for it which are quite useful, too.

I don't know. How much less expensive is the HF one? For what it is worth, I got mine at Home Depot during a pre-Christmas sale. I like the lithium batteries, and the much faster charging for those batteries than the older NiCad batteries. And, there is a pretty good warranty for the batteries along with the tool.

Enjoy, DoN.

The early ones were not. However most of the blades sold now fit all the different brands.

I have 2 of the HF units. One is electric the other air. Both work really well as long as you use the correct blade for the job.

I have used the electric to cut out flooring, trim molding, and various other tasks. I have used the air for a lot more. Including cutting aluminum plate and trimming stainless.

I have the Canadian Tire corded version. Cost $35. It did a great job sanding in nooks and crannies when the window sills needed re-painting. many of the areas could not be reached with my orbital or sheet sander. The sanding disks are expensive but you can improvise them by cutting up larger hook-and-loop disks.

I cannot see the Fein tool doing a >10x better job for >10x the price (although I do see that they are getting cheaper now).

Michael Koblic, Campbell River, BC

On Sat, 22 Sep 2012 15:40:35 -0700, Pilgrim wrote as underneath my scribble :

I baught a cheap one and have been v happy with it , usually the very cheapest versions come without the carbide tools as these are the most expensive attachments, also probably the most useful! So do your sums. To answer the question about interchangeability, the answer is that most of them are, but not all, so be very careful on your multitool original purchase that the tools are compatible with most Fein(ie. Multimaster), Makiya, Taskforce etc. brands - Then you get the best choice of replacement compatible attachments. Beware thare are two different sizes of triangular sanding tools and sheets. Useful list not guaranteed, copied from an ebay seller:

180E, PS50-2A Multi-X, PS50-2B Multi-X

Here is an ebay item 260997084369 of the type, the tool driving disk has four pins and the tools have multi positional slots to match. C+

Dayum, do all these makes/mfr's actually make their own multitool, or are some/most simply putting their label on a generic unit?

Most are rebadged. Once they started catching on everybody started selling them.

Fein, Dremel, Milwaukee, Bosch are different, Most of the rest are the same basic tool with cosmetic changes.

The only thing I have noticed is the high dollar tools are a bit quieter in use.

I would agree with that for most of the cheaper end products. I went into a local DIY store in the UK once and out of interest looked at the power tools and they had the shop brand "Homebase", Challenge brand, and Bosch. The store brand and Challenge looked identical in all details apart from the decals and the colour of the mouldings so I assumed came from the same maker in China with a livery to suit the vendor.

I have wondered who it was who decided to take a bone saw and turn it into a homeowner tool....

On Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:34:50 -0400, "Steve W." wrote as underneath :

This might well be right, my el cheapo is noisy as hell but mostly its' only used when no other tool will do the job, but ear protection would get over the problem fine for those times it is used if this was a real problem. Havnt' used any big ticket version - so nothing to compare with.

Charlie+ wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I gave the Bosch a try and like it a whole lot more than the HF version. Soft start, reduced vibration, and reduced noise are all very much appreciated.

The HF version is worth buying first, then if you find you use the tool on a regular basis it's worth upgrading to one of the better ones. Keep the HF version or "donate" it to someplace it would be useful. Mine is at the local model railroad club, just in case it's needed. Got used a coupla weeks ago, too.

Oh btw, I found a new use for it. That "grout" blade that's completely smooth cuts through foam very nicely. It doesn't leave a bunch of staticy foam dust like the searated edge blades do.

Puckdropper

On 29 Sep 2012 09:58:23 GMT, Puckdropper wrote as underneath :

snip

I wouldnt have thaught that - useful tip , thanks! C+

Me, but the cast saw version, though I didn't market the idea.... LOL.

*Bone and cast saws were originally made by Styker. *A scroll saw has a similar cutting action and I'm surprised someone didn't think, long ago, of joining the two ideas. I've also wondered if the dust collector/vacuum cleaner accessory, long ago available for cast saws, pre-empted the woodshop/tool dust collector.

When our cast saw began to "malfunction", we replaced it with a new one. I took the old saw home and "repaired" it and have used it fairly often, ever since. Because of the malfunction, it made more noise, than before, and though it still worked, in the office, the increased noise factor, for the patients, contributed to our decision to replace it.

I've used this old saw long before similar saws came on the market for woodworking. Even in the office, we would cut through broom/mop sticks, which were used as bracing across the leg aspects of body casts, so the leg aspects wouldn't break apart/separate. In order to remove the body cast, the stick bracing had to be cut, also. *Any wood support would work, but broom or mop sticks were most convenient and cheap. A good sturdy wood brace, across a patient's legs, rather than making one using plaster of paris (cast material), also facilitated having a good grip/handle, to assist in moving the patient, when need be. A plaster made bracing would break more easily... not a good thing for a patient in a body cast!

My cast saw needs a new washer. The old worn one allows the nut, holding the blade secure, to loosen, hence the blade doesn't vibrate, to make the cut, anymore.

I don't know if any of today's woodworking blades are teflon coated, but cast saw blades are teflon coated to prevent heat buildup, especially when cutting today's fiberglass casts. Since I have the cast saw, I've never looked into buying a multi tool or checking out the blades. I have wondered if the straight blades would fit this cast saw. There have been cuts, I've made, where a straight blade would have been more convenient, than the round cast saw blade. I only have the round cast saw blades. Bone saws, used in surgery, do have various shaped blades.

Sonny

Back when I got mine (RIGID brand), Home Depot had a display showing that and other similar ones which they also sold (and the other accessory heads which come with the tool) so you can test them on real wood. This was about a month before Christmas a couple of years ago. You might ask whether your local Home Depot will have a similar comparison display set up, so you can make up your own mind. Among other heads for the RIGID were a right angle electric drill, and one which works as a hammer to drive in reasonable sized nails in awkward locations where you can't get proper access to swing a proper hammer. I used it, among other things, for driving captive nails affixed to the plastic outlet/switch boxes when the next stud over was too close.

Enjoy, DoN.

I've been interested in the proliferation of these tools for quite some time. I can think of a couple of attachments that might get traction in the market. My view so far is that they aren't quite there yet. What do you think?

[ ... ]

Well ... the fact that this one has separate motor and heads allows for a bit more variety than something which is directly generating an oscillatory motion. The heads which I have are the default one (oscillatory saw/sander), the confined space hammer, and the electric drill head.

It is the JobMax series, and includes a 3/8" drive ratchet head, the "multi-tool" (the vibratory tool), an impact driver head, and the

3/8" right angle drill head. They even have a combo kit having all of these above, plus the charger.

Also listed (if you click on "show me all the things you find") there is a jig-saw head and the hammer head

The Jobmax tools have the trigger/speed control and the forward/reverse switch on the motor module, and the heads can click onto it in four different orientations, so you can do things like drill towards yourself or drive nails towards yourself quite comfortably.

I did not get several of the options, as I did not see a need for them. At this point, I may go back for some of these, as I don't know how many things will turn out to still work after the fire. But they also have a 1/2" drill/screwdriver (not another head for this, but a different series) which puts out enough torque so you really *need* the extra handle. In particular, the ancient B&D jigsaw (they called it a "saber saw" back in 1957 or so. :-)

And the 1/2" drill/screwdriver still works after coming out of the shop *after* the fire. Just a little rust on the drill chuck jaws. Same for the spare battery and the charger.

So -- I am pretty pleased with what I got. But I don't know what other brands are like -- but I know that I have been displeased with earlier battery powered drills because the batteries tend to discharge between uses, while both of these series use a Lithium-Ion battery pack -- quick to charge, and holds the charge for along time.

Enjoy, DoN.

I'll keep the project in mind and it might work it's way to the front burner some day. ...lots of stuff should reach the front burner.