Corded or cordless multi-tool?

[rick carpenter]

I'm looking for a multi-tool, either the Rockwell corded or the Ridgid Jobmax cordless. Who has needed a cordless over a corded unit and why? I really am leaning toward the Rockwell.

[Justin Freund]

I would suggest not going with the cordless. I've heard bad things about just about all of them regarding battery life. Owning the Ridgid myself, I can certainly attest to that. I get maybe 5 minutes tops out of a fully charged battery. Plus the tool gets hot. Not just warm, but hot. Then the charger wont charge the battery because it senses its too hot and then it has to cool down before it charges. I've resorted to putting both the tool and battery in the freezer to get simple tasks done. I know I didn't get a bad one either as this is my third one. I figured the first one was a fluke. Then the second one did the same thing. I figured maybe it was a bad lot and tried one more time from a new shipment as I really needed to get a particular job done. Then I lost the receipt. My next one will be a Fein.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I have the Bosch cordless. I got it for the same reason as you would buy a cordless drill. I get a lot more than 5 minutes of run time on a charge. It's not a Fien, but then it is cordless. It's like comparing a battery circular saw to a wormdrive. There is just no comparison. But the cordless has a lot of good features. Depends on what you are going to do. If you are going to use it a lot, or for long periods of time, get a Fien. Small jobs here and there, the cordless has a lot going for it. I used it to remove all the drywall from around my tub and enclosure. Used 2 battery charges. Did not get hot. My arms gets tired before the battery dies.

[Ken Deckelman]

I voted corded. With the limited use, and the China batteries used-you will always be waiting for a charge.

[Hugh MacDonald]

If you read the reviews of the cordless versions vs. the Fein on Amazon, you'll learn all you need to in a hurry. I need a multitool (haven't gotten around to getting one yet) and, like you, was trying to decide which way to go. After reading the trenchant reviews on Amazon I easily made up my mind. The cordless types seem to run out of juice in a hurry. But don't take my word for it. The reviews available from people who have used the tools (and in one case bought the Bosch only to convert to the Fein as a result) are detailed, considered, and insightful.

[Rich Enders]

I bought the Bosch to clean out the old grout between the tiles above the water level in our pool. It works as advertised, and was cheaper than draining and refilling the pool. Battery life was never an issue over the roughly 4 days of continuous use. I have since loaned it to a friend who did his pool with similar results. Obviously a corded tool would not have worked here, and I wonder about using them in the rain.

[Craig Michael]

Bosch is coming out with a corded version soon (next month or two). Heard that it is more powerful than Fein. If you can, I'd wait for that.

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=MX25EC-21

[Jerome Hanby]

I'd also vote cordless. I've got the HF version and most of the time I've logged using it has been from an awkward position that took some doing for me to get into. Running the battery down and having to squirm out, recharge, then crawl back would have been awful.

That said, but an HF for much less then the Rockwell and also buy the Ridgid and several of the different heads for it. That gizmo is high on my drool lost.

[rick carpenter]

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the reviews on Amazon for the Rockwell, they seem positive when used within what it's designed to do. I want one mostly for tile work, etc. I wonder (not to hijack my own thread) if a small diameter angle grinder would do nearly the same thing? Any thoughts on an angle grinder versus a multi tool? I'm thinking angle grinders are more rugged by design, but if I do go with the multi-tool, I'll go with the Rockwell.

[Bob Winkler]

I've had my corded Fein for almost 6 years. Doubt it would still be alive if it were cordless. I know some who have returned the cordless multitools because of lack of run time and power. I've become a big fan of corded tools lately since all my batteries seems to be dying at once and cause a "throwaway" tool. What a waste of money, since I'm never too far from a wall outlet. And to make matters worse, I can't use my Bosch lithium powered drivers below freezing since they don't work.

At the risk of becoming philosophical, I smile whenever I use my grandfathers corded drill because it makes me think of him. I'm glad he didn't use battery operated tools back then. doubt if I'll be handing battery operated tools to my grand kids

[Gene Thayer]

I've had the Bosch cordless for a year and a half, as well as the other 12v Litheon tools. I use the tool fairly often for small trimming & cutting jobs and haven't found the limited run time a problem - since I have a big collection of batteries, a fresh one is always at hand. The Bosch is considerably lighter and more agile in tight places, plus it costs a fraction of the Fein. I guess your choice would boil down to how heavily you'll use it and what you're willing to pay.

[Tim Pape]

I got the new Milwaukee cordless one for Christmas and have used it plenty already and love it. The battery has never been an issue and the cool thing about the Milwaukee is that it takes any brand accessories. It is no Fein, but at less than half the price, I am super happy with it.

[Alan Heffernan]

I have a Fein and subscribe to the notion of "buy once". It really depends on the job you are doing as to what you need. For example, a remodeling job on my son's bathroom window. We changed out the the window and put in a glass block window up high in the shower area. We had to frame up the area where a window was previously and this meant a bunch of vinyl siding work on the exterior. The Fein saved me half a day's work by being able to reach behind the existing siding and cut the nails! It also cut the vinyl as well.

I also used my Makita angle grinder on some of the early 50's tile and plaster inside.

I preserve using the Fein because of the cost of the blades but when I need it, it is a lifesaver.

By the way, next month's Wood Magazine is doing a review of the Fein and its knock off competitors. That should be interesting.

[Callan Campbell]

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the reviews on Amazon for the Rockwell, they seem positive when used within what it's designed to do. I want one mostly for tile work, etc. I wonder (not to hijack my own thread) if a small diameter angle grinder would do nearly the same thing? Any thoughts on an angle grinder versus a multi tool? I'm thinking angle grinders are more rugged by design, but if I do go with the multi-tool, I'll go with the Rockwell. The main difference is that you're getting more control around tile you DON'T want to damage during a simple regrouting by using an Multi-tool versus a spinning blade type tool. Once you use any version of the Multi-tools, you'll see what I'm refering to. As an added bonus, you can buy segment type blades for the Multi-Tools, which coupled with the ability to stop and rotate your blade/tool bit to the desired approach/working angle means you tackle angles and corners on your terms, not the limitations of a continously spinning blade like in other tools. I have both a Fein Top model, and an air powered HF Multi-Tool. The HF doesn't have the adjustable power level of the Fein unless I dial the air pressure setting via a regulator, but it's way safer around water or wet conditions[smile]...

[Mark Ashmeade]

I have the Bosch, which works quite well. The Litheon batteries seem to work well, and have repaid my faith in them. I imagine there are better products, but for the price I paid, with a Litheon driver and two batteries (<$100), I am very pleased.

One thing I will say is that the blades make a world of difference (like any other tool!). I used some Dremel ones, and the Bosch OE ones are considerably better.

[Nick Laeder]

I got the Rigid for Christmas, and I haven't used it for more than a few jobs, but I haven't had the battery issues listed above. I also got a 12v screwgun and the impact driver head for the JobMax. I've used the screwgun the most, and had no issues with it. I think the test will be using the scraper blade to pull up the vinyl flooring in my back room this spring.

[Mike Henderson]

I vote corded. The reason is that you don't use a multitool that often. When you reach for it, the battery will be dead. If it was a tool I used all the time, I'd probably vote cordless, and buy two batteries.

Mike

[Craig Michael]

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the reviews on Amazon for the Rockwell, they seem positive when used within what it's designed to do. I want one mostly for tile work, etc. I wonder (not to hijack my own thread) if a small diameter angle grinder would do nearly the same thing? Any thoughts on an angle grinder versus a multi tool? I'm thinking angle grinders are more rugged by design, but if I do go with the multi-tool, I'll go with the Rockwell.

As Callan said, an oscillating tool and a grinder (whatever diameter) are completely different. A grinder has its uses but for tile removal, cutting existing baseboard, etc. you really want an oscillating tool. The plunge capability of the tool and the control because of how it works is unique.

[Mark Ashmeade]

I vote corded. The reason is that you don't use a multitool that often. When you reach for it, the battery will be dead. If it was a tool I used all the time, I'd probably vote cordless, and buy two batteries.

Mike

Exactly why I went with the Bosch Litheon. Exceedingly small self discharge, and it came with two batteries. Pick it up and use it, even after weeks of disuse. I've had a Dremel for a 3 or 4 years now that came with Li-Ion, and there have been times I haven't touched it for 4 months, and it fires up with max battery life. Amazing.

[Will Overton]

I have a Fein and a Bosch. The Bosch is in a drawer under the bench and gets used most often. If I have a lot of sanding or cutting to do that requires this type of tool I take the Fein.

In my situation I disagree with Mike on the batteries. I have a number of Bosch cordless tools that use the same battery, so I always have about a half dozen fully charged. Plus the fact that the charge on these little batteries have a long shelf life. I also think that I use it more because it is easy to take out and put away.

BTW - A link from Bosch shows the corded version available now from Home Depot
(http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?jspStoreDir=hdus&catalogId=10053&productId=202564945&navFlow=3&keyword=MX25EC-21&langId=-1&searchRedirect=MX25EC-21&storeId=10051&ende)

[Curt Harms]

Exactly why I went with the Bosch Litheon. Exceedingly small self discharge, and it came with two batteries. Pick it up and use it, even after weeks of disuse. I've had a Dremel for a 3 or 4 years now that came with Li-Ion, and there have been times I haven't touched it for 4 months, and it fires up with max battery life. Amazing.

I agree with the Bosch Li-Ion batteries. They seem to lose very little charge during storage. For that matter, I had 2 P-C NiCad drill batteries rebuilt by batteryrebuilders. The rebuilds maintained their charge MUCH better than the OEM ones so I guess it depends on the cells used to build the packs.

[Rich Enders]

This seems to be a popular subject. Think of it this way. If you had a cordless drill, and a corded one which would you reach for most often. In my work I reach for the cordless most of the time. But, there are those situations...