Old vs New Fein Multimaster

[Larry Edgerton]

Ok, heres the story....

I had to cut about a mile, well it seems like a mile, of rabbits in white oak logs. The center section I did with a jig I made for the biscuit joiner, but the ends where the logs come together could not be reached. So I got out my trusty Fein and went to work. at each junction I would have to change cutters as one would not do both the straight and the junction where direction changes. After being tired of this process, and dropping the allen wrench a few times I called my supplier and had them run out a new quick change model Fein.

Wow! What a difference. The new one is much more aggressive, so much so that it was taking the teeth off of the fishtail saw I was using when at full speed. I didn't even mind as it was so danged fast. I slowed it down a bit and the blades lasted longer, only wore out three today. Just as controlable as the old.

So..... The moral of the story is if you have an older Fein, and the danged thing will not wear out, but you want the quick change[you do], just go buy one anyway and sell your old one. Thats what I'm doing.:p

Larry

[Van Huskey]

The quick change is the main thing the Fein has over the new Bosch corded version, it makes the $75 difference easy to swallow if you use one a lot.

[Larry Edgerton]

I would say that the big advantage to the Fein is that they just do not wear out. My old one is about 15 years old and used in a commercial setting, many of those hours by employees that have no empathy, and it still runs as good today as the day I bought it. It was very expensive when I bought it, but when amortized over its lifetime it has been very economical. I actually bought it to cut my own cast off years ago. I was just out of a divorce and without insurance, and the doctor visit was going to cost me the same as the Fein. So it was free.;)

Buying the new tool yesterday was probably not a good financial decision for me as the old one worked fine, and all of my work is T&M, but the lure of the quick change got me.

Larry

[Don Morris]

If I was a pro, Id do just that because that !@#$$% allen wrench change is a !@#$%^. But since I'm just an serious amateur, the cost differential for a new one isn't worth it. But you're right. I've found so many uses for my 15 yr old Fein, but it's still bullet proof. I don't covet any man's wife, but when I see the new Fein's.......

[Peter Quinn]

I like the quick change a lot. We have a fein at work, and being able to change angles on the fly helps almost every time I use it. I bought a Sonicrafter for my home shop, because at 1/3 the price plus cheaper blades, thats whats in the budget. It sure lacks the finesse of the fein, but it does the same work end of the day. My use is fairly occasional, if I used it more I would definitely own the fein.

[Van Huskey]

I would say that the big advantage to the Fein is that they just do not wear out. Larry

That is certainly a positive. However, we are looking at two unknowns now, the Bosch is new and the Fein is redesigned. Given my experince with Bosch I kinda have them on an even playing field in terms of longevity until one proves itself over the other. For me the quick release is the standout feature. I would also be surprised that I don't replace any oscillating tool I buy now long before 15 years is up, the market is in its infancy since the Fein patent has not be out very long, it seems to be a area that there will be a lot of innovation in. All this said I would buy the Fein today over the Bosch just on the quick release alone. Honestly the only other version that I think makes sense is the Harbor Freight if one only sees themselves using it a couple of times a year.