In praise of the Multi- tool

[Sam Murdoch]

I posted a while back asking advice on which model to buy. I think I asked if the Porter Cable was such a huge compromise to the Fein. A bunch of replies encouraged me to go the Harbor Freight route. With some timidity I did just that after all. Found a 25% off coupon on a first purchase and ended up buying the variable speed model for around $ 30.00. The first pack of blades cost more :eek:.

Anyway I have been using this now for 6 months +/- through lots of remodeling work. I have been driving this tool very hard and it shows no sign of letting up. I LOVE IT. I use it nearly exclusively as a saw - no sanding at all. It has pretty nearly replaced by expensive Makita "saws all" and my Bosch jig saw too. I can guide it along a line without hesitation in plywood, sheetrock, solid wood and do so regularly when laying new sub floors in retrofits. It's a wonderful close trim tool and a hardworking accurate plunge cutter. I am doing close up cutting and in the middle of panels type cutting (as for receptacles or fitting around vent hole or drain pipes) with so much ease.

I think any multi tool is a good thing to have but I am fully endorsing the HF model - at the price and as a proven tool it can't be beat. Yes, it could be lots quieter, could have a longer cord and a bigger storage box but for less than $ 40.00 you aren't hearing me complain. It's my one and only HF tool so this is not an all out endorsement of HF. Most of my high praise for tools is reserved for the green labels. :D

[Peter Quinn]

I worked with a guy who bought one and his sentiments were similar. We both used a fein at work, and it really is a better machine in almost every way. But you come out $170 ahead, for what it is, it gets the job done. And as you noted Sam it's uses are myriad.

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

I have the single speed model with an out the door price of less than $16. I have had it for almost 3 years without s single complaint. When it breaks I will be getting the same thing. HF has its uses and this is one of them.

[Mike Henderson]

I too have the single speed model and it does what I need it to do. I don't use it a lot, however.

Mike

[Sam Murdoch]

I pretty much use mine single speed - full throttle. Never dial it down! 1-1/4" wide, 12 teeth per inch blades and a steady hand. :)

[Bruce Volden]

Sorry guys, I was thinking Leatherman. Continue.

Bruce

[Matthew Hills]

So which blades or other attachments tend to be useful with these?

Matt

[Benjamin Miller]

I have the cheap red Harbor Freight one and absolutely hate to use it due to the noise, but it's a very useful tool occasionally. I mainly use it to trim shims when installing windows and doors, and to trim door casings and jambs so that flooring can fit underneath.

I could never see a multitool replacing a reciprocating saw, however. A reciprocating saw will eat 2x4's for breakfast when doing demolition, and with a good blade will also tear through steel. I probably have a dozen methods of cutting steel, including a plasma cutter, but I reached for the reciprocating saw last week to cut up a cart made of square tubing.

[Steve Gojevic]

I bought the gray multi-speed tool about 3 years ago from HF. I have beat on this tool to the point the gearbox got too hot to touch. I have trimmed 1" off the edge of a 2x12 for abpout 2' ( it was against a wall so other saws wouldn't fit. I used the scraper end on a wooden boat restoration. The tool has held up perfectly. Most HF power tools do the job ok but feel like a cheaper tool when you hold it (probably due to the lower-grade plastic housing). This tool, however, feels like a much higher quality tool. It even has a soft rubber overmolded grip. This is the first power tool from HF I can say that about. It's a hidden gem among so-so tools at HF. I paid about $50 when it first came out, but now can be had for less than $30 with coupons.

Before I bought the HF multi-tool, I was wondering what the fuss was about these types of tools. Now I would be hard pressed to get along without it. I use it to make square holes in wood, drywall, etc. It can do this because the actual side-to-side travel of the blade is very small. If my HF multi-tool failed today, I would immediately go to HF and buy another one.

BTW, the other gem I have found at HF is the angle-head drill for $25 or so. It's great for places a regular drill is too long to fit in, like drilling holes in wall studs for electrical wiring. It probably wouldn't hold up long-term for a contarctor using it daily, but mine has been fine for the use a homeowner gives it. The name brand angle-head drills start at double the price and up, too much for my ocaissonal use needs.

Steve

[Rich Engelhardt]

I have a pair of the single speed ones.
I keep a half moon blade on one and a plunge blade (Imperial)on the other.

Just don't use one on a fiberglass tub surround..... ;)

(mine quit cutting after about 6 inches or so. When I looked at the blade, al the teeth were gone! Fiberglass is tough on blades.)

[Bill Huber]

I have a Multi-Tool, not an HF but it is a variable speed, cordless model and I use the thing all the time. I use mine more for sanding then anything else, it is just so handy getting in to tight places.

When I have used it for cutting it has been great and there is just nothing else that will do the job I needed to do like a Mulit-tool.

[David Hostetler]

I bought my HF Variable Speed Multi Tool, along with some additional blades, and about 4 of the Carbide grinding heads back in January... There is a reason for this purchase. I had seen a lot of positive reviews for this tool, and I ponied up for the extended warranty. Grabbed one of these and went to work grinding out thin set from the area around my back door, and it has been working wonders. I don't run it very long, as long as I want to do the job, and then I stop... The area to be cleaned is 6x8 and is about half done, I work on it when I get time, which isn't enough... Anyway I thought i would have gone through the carbide cutter by now, but it is going strong. Probably still have some life left after this job is done...

The multitool itself I have used extensively for sanding, and cutting. The plunge blade has allowed me to make MUCH cleaner, more accurate cuts into drywall for the electrical work in the shop than was ever possible before, and the detail sanding attachment means my Ryobi corner / detail sander stays in its bag, which is fine by me!

I can not compare this to higher end multi tools, and honestly I bought mine mostly to experiment with this type of tool... I am not certain there is a whole lot aside from maybe dust collection that they could have done to improve this tiool... It is holding up so far to a lot of VERY heavy use and abuse.

For my cutting I keep the speed up full speed, but for grinding, I found running it down about halfway resulted in the fastest material removal. So yeah, for me anyway, the variable speed was worth the extra money...

My only complaint is I like to have my tools in cases / tool bags so that I can keep the tool, and its associated accessories together. And the HF promotional photos show a nice blow molded case with this model. That appears to be a thing of the past. Mine did not come with one... I bought a small Stanley plastic tool box at Big Lots for $1.00 and stuffed it, and the blades etc... in there and it's fine... And I know exactly which tool is in that case!

I have said this elsewhere before, but honestly, aside from dust collection. I am not sure they could have made this any better if they tried... This really is one of HF's gems...

[David Hostetler]

What specific work / task are you trying to accomplish? For me the most commonly used attachments so far are the carbide grinding attachment, the sanding triangle, and the plunge blade. The half moon looks useful for flush cuts but I haven't tried it yet...

So which blades or other attachments tend to be useful with these?

Matt

[Lee Schierer]

I purchased a Bosch multi tool after using a Dremel one at my daughters house that belonged to a workman that was doing some work for her. I didn't like the Dremel because it got very hot while I was using it and it didn't have much power. You could easily stall the Dremel with light hand pressure. I've been very pleased with the Bosch and have used it several times to make cuts that would be difficult any other way.

[Henry Kramer]

Sorry guys, I was thinking Leatherman. Continue.

Bruce
I was thinking the same thing. I have been a tool freak for over 50 years and it took me a while and a search on Harbor Freight to figure out it was a multi function oscillating tool that was being discussed.
HK

[Bruce Wrenn]

I buy my blades from Northern, using a $5 off $15 coupon that I get regularly. Blades are bi-metal. When a blade wears out, I take it to the grinder, and convert it into a scraper. Used my HF multi-tool today to scrape some caulking.

[Raymond Seward]

I have the Bosch Multi tool....started with a HF one....gave it to a friend to use and uh well....anyway I find the tool to be invaluable....has saved me a lot of time and can do many different ops. The blades are expensive tho', to me anyway. Where is the best place to buy blades?

[Sam Murdoch]

The blades are expensive tho', to me anyway. Where is the best place to buy blades?

Yes they are very expensive to me as well. The best deal on blades I can find currently are Imperial Blades - 10 for $79.98.
These are 12TPI x 1-1/4". This still seems expensive @ $8.00 each but I am buying them locally so no S&H charges on top.

Still, how much do the ones from Northern end up costing and are there suggestions for better prices from other sources too?

[Sam Murdoch]

I have the cheap red Harbor Freight one and absolutely hate to use it due to the noise, but it's a very useful tool occasionally. I mainly use it to trim shims when installing windows and doors, and to trim door casings and jambs so that flooring can fit underneath.

I could never see a multitool replacing a reciprocating saw, however. A reciprocating saw will eat 2x4's for breakfast when doing demolition, and with a good blade will also tear through steel. I probably have a dozen methods of cutting steel, including a plasma cutter, but I reached for the reciprocating saw last week to cut up a cart made of square tubing.

I thought it might be worth it if I elaborated a bit on my enthusiasm for the "multi function oscillating tool" (sorry about the confusion) by describing a few ways I have discovered its essential place in my tool box. For some reason that I can't explain, this has been the winter of remodeling bathrooms. I am on my 3rd bathroom since November (with a few other projects in between) and in all cases the multi-tool has saved the day.

1) Mirrors and wall sconces over the vanity. The centerline is the centerline and so the position of the mirror is locked in . The light on either side can only be pushed in or out from the mirrors edge so far before they don't look right. Even more constraints when there is a wall immediately to one side. You know where I'm going with this - how to you mount a light fixture when there is a stud in the way? Remember - this is a remodeling project. In 2 of 3 cases with finished rooms on the other side of the wall. In comes the multi- tool. It is the fastest and safest (least jarring/destructive tool) for taking a space for an electrical box out of one side or out of the entire face of the stud and even to a partial depth. Non load bearing studs are no longer an impediment to mounting light or plumbing fixtures to me :).

2) This week I need to replace a badly out of level floor of plywood and linoleum attached to 2 layers of wide wood sub flooring all on top of some, from the day, tree trunks for floor joists. Needed to cut right along the walls and kind of like an archeological dig - one layer at a time - to reveal what I had to work with without destroying some good sub structure. In the old days I would have snipped off the ends of a few Bosch jig saw blades to make them the 1" or 2" long as needed. Then still I would have needed to cut further away from the walls then I wanted. Now I just work the multi-tool cutting along the wall one depth at a time with complete confidence that I'm not cutting into joists or into a good sub floor. Each layer comes up with complete control. Not all that fast but I don't end up wasting time repairing.

This archeological approach with the multi-tool comes in handy for cutting up flooring, or walls, or ceilings beneath, or behind, or above which you know there is plumbing or wiring.

I don't think of it as a demo tool but rather as a precise take apart tool :). Blades of all sorts - for cutting wood, metal, plastics, as well as for scraping and then there is the sanding pad feature. I did try sanding once and for that the HF tool was pitiful. I don't know how well the Fein or other better models works as detail sanders but for me the HF tool is relegated to saw status. For that it is just excellent. :cool:

[Dave Zellers]

I don't think of it as a demo tool but rather as a precise take apart tool :)

Dude- awesome description. Anyone that wants my Fein MultiMaster will have to pry it out of my cold dead hands.

With a playful tone, I've actually said to clients, "I'm going to need to surgically remove this" :)

[Floyd Mah]

The answer to expensive blades is to clamp the blade turned scraper in a vise and remove the metal between the hidden new teeth with a triangle file. If there is no trace of the original teeth spacing, hold a 1/4 x 20 bolt up to the edge and use it for a guide.

[Chris Padilla]

I have the Bosch and it is most certainly a useful tool to make unusual/how the heck type of cuts.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Don't forget another aspect of these type of tools.

The safety factor.

With the short travel the blades have, they don't cut skin easily.
You really have to work at cutting yourself with one.

I'm perfectly comfortable handing mine to a kid and letting the kid use it.
IMHO - it's safer than a crosscut handsaw.

[Andy Pratt]

I have the fein and a friend bought the harbor freight one. From his review I gathered that the blade rotated annoyingly all the time in use and it was the master of vibrating all the feeling out of your hand. These are useful tools, you'll have it for life, get a decent one. Since feins patent ran out there are plenty of decently made options available for less than the fein. Do yourself a favor and don't buy one from harbor freight, spend the extra $70 and get a non-fein name brand if you need to keep costs down. My friend has the 12v milwaukee and has given it a lot of work without any issues.

[Sam Murdoch]

I have the fein and a friend bought the harbor freight one. From his review I gathered that the blade rotated annoyingly all the time in use and it was the master of vibrating all the feeling out of your hand. These are useful tools, you'll have it for life, get a decent one. Since feins patent ran out there are plenty of decently made options available for less than the fein. Do yourself a favor and don't buy one from harbor freight, spend the extra $70 and get a non-fein name brand if you need to keep costs down. My friend has the 12v milwaukee and has given it a lot of work without any issues.

My experience with the HF Chicago Electric tool does not support your friends experience. I have used a Porter Cable and it was not better in any substantial way to HF tool. I used an old Fein last spring for 3 months and was not anymore impressed either.

Except for the too short chord, the noise (equal to both others mentioned) and the very crammed hard plastic storage box, the HF tool for less than $40.00 has been a wonder. No performance issues whatsoever!

I don't have any patience for tools that don't work. I am not hesitant to spend more $$$s in order to get the best uncompromising tool for the job. I did hesitate to buy this one but I have no complaints the way I use it. I would not use it for detail sanding.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Do yourself a favor and don't buy one from harbor freight, spend the extra $70 and get a non-fein name brand if you need to keep costs downYou mean like the $99.00 Dremel I had for a little over a year and used less than a half dozen times that just stopped working one day?
The HF cheapy saved the day when that happened.