HF Multifunction tool vs Makita cordless & apologies to Fein users...

[Rich Engelhardt]

I use metal (diamond) cutoff wheels,

?? The Dremel diamond wheels (the #545) aren't recommended for metal. The one I tried on ceramic tile was pretty bad for that also. Ditto for using the diamond wheel on cement board.

[Nick Decker]

So, I fought the toilet today, and finally won. Borrowed my BIL's tool, which was a pretty weak Performax (Menard's) machine. He didn't have any metal blades, so I picked up a Dewalt bi-metal blade at Lowe's ($20).

Had to cut through some plastic (see below) to get to the metal bolt. That went slower than I had expected, and the metal took a looooong time. So long that the machine got too hot to hold. Let it cool and cut some more until the machine shut itself down. After doing that several times it no longer worked at all.

So, good tool borrower that I am, I went to Menard's to buy him a new one. Found one that was a little better than the old one, for $50. Obviously not a great machine, but an upgrade. It came with several blades, one of which was for metal. Put it on and went back to work on the second bolt.

First, it cut through the same thick plastic like it was paper. It then handled the metal bolt in a few seconds, more like it was a wood dowel. Very surprising, given that it was just a stock blade bundled with the tool. If you're ever faced with having to buy a Dewalt bi-metal blade for one of these things, I'd suggest you pass.

Here's a shot after cutting the first bolt.