Bob wrote:
I have a few jobs that I think the PMF180 and its ilk might be ideal
for. The main immediate one is to allow me to lift some sections of
floorboard in awkward locations and with minimal damage. In
particular I am hoping that the plunge blade would allow a neat cut
across the width of the floorboard as well as dealing with the
tongues.

I can get the Bosch relatively cheaply at the moment - about £60 with
free delivery from Amazon - but I wonder how it compares to the
alternatives. I'm not interested in the battery models, so the
alternative ones I have come across that I would consider are the blue
Bosch one, which I have seen for about £100, and the Fein obviously.
Now the latter can be had for about £120 for a basic kit, and quite a
bit more for variations with extra blades and attachments. Also I
have seen the PMF180 with a bigger than standard attachment kit for
about £120.

What to do? I guess the main question to ask is how the basic tools
compare - the DIY Bosch vs the blue Bosch vs the Fein. I haven't seen
any reviews of the blue Bosch. Then: is is worth paying more to get
extra attachments at the outset given that they seem to be quite
expensive to buy later on? I've seen cheaper clone blades available
on ebay - are they up to scratch?

Thanks for any recommendations or experiences.

They all seem to work. The Fien is apparently the dogs, but at that price
it should be. The Bosch PMF 180 works very well and is more affordable for
DIY use.

They all IMO suffer from the blades being mega bucks & not lasting long.

A very handy tool, but I only use mine (PMF) as an absolute last resort
because of the blade cost.

The PMF would do the job you describe very well.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk