I am with you all the way on this tool's usefulness. I bought one of these about three or four years ago (the single speed model) and wonder how I lived without it as a remodel/repair/maintenance contractor. I have said it before and I will say it again, had I known how useful this tool would be, I would have bought the really expensive FEIN model for the full price they were asking at the time.

I have used my HF model hard and with no concern for its well being. I have plunged cut into 2" thick gravel roofs, cut off a house full of door jambs for flooring installs, modified trims as needed, cut off 2X4s in tough spots, chewed/scraped old adhesives off of miles of flashings, and on an on. I was so sure I was going to kill this little machine that after I used it on a couple of jobs I bought another one when they came on sale again. I have never used it!

The price of the original FEIN tools and its blades has crashed. In some cases the are about 50% of their prices of 10 years ago. Scroll down this page

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...ords=fein+tool

and you will see that the FEIN blades are less than the price of the HF blades when you buy their multiblade packs! I have found the HF blades to be quite serviceable, and if I stay away from nails, screws, brads, wires, etc.., when using the tool I get good life out of them. Certainly if I get them on sale, I get my money's worth.

I think the longer you have that tool, the more uses you will find for it. I know I keep finding new ways to use it myself and as I said, can't imagine work without it.

Robert