-MIKE- wrote:


I have the Harbor Freight and I wrote the book on it. It is well
documented in here that I have been its staunchest defender.

I don't know -Mike-, I might give you a good run for you money on that
honor...

So even
though it probably will, I would like this thread to not quickly
escalate into the same, tired, old, rehashed over and over again too
many times already, HF multitool debate. :-)
After probably eight years with the thing, it's still going strong,
but I'm looking to upgrade for a few reasons.

1. Noise & Heat. The HF gets so hot you could fry an egg on it. Plus,
it's so fricken loud!!!
2. The new oscillating tools I've seen have a quick release and
that's very appealing to me.
3. I'm hoping the brand name tools actually perform better. After
using the HF for so long, I think I will able to very quickly
determine if this is the case.

My multi-tool (HF) is only a year or two old - I was a later comer to this
tool. I can't speak comparatively to noise and vibration because I've not
used any other brands. What I can speak to is that mine does not run hot at
all. It's a corded model that cost me $15. Never gets even noticeably warm
in my hand. Maybe that's because it take a ton of heat to make me aware of
it, but I just do not notice any heat in mine. Maybe because it's a much
newer model/design?

You get to HF often enough that it might be worth the effort on your part to
pick one up and try it out. You can always return it on your next trip in,
if you don't find the current models to be improved over yours. At $15,
you're not carrying a second mortgage just to try it out.

--

-Mike-