DIYbanter - View Single Post - Looking For Oscillating Tool Recommendations

J. Clarke[_4_]

In article , says...

I know this group and what a huge can of worms I just opened up, but
we'll see if I can though this with any actual information. :-D

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. 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.

So again, this may a be futile request, but I would like opinions about
oscillating tools from those who have actually used them.
I'm looking for quieter, cooler, faster, non-tool blade release, and
probably NOT battery operated, although I might be able to be convinced.

Blade universality isn't that important since most have adapters or
already accept all blades.

LAST THING: I already know Festool is the best and Fein is a close
second. But I don't have six hundred bucks to spend on an oscillating
tool. All the other brands have options under $150, so I'm sticking
with those.

Festool _is_ Fein--their oscillating tool is a rebadged Fein Supercut--
the Supercut is Fein's "pro" line and it's actually somewhat
specialized--it's not really any better for general purpose use than the
Multimaster.

And I'm not sure where you're getting six hundred bucks. Home Depot has
the Fein 250 Start for $179 (if you can find one--it's discontinued) and
the 350 Start for $199. Starting price on the Supercut is under $400.

Note that "Start" refers to the accessory bundle--there are three kits
for the Multimaster--"Start", "Systainer", and "Top"--which differ in
accessories. According to the Fein site the "Systainer" version has the
same accessories as the "Top" but comes in a systainer instead of the
purpose-made Fein case. That one is available from Coastal Tool
http://www.coastaltool.com/a/fein/fmm350q-systainer.htm for $269.00
and is the package I'd recommend as the value of the accessories
included is considerably more than the price difference between that and
the "Start". Note that Coastal is a brick-and-mortar store local to me
where I do most of my tool shopping, but also has a thriving online
business.

Personally I'm mostly happy with my Fein (which I got from Coastal)--I
got the last model before they went to the "star" blade mount and wish
it would die so I'd have an excuse to get one with the new mount, but it
just keeps chugging on. Other than the old mount, which slips, it's an
amazing tool that is far far more versatile than I realized when I got
it.

If Fein went out of business and my Fein died, I'd have to do some
research to figure out what to replace it with.