Yesterday I bought a Multifunction Tool at the local Harbor Freight
store. I paid $59.99 for it. I have watched several of the Fein
Multitasking tools infomercials for the past year but I just couldn't
bring myself to fork over the $360.00 plus that it cost.

Today I had a project that required cutting 1/4 Birch plywood. I had
to make several cuts of 24 inches in straight lines. On my first cut I
had to stop and retighten my blade. I didn't have a torque wrench so I
was probably not twisting the 100 inch pounds the manual required. I
put a bit more ooooomph into the tightening and tried cutting again.
This time it worked great. I found that the best way to cut the 1/4
inch ply was to go slowly at first and not force the blade. After the
blade was an inch or so into the cut it was very easy. I was
freehanding following the pencil line and the quality of the cut was
better than any of my jig saws or circular saws. Absolutely no tear
out and very little sawdust. So far so good.

Tomorrow I am working on a project that requires cross cutting several
pieces of one inch Hickory. That should really test the capability of
the tool.

Have any of you had a chance to test this tool? Anyone done a headsup
comparison with the real thing, the Fein tool? Or the new Dremel
clone?

Dennis

On Jan 15, 11:29*pm, TwoGuns wrote:

Have any of you had a chance to test this tool? Anyone done a headsup
comparison with the real thing, the Fein tool? Or the new Dremel
clone?

I thought about buying one as a detail sander when they were $39, but
the damn things were so popular that they couldn't keep them on the
shelves at $39, and still can't at the regular price.

Somebody is buying them but no one is talking. Unless it is a bigger
tool, the magazines won't review a HF tool, which is a shame. As the
overall quality of the tools we are getting seems to be going down, in
some cases th quality of HF is going up. I don't know how long it
will be until they meet in the middle.

How are the heat issues with the tool? I have read that some of these
new oscillators get quite hot after using them for a while. Also,
what do you think of the cutting accessories? THAT would scare me the
most about this tool; cutters/grinders that were as soft as a beer
can.

I do hope you post a follow up.Thanks for reporting.

Robert

I saw this tool before Thanksgiving and thought the blades might fit the
Multimaster at a greatly reduced price.
That said however, Fein instructed me to use a sawing motion, back and forth
like you when you cut bread with a knife ,to get the best results with the
saw blades. Because the blades do not spin the teeth need to be cleared out
with the back and forth motion.




"TwoGuns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday I bought a Multifunction Tool at the local Harbor Freight
store. I paid $59.99 for it. I have watched several of the Fein
Multitasking tools infomercials for the past year but I just couldn't
bring myself to fork over the $360.00 plus that it cost.

Today I had a project that required cutting 1/4 Birch plywood. I had
to make several cuts of 24 inches in straight lines. On my first cut I
had to stop and retighten my blade. I didn't have a torque wrench so I
was probably not twisting the 100 inch pounds the manual required. I
put a bit more ooooomph into the tightening and tried cutting again.
This time it worked great. I found that the best way to cut the 1/4
inch ply was to go slowly at first and not force the blade. After the
blade was an inch or so into the cut it was very easy. I was
freehanding following the pencil line and the quality of the cut was
better than any of my jig saws or circular saws. Absolutely no tear
out and very little sawdust. So far so good.

Tomorrow I am working on a project that requires cross cutting several
pieces of one inch Hickory. That should really test the capability of
the tool.

Have any of you had a chance to test this tool? Anyone done a headsup
comparison with the real thing, the Fein tool? Or the new Dremel
clone?

Dennis

On Jan 16, 11:53*am, "
wrote:
On Jan 15, 11:29*pm, TwoGuns wrote:

Have any of you had a chance to test this tool? Anyone done a headsup
comparison with the real thing, the Fein tool? Or the new Dremel
clone?

I thought about buying one as a detail sander when they were $39, but
the damn things were so popular that they couldn't keep them on the
shelves at $39, and still can't at the regular price.

Somebody is buying them but no one is talking. *Unless it is a bigger
tool, the magazines won't review a HF tool, which is a shame. * As the
overall quality of the tools we are getting seems to be going down, in
some cases th quality of HF is going up. *I don't know how long it
will be until they meet in the middle.

That's an interesting observation. I needed a 3 HP router pronto, and
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
called Princess Auto. $ 70.00, (That would be about $ 20.00 to you
*G*)
I stuck in a 3/4" flat bottom for rabbetting duties only... (The
reason for the 'dedicated' router was that we would always know the
depth of the rabbett... important to us..)

That thing has worked flawlessly, and it gets used a lot. Going on 2
years now in a daily production setting. $ 70.00...I mean, it is
almost disposable should it ever **** the bed.

So cudos to the folks at PA/HF.. with a gentle ribbing aimed at
Morris.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Jan 16, 11:53 am, "
wrote:
On Jan 15, 11:29 pm, TwoGuns wrote:



That's an interesting observation. I needed a 3 HP router pronto, and
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
called Princess Auto. $ 70.00, (That would be about $ 20.00 to you
*G*)


Princess Auto? Is that a "manly" store? ;~)

On Jan 16, 12:38*pm, "Leon" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...
On Jan 16, 11:53 am, "
wrote:

On Jan 15, 11:29 pm, TwoGuns wrote:

That's an interesting observation. I needed a 3 HP router pronto, and
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
called Princess Auto. $ 70.00, (That would be about $ 20.00 to you
*G*)

Princess Auto? *Is that a "manly" store? *;~)

We're pretty secure with our sexuality up here in Kanukistan.
A good friend of mine from the Navy, wears this 'salmon' shirt. (It is
pink, okay?)
I have yet to see anybody go up to him and make any remarks about it.
If I was single, I would be honoured to drag home the wimmen he didn't
have time for.... and that ain't many.

Personally, I find those butt-less chaps that cow'boys' wear rather
faggy.

On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:26:40 -0600, "Leon"
wrote:

I saw this tool before Thanksgiving and thought the blades might fit the
Multimaster at a greatly reduced price.
That said however, Fein instructed me to use a sawing motion, back and forth
like you when you cut bread with a knife ,to get the best results with the
saw blades. Because the blades do not spin the teeth need to be cleared out
with the back and forth motion.




"TwoGuns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday I bought a Multifunction Tool at the local Harbor Freight
store. I paid $59.99 for it. I have watched several of the Fein
Multitasking tools infomercials for the past year but I just couldn't
bring myself to fork over the $360.00 plus that it cost.

Today I had a project that required cutting 1/4 Birch plywood. I had
to make several cuts of 24 inches in straight lines. On my first cut I
had to stop and retighten my blade. I didn't have a torque wrench so I
was probably not twisting the 100 inch pounds the manual required. I
put a bit more ooooomph into the tightening and tried cutting again.
This time it worked great. I found that the best way to cut the 1/4
inch ply was to go slowly at first and not force the blade. After the
blade was an inch or so into the cut it was very easy. I was
freehanding following the pencil line and the quality of the cut was
better than any of my jig saws or circular saws. Absolutely no tear
out and very little sawdust. So far so good.

Tomorrow I am working on a project that requires cross cutting several
pieces of one inch Hickory. That should really test the capability of
the tool.

Have any of you had a chance to test this tool? Anyone done a headsup
comparison with the real thing, the Fein tool? Or the new Dremel
clone?

Dennis

This was an interesting post. I had never heard any postive feedback
on HF power tools. Sure I had heard some of their stuff (lathe
chisels) were serviceable but had always thought the power tools
should be avoided at all cost.
Would love to hear more feedback on other HF tools.

Lenny

wrote in message
...

This was an interesting post. I had never heard any postive feedback
on HF power tools. Sure I had heard some of their stuff (lathe
chisels) were serviceable but had always thought the power tools
should be avoided at all cost.
Would love to hear more feedback on other HF tools.

Lenny

I think it's a mixed bag. An angle grinder that I bought for $14 (or maybe
$19), lasted for about 2 jobs and then failed. The fan blade on the motor
fell off and made a hell of a racket, enough so that it gave enough of an
impression that it was unsafe that I threw it away. Truth be told, the
wheel still spun fine. I have a 4" belt/6" disc sander that is working fine
10 years later. I just bought a bench grinder from them. It is a motor
that makes a couple stone wheels go around... much like any other bench
grinder I have ever used. While assembling, I had to modify the brackets
that hold the shields so they would fit better. I have several sets of
drill bits that are working fine several (bordering on many) years later.

If you think you are going to get a $140 tool for $14, think again. If you
think you are going to get a $500 for $100, think again. If you expect a
$50 tool to do the job of a $200 tool, you are probably barking up the wrong
tree but with a little extra setup work, it may well come close.
Personally, I'd avoid their hand electric tools (drills, grinders, etc.) but
on larger stuff (bench tools and floor tools even), I'd consider them with
the understanding that they'll need some work to perform.

YMMV

Ed

"Robatoy" wrote in message
That's an interesting observation. I needed a 3 HP router pronto, and
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
called Princess Auto. $ 70.00, (That would be about $ 20.00 to you
*G*)

3hp for $70 eh? Princess Auto is cheap for a reason and only out of dire
necessity would I buy something like that from them. However, it could be
considered as you stated, a throwaway purchase and the end result is that
you lucked out in the end. All it would take is for it to screw up on one
job site for you to lose any accumulated money and time, costing much more
than the $70.

On Jan 16, 11:20*pm, "Upscale" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

That's an interesting observation. I needed a 3 HP router pronto, and
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
called Princess Auto. $ 70.00, (That would be about $ 20.00 to you
*G*)

3hp for $70 eh? Princess Auto is cheap for a reason and only out of dire
necessity would I buy something like that from them. However, it could be
considered as you stated, a throwaway purchase and the end result is that
you lucked out in the end. All it would take is for it to screw up on one
job site for you to lose any accumulated money and time, costing much more
than the $70.

It is relegated to a mundane innocuous task. It makes a 1/16" x 9/16
rabbet along the bottom edge of a sheet of corian. It is there to stop
the front edge from sliding as it is glued on. Not critical.
BTW, that router has soft start, plunges, and takes 1/2" bits. The
only stupid design fault, is the head of the motor housing is rounded,
so it won't stay put upside-down when doing a bit change.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
It is relegated to a mundane innocuous task.

I had to laugh when I saw the name of it. Purchasing a router with a name
like "PowerFist" would send me shrieking in terror from the store.

On Jan 17, 12:22*am, "Upscale" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
It is relegated to a mundane innocuous task.

I had to laugh when I saw the name of it. Purchasing a router with a name
like "PowerFist" would send me shrieking in terror from the store.

LOL... a really cool logo too...

http://www.powerfist.ca/

"Robatoy" wrote in message
like "PowerFist" would send me shrieking in terror from the store.

LOL... a really cool logo too...

Makes me think of a cut rate ninja B movie with masked actors bouncing all
over the place. Next time I'm in the vicinity of Princess Auto, I'll have to
go have a look around if only to get a laugh.

On Jan 17, 12:40*am, "Upscale" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message
like "PowerFist" would send me shrieking in terror from the store.
LOL... a really cool logo too...

Makes me think of a cut rate ninja B movie with masked actors bouncing all
over the place. Next time I'm in the vicinity of Princess Auto, I'll have to
go have a look around if only to get a laugh.

Bring some of those foam earplugs...for your nose. The place reeks of
cheap Chinese rubber.

On Jan 16, 6:19*pm, wrote:

This was an interesting post. I had never heard any postive feedback
on HF power tools. Sure I had heard some of their stuff (lathe
chisels) were serviceable but had always thought the power tools
should be avoided at all cost.
Would love to hear more feedback on other HF tools.

Ya pays yer money, and ya takes yer chances. That's the HF way.

I have a 4 1/2 grinder that I cannot kill. I made some real attempt by
grinding everything to pig iron, hardened masonry fasteners and hard
rock masonry slits for flashings. I paid $14. After five years, it
still won't die.

I have a 7" polisher. Same story.

My 3 hp backup HF oil splasher compressor ($89 !!) won't leave the
rotation.

I have bought a couple of those roughly finished plier sets where you
get 5 pliers for $20 on sale. Pretty good quality.

Bought a cheapie set of "T" style hex wrenches to work on my nail
guns. Great quality steel, low quality handles. The whole set cost
what one "good" wrench would cost.

One of my friends has their biscuit machine which is apparently on
sale frequently for $39. He absolutely loves it. It is has a much
rougher finish than my PC, but it does the job.

On the other hand....

Small trim router. Paid $14 for it, got $14 out of it and it died. I
bought it on recommendation from one of my friends, and his still runs
great.

Bought some large Pittsburgh screwdrivers to open paint cans at $.99
ea. Worth exactly that, and only good for opening paint cans.

One of my guys bought a multiple power drive set for his cordless
drill. Apparently, the bits were made from plaster of paris as they
all broke very easily.

Bought a detail sander about 7-8 years ago. It still runs and works
well, but pads no longer available.

Purchased their version of a "Wonder Bar" to use for roofing repair.
Great for pulling shingles, but as a pry bar, the metal is so soft it
will bend VERY easily.

Truly, with HF it is buyer beware. But for me, it has been that way
with tools for years. Now I don't care who makes it, as long as I get
the money out of it I paid into it. Everything else is just icing on
the cake.

Robert

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Jan 16, 12:38 pm, "Leon" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...
On Jan 16, 11:53 am, "
wrote:

On Jan 15, 11:29 pm, TwoGuns wrote:

That's an interesting observation. I needed a 3 HP router pronto, and
they had a "PowerFist" on sale at our Kanukistani version of HF,
called Princess Auto. $ 70.00, (That would be about $ 20.00 to you
*G*)

Princess Auto? Is that a "manly" store? ;~)

We're pretty secure with our sexuality up here in Kanukistan.
A good friend of mine from the Navy, wears this 'salmon' shirt. (It is
pink, okay?)
I have yet to see anybody go up to him and make any remarks about it.
If I was single, I would be honoured to drag home the wimmen he didn't
have time for.... and that ain't many.

Personally, I find those butt-less chaps that cow'boys' wear rather
faggy.

Especially if they are not wearing blue jeans underneath. LOL

Robatoy wrote:
I had to laugh when I saw the name of it. Purchasing a router with a name
like "PowerFist" would send me shrieking in terror from the store.

LOL... a really cool logo too...

http://www.powerfist.ca/

Tools for Mixed Martial Arts? :-)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

I generally stay away from HF power tools, but have picked up some
clamps and other non-strategic stuff there from time to time. My son
recently bought an an angle grinder for under $20. When we fired it up
to zap out a mis-struck nail, the grinding disk hit the frame. That's
pretty shoddy.

I do have their $80 knockoff of the $350 power wetstone still sitting in
the box. Just waiting for the temperature to break above freezing so I
can get back in my shop.

Larry (WI)

wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:26:40 -0600, "Leon"
wrote:

I saw this tool before Thanksgiving and thought the blades might fit the
Multimaster at a greatly reduced price.
That said however, Fein instructed me to use a sawing motion, back and forth
like you when you cut bread with a knife ,to get the best results with the
saw blades. Because the blades do not spin the teeth need to be cleared out
with the back and forth motion.




"TwoGuns" wrote in message
...
Yesterday I bought a Multifunction Tool at the local Harbor Freight
store. I paid $59.99 for it. I have watched several of the Fein
Multitasking tools infomercials for the past year but I just couldn't
bring myself to fork over the $360.00 plus that it cost.

Today I had a project that required cutting 1/4 Birch plywood. I had
to make several cuts of 24 inches in straight lines. On my first cut I
had to stop and retighten my blade. I didn't have a torque wrench so I
was probably not twisting the 100 inch pounds the manual required. I
put a bit more ooooomph into the tightening and tried cutting again.
This time it worked great. I found that the best way to cut the 1/4
inch ply was to go slowly at first and not force the blade. After the
blade was an inch or so into the cut it was very easy. I was
freehanding following the pencil line and the quality of the cut was
better than any of my jig saws or circular saws. Absolutely no tear
out and very little sawdust. So far so good.

Tomorrow I am working on a project that requires cross cutting several
pieces of one inch Hickory. That should really test the capability of
the tool.

Have any of you had a chance to test this tool? Anyone done a headsup
comparison with the real thing, the Fein tool? Or the new Dremel
clone?

Dennis
This was an interesting post. I had never heard any postive feedback
on HF power tools. Sure I had heard some of their stuff (lathe
chisels) were serviceable but had always thought the power tools
should be avoided at all cost.
Would love to hear more feedback on other HF tools.

Lenny

On Sat 17 Jan 2009 04:08:57a, " nailshooter41
@aol.com wrote in news:5df075e8-181e-4ba4-8819-
:

On Jan 16, 6:19*pm, wrote:

Ya pays yer money, and ya takes yer chances. That's the HF way.

It's a gamble, for sure. I find that it's a good way to decide if you'll
use that tool. I wanted a recip saw for one job, and bought it at HF for 30
bucks instead of a good one for a hundred. Used it, liked it, and by the
time it died the next year I'd decided I wanted one of those things so I
bought a Milwaukee.

When the brad nailer finally dies, I'll get a name brand. It's been six or
seven years.

I did buy some screw clamps. I'll never, ever do that again. They're a real
nuisance to use compared to the good ones.

TD Driver wrote:
Just waiting for the temperature to break above freezing so I
can get back in my shop.

Bummer. Here in Austin Texas (Pflugerville, to be more precise) I spent
all day in the shop in a T-shirt with the door open! Ok, so I did have
a sweatshirt on in the morning, and it was just chilly enough to cause
one of my fluorescent bulbs to finally give up the ghost (weren't we
just talking about those?), but other than that it was great. I feel
sorry for all you snowbirds. Sorta. :-)

--
"Our beer goes through thousands of quality Czechs every day."
(From a Shiner Bock billboard I saw in Austin some years ago)
To reply, eat the taco.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/