Oscillating Tool

[Willemjm]

Never owned or used one.

Do you have one, is it a worthwhile purchase, how often do you use it and for which applications?

 

[Bas]

I have one. It is a great tool for places where a normal saw can't get to, such as undercutting a piece of trim. It also works well for making a hole in drywall, e.g. for an electrical outlet. It is often the "tool of last resort", for example when you need to make a small notch in a beam in a tight spot in a ceiling cavity.

I don't use it for woodworking very often, other than sanding. But for general DIY stuff it can be a lifesaver.

You can pick one up at Harbor Freight for $25. It's loud, vibrates a lot, but it'll work. If you find you use it a lot you can always buy a better model later.

 

[Phil S]

Yes, great tool. I use a Fein for cutting drywall, removing grout and cutting wood in areas where nothing else would work

 

[SteveHall]

I bought a corded Dremel model for removing tile grout from a big box home improvement store since their attachments are easy to find there. It's surprising how many other small tasks I can find to use it for. But it also sometimes reminds me how a dedicated tool if you need it might work better. (E.g., it can saw, polish, sand, remove grout, but a purpose-built tool is always better if you can afford them all or the project is big enough.)

 

[gritz]

I bought a used Bosch about 5 years ago. Great tool, except the knob falls off. I don't use it often, but when I do, it's because nothing else will work as well. You can get all kinds of blades for special uses. I also have a useless Harbor Freight one with a plastic gear that failed just beyond the guarantee. Very good for floor installations and those odd times when you need a deep cut without harming the surrounding surfaces. I have also used it for cutting plumbing and electrical openings in cabinets, cutting concrete tile board for accessory boxes, and opening some cracks for epoxy on some lathe turned bowls. I have never used it to sand anything. The last time I used it was to cut the butt ends of 6 dovetail joints in an 60" long x 16" wide x 3" thick plant bench I am making for my bride out of some natural-edge spalted soft maple that doesn't chisel well on the end grain. It was too long and heavy for me to control the cuts on the bandsaw. I bought a couple of carbide blades for that and it worked pretty well. The cuts are from both sides and angle down a little so a perfect meet-up wasn't needed. I'm chiseling and rasping to square everything up now so I can mark the legs. Those are short enough to cut on the bandsaw.

 

[redknife]

It turns out to be one of my most used tools outside of dedicated woodworking. I really enjoy the cordless model. Since going cordless my Fein has stayed mostly in its storage. I happen to use a Milwaukee m18 oscillating tool but I don’t know that it is better than any other cordless.
Drywall cutting is great especially with a vac in one hand and the tool in the other. It turns out being able to cut on a line with some precision comes up a lot. Trim modifications. Undercutting Trim. It works for cutting nails between boards or freeing nailed electric boxes by sliding in between materials. I will say I have come to like an m12 Hackzall better for this particular application as it is faster and generates less heat.

 

[Gofor]

I have the Fein, and really like it. It is corded, but the long cord makes it easy to find an outlet. The soft start and quiet motor makes it a pleasure to use. I have used if for most of the cuts mentioned before (tight places, tile, plunge cutting bridle joints in 4 x 4s, etc), but it is not an everyday use tool for me, so cordless may be a good option. One thing I really like about it is that it doesn't throw dust around like a circular blade does. Makes it easy to control the mess when working indoors. Long straight cuts can be achieved easily by using a straight edge. Great tool when doing interior remodelling, etc where you would be making blind cuts where you can't access the back side (cuts where you don't want to go through the under laying material) or flush cutting along a 90 degree surface.

I bought mine when I needed it to cut some back splash tile when replacing an over-the-stove micro wave, so would put it in the category of a tool I didn't buy until I had a need for it.

If buying new, and looking for quality, I would recommend Fein or Bosch that take the starlock style of blade. The starlock style lets you easily and quickly change or reposition the cutter (literally just a few seconds) and holds it more firmly than the original pin style. For someone that has a stock of the older style blades, it probably wouldn't be cost effective, because the starlock system is not backward compatible. I have found that the Fein and mainly Bosch blades are good quality and last a long time. (Bosch bought the starlock patent from Fein).

Go

 

[zdorsch]

I bought a no name in Amazon, based on a recommendation from someone non this site (maybe Bas) for $7. I have used it to trim out outlet boxes in Sheetrock, cuts in 2x syp material, flush cut trim when installing hardwood and any time I need to take a tight quarters cut in something.

I assumed it would break after the first use, but the thing just keeps going. I imagine that it vibrates more than the name brands. The only complaint had been that the blades loosen up on it sometimes.

 

[Pop Golden]

I have a Fien. I bought it years ago. It's a much more solid machine than the present ones. I have never used it for anything but sanding. If I needed to do something special I would pick up a attachment from Harbor Fright. The only problem I have had was attaching new Fein sanding blocks etc. Fein fixed that problem with a special washer. Their customer support is great.

Pop

 

[Skymaster]

I have 2 harbor junk and a porter cable. greatest thing since sliced bread. Able to cutback trim on the wall, notching cabinet boxes for face frames , outlets in drywall etc

 

[JimD]

I have three, a HF, a cordless Ryobi and a Fein. The fein is a nice tool, the others are OK. The fein has a longer side to side motion so it cuts quicker. Mine is not starlock but it can use starlock blades. Blades are a bit of an issue, they are expensive and don't last very long. The bosch carbide metal cutting blade works a lot better than a bi metal blade when cutting nails. But other bosch blades are not anything special, although they are good. I like fein blades the best. I have run into situations where I needed to cut something and couldn't do it with my other tools. Usually it is just easier with the multi tool. I also have the Festool plunge cutting attachment and depth stops. Fein makes the Festool multi tool so the Festool attachments will work. I think I had to put a couple washers under the screws or something. I used the plunge attachment to make a 3x3 hole in an oak tread 1 inch thick. It cut it pretty quickly. It would have been harder to do with my other tools but a jig saw could have done it.

 

[nn4jw]

I have one and rarely use it. But, there have been times that no other tool would have worked as well so it's a relatively inexpensive tool to keep around for those times.

 

[Jim M.]

I have a Bosch, its very handy and works quite well, but not a "I can't live without" tool.

 

[cpw]

I have an older Fein that I bought very cheap at an estate auction. No more than I used it, had I paid full price I would not feel it was worth it, but as others have said it can cut in ways that other tools just can't.

It was awesome for doing electrical cutouts when I hung OSB wallboard in my shop, or for undercutting molding when replacing flooring. You just lay a scrap down next to the section you way to cut and lay the blade right on top the scrap and plunge-cut into the molding.

You might want to get one from Harbor Freight and if you find you use it a lot replace it with something better when it wears out.

 

[junquecol]

Bought two HF's years ago when they first came out. Used and abused them till they finally gave out. Bought another pair of HF's. My son found a FEIN in a dumpster at one of his job sites and gave it to me, but I have never used it. For blades for the HF's, I go to Northern Tool, and buy their blades. I usually have a $5 off $15 when buying blades, so that makes them about half price. An oscillating tool and a Sawzal are "The Remodeler's Friends!"l

 

[jerrye]

I can't add much to what's already been said, but I'll try.

I have a corded Sonicrafter and cordless Ryobi, and have had a couple of HF tools before. Just found at Costco (at least here) a FastCraft tool set, with blades, for ~$50. It runs smoother than any I have had before, and has a toolless blade change system. Had a problem with the bag that came in the set; contacted FastCraft, who responded quickly and sent me a replacement bag. Excellent customer service.

For the average homeowner or DIY use, the blades make far more of a difference than the tool IMO. There are a couple of blade specific companies that make good blades that won't break the bank, but if I need a blade quickly I have found Bosch at HD work well.

 

[cpw]

.For the average homeowner or DIY use, the blades make far more of a difference than the tool IMO. There are a couple of blade specific companies that make good blades that won't break the bank, but if I need a blade quickly I have found Bosch at HD work well.

I agree that the quality of blade is the most important factor. I have not used a wide variety of brands because I don't use the tool that often but Imperial seems to be a good compromise between quality and price.

 

[ehpoole]

I have the Fein MultiMaster and is very much a specialty tool (purchased before the knockoffs even existed) in my experience. You don’t use it often (though I do use it reasonably frequently for detail sanding with the triangular detail pad and associated triangle sanding discs) but it is a real lifesaver for those odd but otherwise near impossible jobs yet can also be pressed into service for many other odd tasks and does them at least acceptably if not reasonably well.

To me the best way to think of it is much like a rotary Dremel. It’s very versatile, but how often you use it varies significantly with the job you are doing and depends in part upon what attachments you have on hand that might be applicable to the job at hand. But it is the perfect compliment to the Dremel as it excels at those odd cutting or grinding/sanding tasks that the Dremel can not do well (or even at all) — especially in tight or awkward spaces. And the Dremel excels at many odd tasks that the oscillating multitool does not do well (or at all). When I’m between a rock and a hard spot then one or the other is often the perfect answer to getting out of a jam — but neither could ever replace the other.

But as with a Dremel, the real money — and versatility — is found in the selection of accessory attachments you keep on hand so that you have them when you need them. A good assortment of sawblades is very much worthwhile with this tool along with several spares of your most used blades (the Fein blades are expensive, but they do yield good life). Some of the detail sanding attachments are also worthwhile (especially if a dust collection attachment is also available).

However, all models are not necessarily built equally. Things to consider are the amperage of the motor, the degrees of arc the blade travels through, the strokes per minute, variable speed control — all of which influence how fast it will do the job and how much control you have — but especially in terms of how well balanced the motor and how much vibration the tool passes through to the end user as high vibration tools are very hard on the body and nerves when used for any length of time. The Fein MultiMaster does an excellent job at isolating the user from much of the vibration in my experience, but I can not comment on the many knockoffs since I have not tried most of them.

 

[Henry W]

I had a Dremel version which I passed along once I bought the PC version. I LOVE these in situations where I have used them, which is not often. I do not recall using one in furniture building or sanding. I have used it in remodeling/construction type work mostly - making odd/awkward cuts and doing so safely. There is no kickback or other safety issues - in part because it does cut slowly.

 

[junquecol]

One of my favorite uses is cutting out a piece of rotted facia board. Rather than ripping down a length, I cut out the rotted portion. To do this, using miter saw, cut a 45 on the end of either a 2 X 6, or 2 X 8, depending upon facia width. Attach 2 X to facia and using it to guide the blade cut out rotted portion.