Craftsman 12-Volt Nextec Multi-Tool - Review

And why shouldn't Craftsman make an oscillating tool? Everyone else is doing it; Dremel, Bosch, Chicago Electric, Proxxon, even the creepy guy down the street has one half made in his garage. But is there really anything that Craftsman can do to improve on the tool in this quickly saturated market? Well, they were nice enough to send on one of their new 12-volt Nextec Oscillating Tools so that we could take a look and find out for ourselves.

Continue reading: "Craftsman 12-Volt Nextec Multi-Tool - Review"

Tools We Keep in the Truck

There are very few tools we keep in the truck at all times. The small space behind the seat is prized real estate and not to be wasted on redundant tools that are easy to come by on a job site. Instead, we reserve this spot for those special tools, the ones that can do things no other tool can. The ones that, when you need them, you need them. Over the past few months, we've narrowed down our repertoire to a select few. They are as follows:

Hitachi 12-Volt Right-Angle Impact Driver (our review here): This tool is worth it's weight in gold, which, oddly enough, isn't all that much because it's so light and compact. It has a clearance that is so small it can fit anywhere and while it's powerful enough to drop a 2" screw in a 2x4, where this tool shines is with the small fussy tasks, like working up in a shade pocket or behind a fan coil unit.

Fein MultiMaster (our review here): With the expiration of Fein's oscillating tool patent, the market has been flooded with other models by everyone from Craftsman to Bosch to Dremel to Rockwell. But the funny thing is that even though there are now a ton of oscillating tools on the market, the Fein still has no real competition. This isn't to belittle the others, we've tested out the majority of the new tools and they're fine, it's just that the MultiMaster is nearly a work of art. Once you hold one, you'll know what we're talking about.

Milwaukee Hackzall (our review here): Of the tools on the list, this is the one that has elicited the greatest response from the rest of the site. It has been affectionately dubbed, "the turkey carver" and it's constantly getting borrowed by carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and anyone else who needs to make a quick, no-hassle cut. The only downside to the tool is that it comes with the single worst case in tool history.

Milwaukee 12-volt Power Port and Flashlight (our reviews here and here): This is sort of the emergency kit and hangs out under the passenger seat next to the first-aid bag. It's always good to have a flashlight on hand and the Power Port is good for a quick cell phone charge here and there (the truck stops charging when the engine is off).

...and those are the ones we keep close at hand. Granted, we've been in the finish phase of the job, so these are all detail oriented tools, good for the small fussy stuff. It's likely they'll get cycled out during the framing of the next job, but for now they're there, constantly getting us out of trouble.

HItachi Right Angle Impact Driver at Tool Barn
Fein MultiMaster at Amazon
Milwaukee Hackzall at Amazon
Milwaukee Power Port at Amazon
Milwaukee Flashlight at Amazon

Yaeger Aftermarket Blades for the Fein MultiMaster - Review

The Achilles heel of the Fein MultiMaster (our review here) is, without question, price. The full set-up of the tool, a handful of blades, and the dust collection system is going to run you close to $400. Although the MultiMaster is one of our favorite tools and we think that the cost is worth it, given what the tool is capable of, we're bargain hunters just like anyone else. Which is where the Yaeger Aftermarket Blades come in.

Continue reading: "Yaeger Aftermarket Blades for the Fein MultiMaster - Review"

Secco 916 Oscillating Tool - Part 2...A Tale of Woe

Last week we told you about the Secco 916 Oscillating Tool. At the time, we were a little suspicious of it because it was only being sold on ebay and there was absolutely no information available on the manufacturer. In the post, we asked if anyone had any experience with the tool.

The other day, we received the following comment from a reader. You can read it in the comment section of the original post, but we thought it was worthy of its own article. It seems that the Secco might not pass the sniff test after all. (Update: we just received another comment on the tool, this one mostly positive. Read that one here. Second one down.)

As RkyMtnRon reports....

Hi:
You asked for feedback on the Secco 916, so I've got some.

Bought one on Ebay on Jan. 2, 2009, for $157.50 (plus shipping).

They are misrepresenting this unit! The description clearly states that it can use the Fein Multi-master blades. Not true!

Their blades have a circular center hole and a pattern of smaller holes that fit onto a circular array of raised pins on the blade arbor, allowing the blade angle to be changed.

There is no "adapter" disk to allow the use of the "star" hole on the Fein blades.

I challenged the seller about their claim and they hedged and said "Ya well, just tighten down the blade bolt and they'll work". Well, I tried that and a Fein blade just spun around in a heart beat!

There also does not seem to be any other blades available for this unit, other than the ones in the kit. No "bi-metal" blades at all, or recessed hub "flush-cut", circular blades.

Specialty Diamond Products does not even have any replacement blades for this unit on their web site!

One other interesting fact. My sales slip that came with the unit has an address in Santa Barbara, CA, that I looked up on Mapquest and found to be in the middle of a residential area, so some dude is selling these out of his home!

Currently, I'm trying to return my unit and plan to contact Ebay to report this misrepresentation.

I would urge anyone considering this unit to forget about it!

Secco 916 Oscillating Tool

Update: We got some feedback from someone who purchased a Secco 916. Sounds like things might not be on the level. Details here.

A number of heads up readers have pointed out this item to us. It's yet another entry into the oscillating tool bonanza that started as soon as Fein's patent wore out. This one is made by a company called Secco and is sold by Specialty Diamond Products exclusively on ebay.

There's not a whole lot more we can say. The info over at ebay is boilerplate and the tool comes with a nice, but standard, set of bits and blades. This isn't to say that it's a bad tool in anyway, but the only place it is being sold and the only mention we can find of the manufacturer is on ebay. This tool could be great, but there's simply no way to know until you buy it. We couldn't find any reviews, buyer feedback, nothing.

The 916 has a "buy it now" price of $199, which puts it way up there at the price of the most basic Fein kit. The fully loaded 72-piece Rockwell SoniCrafter, which we love, is only $180. The Secco 916 Oscillating Tool also does not have a starting bid price, but rather, a "make offer" option, leading us to believe that they'll happily take less than $199. The question is then, how much less?

If anyone has picked up one of these tools, let us know. We're curious how it measures up against the other oscillating tools.

At ebay (we don't know how long this link will work, but if it's broken a search of "Secco 916" at ebay should turn get you there.)

Dremel Videos

A little bit back, in our Oscillating Tool Roundup, we mentioned that Dremel had posted up some videos of their Multi-Max in action. As it turns out, they've got all sort of videos up at their site, not only of the Multi-Max, but of their other tools as well. It's a good selection of projects and if you're looking for some inspiration or you're curious about what a Dremel tool is capable of, they're worth checking out.

We're big fans of Dremel here and have reviewed a number of their tools:
Dremel 75th Anniversary Rotary Tool review is here.
Dremel Duo review is here.
Dremel Multi-Max review is here.

Check out the videos here.

Dremel tools at Amazon

Oscillating Tool Roundup

2008 has been the Year of the Oscillating Tool. Fein's patent wore out and a bunch of other companies got their tools to the marketplace. We've done the best we can to keep you up to date with all of these events, including reviews of all of the new tools (including the latest Fein). Because our information is scattered over a number of articles and reviews, we thought it would be a good idea to summarize our findings and give you links to all that we've written.

If you have no idea what an oscillating tool is, Dremel has recently posted up a good selection of videos so you can see their Multi-Max in action. It's a pretty thorough set of projects, so you should be able to get a handle on what these amazing tools are capable of. Dremel's Multi-Max video page is here.

If you're reading this, it's likely that you're thinking about buying an oscillating tool. So as for the question, "which one should you get?" we can offer the following advice.

Continue reading: "Oscillating Tool Roundup"

Fein MultiMaster 250Q Top - Review

We've repeated the oscillating tool 'situation' in a number of articles here, but we feel the need to do a quick recap. Fein created the hand held oscillating tool and released the MultiMaster in 1986. At the same time, they slapped a patent on the creation, prohibiting other companies from using the same technology, giving them total marketplace dominance. What is interesting (and cool) about this is that they decided against making a variety of oscillating tools available at varying quality and price. Instead, they stuck to their guns and made the best tool that they could and refused to compromise any standards. Now, with the patent recently expired and a number of relatively inexpensive oscillating tools available, Fein is still at the top of the pack, refusing to enter the fray with anything less than perfect. Which brings us to their latest model, the Fein MultiMaster 250Q Top.

Continue reading: "Fein MultiMaster 250Q Top - Review"

Chicago Electric 120-Volt Multi-Function Power Tool (Oscillating Tool)

Reader Kent B. emailed to tell us he saw that Harbor Freight is now selling Chicago Electric's "120 Volt Multi-Function Power Tool," which is their way of saying "oscillating tool." The price on this is an extremely inexpensive $50, and it will be available on Black Friday for an even lower $40.

We've never touched this tool so we can't really comment on the quality, but with the freakishly low price, we feel confident drawing the conclusion that it's probably not the most durable tool in the world and that it'll likely have some kind of smoke pouring out of it before too long. We've had enough experiences with $20 angle grinders and $15 rotary tools to know what this kind of pricing indicates. You never know though, we could be wrong...

The kit comes with a scraper, sander, plunge cut blade, and circular blade.

At Harbor Freight

Rockwell SoniCrafter Oscillating Tool - Review

Of all of the new oscillating tools heading to the market in the wake of Fein's patent expiration, the Rockwell is the dark horse. Everyone knows Dremel and Bosch, but who are these Rockwell guys and why should you drop some coin on a tool from a relatively unknown company when the tried and true fellows have some nice items to offer?

Before using the SoniCrafter, we knew very little about Rockwell, other than that they offer a reciprocating saw with a cool handle and that they produce the JawHorse, an interesting clamping device that is seemingly identical to the Triton SuperJaws (Triton is an Australian company and we're not sure who had the tool first or what the relationship between the two is). But here they are with an oscillating tool. If the tool is a success, it's sure to catapult Rockwell into the upper echelon of tool manufacturers, cementing their name and popularizing their products, if it's a failure, well then, they're just another company that makes passable tools.

Continue reading: "Rockwell SoniCrafter Oscillating Tool - Review"

Rockwell SoniCrafter Oscillating Tool

UPDATE: Our full review of the Rockwell SoniCrafter is here.

Well, the floodgates are officially open. With Fein's patent all worn out, Bosch, Dremel, and now Rockwell, all have oscillating tools headed for the marketplace. Rockwell's version is called the SoniCrafter and, judging from price alone, it appears to be most similar to the Dremel.

The SoniCrafter has 2.3 amps and a no-load speed of 11,000 to 20,000 opm. Beyond that, there's not a whole lot of information available on the tool, so things like accessory compatibility with other oscillating tools remain a mystery. Amazon, who lists the tool in their inventory, doesn't say that it hasn't been released yet, like they do with some items, but they do indicate that it is not currently available, leading us to believe that the official release date hasn't yet come to pass.

The SoniCrafter is/will be available in three kits; a 20-piece, a 37-piece, and a massive 72-piece. Respectively, they will cost $120, $140, and $180. If the accessories are anything other than total junk, the 72-piece kit looks like a winner to us.

If we find out any more info on this tool, we'll let you know.

20-Piece Kit at Amazon and Rockwell
37-Piece Kit at Amazon and Rockwell
72-Piece Kit at Amazon and Rockwell

Dremel Multi-Max Oscillating Tool, Bosch PS50 Oscillating Tool - Review

Update: Because there is so much interest in these tools, we're going to keep updating this article as we use the tools more and as you write us and let us know any questions or comments that you have. In a sense, this will be a 'living document.' Sounds very intellectual for a review of a couple of power tools.

Update II: We've spent more time with these tools and have updated our review with further thoughts. We also have review up of the Rockwell SoniCrafter Oscillating Tool and the Fein MultiMaster.

*****

We're going to review these tools together because it seems that there are two questions to be answered here: 1) should I get an oscillating tool? and 2) which one should I get? The answer to the first question is a simple, yes. Of course you should get an oscillating tool. The Fein Multi-Master, which has essentially been the only one on the market for years (aside from the mini-model making Proxxon) is without question one of our favorite tools. Its durability and versatility make it the go-to in a wide range of circumstances. Oscillating tools can cut, plunge cut, sand, grind, and polish. To this point, they've been indispensable to the carpenter, and because of the price, unreasonable for the homeowner.

But now that Fein's patent has worn out, both Dremel and Bosch are offering their own versions at lower prices. A while back Proxxon struck some sort of licensing deal which allowed them to make their oscillating tool, but due to the fact that it was so much smaller than the Fein, it wasn't a competitor (our full review of the Proxxon is here).

This review is going to be broken down into the following categories; ergonomics and ease of use, power, accessories, the case, and price. We're going to comment on both the Dremel and the Bosch for each one and add in comments on the Fein and Proxxon where we see fit. Our goal isn't to pick a winner, but rather, since we've already decided that you need an oscillating tool, to lay it out which one's best for your needs.

So onward with the Bosch v. Dremel v. Fein v. Proxxon smackdown...

Continue reading: "Dremel Multi-Max Oscillating Tool, Bosch PS50 Oscillating Tool - Review"

Bosch PS50 Multi-X Oscillating Tool Arrives for Review

The last time we were this anxious for something was when Star Wars: Episode I was released. Back then, our hopes were crushed like an ant trapped under an excavator tread ("Mee-zo ruin Star Wars"), so we're hoping this time things are different. At first glance, the situation looks positive; the tool feels good in the hands, the case is top-notch, and there's a great removable blade storage system. No floppy-eared, comic sidekicks in sight.

We're going to dig into this one (and the new Dremel oscillating tool, which showed up a few days ago) this weekend and we'll have some thoughts up for you soon.

PS50 Cutting Kit at Amazon
PS50 Carpenter Kit at Amazon

Bosch PS50 Multi-X Oscillating Tool

Finally it's here! Bosch's long awaited entry into the oscillating tool world, the PS50 Multi-X. We've been looking at Euro-Bosch's pmf 180 e multi for over a year now, thinking that when they released it in the states, we'd be getting something identical, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all.

First, the new PS50 sits on Bosch's compact 12-volt battery system (much like the PS20 that we reviewed yesterday), so, if we're not wrong, this is the first battery powered oscillating tool out there. This also makes it a nice compliment to Dremel's corded oscillating tool due out in October (which isn't all that surprising actually, seeing as Bosch owns Dremel). Oscillating tools might be the most versatile tools in the market, so a cordless version only makes it more portable, more hassle free and just easier to use.

Continue reading: "Bosch PS50 Multi-X Oscillating Tool"