Getting a Multitool - stick with DeWalt? Or get Milwaukee and a battery adapter?

[Krome10]

Hi

I've been after a multitool for a while... I only have two cordless tools, a drill and an impact driver, both DeWalt. No plans to buy more any time soon, apart form the multitool. So my first thought was to stick with DeWalt. But having looked into it some more, the Milwaukee gets great reviews and is apparently all round better, including from a vibration pov. But I'm only a DIYer so it won't see loads of use.

Which would you get in my position? I wouldn't want to get the battery/charger etc for Milwaukee and so would need to use it with the DeWalt batteries and an adapter.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Many thanks

 

[Sideways]

How about looking out for a clean secondhand Fein corded model.
If using in the house, you'll never be too far from a socket.
Fein invented these and still make the best ones.
They're a tool that doesn't get a lot of use but makes some difficult jobs much easier.
Cord won't age like batteries so it will still be working in 50 years long after todays battery design becomes obsolete.

Some recent links shared on UKW say Milwaukee's latest designs are very modular and costly / uneconomic to repair.
If you register the three year warranty and work them to death you get a guaranteed three years hard use for your money. Lousy for the planet but OK.
Use once a year as a DIYer, burn it out the 4th time you use it and find the repair costs 80% of a new tool, that's not OK...

 

[Luckosaurous]

If you use dewalt batteries on a Milwaukee with an adapter then you’ll need to keep an eye on how much charge you have left in the battery. As I understand it using batteries on other brands tools allows the battery to empty completely, which basically breaks the battery. A dewalt tool won’t allow that with a dewalt battery,

…Or so I’m lead to believe from the manufacturers, happy to be corrected if anyone with electrical knowledge comes along.

That in mind I would just go with the dewalt. A guybrater is a guybrater. It vibrates whilst holding cutting blades or sandpaper, how much better can the Milwaukee really be?

As an aside I thought the dewalt was one of the better ones anyway?

 

[paulrbarnard]

At almost the exact time of your post I ordered one for my daughter to pick up from Screwfix. I really don’t like them as a tool but the are sometimes the right tool for the job.

I had a fein corded model but switched to a dewalt cordless as I use them so infrequently it made more sense to have something I can use with my existing batteries.

 

[Krome10]

Many thanks for the replies and thoughts. Great stuff for me to consider. More always welcome.

@paulrbarnard - the DeWalt for your daughter too? Strange timing

@Luckosaurous - I guess I need to get out more.; I had to look up guybrater! Sometimes I wonder if I should have "safe search" switched on for myself!

 

[paulrbarnard]

Many thanks for the replies and thoughts. Great stuff for me to consider. More always welcome.

@paulrbarnard - the DeWalt for your daughter too? Strange timing

@Luckosaurous - I guess I need to get out more.; I had to look up guybrater! Sometimes I wonder if I should have "safe search" switched on for myself!

Yes DeWalt. She bought herself an 18V drill and driver set a while back. I ordered the bare multi tool as she has batteries.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Yes DeWalt. She bought herself an 18V drill and driver set a while back. I ordered the bare multi tool as she has batteries.

And she has picked it up

 

[fleyh]

Hello @Krome10

Consider the Milwaukee M12FMT 12V Fuel Multi-Tool.

Yes, it is on a different battery platform, and the whole set is going to cost you double the DeWalt, but it is a "cry once" type of tool.

It outperforms DeWalt in (almost) all areas - size, vibration, speed, accuracy. One thing I am not a fan of is the blade change. DeWalt's blade change mechanism is quicker.

I have been using my M12FMT for about 2.5 years and found many more jobs for it than expected. It is a pleasure to use every time.

You will want to get it with two batteries: a 2AH for regular use and a 6AH for heavier jobs.


This is the video which made my mind originally:


This video is a bit dramatic, but may be entertaining to watch:

 

[macca]

ignore the milwaukeee and stick with dewalt there is no sense in mixing battery platform, the dewalt is not the best multi tool by a long shot (neither is a milwaukee 12v for that matter) but it has a feature ive not seen on any other multi tool, variable speed trigger. multi tools are great and a very useful tool in any trades arsenal and being able to gently start a plunge cut with the dewalts trigger is quite a handy feature. multi tool blades dull very quickly in my world and having a quick blade change will stop you from sticking with a blunt blade smoking away because you cba to change the blade. also handy to quickly switch the angle at which the blade is set in the tool when you're in a tight space.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have the 18v Fuel. It has a lovely variable scream dial.

 

[TheUnicorn]

as the dewalt multitool is £80 bare from toolstation at the moment I'd get that, I have the tool and think its pretty good, if very noisy, but at the current price if you don't like it you could sell it on in a couple of months time for pretty much what you paid

 

[porker]

I have both a corded Fein and the 18v DeWalt. I had the Fein first and it's the nicest to use, but since I got the Dewalt it's the only one I pickup as it's so handy being cordless

 

[Krome10]

Thank you all for the further replies.

I think I'm going to stick with DeWalt...

Now just need to decide between the 355 and 356 variant. Seems the main (only?) difference is the three speed settings of the 356.

Is it worth paying more for that?

Any other differences between the two models anyone's aware of?

Cheers

 

[Luckosaurous]

Many thanks for the replies and thoughts. Great stuff for me to consider. More always welcome.

@paulrbarnard - the DeWalt for your daughter too? Strange timing

@Luckosaurous - I guess I need to get out more.; I had to look up guybrater! Sometimes I wonder if I should have "safe search" switched on for myself!

Sorry pal, I don’t realise guybrators were an actual thing I thought it was just a nickname for the tool as it’s a man’s vibrator, kinda like those T-shirts that say sawdust is man glitter

 

[TheUnicorn]

Thank you all for the further replies.

I think I'm going to stick with DeWalt...

Now just need to decide between the 355 and 356 variant. Seems the main (only?) difference is the three speed settings of the 356.

Is it worth paying more for that?

Any other differences between the two models anyone's aware of?

Cheers

I think the 3 speed might have less vibration, but wouldn't swear to it

 

[Sachakins]

Does depend on which of the dewalt cordless you go for, 12v or 18v, even the 18v has at least two versions I know of too.

 

[Krome10]

Thanks everyone for all the help today. I've gone for the 356 with the x3 speed settings. It has lower vibration that the 355 (as @TheUnicorn pointed out), which is a big bonus for me.

I managed to pick it up for £112 with a 35 piece accessory set AND a T-Stak case. Very impressed I was! And I've also hopefully got a further 20% off using Topcashback, which would make it a ridiculous £90 all in if that cashback pays out.

It was from ebay. The Topcashback 20% is for today only. The eBay 20% voucher is until the 27th. If anyone wants details as to what I got etc let me know and I'll post them up. @paulrbarnard - swapsy for your daughter if she hasn't used the SF one yet?

Cheers

 

[paulrbarnard]

@Krome10 you got a great deal. My daughter used it within minutes of getting home…. It is a case of paying a little more for the speed of access. She is plenty happy with the one she has.

 

[Doug71]

I got the cordless Makita as I'm on the Makita platform, it vibrates and is noisy but it is really handy.

Since I got the Makita (probably 3 years ago) the corded Fein that I've had for years hasn't come out of it's box.

 

[Stevekane]

Glad your fixed up and it does make sense to stick with the same battery platform. I have an old corded Fien which is great, but having left it on a job I borrowed a mates Lidls version,,,wow what a difference, sure it cut but it was just horrible to use, Im sure that buying any decent quality one is the way to go. BTW Saxon blades seem to be good value, what do others think?
Steve.