Multitool advice

[Stevekane]

I have an old 110v Fein and like everyone said, its great, its got a very long lead which is soft rubber so no trouble to pack away. By comparison I recently had to use a Lidls multitool and it was truly horrible and seemed to vibrate so much that the blade didn't want to cut! It worked though but I wouldn't buy one. Saxton Blades are very good indeed. Maybe its the nature of a multitool that the engineering(and price)that goes into it really does make a big difference?
Steve.

 

[skeetstar]

I'm sure every knows, but the original Fein was designed to cut plaster casts off patients, without causing much damage to the patient, should the tool inadvertently contact the patients skin.

 

[Adam W.]

I used a corded Fein for a day and didn't like it. Not sure what the model was, but knowing the guy who bought it, it was probably the cheapest one available. I got him into trouble with the H&S guy on site for wrapping the damned thing in foam to reduce the vibration. The owner/boss knows nothing about HAVS and H&S is optional as far as he's concerned. He wanted us to use it all day long for weeks, which I kindly declined to do.

In the end, I bought the Festool one, because I'm worth it. I don't like multi tools at all and the Festool model was the best of the bunch.

The battery system is good and is wrapped in rubber, so I hold onto that and used it on low/medium bees and ensure that the blade is sharp. I have other Festool stuff and think it's all worth the money.

I'm a trade user so the cost gets offset against tax and Vat.

 

[pe2dave]

Corded Fein user, 5 years or so. No vibration worth talking about. Soft start, good range of tools available.
Not sure there are 'cheap' options? Curious where @Adam W. found that experience.

 

[johnnyb]

I'd also add the starlock system adds a large performance boost well worth the extra imho(despite being absolutely gutted when I brought it maybe 8 years ago!) The cutters are the only thing really holding this tool back. So a. Get the the correct ones(not always branded) but the coarse japanese are superb on wood. The bosch tungsten blue are awesome on nails and last.
C. These are really dusty on plaster and I like someone to hold an extractor nozzle nearby(my original corded non starlock fein had an extractor nozzle...go figure)

 

[johnnyb]

Ps there rubbish for sanding imho

 

[MF1000]

Great for removing surface stuff from live edge timber

 

[MikeJhn]

My twelve year old Fien has a dust extract that fits on the machine surrounding the front part and exhausts at the rear, putting a vacuum on the fitting has good debris clearance, sufficient to not have to dust sheet anything near, also no idea what @Adam W. was using, but certainly could not have been a genuine Fien product.

 

[MikeJhn]

This is on the Festool fans page:

I also have a Fein Multimaster. I was tempted to switch to the Festool due to the plunge attachment and the plugit coord, but I had read somewhere here in the FOG the vibration was a little more noticable with the Festool.

Well I got a chance to test the difference at the Woodcrafters store in Portland. A side by side comparison. The Fein did have a noticable less "buzz" in the hand and had what I thought was a little more of a solid feeling than the Festool.

However, If you are doing alot of work with either one, your hand will get that the tingle feeling after a while.

 

[Jake]

The Festool is basically a Supercut not a Multimaster so yes it will have more "buzz" (power). Turn the scream down and it's smoother than a Multimaster at the same speed of cut. I went from the Fein MM to the Festool and it is better, but it won't be any better than the Supercut.

 

[John Brown]

Hard for me to visualise what can be done to minimise vibration transferred to the user, besides making the body more massive. Newton's third law of motion?

 

[MikeJhn]

It's not possible to eliminate the vibration just minimise it's effect to each individual by being able to turn the speed of oscillation up or down to suit the operative and work being done.

 

[Adam W.]

My twelve year old Fien has a dust extract that fits on the machine surrounding the front part and exhausts at the rear, putting a vacuum on the fitting has good debris clearance, sufficient to not have to dust sheet anything near, also no idea what @Adam W. was using, but certainly could not have been a genuine Fien product.

What, you think I can't tell the difference between a Fein and something else?.....That's quite funny.

I'm not that thick.

 

[John Brown]

Mike's talking about a Fien, not a Fein.
It's a fine distinction, I know...

 

[Adam W.]

Mike's talking about a Fien, not a Fein.
It's a fine distinction, I know...

In that case it looks like Mike's the one who's getting confused over the fine details.

 

[Sideways]

The Festool is basically a Supercut not a Multimaster so yes it will have more "buzz" (power). Turn the scream down and it's smoother than a Multimaster at the same speed of cut. I went from the Fein MM to the Festool and it is better, but it won't be any better than the Supercut.

This is a good point.
When I was comparing models, I chose the Fein multimaster over the supercut / Festool because it was noticeably, but not massively quieter and less vibration. That is to be expected as the Supercut / Festool model is heavier built and more powerful to swing longer blades.

I rarely use my own on full power. #2 or 3 is usually plenty for the job and this drops the noise and vibration a lot.
I didn't compare at lower speeds to find out which is better at slow to medium.
Thanks for this info Jake.

 

[flying haggis]

I too have a Fein and also a Ryobi cordless. Guess which one gets used the most? I lost the fein holding screw/bolt and really must get another genuine one as the one I now use comes loose!

 

[paulrbarnard]

Adding to the discussion: I had a corded Fein which I real didn’t like so sold it. I consider these multi tools to be the devils work. I do have a dewalt cordless one for the very rare occasions it happens to be the right tool for the job. That job being plunge cutting into wood or plasterboard to install a patress or fitting a tile under a door frame.

 

[TomGW]

.........I consider these multi tools to be the devils work. I do have a dewalt cordless one for the very rare occasions it happens to be the right tool for the job. That job being plunge cutting into wood or plasterboard to install a patress or fitting a tile under a door frame.

Agree. Bodger's tools, but there are some jobs where they are very useful, a game changer even. I've just finished fitting panelling in my daughter's hall, stairs & landing, which involved adding a hockey stick moulding around both sides of seven door architraves. This needed the skirting cut back to allow the moulding to slot into place. Without the multitool it would have been a difficult job to achieve without pulling off the skirting.

 

[skeetstar]

Folks I have to help a mate dis assemble a garden shed. I'll have to use a multi tool to cut hidden nails to separate the panels. Anyone got any experience of a good blade (for a Fein) to cut through nails, and maybe some screws as well?