10/11/2023 0 Comments Craftsman oscillating sawWood/metal blade, sanding, mini-sanding, scraper, grout removal, carbide rasp, drywall blade, polishingįirst off we have to say that the Craftsman Nextec 12V Multi-Tool has the worst case of the bunch. Wood blade, sanding, scraper, drywall blade Wood blade, sanding, scraper, grout removal, carbide rasp, drywall blade, profile sanding Wood/metal blade, sanding, scraper, grout removal, carbide rasp, drywall blade For now, let’s examine the cases and accessories that come with each tool: Storage was also a concern and the tools ranged from having none (Chicago Tools) to sophisticated hard cases with multiple accessory storage compartments (Fein). Fein and Rockwell used some kind of screen printing that rubbed off just seconds after the blade was plunged into a piece of hardwood. The Chicago Tools blade, of course, looked like it had been stamped out of a piece of sheet metal, with no writing to be found anywhere (but of course it cut surprisingly well). Dremel, Bosch (which more recent versions use the OIS Oscillating tool Interface System) and Craftsman all used laser etching and provided depth markings that didn’t scratch or rub off. By external we are referring to the use of either screen printing or laser etching on the surface of the blades. We’ll talk more about cutting tests later.Īccessories also varied in both internal and external quality. This made for some very funny (OK, so we have a weird sense of humor) results. Since none of the tools really bogged down during our torture tests (pressure-treated lumber and old-growth heart pine boards) we quickly realized that the quality of the blade determined the cutting speed and overall satisfaction level of the tool in that area. I’m not sure that manufacturers understand this, however. We quickly found, through repeated use and torture tests, that the accessories really make the tool. The Chicago Tools product simply sounded like a vacuum cleaner, which we thought was funny but wasn’t of any particular concern with respect to its performance as we saw later.īest Build Quality: Fein MultiMaster and Rockwell Sonicrafter (2nd) Storage and AccessoriesĪccessories ran the gamut for each of the tools, with some coming with tons and others opting for the minimalist approach – conceivably to reduce the overall cost of the tool. We’re pretty certain this sound wasn’t bearing-related and was simply the ringing of the accessory blade, however it wasn’t as smooth as most of the others. Our only slight concern was with the slight metallic ringing that was present in the Rockwell SoniCrafter and the Craftsman Nextec 12V Multi-Tool. The Dremel, in fact, was the lightest in the bunch and yet it seemed to still do very well in our subsequent cutting tests.Ĭheck out our Best Cordless Oscillating Multi-Tools article It’s clear that if weight is a concern, the cordless models and the Dremel Multi-Max have a distinct advantage. While the above chart isn’t saying anything authoritative, it was interesting to note that the Fein was actually a few dB SPL louder than the others and that the cordless models had significantly less noise output than their tethered counterparts. Vacuum cleaner metallic ball bearing ring I assembled an interesting chart to outline some of the basic differences between the models in terms of their sound output, weight and motor noise. I wasn’t sure if it was something indicating a rough bearing or if it was simply the ringing of the tool’s blade accessory. Both the Craftsman Multi-Tool and the Rockwell SoniCrafter had a strange underlying metallic ring to their motors when they were turned on. The Chicago Tools model suffered in the build quality here and really just came across as a cheap product – both in terms of its handling and the sound the motor put out (which reminded us of a vacuum cleaner, though it was only slightly off pitch from some of the others). Other models, like the Rockwell SoniCrafter and the Fein were built like tanks and seemed perfectly suited for the professional jobsite, where dust and dirt and the occasional drop from a one-story roof might not mean the end of the tool. Tools like the Dremel Multi-Max and Craftsman Nextec Multi-Tool were a breeze to hold one-handed and were light enough that even extended use overhead wouldn’t pose an issue. We’ll examine each of these throughout this multi-tool comparison shoot-out.īuild quality varied greatly from tool to tool. The areas of focus include build quality (ruggedness), ease of use, performance and value. While no single tool can be declared the winner in all categories, we can definitely offer helpful suggestions as to which tools cater to your particular needs (and which probably do not). After reviewing these six multi-tools side-by-side (nearly all of the available products on the market in fact) we have drawn several helpful conclusions on which oscillating tools perform the best and which you might want to avoid.
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