Fein or Dremel MultiTool?

[Jeepguy]

Just wondering if any of you guys, have either or both, and what your opinions are. I am leaning towards the Dremel Multimax because of price, and I get it for cost from my work. but i noticed that the attacments for the Fein Multimaster are much more expansive. your two cents is appreciated.

 

[48548]

I have the HF and it works fine for me and with the 20% off it is a better deal.

 

[usmc_noma]

the hf one is 34.99 now in the ad i just got in the mail.

 

[48548]

Then use the 20% on top of that.

 

[User_Name]

Dremel attachments aren't exactly cheap either. FWIW I've got the Dremel but if the Fein were 20% cheaper I would have opted for it instead. In general I'm not a fan of Dremel stuff. Their tools seem to always run hot and cut out if you have to do something even slightly aggressive.

 

[FNFS2000]

haha, Mercedes or Yugo?

 

[BanjoSavesTheDay]

I know this wasn't an option, but I've had good success with a Black and Decker multi tool that I think I got from wal mart of all places. It's cheaper than the Dremel.

 

[Monte]

Fein. The new Multimaster with the tool-free quick change feature

or the Fein Supercut

 

[american lockpicker]

Get the Fein its made in Germany.

 

[Joe B.]

There is a trick to make the Fein accessories work on the Dremel. I'm sure you can find it with a little Google search.

I have the Dremel and it works great. I don't see what the Fein does that would justify the increased price. (They used to get away with it because they had a patent.)

The best price on blades are the Craftsman ones. However, I don't know about their compatibility with other brands.

 

[Zorro13]

The newer Fein work only with Fein accessories which are known to be horribly overpriced and do not last long. If at all, try to get one of the older models(ebay, CL...), since they work also with the Bosch blades which you can usually get more reasonably priced.

 

[tonydanzah]

unless you are going to be using it for 8hrs a day, get the dremel

 

[48548]

If you search the forums, you will find that everyone was happy with the harbor freight model....

 

[Iron-Iceberg]

I use the HF one quite a bit and you just cant beat it for the price. If I had another choice, I would pick the Rockwell one. The Dremel just doesn't seam that sturdy.

 

[seika7]

I bought the Harbor Freight one and it cuts through lath and plaster like butter, and it was cheap. One annoyance is needing the allen wrench to remove the bolt, and make sure you don't lose the washer when changing tools which can be fun when your hands are numb from vibration. I'm a huge fan of tool-free blade changes.

The main drawback is that it's horribly noisy. Anyone know if the Fein is any quieter (would you use it without ear plugs)?

--Bryan

 

[48548]

My ears are still ringing from using it this past weekend, I even used ear plugs, but is a pain when you are tying to talk to people after using the tool, and then need to grind out more stuff with if after a 2 second talk.

 

[scooby074]

Fein is a FINE tool. Very solid feel, smooth.

I havent used the Dremel, but...

As youve noted the blades for all models are $$. THere are some companies out there making decent copies of the Fein blades for much less. I had a website but unfortunately i lost the link.

 

[peter_x]

I ordered the HF one from eBay (Central Electric I think). I am going to be removing thinset from my bathroom floor. Does anyone know which attachment I should use? I noticed it comes with a couple of them, not sure if it is the right grit or what.

 

[Bull]

I ordered the HF one from eBay (Central Electric I think). I am going to be removing thinset from my bathroom floor. Does anyone know which attachment I should use? I noticed it comes with a couple of them, not sure if it is the right grit or what.

Please report on the noise level of the machine once you've used it, as that was never resolved in this thread. I need one of these tools, and am curious if there is a significant noise issue with the HF piece, one that would be bad enough that I would not want it.

 

[peter_x]

Will do...

 

[usa#1]

Bull,

I purchased the variable speed HF model. It does a good job and was well worth the money. I'm sure the fein and more expensive models are more "refined" but the HF gets the job done. I've made some cuts with it that would have been near impossible with other cut off tools. Ex. I had to cut 1/2" off of some 3 5/8 crown molding on exterior boxing. The crown was already installed, caulked, and painted. The HF tool made this a 1 minute job. I've also used it to cut out access panels in drywall. It made nice clean cuts making the drywall patch easy to fit and install. I'd buy the HF model again.

 

[Scout Driver]

I have used the same variable speed Dremel since 1997. Its been a great tool. Always had plenty of power and a nice range of speed for various jobs. Smooth and quiet running too. I'm not sure about interchangability of attachments between brands, but one thing that I have seen is that Dremel attachments are commonly available at retailers in my general area. That said....I will recommend the Dremel.

Scott

 

[Major Ramifications]

IF you can get the Dremel attachments for cost at work, then by all means get the Dremel tool. As you know, you won't save much on the tool itself, but the blades and scrapers will be much cheaper wholesale.

I have the Dremel, and I love it. It is loud and it gets hot, but it has saved me tons of time. I would not get a single speed tool, as I have found the variable speed can made a huge difference when cutting some materiels. For this reason, I wouldn't reccommend the single speed unit from HF, but they do have a variable speed one.

 

[danski0224]

Just wondering if any of you guys, have either or both, and what your opinions are. I am leaning towards the Dremel Multimax because of price, and I get it for cost from my work. but i noticed that the attacments for the Fein Multimaster are much more expansive. your two cents is appreciated.

There isn't a comparison between the two.

Light household use, get the Dremel. Chuck it when it breaks.

If you are using the tool professionally, then get the Fein. If you need the Fein variety of attachments, then there isn't much of a choice there.

 

[Jeepguy]

i ended up with the dremel, got it at cost through work, so it was a no brainer. it performed excelent! not very much vibration at all. the drywall blade and 1 inch wood blade didnt last very long but they were only about $12.00 each to replace, and i only went through 2 durring the remodel of my new house.

the dry wall blade "clogged" quickly but was easy to clean off with a wet rag. the wood blade walked alot when it dulled, but that wasnt bad at all. i wish i would have taken pictures of the projects to show the tool in use. but i am sure ill have another chance to do that.

overall the tool was just loud. really loud actually made my ears ring, and the motor was noticably hot, but not to the point of burning. used it for cutting out a solid wall to a "pass through" wall that separated out the kitchen from the family room. i got it to cut out the door casing trim to install the hardwood floors. it beat the hell out of using a back saw. i put down 1,000 sq ft of floor that had a ton of doors closets. never though i would but i acutally used the scraper blade to take out the vinyl floor in the half bath and it worked as advertised too!

I recomend that tool to anyone. i used it a lot over a 3 day span.

 

[sonexer]

I recently purchased the Fein Multi-tool and really like it. I have used it a lot since I bought it, it has worked well, and saved me a lot of time. I purchased the model without the quick release and saved about $200.

I also checked out the Dremel Multi-tool and thought it was very loud and had a bad vibration. I came close to buying a Multi-tool made by Rockwell ($130) as it was quiet and had little vibration compared to the Dremel but the attachments offered for it at this time are limited.

 

[FNFS2000]

I have used the same variable speed Dremel since 1997. Its been a great tool. Always had plenty of power and a nice range of speed for various jobs. Smooth and quiet running too. I'm not sure about interchangability of attachments between brands, but one thing that I have seen is that Dremel attachments are commonly available at retailers in my general area. That said....I will recommend the Dremel.

Scott

I'm nearly positive this is a different tool from the discussion, Dremel has not copied the Fein multimaster since very recent years. Kinda like comparing a drill to a grinder... they can do a little of the same stuff, but a totally different tool.

 

[Monte]

sorry but don`t want to make a extra thread

Next to the corded Green-Bosch tool there is a new cordless Green-Bosch tool now. A corded Blue-Bosch tool will follow in august or so

 

[Bolster]

I own a Fein, and it is quiet. Never close to needing hearing protection (and I'm one of those guys who generally uses ear protection before anyone else at the jobsite).

There is an adaptor that allows you to use Bosch blades on the Fein tool. Discussed it in another thread here, search for 'Fein Aftermarket Blades.'

If I had to do it over again? Probably wait for the new corded Bosch, or if not that, then the corded Rockwell.

 

[Stuey]

sorry but don`t want to make a extra thread

Next to the corded Green-Bosch tool there is a new cordless Green-Bosch tool now. A corded Blue-Bosch tool will follow in august or so

We don't have Bosch green here, only blue. Some of the green tools make it here in blue form, but not all.

Currently there is only one Bosch multi-tool available in the USA, and it's cordless.

Dremel has a corded model (although there are loads of refurbished units around), and a cordless one is on the way.

Rockwell's Sonicrafter is reputable, and a cordless one is also on the way.

Ridgid and Craftsman also offer cordless multi-tools.