Oscillating multi-tools, what can they be used for?

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I'm thinking about purchasing a milwaukee 2836-21 multi tool. I've used one once to cut out a hole for an outlet when installing kitchen cabinets, but other than that i have no experience with them. I see they cut & sand. What types of household projects do they lend themselves well to that you'd normally use other tools for? Do they have any automotive applications?

 

[jd_1138]

They can be used to cut out stuck bolts, cut out rust, etc. on a car. They can get into tighter spots. Plus you can use them as a sander if you put the sanding attachment on. They have a lot of uses for household and mechanical repairs. Definitely worth picking up even if you cheap out and get a corded Ryobi one for $30 or whatever.

You're saving tons of money by doing these jobs yourself, so it's just another useful tool to add to the arsenal.

 

[Negen]

Removing tile , grout , laminate floor , cutting notches in things, cutting receptacle holes , sanding . cutting white ,black or copper pipes.

Fien is probably the gold standard in osculating tools. I have an older wired one not sure the model at the moment. But from a quick glance it looks like the wireless version is cheaper than the Milwaukee that you posted. Not sure though as these days it seems fien makes many of these things.

https://feintools-online.com/71292561090-fein-cordless-multitalent-quickstart-afmt-12qsl.html

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[Kscardsfan]

Fitting door and window casing, cutting off shims, sectioning out pieces of bad pipe, cutting in boxes in drywall, gently cutting a seized/rusted bolt off. You’re limited only by your imagination and budget with these tools. They’re not for large areas and speed, but they’re killer for precision and delicate spots.

 

[Ign]

One of the best ways to plunge cut plastic like blow mold cases (maybe you wanna make an extra pocket in a case or something), or hacking up poorly re-engineered M18 vacuums

I've also used mine to reach in and lop off nails for nail-in electrical boxes in the house.

 

[Rabid Badger]

Where they will save your bacon is plunge cuts and trimming things flush with an existing surface.

They're also useful for sanding and scraping and a ton of other things depending on what blade you put on it.

 

[RTM]

As others have said, great for grout, not so much as a putty knife. Sanding, cutting drywall, trimming wood, removing tile mortar in tight spaces.

 

[IndyGarage]

Used mine to cut off the extra tabs on my Makita 18V batteries that keep the 5.0AH batteries from being used in some of the light duty tools. It cuts plastic great.

Great for trimming boards to fit.

I was cutting some 1/4 inch thick soffits out of some dormers, and because of the installation you had to cut the 6 foot length of them flush in order to remove them - a little awkward, but the multitool was the only way to do it - took about 5 minutes to cut 6 feet of 1/4 inch material.

 

[bushmechanic]

Are these things any good for cutting sheet metal?

I don't know anyone who owns one of the things, so I can't really try one out; but I was considering looking into them.

I don't see a lot of thorough explanations of their capabilities, so this thread should be interesting.

 

[matt_i]

Anywhere a spinning blade would be too dangerous and a sawzall would make a splintery mess of the work.

I used it a lot helping my Dad cut out a piece of rotten siding where a kickout flashing was not used. Tight corner and 16ft in the air on an extension ladder no way was I hauling up a circ saw.

Also king of plunge cutting in a tight space.

 

[Dumber than lumber]

Excellent for making cuts in existing drywall. You can get inside the wall, do your repair and then re-use the material for the patch job. Just plan your cuts to cross a stud.

 

[NUTTSGT]

They're kinda like a Dremel.


You don't need them all the time but when you need them, you're glad you bought one.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

So, is fein really better than the new milwaukee?

 

[pizza]

i have a dremel, and i've regretted bothering with it every time i've tried to use it.
truly a worthless tool, lol.

OMT on the other hand is very legit

 

[NUTTSGT]

i have a dremel, and i've regretted bothering with it every time i've tried to use it.
truly a worthless tool, lol.

OMT on the other hand is very legit

Cut off wheels are great for tight spots and the drywall bit work good.


If you ever put down pergo or something similar, you'll be glad you have a multi tool.

 

[Negen]

Probably depends on the model but most things fein are better than other brands. Probably both are good like all things price , value and functionality are probably more important to some than coo.

So, is fein really better than the new milwaukee?

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[Ign]

So, is fein really better than the new milwaukee?

Not necessarily that simple. I use mine infrequently and for short durations (kinda like how the ex-wife used me) so cordless is preferred (er, um....)

 

[IndyGarage]

Are these things any good for cutting sheet metal?

I don't know anyone who owns one of the things, so I can't really try one out; but I was considering looking into them.

I don't see a lot of thorough explanations of their capabilities, so this thread should be interesting.

Like you, I held out for a long time before buying one - finally did a couple years ago, and shouldn't have waited. They are very useful.

Haven't tried sheetmetal, but I cut through some flashing with one. I used it to cut some bolts and it was pretty slow - but there was no other way to get to them.

Mine is a Makita Cordless. In fact, I liked it so much, when I saw another, almost brand new one at the pawn shop, I bought it - so I would have one at my shop also.

 

[joe_pinehill1]

All of the above also good for
Cutting door jams or stops if you are renovating and have a change in floor thickness


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[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I'm thinking about buying the milwaukee if I can find it at a good price.

 

[zendriver]

To perfectly cut out sections of wall studs, without tearing up everything around them, nothing better IME.

I'll try this out on next electrical job, just for the hell of it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/electrical-box-cutout-saw-for-oscillating-multi-tools-56666.html

 

[Crabman]

Suzuki

I'm thinking about buying the milwaukee if I can find it at a good price.

There has been some back and forth recently in the Milwaukee hot deals thread and a thread I started in hot deals on an HD Special of the Day this week that had Milwaukee.
People discussed M12, M12 fuel and M18. It seemed like the consensus was the M12 fuel. M12 had the compact size and ability to work in close quarters and people thought it about as powerful as the M18 and more powerful and less vibration that the regular M12. You may want to read those threads and see what you conclude.

I think the M18 one is on sale for $99 at HD black friday sale.

The one day HD special I posted up had an M12 fuel, plus the newer M12 radio and 2 3.0's for $199 and I scored that one, which I think was a good deal.

 

[JP Chestnut]

I use mine for fixing the trimming of my house’s siding where the builder did a **** job. Other good uses are trimming drywall around electric boxes so everything lines up nice and smoothly.

I wasn’t sure that I’d really use it when I bought mine, but it has many uses.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

To perfectly cut out sections of wall studs, without tearing up everything around them, nothing better IME.

I'll try this out on next electrical job, just for the hell of it.

https://www.harborfreight.com/electrical-box-cutout-saw-for-oscillating-multi-tools-56666.html

I literally just saw this right before you posted it. That's awesome.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Suzuki



There has been some back and forth recently in the Milwaukee hot deals thread and a thread I started in hot deals on an HD Special of the Day this week that had Milwaukee.
People discussed M12, M12 fuel and M18. It seemed like the consensus was the M12 fuel. M12 had the compact size and ability to work in close quarters and people thought it about as powerful as the M18 and more powerful and less vibration that the regular M12. You may want to read those threads and see what you conclude.

I think the M18 one is on sale for $99 at HD black friday sale.

The one day HD special I posted up had an M12 fuel, plus the newer M12 radio and 2 3.0's for $199 and I scored that one, which I think was a good deal.

Can you link this please?

I guess now I need to figure out if m18 or m12...

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

If both m12 and m18 move between 10-20k rpm, what's the difference power wise?

 

[finn]

I bought a cheap corded Performax from Menards about five years ago with no idea as to what I would ever use it for. I figured it would be as useful as a Dermel, ie, something I would use once a year.

Not so. I have found hundreds of uses for it.

Last year I upgraded to a 20v Dewalt. Not that expensive as a bare tool.

I wouldn’t waste my money on a high priced Fein, or the ilk. Most jobs are five minutes or less. I do recommend a cordless.

If I was to start over, I would look for the smallest cordless from a reputable supplier. By nature, I use the tool where access is poor, so smaller is better.

 

[zendriver]

They are great for re-purposing blow-molded carry cases that were molded for something else long gone.

Goes right in and easily carves out the excess.

 

[mrvm]

HF getting the job done!

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

As I asked, if both tools are moving at 10-20k RPM, what does the 18v have over the 12v? Doesn't the cutting come from the movement speed of the blade?

Also, how much larger is the m18 vs the m12?

If the m18 is substantially larger, wouldn't you be able to angle the blade to get around the size issue? Are there examples of where the m12 would excel and the m18 would excel?

Thanks guys!

 

[Robbie B]

I’ve used the for cutting pockets for recessed door hinges. Worked very well for that.

 

[KnurledNut]

They are awesome paired with a scraper blade for caulking, glue, spray foam, separating seamed materials, etc.
Theres also a hack where certain OMTs can be used with a standard roofing hook blade for cutting carpet, cardboard, shingles, etc.
They excel at plunge cuts where nothing else will work well.
Regarding automotive applications, they have been used for windshield removal for a long time, long before they were so popular for carpentry.

 

[The_Geologist]

I bought one of the HF ones (it's the one with adjustable speed; I think it's blue) several years ago. It's first task was to cut back damaged wood siding so that I could patch it. Perfect tool for the job!

I had to fix a couple of hinges on a door the other day because the screw holes were wallowed out. Used a couple of dowels that were glued into place. The oscillating tool made short work of the exposed dowel ends when they dried, and were able to cut flush to the frame.

I have since used it in a lot of ways others have described. Best tool for getting into tight spaces, basically. It's one of those tools I won't use that often, but when I need it, it's great to have!

 

[Dagny]

You have already used it for its absolute best job. cutting into expensive cabinets.

 

[M635_Guy]

I'm thinking about buying the milwaukee if I can find it at a good price.

HD has some deals running. The FUEL model is considered to be a much better/smoother/easier tool.

 

[Indexmill]

The Fein really are better and well worth the money if you are going to use it for more than a few minutes at a time.

I bought mine for patching Masonite siding with Hardi siding. It the only way to cut the nails on the course of Masonite where you stop the patch.

How the heck does that electrical box blade actually work; I don;t get it.

 

[jocww]

i just bought the m12 fuel on 11 11 we shall see how the radio works tomorrow

 

[Dave455]

I bought a Fein on a deal a few years back! It’s the 350W version, and corded.

Awesome tools - probably my second most used tool after my cordless drill.

I got it because I was fitting a floor into a loft and needed something to make quick cutouts in 3/4 ply. It does this superbly (think of it as a power chisel) and as far as I’m concerned has justified it’s purchase on one job, but I keep finding uses for the thing.

I find so many uses it would take me too long to list, but if you can acquire the Fein Multimaster catalogue that shows all the different types of blades you will get some ideas. Some blades (such as the scraper blade) that only get a brief mention in the catalogue I use an awful lot.

 

[MushCreek]

HD has a M18 with a (small) battery and charger for $99. I almost pulled the trigger on that one. I blew up my corded Makita, and replaced it with a $20 HF special. It works, but is extremely loud, and only has one speed (too high). Anyone have real-world experience with the M18? I like the tool-less blade changing, for one thing. I even wouldn't mind the 1.5 Ah battery, as all of my M18 batteries are big, so it might be nice to have a smaller/lighter battery in the collection.

 

[HenryAZ]

When we got our Bosch cordless model, my wife thought this is great, I can use it for anything, and she went to it for just about anything. So I wander out to the garage and she's got a wood cutting blade on it, cutting off a whole pile of 1x2s for building rabbit cages. Then I showed her the miter/cutoff saw, stored away on the floor. Now she uses that for all of her cutoff needs and angle cuts. But the oscillating tool is still great for all of the jobs mentioned above, and any other weird or hard to get at task.