Remember when the round blades were $80
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Getting cheaper, yes, thank God. As well as buying in three-packs to get a better deal, they can now be found in 6 and 10-packs to get the price down to the lower twenty dollar range on some of the blades.
The Fein blades bite. I have the older Multimaster and the Dremel blades fit fine.
I just paid $12 for one straight cut bit, but here's the thing, The dremel blades has lasted about three times as long as the (evidently) Platinum blades that Fein sells.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
"The dremel blades has lasted about three times as long as the (evidently) Platinum blades that Fein sells."Well, of course they do, platinum is a lot softer than steel.:)BruceT
There's a guy that makes/sells a good blade for the Fein on Ebay - about 15$ I think and it's great for cutting bottoms of door trim and jambs.
The Bosch blades seem to be pretty good as well, and they are made in Germany or Swiss made I think, and the Dremel's are made in China.The Dremel blades I've tried have been good performers as well.I recently picked up the Bosch 12vlt max multi-master and I now find myself picking it up and using it for ANY little thing, it's so handy.I haveen't used my Fein for much since.Sure - a heavy duty job of cutting an Oak stair nose or scraping some vinyl adhesive, the Fein would be the ticket, but the cordless Bosch rocks and is very powerful.Some have complained about it only lasts 8 minutes on a battery, but so what - just about every task I need a tool like this for, it's a quick deal.JT
have you had great success using the Fein for sanding? I'm still trying to figure how to get much out in the sanding realm. For one thing it's a pain changing paper. The H & L doesn't stay on for me. It's more valuable for cutting. Has that been your experience or what am I missing?
Yeah, I'm with you. Not really much value as a sander, unless you're building drawers. That's what they initially marketed the Multi Master as; a sander that could get into corners. I don't think they knew what they had.You know, there's a stainless steel version made by Fein that they use in Operating Rooms, Emergency Rooms, Orthopedic Doctor's Offices, for cutting bone, skulls, and casts from mended bones. I think they're about $1,000 from the medical supply people.Greg
Really? I know an oscillating saw is a standard item in any orthopaedic office (it's called a "cast cutter"), and in the orthopaedic operating room. The ones in the OR may be battery operated or or pneumatic. The ones in the office typically are corded and hooked up with a canister vacuum on wheels.But I wasn't aware they were made by Fein. In fact, until I saw an infomercial last week, I hadn't even realized that the Fein Multimaster is an oscillating saw with a bunch of different blades. To read about it here, you'd think it was something truly extraordinary.Oscillating saws *are* cool, though. Did you know you can press one (briefly) against your skin while it's running, and it won't cut you? Makes a great demo for kids who are afraid to have their casts removed.Rebeccah
Yup, one can do that with the smaller profiled teeth. But one with Japanese style teeth- razor sharp- I don't want to try it!
Good point. I only ever saw the blades used for cutting casts, and yes, they have small, fine teeth.Rebeccah
Oh, and for some price perspective:I just saw an orthopaedic cast cutter listed online for $843.78. And the fancy version with the wrist rest is $1780.20.
http://www.atlasprosales.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1zenid=0f2535c19b1706aabaa2bd34344adb0bThe same web site offer Fein blades - at $49.95 each. In contrast, the M-Pact blades (M-Pact used to be the brand name of the cast cutter, too) are $64.95 for a package of 6.And another supplier has the standard cast cutter for $1307, with blades running from $89.50 for 6 (suitable for plaster), up to $55.75 each for blades suitable for synthetic casts such as fiberglas or polyester.Ouch. I forgot how expensive the cast cutter was. It was a one-time expenditure when I set up my practice.Rebeccah
One thing that helps with sanding is to dial the speed down. Otherwise it will burn the sand paper and HL pad.
Ive used it as a profile sander. It works good. But I do go through a lot of paper and it is a hassle changing the paper so often during the job.It is what it is.
Most of my use is for sanding. Obviously not for large areas, but as a detail sander it's great. I haven't used other detail sanders, but in a number of cases I've started out by using an orbital sander, then switched to the Fein because the orbital bounces & shakes the workpiece too much.
Have used it for auto body work for the same reason - anything more aggressive starts bouncing around & doesn't get into the tight areas.
Don
What foot and what grit sandpaper do you use - also any other tips (speed, etc?)
>What foot and what grit sandpaper do you use - also any other tips (speed, etc?)
I use the hook & loop foot that came with the unit - I bought the version with the holes & dust extractor, but rarely use it.
I probably use the coarse (no grit size marked on it) paper which came with the unit the most - pretty good at cleaning up saw marks in corners of trim, etc.
I'm finishing up the rough vertical pine shiplap siding on my garage these days, so I'm not looking for glass smooth finishes. In the few cases that I was doing something smoother, I'd generally use the finer paper and then maybe do the last little bit by hand. For instance, I had a piece of 1x2 maple that I routed the corners of. My wife wanted it to hang on the wall to hang decorations from. Needed to sand the whole surface including corners to smooth & make sure the stain took evenly. Might have been able to do the flat surfaces with an orbital if I had it clamped down snug, but otherwise it is difficult to keep the piece from bouncing around. The Fein works great in those conditions. Last bit done by hand.
No great tips on speed - whatever feels comfortable.
Don
Rockler has the universal E- cut blade (Fein) on sale for $14.99 (reg 24.99) through July 11. They usually sell out pretty quick, but they will order them for you at the sale price.
I dont remember the round blades costing $80, that might have been the MM deal breaker if I did.
Edited 7/3/2009 10:46 am by wood4rd
I prefer to get the 'E cut' blades from this guy.http://www.multiblades.com/Flush-Cutting-Blades.htmlAnd here is the deal breaker for those who don't bother to shop around.http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=21427&filter=fein%20blades
Julian- Where have you been getting the Bosch branded blades?+1 on dialing the speed down to avoid burning. Also, the old caveat, don't force the tool, let the tool do the work. As a sander, I think it works just fine for small areas/profiles, and of course for corners.
I found em at my local (kick-but) pro tool store. Performance Tool in Pontiac, MI. If you are within an hour away, it's worth the trip - best tool store in the world.I now use my cordless bosch for just about everything - it's so handy, and unlike the other Bosch 10.8/12v stuff, it has a battery meter which gives you an idea of how much work you can get done with it.JT
Will those blades go through nails like the real e blades?http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
The last I looked the multi-blades did not have metal cutting ones, but did have carbide and diamond.The ebay guy had metal cutting ones..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
I've gotten the wide knock-off ebay blades w/ japanese style teeth. They're great til they come up against a nail. The Fein eblades don't mind nails.So I was wondering about the narrow knock-offs...http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Dremel blades go through nails without a problem.
And fit the old non-star arbor?http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
Until the recent copies, the Fein Multi Master was just like what my old Dad used to say about Polaroid cameras - they could give you the camera if you would just buy the expensive film.Greg
Yep. The arbor on mine is round, works fien...
I just saw bosch blades a HD, about 20 bucks... 3/4" etype dremel are 10... not much of a selection.http://www.tvwsolar.com
We'll have a kid
Or maybe we'll rent one
He's got to be straight
We don't want a bent one
He'll drink his baby brew
From a big brass cup
Someday he may be president
If things loosen up
BTW I liked the dremel blade that I tried.But it would not cut deep enough for a 2by.Had to finish it up with one of my home made blades. I used a dremel cutoff wheel to section a damaged Sharksaw bladed. And then a cone shape grinder to burn a hole in it. Too hard to drill.great cutting blade, but no offset. .
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Well what I was thinking of where metal specific cutting blade that the ebay guy had. But they might not have worked well on wood.But I could not find him. Might be out of bussiness.Might have been yaeger the web site is OTL.
http://www.toolsnob.com/archives/2009/02/yaeger_after_market_blades_for.phpBut I found a whole ton of other knockoff brands.http://www.imperialblades.com/Piraha Blades. This guy sells on ebay as Technika Tools.http://www.piranhablade.com/Secco, don't know what other blades they have.http://tinyurl.com/mh5er9And last, but definitely not least, Versa Tool blades sold by this guy on ebay.http://stores.shop.ebay.com/specialtydiamondproducts__W0QQ_armrsZ1Seems to have the larges collection. And some othem are labeled NAILEASTER. And there is Al'shttp://multiblades.com/flushcutblades.htmlNow he does not mention nails. But you could email him.BTW, he is a trademan normally post over at JLC. He ran into the Fein cost and has some metal working background and started making his own blades.
.
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
Bill-Looks like that original ebay guy (with the metal blades) hasn't sold blades since last December. Ebay name is 'erinnrenee':http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/erinnrenee_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_ipgZI had bought a bunch of his blades in the past, still have a few unused in reserve. I have tried his metal ones and was unhappy, maybe used the wrong 'technique' ?Thanks for your listing of all the aftermarket sources.
That "dealbreaker" blade that you linked to at Rockler does not look to be the same as the one in your original post. It is a flush cut where the one in the original post looks like a flat blade.
Yeah, well the chickens came home to roost on that one. Fein knew what they had and they almost killed the goose that laid the golden egg.
I use Dremel blades on mine.
It's just never enough for some.
>>>and they almost killed the goose that laid the golden egg.I'd say they did kill it, or they lost it. They got caught with a tool and consumable supplies that were priced high but reproducible by competitors. I'm glad to see this part of the market finally open up. Guys in this forum have been whining (mildly) for years about the cost of the MM. Quality was never a concern; but value was.I still haven't bought one...I'll wait for a bit more development.Scott.
The blades have been pretty well reproduced, but not the tool itself.
I think the value was always there. The MM is still the best tool of its kind. I have used the Dremel but not the Bosch. Everybody I hear from touts the MM is still king. It's just the ridiculous cost of the blades has caused Fein to sink under the weight of their own success. I'm glad I still own the mm and not sold it, it is a superior tool. I simply use other sources for the blades.