DeWalt cordless multi tool

[ron ll]

I’ve had the original Fein multi tool for years and have used it a lot. It still works but I’ve just come to the conclusion that there are now many new and improved versions. I went with DeWalt mainly because that is what my battery platform is. So far I like it a lot but the biggest surprise is the system DeWalt uses for blade changes. Not only is it VERY quick and easy, it allows one to quickly change to and from the sander attachment which on the Fein was so involved that I never really used it. No need to remove the sandpaper to access the attaching bolt. The DeWalt just slides in and out with a lever press.

I bought the combo pack which includes the multi tool, an RO sander, a 5ah battery and a fast charger. Part of the reason for the purchase is an upcoming quick haulout where I’m just going to get a pressure wash and zinc change while hanging in the straps. There is no power access when hanging so I’m hoping the cordless tools will allow me to scrape and sand the prop.

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[David G]

Yes, the latest generation of cordless 18v multi-tools is MUCH improved. Reviews suggest that DeWalt might not be the ultimate best of the lot, but that any one of 3-4 - including DeWalt - will provide perfectly satisfactory performance.

[ron ll]

Yes, the latest generation of cordless 18v multi-tools is MUCH improved. Reviews suggest that DeWalt might not be the ultimate best of the lot, but that any one of 3-4 - including DeWalt - will provide perfectly satisfactory performance.

I'm telling you, the DeWalt blade change system is a game changer.

[stromborg]

I'll be interested to see your review after the haulout is done. Building my house killed one Rigid screwgun and the second is on it's way out so I'm on the hunt for replacements. The Rigid RO sander I picked up for use on the boat kills batteries fast enough that it has been gathering dust in a corner for quite some time. The Ryob toolsI had previously were pretty good, the Rigids came in after the old batteries stopped holding a charge.

I remember when Makita came out and changed the game with their cordless screwgun in the 1980's. The market has come a very long way since then.

[David G]

I'm telling you, the DeWalt blade change system is a game changer.

Are they the only ones using that system or similar? I don't think so...

[David G]

I'll be interested to see your review after the haulout is done. Building my house killed one Rigid screwgun and the second is on it's way out so I'm on the hunt for replacements. The Rigid RO sander I picked up for use on the boat kills batteries fast enough that it has been gathering dust in a corner for quite some time. The Ryob toolsI had previously were pretty good, the Rigids came in after the old batteries stopped holding a charge.

I remember when Makita came out and changed the game with their cordless screwgun in the 1980's. The market has come a very long way since then.

And Makita is still one of the leaders in cordless tools. It is one battery platform I am still running, along with Milwaukee. With those two already in place, for me DeWalt would be a needless duplication. But if I were starting with no prior platform investment... DeWalt is certainly one I'd consider. No one mfgr. builds the very best of every single tool, so it would partly depend on what specific suite of tools I was aiming to amass... and overall brand reliability... and which brands offer the widest range of cordless tools for their platform.

One demerit for DeWalt - my shop used to contract with them to beta-test their new tools. During that time, they came up with some excellent kit. And they came out with some head-scratchingly bad gear. All over the map. And my overall impression is that is still - at least somewhat - the case.

[Boatbum]

Yes, the latest generation of cordless 18v multi-tools is MUCH improved. Reviews suggest that DeWalt might not be the ultimate best of the lot, but that any one of 3-4 - including DeWalt - will provide perfectly satisfactory performance.

So what is your opinion of the best cordless multitool. I've had and used the Fein for some time now. Haven't taken the plunge to cordless yet.

[Edward Pearson]

The other poor thing about the Fein (beside having to pull the sandpaper off) is the dust extraction is very poor quality - an after thought inexcusable on what is often used as a detail sander, and falls apart in short order. Is the Dewalt better engineered?

[wizbang 13]

Anyone do this?
I grind the old blades down to desired shapes and glue on two slightly overlapping pieces of sand paper ,each side of the blade.
The overlap helps the abrasive to stay aboard the blade.
I go as rough as 24 and as fine as 100ish.
It can get into places you can't imagine,not just corners like the storebought triangle foam back pads that give it up pretty fast.

[Boatbum]

The other poor thing about the Fein (beside having to pull the sandpaper off) is the dust extraction is very poor quality - an after thought inexcusable on what is often used as a detail sander, and falls apart in short order. Is the Dewalt better engineered?

I agree the dust extraction is very bad

[Boatbum]

Great idea....never tried it!

[David G]

So what is your opinion of the best cordless multitool. I've had and used the Fein for some time now. Haven't taken the plunge to cordless yet.

I cannot say from personal experience, as I've not handled all of them. But, from memory of the reviews and a dollop or two of 'hands on' --

Fein - often gets 'readers choice' awards. They tend to build a solid (and expensive) tool, but how much of this is name familiarity and being associated with pioneering this type of tool? When I handled one, I found the ergonomics poor for my size/shape hand. They offer few (if any) other tools for that battery platform

Hitachi/Metabo - always seems to get good reviews. But they get demerits because their line is not wide & deep as some of the others.

Makita - the most well-known name in cordless tools. Their OMT gets good reviews, and I'd own one to slot into my existing battery tool suite... except the one I gripped was too fat for my hands, which also makes it hard to get into nooks & crannies.

Milwaukee - what I own. I got their OMT in 12v... before the 18v tools came out. Pretty happy with it, except this sort of tool sucks the smaller batteries dry quickly. I have about 349 in that toolbag. Complaining about that short battery life got me some freebies - first from the local dealer, then from the regional sales rep. Like Makita, a wide variety of tools to fit the system.

Does Rigid make one? I don't remember seeing anything about it?

My choices were constrained by a dedication have no more than the two existing battery systems - Makita/Milwaukee. And the need, as a pro for tools to work -when I need them - with minimum downtime. But if I were starting fresh - I'd look closely at those two plus DeWalt. Maybe throw Rigid into the mix as a bargain choice.

These tools, by their very nature, push the envelope of 'cordless', and so will reward getting one of the best quality brands. Personally - I'd stay away from Fein (cost & hand fit), Metabo (limited tool options), Rockwell (quality & range of available tools), Ryobi (quality), and HF (quality)

[jpatrick]

Anyone do this?
I grind the old blades down to desired shapes and glue on two slightly overlapping pieces of sand paper ,each side of the blade.
The overlap helps the abrasive to stay aboard the blade.
I go as rough as 24 and as fine as 100ish.
It can get into places you can't imagine,not just corners like the storebought triangle foam back pads that give it up pretty fast.

Great idea! What do you use for glue?

I have the original Fein tool and their velcro backed triangle sanding pads. They are worthless because they simply won't stay in place.

Jeff

[Boatbum]

I cannot say from personal experience, as I've not handled all of them. But, from memory of the reviews and a dollop or two of 'hands on' --

Fein - often gets 'readers choice' awards. They tend to build a solid (and expensive) tool, but how much of this is name familiarity and being associated with pioneering this type of tool? When I handled one, I found the ergonomics for my size/shape hand. They offer few (if any) other tools for that battery platform

Hitachi/Metabo - always seems to get good reviews. But they get demerits because their line is not wide & deep as some of the others.

Makita - the most well-known name in cordless tools. Their OMT gets good reviews, and I'd own one to slot into my existing battery tool suite... except the one I gripped was too fat for my hands, which also makes it hard to get into nooks & crannies.

Milwaukee - what I own. I got their OMT in 12v... before the 18v tools came out. Pretty happy with it, except this sort of tool sucks the smaller batteries dry quickly. I have about 349 in that toolbag. Complaining about that short battery life got me some freebies - first from the local dealer, then from the regional sales rep. Like Makita, a wide variety of tools to fit the system.

Does Rigid make one? I don't remember seeing anything about it?

My choices were constrained by a dedication have no more than the two existing battery systems - Makita/Milwaukee. And the need, as a pro from tools to work with minimum downtime. But if I were starting fresh - I'd look closely at those two plus DeWalt. Maybe throw Rigid into the mix as a bargain choice.

These tools, by their very nature, push the envelope of 'cordless', and so will reward getting one of the best quality brands. Personally - I'd stay away from Fein (cost & hand fit), Metabo (limited tool options), Rockwell (quality & range of available tools), Ryobi (quality), and HF (quality)

Helpful....thanks.

Rigid does indeed make a battery multitool..

I tend to avoid DeWalt - I don't feel they were the same power tools as they used to be. They seem to have cut corners to fit into the price-point of bug box stores.

I am also intrigued about the Bosh option. I have several Bosh tools that work on the 18 volt battery and so in an ideal world the Bosh model would allow for me to stay with one battery type for my shop. I hate having 4 tools from different makers with different chargers unless that tool offers a distinct advantage over the competition.

[David G]

Helpful....thanks.

Rigid does indeed make a battery multitool..

I tend to avoid DeWalt - I don't feel they were the same power tools as they used to be. They seem to have cut corners to fit into the price-point of bug box stores.

I am also intrigued about the Bosh option. I have several Bosh tools that work on the 18 volt battery and so in an ideal world the Bosh model would allow for me to stay with one battery type for my shop. I hate having 4 tools from different makers with different chargers unless that tool offers a distinct advantage over the competition.

I've had nothing but good luck with Bosch cordless tools. When I wore a PM + Purchasing Agent hat for a large Canadian millwork company, our install crews worked 'em hard and put 'em up wet... and, after a while, didn't want anything else. But their range of tool offerings is smaller than some.

[wizbang 13]

Great idea! What do you use for glue?

I have the original Fein tool and their velcro backed triangle sanding pads. They are worthless because they simply won't stay in place.

Jeff

Given a chance, I cut the strips from heavy pre glued discs.Otherwise, aerosol contact cement.
Grind the smoothness off the faces of the blade.
I like playing "music" with this tool while sanding...I get some fun riffs goin from the sound at different rpm. yea i'm easily entertained

[ron ll]

Here’s kind of a corny sales vid, but it shows the DeWalt blade change ease.

[MoePorter]

Given a chance, I cut the strips from heavy pre glued discs.Otherwise, aerosol contact cement.
Grind the smoothness off the faces of the blade.
I like playing "music" with this tool while sanding...I get some fun riffs goin from the sound at different rpm. yea i'm easily entertained

Thanks Mr 13, that's a keeper

[Paul Pless]

Yes, the latest generation of cordless 18v multi-tools is MUCH improved. Reviews suggest that DeWalt might not be the ultimate best of the lot, but that any one of 3-4 - including DeWalt - will provide perfectly satisfactory performance.

the dewalt is a 20volt tool

[Ted Hoppe]

Anyone do this?
I grind the old blades down to desired shapes and glue on two slightly overlapping pieces of sand paper ,each side of the blade.
The overlap helps the abrasive to stay aboard the blade.
I go as rough as 24 and as fine as 100ish.
It can get into places you can't imagine,not just corners like the storebought triangle foam back pads that give it up pretty fast.

Excellent idea. Just tossed the original Fein after it gave up and was sitting in the bin.

[ron ll]

the dewalt is a 20volt tool

Ive seen the earlier DeWalts advertised as 18v, my current DeWalt battery platform is 20v lion.

[David G]

Ive seen the earlier DeWalts advertised as 18v, my current DeWalt battery platform is 20v lion.

From the performance tests I've seen, seems to make little or no difference.

[Garret]

Ive seen the earlier DeWalts advertised as 18v, my current DeWalt battery platform is 20v lion.

18 volt nicad - later replaced by 20 volt Li-ion.

I've had excellent luck with Dewalt cordless tools as well as their 6" RO sander (corded). I'm still on 18 ni-cads

[hawkeye54]

In post # 14, Boatbum said ' they seem to have cut corners to fit the price point of the big box stores' Anyone know if any of the manufacturers make 'parallel' lines of tools - one for the trades, and another for the big-box stores ?


Rick

[Garret]

In post # 14, Boatbum said ' they seem to have cut corners to fit the price point of the big box stores' Anyone know if any of the manufacturers make 'parallel' lines of tools - one for the trades, and another for the big-box stores ?


Rick

I've been told John Deere & Husqvarna do that with mowers.

[David G]

In post # 14, Boatbum said ' they seem to have cut corners to fit the price point of the big box stores' Anyone know if any of the manufacturers make 'parallel' lines of tools - one for the trades, and another for the big-box stores?

Rick

I am on decent terms with several folks in the industry... so I've asked that question. Everyone says, they have different sku #s but not different specs.

The Makita rep I got close to for a while walked me thru the specs for a 12v drill/driver and the HD sku for the same tool. For what that's worth, I remain skeptical. And, from my time working with DeWalt, I'd say if anyone was going to do such a thing... it'd be them. Makita strikes me as too straight-laced to muck around like that. Milwaukee already has their own corporate version of price-point range: Milwaukee; Rigid; Ryobi. But all that is just semi-informed guesswork.

[johngsandusky]

Thanks for the review. I like my DeWalt cordless RO sander. Now that my boat is back on the mooring, I'm considering an oscillating tool too.

[Paul Pless]

In post # 14, Boatbum said ' they seem to have cut corners to fit the price point of the big box stores' Anyone know if any of the manufacturers make 'parallel' lines of tools - one for the trades, and another for the big-box stores ?


Rick

some dewalt screw guns, drills, driver, and impact wrenches are available with either plastic gear boxes with nylon gears or metal gearboxes with metal gears

[Jack Loudon]

In post # 14, Boatbum said ' they seem to have cut corners to fit the price point of the big box stores' Anyone know if any of the manufacturers make 'parallel' lines of tools - one for the trades, and another for the big-box stores ? Rick

Before I bought my last set of DeWalt drill & impact drivers, I looked carefully at the multiple-took kits and standalone tools, their respective model numbers and specs. There were subtle downgrades in some kit pieces that were not obvious and easily overlooked.

I still prefer DeWalt battery tools over the others, because of single incident disappointments from the other manufacturers; irrational I know.

My first multitool was a 12V Bosch that had terrible battery life; rendered it useless for commercial work.
An 18V Milwaukee finish nailer refused to set the nail heads flush or below flush; a big problem on a job as the protruding nails wouldn't hand set so made a mess of the trim.
A pair of compact Makita drill & impact drivers (18V) the impact driver didn't have near the power of my other 18V impact drivers from DeWalt and Ridgid; useless for driving 3" framing screws.

DeWalt is my current favorite but I've ended up with a few Ridgid tools, so down to two battery systems. I like a RH blade saw for finish work and the Ridgid is smooth and accurate, though not as powerful as my LH DeWalt saw.

[Ben Fuller]

I wore out one Fein corded reefing some miles of strip planked deck seam, years of work out of it,
they sent me another for small money and I'll keep that corded. That said I have the DeWalt cordless. I liked it but found it quite loud, maybe mine is bad, so I keep ear protection in the bag with the DeWalt. The Fein quietly hums along.

[ron ll]

I admit I was disappointed the the DeWalt is not quieter than the Fein, but that seems to be the nature of an oscillating multi tool. Ear protection is a must for any of them.

[Ben Fuller]

I admit I was disappointed the the DeWalt is not quieter than the Fein, but that seems to be the nature of an oscillating multi tool. Ear protection is a must for any of them.

The DeWalt muiti tool is an order of magnitude noiser than any of my other portable or battery tools except for chainsaws. The wired Fein is quieter than my RO sander.

[ron ll]

Ben, maybe you got a better Fein than I did. I just now did a decibel meter test on them both. This is a meter that has been calibrated by my audiologist, and I took care to have the tools the same distance from the meter.
My original corded Fein Multi tool = 104.2 dB avg.
my new DeWalt cordless (on highest speed) = 89.3 dB avg.

[ron ll]

I just finished my quick one way haulout and those two new DeWalt 20v tools really earned their keep. I took 5 fully charged 20v batteries with me just in case. While Snoose hung in the sling, I first used the multi tool with a scraper blade to knock all the barnacles off my 26” three blades prop. Think it took about 15 minutes. Then I switched the same 5ah battery to the RO sander with 80 grit and cleaned the prop down to shiny bronze, maybe another 15 minutes. Those were definitely the right tools for that job.

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[SMARTINSEN]

I bought the 20v deWalt reciprocating tool, and have not used my Fein corded version ever since. I am invested in both Makita and deWalt battery systems, and it was a tossup. The Makita is much heavier, and that was the deciding factor in going to deWalt. My Makita screw gun bit the dust after 3 sets of brushes, I went to deWalt, and I like it better, more torque, and 3 adjustable driver settings.