For contractors, an oscillating tool is a very essential part of the business. It is needed for everyday use for scraping, cutting and sanding. But as a tool at home, it is also very useful for home improvement. It slices and dices your wood, your tile ground, it goes inside tight spacing that you need to get through or just about anything especially when you are remodeling at home. It also has different type of blades according to whatever types of usage you want it to perform. For carpenters, it is also very convenient, either they use it as heavy duty tool on their everyday work, or use it for deeper cuts; whatever it is, the type of oscillating tool you want to buy depends on the matter of use.
There are different brands and different types of oscillating tool available in the market. There is one from Dremel. Like most brands, they produce multi-purpose tool for people who only has a general idea of what to do with it at home. They also of specific blades for specific purpose. Accessories are also available. They have various attachment for saw sharpening, flex shaft and keyless chuck. There’s also one from Porter-Cable, Bosh, Rockwell, Fein, Ridgid, Skil, Craftsman, Black and Decker and Milwaukee who does the same job. Cheap ones from Genesis, Versa-Tool CMT, CEL, and IIT are available. These are the various brands for an oscillating tool.
Now the question is, which brand to choose? Price range is between $40 and $400. The most expensive one is from Fein which costs around $400 for the whole kit. It has a 4.5 star ratings out of 5 from Amazon consumers. Most of them who bought it are very happy with the results. The only problem with it is that, it is not ideal for detail sanding capabilities. It is more useful for mini saws, polishing pad jobs, T shaped saw blades, and larger sanding, operations. It is very frustrating to use for deeper, tight corners. For very experienced users like carpenters who are more exposed with oscillating tools all the time, it’s more of experimenting to produce quality and does not agree with the average users of Fein.
For the cheap oscillating tools available like Genesis, Versa-Tool, CMT, CEL, Chicago, Pit bull and IIT, they gained between 3 and 3.5 stars from Amazon customers. One of the common complaints from consumers is that, it works on the first few hours of work but deteriorates after some time. So for small fix, and people with low budget, they should go for these brands of oscillating tools. The Dremel brand, although it belongs to the cheaper price range, it has great reviews from customers. Except on installing a screen door. A few customers had common complaints about having to cut some of the wood frame so that the door closes. Most consumers agree that it is only for small jobs. For heavy duty use, they also have much more expensive ones with a price range of $100-$150, so if you want to make sure that you get the right one and it fits your budget, just go for the more expensive one.
Expensive oscillating tools from Porter-Cable, Bosh, Rockwell, Fein, Ridgid, Milwaukee, Craftsman and Black and Decker gets at least 4 to 5 star reviews from Amazon consumers. But the best one who always gets the thumbs ups is from Milwaukee, Bosch, Fein, and Black and Decker. These brands really satisfied consumers. One customer described Bosch multi-purpose oscillating tool as a must-have product that makes precision cuts like no other. Every single customer who bought it was happy with its performance. So for consumers who wants a sure purchase I think you got a winner. Fein maybe much more expensive, but if another brand does the same with a much more ideal price, then go with the best customer satisfaction rating!
When it comes to buying oscillating tool, quality does matter; the brand and the price that goes with it. Of course, you also need to consider what kind of job you want the oscillating tool for. If you only need it for simple fixes, then go for the basic usage tool. However, if you don’t mind spending extra bucks for a much more durable, heavy duty, quality tool that will last a long time, go for the branded and more expensive one.