Fein thingys

[Shady]

OK folks: I have a substantial amount of garden furniture renovation in hand - including lots of back slats to be sanded - and a dinghy in mid-restoration that has a lot of nooks and crannies that need assorted tasks.

I've been looking at the Fein multi-master stuff, which looks to be (a) well made, and (b) pretty versatile.

However, I've managed to get myself confused. There's this 'multimaster', in a number of flavours (http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=22787&recno=37,

or there's this 'supercut': http://www.lawson-his.co.uk/scripts/details.php?cat=Special Saws&product=25179

The Supercut is dramatically more expensive - anyone know what the difference between the 2 is, other than price??

And does anyone have either, and like/hate the tool??

 

[Chris Knight]

Shady,

Dunno but I reckon the supercut is just overpriced by a huuuuge margin.

I hate these sanders, they always leave sanding marks that show up under a finish and which are very hard to get rid of. Plan and execute your work so as not to need this sort of sanding and if you feel you still do, then use a small scraper instead. That way you can scrape with the grain instead of across it.

 

[Shady]

Chris, thanks for the comments: I agree that the supercut is a bit of a shocker...

I also agree with your comments re planning work. In this case however, it's down to re-finishing about 200 slats on (assembled) teak garden furniture, and sanding and smoothing/cutting/grinding a mixture of thickened epoxy, ply and marine paint in the dinghy's corners and crannies. Both are mega tasks if done without a powered assistant, and neither need the sort of finish that would make the sanding marks an issue... It comes down to my time/oppurtunity costs, and the fact that these babies also appear to be quite useful for tasks such as retro-fitting wooden flooring under doorjambs/skirting etc, and other more 'architectural' work, because of the nature of the oscillating action. All are tasks where I'm more interested in getting on with it than achieving what I'd call a 'full furniture quality' finish...

 

[houtslager]

well it depends on how much scraping you want to do. I´ve had the original fein sander now for oh er 4 -5 years now, I would not want to be with out in my tool kit. A very handy tool to have, when you need it. The difference in the two models is
the supercut has a stronger motor and also a larger boss for the tool mount. Thus it has a wider range of accesories that ONLY FIT IT !
Thus it can handle more jobs, lasts longer due to beefier bearings and windings. Fein are serious tools , thus are expensive, but you do get a ¨LOT of BANG for your BUCKS¨
WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR:
HS in a Cumquats La PALMA

 

[Noel]

HS,

I'm so sorry for you. One week in a humid, sunny, insect biting Florida. Next week in cold, miserable Amsterdam. And now, a wet and windy Majorca.

noel

 

[Chris Knight]

Shady,

If you are not too bothered about a "full furniture" finish then I guess either would do. I have had the original Fein sander for years and although I use it rarely (for the reasons I mentioned) it can come in very handy on occasions- the sawing capabilities are useful at times for jobs that would be really awkward without it.

I don't suppose I have really tested its longevity or capabilities with the use I give it but it it looks as though it will last forever.

 

[Midnight]

I canna comment either way on the Fein tools, but my first sander was an el cheapo B&Q detail sander that's been used and abused over the years; damn thing's built like a tank, impossible to kill although I've resurfaced the velcro pad about 4x now. Only prob I've had was restricted dust collection; the internal ducting has a lot of bottle-necks and that's where the prob was. Clear the blockage and it's back as good as ever. Dead handy for them nuiks and crannies that eat knuckles. That said, (gettin serious) if your hands are prone to vibration damage, these things will aggrivate vibration white finger pretty quickly. If I've to use the tool for more than 10 mins in a spell, my fingers tingle for hours after.

 

[cambournepete]

If you have no detail sander, and you think the extras on the fein multimaster will be useful then go for it - it's worth the money for the sawing action alone IMHO - great for cutting under door posts.

If you just want a sander then get something like this Bosch blue is excellent. I bought this years before I realised I needed the multimaster and they're both very good sanders, but that's all the Bosch is.

Cheers,

Pete

 

[desmoengine]

thaught id just throw in a few persoanl comments in passing.
the fien is a cracking tool as a sawing device i use mine regularly for finishing stop end cuts when creating hatches in floors. also for cutting plaster board for light switch and socket boxes. infact any confined space sawing . downside cod=st of blades at £17 a time. as a tool in my trade indespenceable.
as a sander its oscillating action is good for roughing and does allow you to get into corners petty well ,its dust extraction when hooked up to a vac is good , for fine finishing ive not been overly impressed as it does apear to leave crossgrain marks.
i now have aquired a porter cable inline sander, WOW what a piece of kit that is ,a blinding bit of kit next to no vibration and quite amazing perforance for fine finishing.

dave w

 

[ike]

i now have aquired a porter cable inline sander, WOW what a piece of kit that is ,a blinding bit of kit next to no vibration and quite amazing perforance for fine finishing.

AH, Dave! At last..someone who owns one!. Some time ago I was contemplating these but the limited number of reviews I found on the interweb were mixed. I bought a 5" Makita 5" palm ROS in the end. The main criticism was the plastic thingy at the business end breaking/eating sandpaper rapidly. Can you find time to give a fuller review?

cheers

Ike

 

[desmoengine]

hi ike
ref the porter cable inline sander model 9444 ill try to find some time to write a little review soon.

Dave W