Costco oscillating tool? (1 Viewer)

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e9999

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just saw a new tool at costco. One of those fast oscillating affair for plunge cutting, grout, etc. IIRC it was $50 with a whole bunch of toothed and carbide (?) grit blades, sand paper etc. I don't know anything about those things but that seemed like a low price given that I just saw some blades at HD that were like $5 or $10 ea. But is it any good? Not a major brand. Power, interchangeability of blades, etc? Don't see myself using this much at all but always been intrigued by the concept. Thoughts? Worth it just to play a bit with or have just in case for the odd job like a frozen bolt in an inaccessible spot?
 
I've got the Dremel oscillating tool. It's been a very useful tool on a number of occasions. It's not used often, but when you need it, you need it.
 
I have two, and have since given many as Christmas and birthday gifts. They don't look useful, until you have one. Then they save the day. One is an older Rockwell, and I have a cordless Makita. Advice:

Get one that doesn't require a tool to remove/replace the blades.

Get one with a light on the nose, so you can see in tight locations.
 
I've used a few varieties of this style tool. I've owned the Fein version that required a hex key to change bits, and the newer version that had "toolless" blade change. They are almost indispensable in residential (remodeling) construction. I think Fein was the originator (patent holder), but once that expired, everyone came out with one.
I saw the Costco one last week, and for the 50 bucks, I would buy one just for the blades. Like all tools, the expensive versions will be "better" (a bit less db, and less vibration), but the one at Costco is worth the price to just try one out or have on hand just in case.
 
I had another look. Unfortunately, it was no longer on sale so I punted until I checked the blade system. And then it disappeared. That was a lot of blades but did not include any that would work with steel, looks like. But the pin holding system on the blades looked standard from what I could tell. I'll probably grab one if I see it again.
 
I have a Bosch cordless version. I have used it for replacing a couple of sections on wood door frames. Worked very well for this but for steel work this would not be my choice. The Bosch uses an Allen cap screw to secure the blade. In retrospect, I should have purchased a corded unit as this tool hardly gets used resulting in a dead battery. The second door frame repair (a couple of years latter) cost me an additional $60 for a new battery. If I was to do it over again I would consider this and used a quality blade for those seldom encountered tasks that require this type of tool.


If I made a living with this tool then I would buy a quality unit.
 
I don't have a ton of experience cutting metal with any of mine. The "universal" type blades like the one below, are what the Costco tool came with. There are variations on that theme but I know the current Dewalt tool, I think the Rigid, and possibly the Dremel can all use that style blade.

I use the M18 cordless Milwaukee a lot on the job, and yes a corded version would still be nice sometimes. The Milwaukee and Dewalt cordless both have a light on the head which makes things nice if you have to cut inside a cabinet.
 
It's of course rather unrealistic to want cut metal a lot with this kind of tool, but I would hope that they have blades that can deal with the occasional nail without immediately self-destroying. Saw the thing back in my costco just a few days ago at $50 but I'm still on the fence as far as it being useful enough for me. Will probably succomb to my toy addiction, though...
 
In my experience, they will cut nails, but will eat up blades quick. I've had 2 Milwaukee blades separate at the little spot welds that hold the blade onto the mounting portion (2 different metal types/grades maybe)? I try and keep a couple of "nice" blades for precision work, and cheap/used blades for anything nasty; drywall, metal, etc
 
So nobody here has used the actual Costco tool? Don't think I ever saw a solid review of it either.
 
I picked one up. I haven't used it yet but I did bring a blade with me for a quick deck board replacement job, and the blade worked fine.
It comes with 26 blades.(I'm not counting the sanding pad, and gold colored rasp thing in that number) Hard to beat for that price.
It "feels" a bit cheap compared to the Fein. The blade change mechanism isn't quite as firm, and the tool overall seems a bit less "solid"
Also, there is a pretty strong off-gassing smell from the plastics on it. Who smells their new tools right?
Our Costco (Seattle, 4th Ave S) only had 4 left which is why I bit the bullet.
 
thanks for the notes. It would be nice to know also what you think about in hand vibrations when you have a chance to check it out.
 
Here are a couple of photos;
Warranty is same as Fein. Hitachi has one with a 5 year. Unsure whose customer service experience would be least painful though.

IMG_3504 (2).JPG


IMG_3506.JPG
 
Just an FYI, the Harbor Freight one with variable speed is typically "on sale" for 29 but has a hex key blade change, and comes with 2 blades.
 
To anyone local-ish: the dang thing is on clearance at the Kirkland Costco for 30 bucks now.
 
The powa o' Mud! Went to check my local Costco and sure enough, there were 4 left at $30. So got myself one to play with... Even if those blades are crappy and the thing is vibrating to no end, that seems to be an excellent deal. Thanks for the heads up!
 
Sure.
My expensive blades don't last very long. The key is to be diligent and only cut the designated material, if the blade says metal/wood, metal will still kill it quick. I keep my thrashed ones for drywall duty.
 
well, played with the thing a bit. I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable amount of vibration at max speed. I was expecting worse but it's not bad at all actually. Quite controllable. Don't know that I would enjoy using it for days at a time but for the occasional job it should be just fine.
 
I had forgotten about this little thread. I've used the one I grabbed a bit as well. I was pleasantly surprised by the basic machine performance (noise level and vibration level) much better than the HF and Ryobi versions I have tried, and on par with the more well known brands. The blades even seem ok so far.
 

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