Shopsmith Forums

I have a Rockwell Sonicrafter Multi-tool (aka vibrating saw or what have you) and while I love it (mostly) it (and others like it such as the Fein) goes through blades like crazy. Inexpensive blades run $5 or more a pop and the brand names such as Bosch, Rigid, Dremel, etc cost a bit north of $15 each. Ouch. And they don't last long especially when chewing on nails etc while demo'ing walls.

But, boy, you sure can do stuff you just can't do with anything else. Or at least you can't do it as easily or even as well (e.g. cutting a small patch in wall sheathing).

But the blade cost and short life of the blades is a bit frustrating. If you use one of these, what brands of blades have you found to be both good cutters and long lasting? Fine Homebuilding ran a test of three brands but I can't get at the results. My own little casual, on-the-job tests put Bosch at the bottom of the heap (very surprising - I expected much better from a Bosch product) - most other's running fairly well and Rigid doing (maybe the best). All opinions welcome!

The Fein is still the best despite the copies. I have had one for two years now and love it. It is what most of the contractors use that need that capability. It can stand up to abuse all day long. I also have a Milwaukee Sawzall which I use if I am cutting nails. I have used the Fein for nails and it does just fine but it does wear the blades out quickly if used on metal alot. Blades can be purchased in sets of three or ten which is cheaper than buying them individually.