Things that . . . Work: HARBOR FREIGHT multi-tool

"Oscillating Multifunction Power Tool"

This one is a shocker for me.  I, like many, have wandered the halls of Harbor Freight lots of times.  When I do purchase a tool I do it with the idea of using it for one job, cause it likely will not last beyond that.  Well, when finishing up the Devil Seams last spring I was having a Devil of a time (ha!) getting into some of the tight places with the combination of my reefing knife and hand chisels.   On a lark I had noticed that Harbor Freight had their Multi-tool on a Super Coupon for $19.99 and decided to give it a try.

WOW

Now I know Fein has had these out for several years, and I have drooled over them many a time (mostly when I was reefing out the caulking on the deck).  But that tool, though I am sure it is a Fine Fein, was just too much $$$ for me to justify.

Well, $19.99 – OK.  Give it a try.  And does it work.  I have no way of comparing it to the Fein, but can say – for those jobs where the high speed osculating blade works, this is magic.  Those devil seams used to take me 30-45 mins / segment to get them nice and clean for re-caulking.  About 5 with the multi-tool.  Just today I needed to enlarge a clearance hold around a pipe -- would have been hard to get a chisel in there.  Multi-tool took 5 minutes.

This is a Harbor Freight tool.  I still get a chuckle out of the ‘spare brushes’ that came with it, and it does vibrate like the Worlds no end – glad most tasks only take 5 minutes.  But for those times when it is needed, it works.  Who would have guessed.

And all for $19.99!