Fein MultiMaster FMM 250Q Top

List Price: $486.25 Discount Price: $377.64

Features:

• Includes: 1 FMM 250Q Quick change tool with variable speed in a plastic carrying case
• 1 Universal E-Cut blade, 1 HSS Segmented blade
• 1 Rigid Scraper Blade, 1 Carbide Blade, 1 Carbide Rasp
• 1 Dust Extraction Kit
• 1 Sanding pad and 15 sheets of sand paper, 1 Profile Sanding Kit

Customer Reviews:

expensive but great tool [Posted on 2008-04-12]
First off, I'm not a professional handyman but am pretty good with tools and making/fixing things around the house.
I got the tool while I was installing a wood floor in a bedroom... it was extremely useful to under-cut the door trim and I had a wood planked wall that needed undercutting as well... the door trim could have been cut by hand with a flush cut hand saw but the wall under-cut would have been a nightmare without a tool like the multimaster... made quick work of it... even cut right through some hidden nails with very little effort (using the "E-blade").

tool feels "heavy duty" and built to last, the front black part is all metal... orange part is a good quality feeling plastic... power cord is extra long and is a good quality rubber. blade changing is easy as pie with the flip-up lever system.

the case it comes in is OK... it's plastic and like others have said, it doesn't open 180 degrees... only 90 degrees, so maybe it could come down on your hands while rummaging around in the storage boxes for the blades... not a huge deal but would have been nicer if it opened a full 180 degrees...
also note that the blades can get hot so trying to change them immediately after use risks some fingertip burns - but I guess that would be true of pretty much all saws and their blades...

overall, I feel it's a good, solid tool even though a bit pricey... like others have said here, I'd be likely to use it a lot more if the replacement blades weren't so expensive - but they also seem to be of very good quality metal and I suspect each will last a good amount of time before needing replacement...

We'll see as I still have a lot of projects to complete in my 100+ year old house! ;o)

Great tool [Posted on 2008-04-14]
This is one of thoes tool you didn't know you need till you have it. I use it all the time and will do thing that no other tools will.

Woman with a tool [Posted on 2008-04-17]
After working for hours, trying to remove old carpet from our RV, I knew there had to be a better way. When I saw the advertisement for the Fein on television, I just had to give it a try. My husband thought I was nuts for spending that much on a tool, but when he used it to cut sheet rock for our new den, he changed his mind. We also used it when we remodeled a bathroom. It worked well for smoothing out the rough surface under the tile we had removed. The attachments are a little expensive, but worth it if you have a back breaking job to do. I'm so glad I took a chance, and purchased the MultiMaster.

I love this tool. It's a no brainer [Posted on 2008-04-30]
I LOVE This tool. I just upgraded from the previous model (MSXE 636-2 variable speed). I won't go into why this tool is so great because everyone else has already done that. Instead I'm going to compare this tool to its redecessor.

P R O S :
Fein fixed the only gripes I've ever had with the previous generation of the tool. My gripes were 1. Blade slippage, and 2. Slow blade-changes using the akward hex-key that always felt like it was about to cam-out and ruin the lock nut. Both issues have been neatly resolved by the new design. The new star shank on the blades completely eliminates any possibility of slippage. Change the blade, or repositioning it to get into that tight corner is now quick and doesn't require a trip back to the took box to get the hex wrench. I LOVE this feature. FEIN ALSO ADDED threaded holes on the body of the tool which function as hard-mount points. This allows you bench-mount the tool (so you can bring small or delectate work to the tool) OR you can attach a fence, a depth gauge, a rail guide etc. This opens up a lot of flexibility on an already very flexible tool. You could use them to mount the tool to a press fixture for precise plunge-cutting or you could do what I did, and make a flexible suction head assembly to allow point-of-cutting dust extraction. I couldn't have easily done this before Fein added the hard mount points. I also like the more ergonomic shape and rubber grip on the new design.

C O N S :
None to speak of. The new machine is slightly louder than the old one, perhaps due to the more powerful motor, although it's louder even on the lowest speed setting. To be honest I'm just trying to find SOMETHING to say on the con side. Really there's nothing to complain about

OTHER MUSINGS:
At first I thought I had a slight preference for the larger speed control dial on the old tool, but again he NEW design is ultimately better because the smaller dial (on the tapered rear-end) allows for a more compact dust collection system and a slimmer profile overall. I do actually prefer some of the aspects of my old unit's case. The new case can actually hold more stuff but it doesn't organize the contents as well as the old case did. You can still buy the OLD case, but I'm sure I can easily make the new case as functional as the old case by adding some little dividers etc. I actually LIKE the durability of the new case's blow-molded plastic tray slightly better than the old expanded polystyrene tray. I found the heavy-duty styrofoam interior of the old case to be a bit fragile. I could always easily fix any damage with Polyurethane adhesive, but the new blow molded tray is more durable, and there's more space allocated for the cord. which is welcome. If FEIN had put a divider system in the new case, and perhaps been a bit smarter about space, the new case would have been a perfect redesign in my opinion. Perhaps Fein is trying to keep these GERMAN MADE tools made in Germany by cutting costs (instead of going to CHINA like many others have done). If the cheaper, simpler, divider-less case is part of that profitability strategy, I forgive them. I'm handy and so are you (that's why you own this tool), so I'm going to quit complaining, and get busy customizing the case with dividers to suit my personal needs.

I highly recommend this tool. If you have one already, you may consider selling your old one on ebay to upgrade to the new one. It's a worthwhile upgrade. The upgrade cost me about $100. That will get you the best version of this great tool, and make a cheaper used available to someone else who can't quite afford it or who hasn't yet made the plunge.

BLADE COST
As you probably know, the blades are somewhat expensive but Fein is now group-packing blades for meaningfully lower cost than before. Basically 3 packs for the price of 2, and 10 packs for the price of 6. This helps. So now I can affordably keep ONE blade of SEVERAL types and yet buy SEVERAL blades of the ONE type I use frequently enough to 'consume' regularly. I've also seen aftermarket blades on ebay which are cheaper than the FEIN blades, but I've never actually tried them.

Great tool! [Posted on 2008-05-03]
I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical about bying the Multimaster because this tool was so expensive but now I can't imagine being without it. It makes detail work in hard to reach places a snap. It will pay for itself in the first couple of uses in the time and frustration it saves!

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