I'm not sure that there has a single kind of tool which has been more popular at a particular time, then the oscillating tool is today. The real reason behind this, is the proven fact that the majority of these tools have all come out about the same time. Rockwell , unlike Bosch and Dremel, is comparatively unknown, but has a couple of things that are helping them out. One being the idolization of their JawHorse which I've seen debated in a number of tool related notice boards, another is their infomercials. Which is also the way the Fein MultiMaster was first sold. The Rockwell SoniCrafter is right up there with the dearer Fein MultiMaster re power. The MultiMaster is listed as having 250 watts, and the SoniCrafter is listed as having 2.3 amps. We multiply the amp times the volts to get the watts. 2.3 amps x 120 volts = 276 watts. This is the top output, so I'm going to call them even at 250 watts.

I have not made use of the MultiMaster, so I'm not able to do a side-by-side, but the specs appear to be just about equal with the same oscillation angle of 3.2 degrees, and an identical speed range of 11,000-20,000 oscillations per minute. The SoniCrafter feels solid in my hands, and is well balanced. It is easy to use with either hand or both at the same time. I was basically stunned at how well the body of it is built, yet doesn't feel inexpensive in any way. The site of the variable speed dial is close to the back of the tool, which does make it incredibly difficult to adjust with one hand. I presume it was placed in the rear to stop random adjustments.

The ten foot rope is extremely good, and in my judgment 10' should be the minimum size included on most power tools. Six foot cords don't cut it. As well as the good size rope there is an incorporated hook and loop tie which will keep the long twine controllable. One of my objections about the Dremel was the absence of a good Allen wrench holder. This is not difficult with the Rockwell as they have a holder built into the back of the SoniCrafter. The 72-piece SoniCrafter kit I'm reviewing also incorporates a dust extraction kit, that may also be acquired separately later if you purchase one of the smaller kits. The dust kit fastens to the base of the SoniCrafter employing a clip, and is fixed in position by the sanding pad at the other end. It includes a pair of different sized fittings that enable you to fit it to your vacuum or dust extractor. It works incredibly well for sanding, picking up almost all of the dust. This is may be thanks to the tight fit of the dust attachment against the back of the sanding pad. The Dust attachment may be employed while cutting, but it does not work as well and it'll restrict your cutting depth. Only taking 1 or 2 seconds to get rid of and attach makes it simple to change between tasks.

The 72-piece SoniCrafter kit is typically made from sanding sheets, but you do get quite a lot for your cash. It includes both a 3-1 / 8" HSS Segment Saw blade, and the standard End Cut 1-3 / 8 blade for your cutting wishes a Stiff Scraping Blade, Sanding Pad, a Finger Sanding Pad, two Felt Polishing Pads, a Carbide Rasp and a Carbide Grit Segment Saw Blade, 2- half ". The Carbide Saw can be employed to chop out grout, cut cement board, plaster etc, and it does it all with a lot less dust then a regular saw. I pulled out the sanding pads and sheets to do some testing on the sanding aspect of the tool as well as the dust collection. One thing you'll notice is how well the sanding pad holds the sanding sheets. It takes a fair deal of effort to get rid of them, which likely means you do not have to fret about them coming loose during heavy sanding.

I have not had a hook and loop product hold so well. One complaint I have about the saw blade attachments, is that the teeth basically aren't sharpened. It seems like they're just stamped out, which implies they potentially just scrape their way through. While they do cut OK, I suspect it might be worthwhile for them to sell a blade which has a better cutting tooth. Rockwell offers a couple more attachments that aren't included in the kit, but they do not have any that may cut through hard metals like nails and screws. Another complaint I have is with the storage bag, while it's a nice way to store the SoniCrafter, it is rather too short to hold the tool with a blade attached. You'll have to get rid of your attachments before you put it away. If the bag were a longer, this wouldn't be a difficulty.

During all of my testing I never ran into any problems, and I was typically satisfied. The SoniCrafter was ready to cut in places that other saws couldn't, including electric cutouts that were buried behind installed cupboards. When my Dad wanted to do a hard cut for one of his projects, I was fast to volunteer the Rockwell SoniCrafter. One thing I did notice, is the metal head does get a little hot during extended periods of use, but is does cool swiftly.

Buy the Rockwell SoniCrafter

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