Fein has come out with new E-Cut Carbide Pro BiM-TiN oscillating multi-tool blades, designed for cutting hard and abrasive materials.
The new blades are said to set new standards in durable performance with oscillating multi-tools, and can be used to cut a range of materials, from hardened or high-strength machine screws, to bricks.
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Fein says that their blades are unique, with carbide teeth and a titanium nitride coating for even greater stability and resistance to corrosion. The TiN coating is also intended to reduce friction and heat, which Fein said will greatly improve the longevity of these blades.
Compared to multi-tool saw blades with HSS teeth, the new carbide blades are said to last 30 times longer. They are also said to have a 100% longer service life compared to uncoated carbide blades.
Fein said these blades are ideal for use on ferrous metals, stainless steel, copper pipes, tempered screws (such as Spax), high-strength machine screws, brick, masonry and cement fiber slabs, laminate, reinforced plastic materials, and also offer strong cutting performance and quality in wood materials such as hardwood and particle board.
The blade has a 1-3/8″ cutting width.
Price: $23 each, 3 for $47, 10 for $109 (as of the time of this posting)
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Compare(Bosch Starlock carbide blades via Amazon)
Jason
I wish that Home Depot and Lowe’s still stocked Starlock blades – I recently went to buy a Fein MultiMaster but then realized that the Bosh-branded Starlock blades were no longer available in either big box store. I checked the online inventory and couldn’t find any stores within 3 states of mine that had any.
I love the idea of Starlock, but OMT blades are the sort of thing you end up having to buy in a pinch, and I’d be worried about having to put a project on hold while I waited for a blade to be shipped to me
Jim Felt
In Portlandia we’ve got several commercial contractor supply level vendors that carry these sort of “never at a Big Box” supplies.
Maybe that’s an option in your area? Though obviously they aren’t open ‘til 9 PM…
Adam Murray
Would you mind sharing which ones? Thanks, Jim!
Steve the Gullible
Stuart, what is it that makes oscillating blades so expensive? Everybody’s is “bigger, faster, stronger, cuts a billion times longer, etc” and some are a bit better but they still wear out quick and seem to cost a lot. Secondly does anyone know if the TiN really is useful? It is on most of the crap drill bits you can buy now and finding its way onto more stuff all the time but does it help if the metal under it is bad?
Stuart
I’d guess it’s because the manufacturing process is more complex than for say reciprocating saw blades, and carbide-tooth blades even more so.
fred
I might add that some of the high quality blades are made in Switzerland, Germany and Liechtenstein (for some Fein blades). These are not low-wage labor countries. So whatever the labor component of the blade cost is – it is not based on China labor rates.
When I had the business we used corded Fein Multimasters and Supercuts – with their blades as they were the only game in town. If we had a job with a lot of finicky cutouts and fitting to do – we’d anticipate going through a lot of blades – and work that cost into our estimates if we thought it was going to be extraordinary. Usually, however, things like blade cost was incidental compared to labor cost.
Franklin Franklin
It’s been a few years since he got shut down, but a Multiblades use to sell good blades for a very reasonable price. Fein was able to make him cease and desist due to patent infringement. That’s the story I heard anyway. Point is, they can be manufactured for a more reasonable cost.
redacted
TiN provides a low friction, hard surface coating to cutting tools and cutting teeth.
The other major advantage of TiN is that it helps prevent galling on cutting blades from certain materials like aluminum, which is the reason TiN shows up on even cheap drill bits. Good TiN coated drill bits are actually pricey.
If the cutting tooth isn’t very hard, TiN won’t provide much benefit unless the material being cut is very soft.
On harder teeth, the TiN coating reduces friction, and hence heat, which should increase blade longevity.
It may also help prevent corrosion, and resin build up.
It also serves as a good indicator of tooth wear.
As far as blade cost goes. The most comparable other blades might be Jogsaw or Recipeocating saw bkades, both of which are sold in a wide variety of types like oscillating blades.
Reciprocating saw blades are pretty much standardized across all brands as far as shank type goes.
This means manufacturers just have to concentrate on the blade design, and the blades will work in any reciprocating saw.
This brings reduction of cost by manufacturing scale and competition.
Jigsaw blades aren’t completely standardized, I believe there are a half fozen major shank designs, but at this point, the Bosch T-shank design has pretty much won, with U-shank blades second.
Also, there are a huge number of jigsaws that are sold and made, and there have been for years.
This again brings reduction of price by scale.
Nathan
starlock connection being so propriety is part of the cost here too.
vs Dewalts (and whoever else uses that pattern).
So as you see that riveted segment – and it’s probably 2 different metals between the starlock and the blade itself (hardness vs strength etc)
So it’s an expensive blade design to start off with – then they are made in smaller quantity since they don’t fit everyone’s machine.
Frank D
On my Bosch, to swap blades, I don’t like having to get the wrench out and unscrew the long locking nut.
The ridgid one has a lever to lift the retention clip … and with fiddling one can tilt it to slide inside of a conventional blade.
Either way, doing blade swaps with C shaped blades ( no full ring ) is a lot more convenient.
Stuart
The Bosch 12V has a screw, their other Starlock tools have quick release levers.
Frank D
Interesting.
My Bosch is corded, not that old and it has a long screw.
But, the model must have predated star-lock. I should have looked closer, and not thought it was proprietary blades perhaps, as blade change is annoyingly slow.
Stuart
I’m guessing it’s the Bosch Multi-X? That oscillating tool came out in 2010. https://toolguyd.com/bosch-mx25e-multi-x-oscillating-tool/
I last posted about it in 2014. https://toolguyd.com/bosch-mx25-oscillating-tool-deal-112014/ After that, maybe it was discontinued?
The tool-free Multi-X with OIS interface came out in 2012. https://toolguyd.com/bosch-mx30e-multi-x-oscillating-multi-tool/
Starlock came out in 2016.
Except for the 12V tool, Starlock oscillating multi-tools are nearly mind-blowingly fast when it comes to blade changes.
Tools that are tool-free with slotted blade interfaces require hex keys for bolt removal when you want to use full-ring accessories, such as Bosch’s or Fein’s. Pros and cons with both, really, but at least there are only 2 main interface styles. Technically there are 3, but Starlock blades are backwards-compatible with tools that work with OIS-interface accessories.
Hoser
These blades definitely look and feel nice. One big surprise to me is how thick the kerf is, easily twice the thickness of other Fein blades. It is a rock solid blade though. It is a metal blade, but so far I have just tested it in wood and it cut about as fast as a dull wood blade. So far I’ve been taking it pretty easy with testing since I only have one blade and you can’t buy them anywhere yet, at least no place that I have come across. Looking forward to seeing how it does on Metal.
Chris Fyfe
I run a Fein 18 volt starlock , I’m using Bosch carbide blades , be interested in how the Fein blades stackup .