1 Piece Heavy Duty Sanding Finger Pad for SoniCrafter, RW9149 Reviews
Brand:Rockwell
Offer Price :See Low Price
Giving you the ability to sand, polish, scrape, and cut a wide variety of materials, the Rockwell RK5102K Sonicrafter Deluxe 72-piece Kit is your all-in- one
My project had innumerable paint ridges to sand down, cracked plaster to even out before patching, and badly executed previous patching jobs to sand down and re-apply. In the past, I've done this type of thing with a putty knife and a lot of elbow grease, and I've bloodied my knuckles when the knife slipped and they scraped along sand painted walls. For this project, that would probably have taken months to do a good job, and I don't have that kind of time. I'm not a professional.. just a homeowner trying to do an adequate job with some well needed repainting.
Enter the Soniccrafter with the triangular carbide rasp attachment. The carbide rasp worked through sixty years of my walls' wear and tear like a trooper. I used it like a sander, sliding it along the wall over and over to level out the surface. Sand paper is no good, of course - between the sand paint and the sand in the plaster it would be ruined in moments. The carbide steel didn't show any sign of wear after several hours of work. I learned that I needed to keep the rasp constantly moving along the wall, or else the rapid side-to-side motion of the rasp can dig grooves.
Without this tool, I would have spent twice as long, and not done half as good a job. This went well enough that I'm going to have to stop making excuses and do something about the peeling paint in the bathroom.
Television adds make this sound like a real work horse but it is really only good for small jobs where you need a tool to get into tight corners or are doing small scale construction products. Does not have the power to really work on big projects. I will still use it but recommend a heavy grinder if that is your application.
The sonicrafter has the weight and feel of a well made tool. The assortment of accessories that came with the kit is
impressive. Do the math, and you will see that buying this large assortment all in one kit is a much better deal then getting a starter kit and adding accessories piece by piece. I have only used it a few times, but so far I am very impressed. With the quality I see so far, I will have to start considering the "new" Rockwell brand for future tool purchases also.
Overall this tool is great. You do have to have patience with it, but with patience come great cuts, smooth edges, and less mess.
I gave it a four stars, because it does not cut screws and nails like I thought it would or should.
I spent the extra bucks for this one instead of buying the lesser dremel and am happy.
I would recommend to a friend.
I bought the Fein Multimaster for a wood floor installation as there were many
undercutting operations that it was clear that tool would be required for. If you
are changing out carpet for a wood floor, undercutting the sheet rock for clearance
and to get that "installed when the house was built" look, you will find this tool very useful
to catch those spots that the Crain Supersaw can't get to. You can't live without
the case because of the large collection of blades and attachments you will acquire.
Using the Multimaster to cut the underlayment around the kitchen counters will
consume a blade standard wood blade, but is a lot safer than using a
toe kick saw and the fein will reach all the corners.
In addition to the kit, you will need the E-cut combo blade kit that has the
precision wood blade (for cutting door jambs), the standard wood blade
(for cutting underlayment around counters using the depth stop) and a
wood metal blade that you can never have enough of. The "wood metal" blades
are bimetal and last longer, so you always use them when they will do the job nicely.
Save your dull bimetal blades, they are excellent power scrapers. You know the
blade is dull when it starts burning the wood a bit.
The carbide rasp in the kit is the cat's meow. You will find that contractors
spilled a lot of paint and sheet rock mud that the carpet covered. This will
make your floor uneven if you don't clean it up. The neat thing about the rasp
is that you can soak it in paint remover when it gets gummed up and it is ready
to go again. It will also do a good job cleaning up mortar around the fireplace.
The fein costs quite a bit and the blades cost a lot as consumables, but the tool
is useful for a lot of cutting that would otherwise be very difficult to impossible
to get done. Some of the aftermarket blades are cheaper but only offer four
positions on the tool. These are the most common mounting positions.
I researched every brand of these tools before buying a refirbished one. It works well and I use it a lot but the screw mechanism that holds the blades on really needs a better design. The end does get hot but its not unbearable. Be prepared to buy more blades.
So far my new Rockwell has been everything promised and more. The convenience of the tool and the accuracy incorporated into the blades is a tremendous plus on any job!
I read a lot of reviews on rockwell, Dremmel and Fien... I bought the Rockwell as a more durrable but less expensive solution for my occassional DIY needs. If I were a pro I would consider a Fien. I do not have great expectations for speed with the sonicraft...I have used this form of vibrating technology with other tools... none are very quick. But lets not set the bar to low. The speed is reasonable and it is acceptable if it saves any time in excess of available alternatives. I find the tool usefill for tight jobs or those jobs where considerable deomolition and rebuilding is relatively greater than the actual outcome deserves. Others I know who own ths tool think it does a great job on grout and tile work. This blade is most usefull for some cuts, especially if the straighter blades won't reach the job properly. I have several of each in my tool kit and use what is most appropriate.
I agree with other reviews that the blades are kind of expenseive. I have purchased some non-branded blades and was not surprised when they had difficulty fitting onto the drive nut... stick with Rockwell brand blades if you are an occassional user. These blades are usefull but because of cost I rate the blades a 4
This tool works well. Its heavy and i am glad i did not get the battery one. Cord is cool.