Craftsman 9-17438 Nextec 12-volt Lithium-lon Multi-Tool

by Craftsman

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

This Craftsman 9-17438 nextec 12-volt lithium-ion multi-tool featuring compact, lightweight design with LED light is just what you need when you need it. The muscle you need delivering 15,000 opm for cutting, grinding and more. Great for any size project and won't let you down on the heavy duty projects. Includes 10 accessories, battery, charger and case.

Product Description

The compact 12 Volt battery provides the power of a full-sized battery in a smaller, lighter weight, longer lasting Lithium-Ion battery. One tool performs multiple tasks by using high-speed oscillations (15000 OPM), a 2.8 oscillation angle and six various attachments. The body of the tool features a soft grip handle, LED work light and an integrated dust bypass for comfort during use and enhanced visibility throughout any application. This versatile tool is ideal for cutting, sanding, scraping, grinding, and removing grout and more. Use on drywall, wood, metal, plastic, tile, masonry, and porous concrete. Its compact, ergonomic design and multiple blade positions allow for use in tight spaces. Perfect for carpentry, electrical, plumbing, flooring, drywall, remodeling, repair and hobbies.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 4 x 9 inches ; 5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002BX926W
• Item model number: 9-17438
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,870 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #26 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Power Tools > Oscillating Tools

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great tool if you don't expect Fein-quality, January 5, 2010

By 

shey (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Craftsman 9-17438 Nextec 12-volt Lithium-lon Multi-Tool (Tools & Home Improvement)

I really like this tool!

Pros:
- cheaper than the others
- cordless and really easy to handle
- easy to learn and use

Cons:
- battery life is about 10 mins with good use
- it does get a bit hot after 5 mins of continual use - enough to warrant gloves
- not nearly as powerful as what I've seen Fein do.

Now, comparing to the reviews I've read or the commercials I've seen for the Fein MultiMaster, it doesn't even come close. If you're anything more than a weekend do-it-yourself-er, this may not be for you. But if you're like me, this tool is sufficient and for the price, not bad at all (I actually picked this up for around $60, refurbished, from a common store's liquidation site).

What I used it for that worked out really well:
- cutting out the square electrical outlet holes in our kitchen cabinets
- dry wall cut-outs
- precise cuts for molding, baseboards, special projects
- small cuts (< 6 inches) on plywood
- precise cuts on medium quality bamboo floors (like around door moldings, corners, etc.)
- sanding an old teak chair I was restoring, getting into those small crevices, in between the slats.

What I used it for that didn't work out:
- Cutting notches in 2x4's - not enough power
- Precise cuts on dense teak floors - not enough power
- medium or longer cuts (> 6 inches) on plywood - not enough power; takes too long
- metal gutters - it did the job eventually, but it took a while. Again, not enough power.

People also recommend another battery, which I kind of agree with - however I have not yet, as I've managed to charge in between uses to keep the battery charged all day. I've also placed the whole tool + battery in the refrig to cool it down while not used it (just for 15 mins or so). It does get hot and once it did not charge because the unit was too hot.

Overall, I really like the tool and it's one of my favorites - but you really do need to adjust your expectations. If you're a contractor or a person who will use this every day - this won't do.

UPDATE 11/2011: 2 years later, still working out great. I will stick with my "cautious recommendation" of this product.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for the price, June 13, 2009

By 

HJ ":)" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Craftsman 9-17438 Nextec 12-volt Lithium-lon Multi-Tool (Tools & Home Improvement)

I just got one of these units. Seems to be better built than the Dremmel unit. The cutting bits seem to be more solid. However, is not variable speed and unlike the Bosch, tops off at 15000 opm. However, it is almost $100 cheaper. Also comes with a fair mix of bits (I think more than the Dremmel including a vac port and definitely more than the Bosch). At this point don't know about battery life, but the unit comes with only one battery - suggest you buy a second. I don't know about the other units, but this got pretty hot as I was doing test cuts through hard wood - perhaps they all do? Hell, for $99, what more do we want :).

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice supplement to a Fein Multimaster, January 15, 2010

By 

D. Gustavson "DaveGadgeteer" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Craftsman 9-17438 Nextec 12-volt Lithium-lon Multi-Tool (Tools & Home Improvement)

I have a Fein Multimaster, which I love, and bought this for $99 at Sears on sale thinking it would sometimes be nice to have a cordless unit for some jobs.
At a quarter the price I paid for the Multimaster, I rather expected this to be a toy.
But it's a fine tool, and the blades are compatible with Fein, which was a great asset for me. It likely will result in lower blade costs too, due to competition.
For long hard use, the Fein is hard to beat. But for small jobs that can do with battery power, this tool is great! I've used it for cutting copper pipes in awkward places, where I couldn't get a tubing cutter on them, and for scraping, and for cutting doorway trim, and even smoothed some concrete patches.
I also bought the hammer and the drill/saw/light kit, which means I have several batteries that I can use for jobs that take more than I anticipated.