Metabo LF724 6.4 Amp 3-1/7-Inch Paint Remover with Case

by Metabo

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

This unique tool removes paint and varnish up to 70 percent faster than any other method. Four all-carbide blades set in an adjustable drum that spins at 11,000 rpm can cut flat surfaces, perpendicular surfaces, or both simultaneously. The Metabo safety clutch helps protect both tool and operator. One full year parts and labor warranty and 30 day risk free performance protection. Standard equipment includes carry case, four reversible solid tungsten carbide blades, vacuum adapter, and combination wrench for blade change and drum adjustment.

Product Description

Includes LF724S 6.0 AMP 10,000 RPM Paint Remover - 600724980, (4) Indexable Solid Tungsten Carbide Blades, Vacuum Adaptor, Combination Wrench - 344162450, Cleaning Pick - 344162540

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 3.2 x 6 inches ; 6.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000224QB
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 600724420
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,262 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

131 of 132 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paid for itself the first job, February 7, 2001

By 

P. B. SALAMON (Cedar Rapids, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Metabo LF724 6.4 Amp 3-1/7-Inch Paint Remover with Case (Tools & Home Improvement)

This paint remover does the job; takes the paint off down to the wood and it never gums up with paint. I used it to strip paint from a fifty year old house with many layers of paint. It took me 4 days to strip the whole house. I estimate it would have taken twice as long to scrape the house by hand, and I would not have done nearly as good a job. I dulled four of the carbide blades to strip the whole house. The tool is light enough to operate with one hand. However, there are some tricks to using this tool:

- You have to wear goggles, (not just safety glasses) earplugs, a dust mask, gloves, and I'd recommend coveralls. This tool throws a lot of dust and small chips. I did not use a vacuum because I felt the hose would slow me down too much, but a vacuum should make the job much cleaner.

- Watch out for nails. You have to set the nails before you strip the paint. Just give the nails a wack before stripping. If you do snag a nail, it will either shave off the top or rip it out of the board. It's something you don't want to do too often.

The tool is well made except for the little doors covering the rabbet blades; I busted one off the first day. It has a nice long and flexible cord. Pet peeve: the switch turns off too easily.

It's not perfect, it's just better than any other tool for stripping paint. And, it'll pay for itself on the first job.

HERE IS AN UPDATE WRITTEN IN 2004:

I have used this stripper for a few more jobs over the years, and it is still going strong. I now always use a vacuum with it which makes for a much cleaner job. With a vacuum I have found I can wear safety glasses rather than goggles (glasses are much cooler and don't fog up) and don't need a dusk mask. You may still want to wear a dusk mask as it is a dusty job.

I replaced the door that busted off the front with a screwed on sheet of 1/16" Al. It works great. In fact, I never use the rabbet blades and have removed them. Just use a 1" carbide hand scraper to get the underside of the siding.

One edge of the carbide blades will last for about one side of a one story house. So for a small house (or a big garage) you can strip it with two blades. One thing to remember is the tool works diferently with sharp blades! That means when you rotate from a dull edge of the blade to a sharp edge, the tool will suddenly cut much faster. On soft woods the tool is easier to control with slightly dull blades. What I ended up doing is after a blade change I'd strip the trim (keeping the tool absolutely flat on the wood) until the blades dull a bit before I went back to stripping the soft Cedar siding.

You need to be careful out there. The blades on this thing are spinning at 11,000 RPM with no guard and they take a while to wind down after you turn the tool off. You may know where this is going; once I just brushed my index finger and cut it open. I didn't do any lasting damage, but it hurt like hell. Think!

And after all your hard work, don't use cheap paint.

One last tip then I'll shut up. The dust from this tool will quickly clog a vacuum's filter, so I wrap two layers of paper towels around the filter to act as a "pre-filter". After an hour or so, I throw out the clogged paper towels and put on new.

Painting a house is still a hellofa big job, but this tool will probably cut the time in half. Plus the paint will probably last longer and look better because you are getting down to the bare wood.

YET ANOTHER UPDATE, written in 2006:
When I bought this Metabo back in 2001, the Paint Shaver Pro did not exist, so this was the best tool available at the time. I agree the pastic doors are really cheap for a 400 dollar tool, and I wish Metabo would just get rid of the rabbet blades and doors. However, other than the rabbet blade issue, this tool does work well.

That being said, for the next house I strip, I probably buy a Paint Shaver Pro if for nothing else just to try it out. The Paint Shaver Pro costs 600 bucks, but that becomes nothing after you spend a couple of days up on a ladder stripping paint.

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed!! Almost a great machine but...., May 24, 2005

By 

Bill D. Nunez "billnunez" (norman, ok United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Metabo LF724 6.4 Amp 3-1/7-Inch Paint Remover with Case (Tools & Home Improvement)

I received this tool from Amazon today and couldn't wait to start stripping the multiple layers of paint off the wood lap siding of my 1917 bungalow. The machine arrived promptly, as it always does from Amazon, and it looks and feels like a nice quality piece of equipment EXCEPT for the often mentioned plastic side blade covers--they look like trouble before you ever fire up the machine. I'm a carpenter and own machines from Bosch, Porter-Cable, Hitachi, Dewalt etc....I know rugged machine design when I see it.

I hooked it up to my shop vac and did a test. Once I got the cutting depth dialed-in, it worked great. It performs like a powered carbide scraper, so you can can work it back and forth if you need to strip away multiple layers and it'll take off a fairly uniform layer with each pass and leave a nice workable surface. The side blades, however, seem mostly useless in that you can't adjust their cutting depth and they don't take much at all off in a pass. Maybe there's a trick to it, but I'll never find out because I'm sending this thing back.

Anyway, since the test went so well, I decided to jump right into the first part of the project. It went great for about 10 minutes until I noticed paint chips suddenly flying all over the place. Was the dust collection port clogged? No...one of the *&##$%# side blade covers had already broken off! Another reviewer noted that this would not affect cutting, which is true, but it defeats the dust collection almost completely. Yet another reviewer stated that he fixed the problem with a piece of metal flashing. I'm sure that works, but I'm not going to pay $300+ for a tool and then rig it up to keep it running. Not to mention not being able to use half the blades the machine is designed to provide.

I commend Metabo for improving the technology of paint removal machines as compared to the older Porter-Cable machine. The ideas of dust collection and using carbide blades rather than an abrasive are great, but this machine is not quite there. The side blades need to be made more useable and the covers are downright dangerous. I figured I'd give the Metabo a try since it's roughly half the price of a Paint Shaver, but there seems to be a reason. My hunch is that Paint Shaver has taken the good things about the Metabo and made them better. Plus it is said to work much faster. I'll find out soon enough, since I'm returning the Metabo and ordering a Paint Shaver Pro tomorrow.

UPDATE AS OF JUNE 30,2005
I now have a Paint Shaver Pro, and it is a FAR superior machine to the Metabo. Another reviewer noted that the Metabo gets closer into corners than the Paint Shaver, but that has been resolved with the Pro model. Not only does the Paint Shaver remove paint faster than the Metabo, but the blades for removing paint from the edges of lap siding are actually adjustable in depth and they work. I paid almost twice as much for the Paint Shaver Pro as the Metabo, but if you look at the used market for them on Ebay, you can't go wrong because you'll get most of your money back out of it if you sell it.

Sorry Amazon, I love ya, but I cannot recommend the Metabo when a better tool is available elsewhere.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will never go back to hand scrapping, April 17, 2002

By 

"matt_stritz" (Coldwater, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metabo LF724 6.4 Amp 3-1/7-Inch Paint Remover with Case (Tools & Home Improvement)

I am in the process of stripping all the paint off my 1886 Colonial Revival home. I have purchased many tools to do the trick but the Metabo is far the superior of any of them. Old paint will gum up any carbide discs such as that of the Porter Cable paint stripper, I know cause I also bought this tool. I used it once and now I am trying to find another use for it. The Metabo is awesome I can remove all of the paint right down to the original wood. It is a serious tool and could do some serious damage if used improperly. But once you get a handle on it you will love it as I do. combine it with your shop vac to make clean up unheard of and a safe way to remove lead paint.