Customer Reviews

Rockwell RK5101K SoniCrafter 37-Piece Oscillating Tool Kit

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

OMG, the Rockewell SoniCrafter is great. I was looking for a corded oscillating tool and looked at the Fein Multitasker and blades, but it is just way too expensive to purchase for my needs. So I bought the Dremel and the Rockwell to compare side by side...

The $100 Dremel is lighter and a bit smaller but the buzz the motor makes compared to the Rockwell motor [a little bit heavier and slightly bigger] which humms smoothly is like comparing a Vespa scooter to a Victory street bike.

Since the basic Rockwell is only $20 more than the Dremel and the extra blades are about the same price, there was no question about going for the quality/durability of a Rockwell.

The only convenience problem that I can foresee is getting replacement blades:
Dremel is carried by big box hardware stores; hobbyists who do crafts on the spur of the moment and do not need to rip open walls, will appreciate the around-the-corner convenience.
Rockwell is carried by speciality woodworking stores or the internet; the Home Proj. kind of guys have to plan ahead before ripping into a wall for remodeling. So ordering parts in advance should be a no brainer.

I also really liked the Rockwell case, it is created with niches and screw-downs to hold lots of blades/attachments in place.

I looked at the Bosch 12v battery operated version, and that would have been a good choice but I do not want to have numerous 18v tool systems and chargers for the various power hand tools that I use. I read that the Bosch delivers 20 min of battery power and I might need more time than that between charges.

All four tools mentioned above have variable speeds pretty much the same: 10,000 - 21,000 opm. The Bosch details that I read boasted of 5,000 - 20,000 opm, but I do not know if I need to go that slow. If I did I would have researched more into the rare Praxon version of oscillating tool, which is reportedly underpowered and equivalent to size and weight of the Dremel.

I debated a couple of years about purchasing a tool like this. At first, Fein was the only option and just for home use it was too much money for me to justify purchasing. Now that there are reasonably priced choices, I purchased this 37 piece Rockwell kit. Honestly, I felt like it was a gamble. Many reviews say the blades don't last and they come loose all the time. I rolled the dice. I WON!!!

This is a solid tool. I love working with tools and I own a lot of professional quality tools. I put this in the same class as my Bosch, Dewalt, Porter Cable, Rigid, and Makita tools.

For $208 I got this kit and a diamond segment saw, a carbide triangle saw, and a blade cleaner. The tool and add on accessories cost less than half as much as those from Fein.

I immediately went to work taking out thinset from an old tile job, probably 1/4 inch trowelled. I had tried hammer and chisel and hated that. I bought an angle grinder which worked but threw dust everywhere. That lasted about one minute before I had to quit because of the dust. Then I threw a rug over it. That was a couple of years ago.

This Sonicrafter with the diamond segment saw is the right tool for the job. It is powerful enough. I used it for an hour, it did not overheat or bog down. The blade shows no signs of wear. The blade never came loose. It did not throw dust everywhere. After an hour my hand was tired. Operating this tool feels very much like operating a random orbital sander. The gentle vibration over time is fatiguing.

Get a variable speed model; the least expensive kit is not variable speed. The harder the material you work on, the higher the speed needs to be set. According to the manufacturer, it is running the tool on too low a speed that causes overheating and excessive blade wear.

Be careful when you mount the blade. Blades mount like a twelve point socket fits on a nut; but these blades and mount are thin like a hacksaw blade. Make sure the blade is seated on the nut before you tighten the mounting screw. If the blade is mounted correctly, it will not work loose. I have used three different types of blades and have never had a blade work loose. Just get it on there right to begin with.

I am more than satisfied with my choice of Sonicrafter over Multimaster. I used some of the money I saved to buy myself a new Stetson hat.

I debated whether I should just splurge and by a multimaster or save some cash and go with the sonicrafter. After reading all the reviews for both products and watching demos on U tube I chose the sonicrafter. So far I have put it to work on some serious DIY projects and it has done the job. Its great for sheetrock cutting. It did a good job of cutting out the hole for a pocket door hardware in an solid alder door. It cuts sheet metal and slices through nails fine too.

I have not had a problem with blades loosening or the tool getting real hot like in other reviews. If you go slow and let the tool do the work it works fine. It's not a Sawsall, use it for the finer work. Its not real speedy at cutting harder woods and if your blade is dull it will burn in woods like oak and maple.

I suggest stocking up on blades because I have only found them online. Just like a sawsall blade, they dont last very long, save your dull blades for cutting sheet rock and keep your sharp blades for wood cutting.

As a serious DIY guy I am happy with the sonicrafter and glad I saved the money over buying the fein MM tool.

i am a contractor ive used the fein multimaster for years was looking for a less expensive replacement i bought the dremel it was junk brought it back. i bought this and used it just like the fein it was the same but cost one third the price. i would highly recommend this for someone who uses it often.

I bought this product for a specific purpose (removal of a broken tile). It did the job well enough, but I found, as other reviewers have done,that the attachment screw worked loose very easily. This problem was reduced when I placed less pressure on the machine and let it do the job itself. I think it will prove to be a useful enough tool to have around, especially for smaller cutting and sanding jobs. However, it is expensive.

I had seen a video promo on TV about this product and it does everything it promised. I especially love it for working on crown mouldings and baseboards as we live in a very old house and I am currently renovating....As a female hobbyist I find this tool very easy to use and to handle. I would recomend it as a must to any workshop.

Read about a number of new oscillating saw products entering the market and the one that appealed to me the most was the Rockwell sonicrafter. The big negative seemed to be that it was not yet handled by a large retailer so blades might be hard to get. They are, on the other hand, readily available online from a number of sources. I was putting down a wooden floor in a bathroom and wanted something to undercut the door jamb. Thought this tool sounded good enough to give it a chance. Arrived in a timely manner and I started working on the floor. I undercut the door, then had to change blades and do a plunge cut in a plank for the heater register, then to the scraper blade to remove some of the old tile mastic from the new floor area and finally to the end cutting blade to make a multi-sided cut in the end of the wood where it met the wall and door frame. Got far more use out of it than I had planned. It felt good in my hand with its rubber coating and the motor ran smoothly, not bogging down or laboring on any job. Blade change was easy and the blade did not come loose when running. The metal housing between the motor and blade got quite warm during use but cooled down quickly when the work stopped. Never had a time when it was too hot to handle. I have never been a fan of the jig saw and this has taken many of the uses away from it. I did not use the grout cutting blade or the sanding pad but I can see some future uses for them. I am very happy with my purchase.

Initially I was looking for the MultiMaster (because this is what my husband really wanted), but it was way too expensive at the moment. So, I did some research and bought this less expensive "knock-off" tool for my husband as a post-Christmas gift in early January 2009, and my husband uses it on a consistent bases. Boy, was he surprised. As a matter of fact, he is currently using it to finish cabinets, chair molding & framing projects around our home and he says, "This is the best tool that I've ever had!" He was really surprised at how well the SonicCrafter sands and handles overall.

This product is highly recommended and a good buy for anyone who does a lot of home improvement projects.

This tool did a very poor job on the project I bought it for. Maybe it is meant for other applications.
I ordered this tool because I needed to trim the bottom of a cabinet to allow for a thicker countertop. I only needed to remove a small amount of material from less than 30 linear inches of soft pine. The cutting went very slowly, and I ran through the flush cut blade completely--the teeth almost disappeared! I tried finishing the job with the abrasive blade and the metal cutting blade, but ended up using a hammer and chisel. The blades are expensive, so this does not seem like a practical tool.
On the plus side, the body of the tool is solid and seems well made, and I did not have the problem with the blades coming loose that some other reviewers have mentioned.

Tool works as advertised. Well pleased so far. Hope replacement parts will be available when needed. Hope to get a lot of use from it!