I am surprised at all the uses I find for this! The most unusual has been pumpkin carving!

Actually reviewing 67537 which isn't in this index. It's the more expensive variable-speed multifunction tool. These multifunction tools are deservedly HF's most popular items. I wish the attachments for them weren't so pricey, but it really works. When I first turned it on without an attachment, it was so quiet with its hum that i thought it was malfunctioning. I about did a head-slap and then thought I'd try it with an attachment, and ... wow ... amazing from that point forward. I've used it primarily for sanding hard-to-reach spots, but have also done some flush trimming and also had a go at a diamond wheel for cutting tile, which is pretty nice. A bit slow, but it works for that.

I'm very pleased with this and its base price, especially on sale (which is almost all the time). I suspect it's much like printers are -- they're devices made to sell ink and toner; this is a machine made to sell attachments. It also happens to be a must-have tool and a great buy.

Used the saw part to do some undercutting on door jambs. Worked like a charm. Make sure you get the coupon, because it can currently be had for under $30 if you're willing to wait. GREAT deal.

Well worth the $20 I gave for it. Cuts (soft) wood and drywall easily. Haven't tried it on metal or hard wood. The sander works ok, and the scraper seems to be fine (just tested it). All in all, catch it on sale and keep it in the tool box for those odd ball cuts in wood and (especially) dry wall. I doubt I'll need my rotozip again. :)

Well worth the money. I read bad reviews of it saying the blade vibrates loose because all that's holding it is the tightness of the nut. I guess HF fixed this problem because the one I bought had tits that held the blade in place.

Here's an update. I continue to find more and more uses for this tool. It's a great concept, and honestly once you get one of these things you will wonder how you did without it. There are many jobs that yu really can't do with any other tool.

If you think about how much you use something like this, even though it gets used on dozens of little tasks, the actual run time isn't long - a typical cut requires literally a minute. I have used mine extensively for cutting as well as to grind down old thiset under tiles. Thinset grinding is the application that takes a little time, sometimes as long as 15 or twenty minutes. Sanding would also involve a longer run time but I haven't used mine for that - the chinese sandpaper is (as is typical) useless and I k=just haven't picked up any better paper yet. The cutting accessories, expecially the triangular carbide rasp, have been surprisingly good and cheap compared to blades for Drmel or Fein.

However, mine failed. After maybe 2-3 hours of actual run time, it just quit. No noise, no smoke... just stopped. This is where the $10 HF extended warranty came in handy. I returned it and was given a no-hassle exchange for a brand new kit. But it stopped work for more than an hour to exchange it, and that time is worth a lot. A pro would be better off with a more reliable tool. Compared to $300 for a real Fein Multimaster, I still rate this tool as worthwhile - but buy it on sale, and be SURE to spring for the warranty.

Excellent tool. Powerful and versatile. Great to make small and odd cut in wood. One of the key tool I own. I never had a problem with loose blade, but I do have to tighten it hard. Most women would have problem tightening it enough, so keep that in mind if you are one.
Not great to cut nail, dont expect too much here. Does work but the blade gets dull quickly and they are expensive.
Good tool but I hope the blades will get cheaper. They should not be that expensive but the competition started very high so hf is still the cheapest. I bought another brand blade and it does not last longer. Get the hf blades they work fine.

Love this tool, I do not use it all the time, but when I need it, it works great and beats using a saw that was not designed for going strait into moldings and etc...

I don't have the 67256, I have the 67537. The difference is that mine has variable speed, and goes up to 20,000 strokes per minute. All the same blades work on either.

I wanted to try this machine out to make sure it would be useful before spending big money on a Fein. I nearly got a Dremel, but it was $100 at Home Depot and the reviews weren't very favorable. I picked the HF version up at the store for $49.99. Plus I think Bosch/Dremel has gone seriously downhill. I bought a top of the line Rotozip and honestly it is a piece of junk, and the blades/bits are horrible (and again, crazy-expensive)for anything other than drywall. So based on that experience the HF version was worth a try.

I am NOT a fan in general of HF electric tools but I have to say that I am impressed. The machine has a soft start feature that works really well. The power is outstanding. The first task I did was to grind down thinset under a broken tile. This is a tough job. The motor in the machine is a little loud, but has plenty of power and didn't seem to labor at all, even when I put some pressure on the blade. FOr this task, I bought the triangle carbide rasp which again worked surprisingly well. My experience with HF abrasives has been so bad that I wouldn't take them if they gave them away - but this rasp got through the tile job very, very well. It was $15.

A knock I've read on the Dremel and also the Rockwell is that the head of the machines get very hot. The HF got warm, but never something I would consider uncomfortable or unusual.

Some of the other HF tools I've tried emit strange metallic noises from the gearing or motor bearings. This tool sounds fine. In fact, I would go so far as to say it has a general quality feel to it.

Replacement blades for a genuine Fein are insanely expensive. The HF blades are much, much less. At this point I'm sufficiently happy with the performance of this HF tool that I won't be spending the money on the Fein (or the Fein blades).

The sandpaper is hook-and-loop type so you can adapt "good" sandpaper to the HF tool. I haven't tried sanding yet but I feel confident that, given good paper, the machine will do very well.

I can't comment on the longevity so far. So I gave it a "4". I did get the two year warranty. My logic was that this extra $10 brought the total price of the tool up to $60, but since it guarantees that I'll get two years it seemed like a good option.

The variable speed unit I bought came with a very nice little case that has two removable plastic boxes inside - I use one for blades and the other for sandpaper (you don't want your sandpaper mingling with your blades!) The boxes don't snap together as nicely or positively as I would like, but overall the case is decent compared to cases from any major manufacturer (PC, Milwaukee, etc). Considering that I paid $50 for mine and the single speed model was only $10 cheaper with no case at all (both in-store sale prices), it seems like a good deal.

Next time I'm near the HF store I will be stopping in to get more accessories.

One of the best most useful tools I own. It will easily do things no other tool does. I'm using it commercially on remodel work and the more I use it, the more uses I find for it. I bought the first one and was so impressed I figured that a more expensive one would be better. I now own the Dremel version (a pitiful underpowered excuse for a tool) and the Bosch cordless. The Bosch has its place if you have no power, but it does suck the batteries dry pretty quick and doesn't have as much power as the Harbor Freight.

A much better choice for cutting drywall than the Rotozip in most cases. It cuts well and doesn't throw dust all over the place. The dust just falls down.

Much to my surprise, the scraper works very well. I first used it to clean a rubber caulk off aluminum door trim and it just zipped it off. No elbow grease.

The blades are good quality and I resharpen them with a triangle HF needle file.