Stanley Fatmax Cordless Oscillating multi-tool Review
Oscillating Multi-tools are incredibly versatile and come in useful so often. They are one of those tools that can get you out of trouble again and again.
I would recommend having one in your arsenal. But at what price? Multi-tools from the big brands can end up setting you back a good few hundred quid.
Luckily the multi-tool we are looking at today is a remedy for that. It comes in at around £100 tool only and £150 with a 4Ah battery and charger. If it is up to snuff then that price looks like a real steal.
Video Review
I have included a link to my full video review below. Watch that if you’d prefer to watch rather than read or keep scrolling for the more in-depth text review!
Should You Get It?
For those of you in a hurry and who don’t want to read the full review then let’s cut to the chase. Should you buy this tool?
The short answer is yes! This is a great tool with many pro features at a cracking price.
I have tested a few things from the V20 range and been impressed with everything so I have no hesitations in telling anyone, whether DIY or pro to give them a try!
A high quality tool at a great price.
Part of the new V20 range from Stanley Fatmax.
In the box
So what comes included with the Stanley Fatmax? Thankfully Stanley hasn’t cut corners here to get the cost down. The multi-tool comes with all the accessories you will need for most jobs.
In the box, you will find a wood blade, a wood and metal blade, a grout blade and a sanding pad as well as sanding paper in a variety of grits. There is also a dust extraction hose that connects to the sander. This then hooks up to your vacuum allowing for efficient dust extraction, a nice little addon.
Another thing I wanted to mention is actually the box itself. With the Fatmax you actually get a hard carry case. A lot of other multi-tools around this price that I have tested come only with a cardboard box.
This is a really nice thing to have, you can store your tool away easily without worrying about it being damaged.
Testing the tool
To test this Oscillating Multi-tool out we put it through our newly designed multi-tool testing course. We will go through four nails, saw some skirting board, both pine and MDF and then finally finish with some solid ash flooring.
This will test a lot of the regular uses for a multi-tool. I know that in my day job as a joiner my multi-tool gets used most often for cutting skirting boards in hard to reach places.
Sawing Nails
This is another great use for multi-tools. If you have a nail sticking up in some awkward spot then your options to get rid of it can be limited. One choice is a grinder, but another is a multi-tool.
For this test, I nailed four nails into a piece of timber and then sawed them off. Let’s have a look at how the Stanley Fatmax Multi-tool got on.
Sawing Skirting Board
As I said earlier, this is the job that I get the multi-tool out of the van for more often than anything else. When the skirting is on the wall there are too many other ways of sawing them other than using a multi-tool.
Sawing Ash Flooring
This is solid ash that I have leftover from a wood floor that I recently laid. Ash is a hardwood so this will be a thorough test for any multi-tool.
The Battery
If you have read any of my other reviews of Fatmax tools then you will know that the batteries are a big selling point. The new V20 range from Stanley uses Samsung 20R cells in the packs.
Note that the tool comes with a 4Ah battery bit this is a 2Ah in the photo!
This means these packs are top quality. They will offer a lot of capacity and will last and last.
The battery pack is a crucial part of any cordless power tool and can make or break the range. So it is great news that Stanley decided to go with such high-quality cells in these.
Quick Tool-less Blade Change
This is a real selling point of this multi-tool. I have tried a lot of multi-tools in my time and have seen all sorts of blade changing mechanisms. Some quick release, some not, some tool-less some not.
Let me just say that I think the quick release on the Fatmax is the best I have ever used. Well maybe joint best, and that’s because this is taken straight from the DeWALT multi-tool.
From my memory the mechanism is identical, and why not? It’s a fantastic mechanism so if you’ve got it, use it!
Sanding
Multi-tools being as versatile as they are can be used for a wide range of jobs. one such job is sanding, and the Fatmax doesn’t disappoint here either.
It comes with a sanding attachment, complete with a dust hose that can be hooked up to a vacuum as well as some sanding sheets (in a variety of grits).
I gave it a run out on a piece of painted ash wood and was actually surprised at how well the sander worked. The dust extraction was also excellent, sucking up every bit of dust.
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