That’s right, sandtastic! Dremel graciously shipped out their latest innovation to us, the Dremel Multi-Max Cordless. They also chipped in an extra cordless Multi-Max that will be awarded to one lucky winner in our November 2010 Free Stuff Giveaway. Just enter a useful comment on any article, or subscribe to our ridiculously handy weekly email newsletter and you’re automatically entered to win.
Most of the time when I need an oscillating tool, I tend to reach for my trusty Fein Multi-Master. However, like many corded tools, the Fein cord (despite being generously long) can start to feel a bit more like a leash on some projects. There are simply many times where going cordless makes a lot of sense, which is why I was eager to see how the Dremel peformed on an extensive sanding project.
Some cordless multi-tools have had a less than stellar reputation for battery life, so I was concerned the Dremel Multi-Max Cordless might fall into the same category. I was recently working on a window resoration project. Actually, I’m still working on it. Now that I think about it, I’ll probably be working on it for an eternity. Sigh. This particular phase of the project involved some moderate sanding of wood that had already been stripped and cleaned in preparation for Fuhr 105 stain and Fuhr 260 finish. There was a lot of corner sanding my random orbit couldn’t get to that was ideal for the Dremel.
I charged up one of the batteries fully before using it and decided I was going to sand until the battery died, which I expected to occur fairly quickly. Instead, I sanded for 32 minutes and 30 seconds. Did I really stand there and sand wood more or less nonstop for over thirty minutes? Yup. I’d like to tell you that’s just how dedicated I am to tool testing on HomeFixated, but frankly, I have way too much sanding on my hands. My arm got tired. I got thirsty. I contemplated going on vacation. All while waiting for the Lithium Ion battery to give in.
For the 30 plus minutes, I had the Multi-Max’s speed setting at about 2/3 power. I found the 32:30 run-time to be really impressive. It’s long enough that I would expect the Multi-Max to handle most jobs someone typically reaches for a cordless oscillating multi-tool for. And with the second included battery, I suspect it meets the needs of even more. The tool runs at 3,000 to 21,000 opm (that’s “oscillations per minute”, not “other people’s money”, in case you were wondering). The cordless Multi-Max’s 12VMAX Lithium-Ion battery is also interchangeable with the Dremel 8200 rotary tool. Dremel says that the high performance motor combined with the Lithium-Ion batteries deliver the same performance level as the corded Multi-Max. Based on our review of both the corded Multi-Max and the new cordless, I have little reason to doubt that claim. The cordless Dremel Multi-Max appears to be a solid contender in the crowded oscillating tool field.
You can find the Dremel 8300-01 12-Volt Cordless Multi-Max Oscillating Kit
Dont buy the multi max,just got it today from home depot,charged it took it out to work and it ran about 1 min before 3 lights started flashing and it shut down,i was only cutting the fiberglass cowl on a rc plane which is paper thin,battery or unit was not hot and kept trying it but would do the same thing,going to return it tommorow and buy the corded 3 series like my old one that broke,but that at least was a workhorse for 8 years.DONT BUY THE CORDLESS 8200 12v MULTMAX
Same thing as Les, overheating like crazy, only two days old. I let it sit overnight w no battery, put in a fully charged battery in the morning and it literally ran for about three seconds! Taking it back, just wanted to see if anyone else had similar experiences and a quick google search tells me I may actually be in the majority! Which is too bad because when it works it’s super handy.
Thanks for a great website and terrific info. I can’t wait to try out the new Dremel Multi-Max!! And thanks to your comparison…I will save some money, too.
Sorry not impressed with the mutil-max. Taking it back to the store. I fully charged both batteries before I started my project which was cutting 1/2″ plywood for underlayment. I bought the Dremel for the purpose of being able to cut out small sections of the plywood to fit around existing baseboard and door jams. The power lasted barely ten minutes and according to the owners manual, the flashing lights indicate that the motor was overheating. Even letting the thing cool down only allowing to run for 15 sec at a time. Also didn’t seem like the teeth on the blades were very sharp. Maybe I just got a dud, but I’ll look at the competitors before investing in another multi-max.
Thanks for sharing your experience Les, and sorry it hasn’t been a positive one. We haven’t done any battery tests on cutting specifically, so it’s good to have your feedback. Hopefully a few other users can chime in as well. And, once we get some real-world cutting experience with ours, we’ll try to update that here too.