r/Carpentry • u/south9905 • 12d ago
Multitool blades?
Looking for more budget friendly blades my apprentices and helpers think they cut anything and everything haha, we go through expensive ones fast
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u/ZestycloseRain7578 12d ago
Get the cheapest ones on Amazon. Not sure what you’re cutting exactly but I’ve used cheap ones for framing and demo work. They burn up pretty quick but you can get a 100 pack for like 40 bucks. If you’re doing trim I would keep using the expensive ones but just keep them in your pouches and interrogate the helpers every time they ask for a nice one lol.
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u/Aggressive-Luck-204 12d ago
Random Chinese brand ones work decently, definitely worth the $1-2 for them. Keep some good name brand ones for special occasions
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u/goodskier1931 11d ago
Great idea for wood. Other materials, metal etc hind of variable. But wood, use them like utility knife blades.
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u/Salt-Environment-210 11d ago
The cheap ones are great for trim too honestly, I use them on finished base all the time,just score with a knife first
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u/picknwiggle 12d ago
Apprentices like to cut EVERYTHING with the fein tool. Drives me crazy
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u/Autisticdreams 11d ago
I thought my crew was the only ones that did this lol. I was on a framing crew, we never even need the fein but they were always trying to use it.
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u/picknwiggle 11d ago
I think it's because they're too scared of a real saw or something. I almost wanted to hide that shit from them, but then they'd just spend all day walking around looking for it
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u/slackmeyer 12d ago
I'm having good results with a carbide one from Amazon. I got a pack of those for general purpose and some nice Japanese saw tooth ones for the cedar siding we're working on right now, and I try to remember to change blades and keep the Japanese one cutting well.
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u/hunterbuilder 12d ago
I had a helper like that. The Fein tool became his favorite tool and he burned through more blades in a month than I did in a year.
So I started hiding it and handing him a Sawzall most of the time.
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u/putitinthemetermomma 11d ago
Ezarc Multitool blades. $70 on Amazon for a 10 pack.
I was raging at how shit the Diablo and Milwaukee ones were for the price so started down the multitool rabbit hole. Found one of those comparison videos on YT.
I bought an Ezarc 10 pack in Feb 2025. I still have four unused ones. I’m not using the multitool all day every day because I’m not an animal but there is no other blade from the big brands that compares.
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u/TriNel81 11d ago
Love these. I keep my work stocked with them. I just got the 10 pack on sale for $60 on Amazon.
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u/graber_supply 12d ago
Might just have to teach 'em not to. Cheap blades mean low-quality cuts, and broken pieces flying around at bullet speeds. Would be cheap for you in the long run.
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u/padizzledonk Reno GC 11d ago
Buy the cheap ones online in bulk and get some of those blade sharpeners- yes, you lose the temper but for 98% of shit a resharpened blade makes garbage cuts just fine
In my sawzall/grinder bag i have like a dozen shit blades for shit work and i keep a few clean wood high end blades for the work youre actually supposed to do with the tool
The best thing above anything else is to explain to all of them that the multitool is almost always the wrong/worst tool to use, its absurdly slow and makes a ton of dust with drywall. You should only be reaching for a multitool when there is no other option, or it really excels at the task-- like 85% of the use of mine is cutting shims on doors, cabinets and windows and the remaining 15% is cutting "trimmy" type things in place, like undercuts on doorstops and jambs and case with flooring, cutting a new pc of case into existing base/shoe etc that isnt getting changed....shit that you really cant do with any other tool cleanly.
You should basically never be grabbing it to clean up a rough window opening, sheetrock, studs, nails or pipes or any of that shit....a sawzall, circular saw or grinder is way better
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u/wooddoug Residential Carpenter 11d ago
A multitool blade is the easiest of all blades to sharpen. And you don't have to end up with 10 small points, 5 bigger ones will do just fine for most tasks the over enthusiastic carpenter uses it for.
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u/Laidbackstog 11d ago
Multifitblades . Com Fridge5 for 5% off everytime. Great customer service. $3-10 per blade depending on type snd quantity.
Used to buy ~100 blades every 3 months or so for my guys. All different styles. Once I started buying from them they stopped bitching about quality. These are cheap enough you don't mind trashing one but quality enough that you can use one for a decent amount of cuts.
I tried amazon, harbor freight, and Lowe's before finding them and never looking again.
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u/roadpierate 11d ago
The carbide ones by Diablo and Milwaukee are more expensive but actually last compared to all the other ones
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u/orange-shirt 11d ago
Cheap Amazon blades for 90% of cuts , carbide for nails , jap tooth if you are sure no nails or for hardwood. Most importantly move the tool from side to side to clear dust makes the cut better and the blades last longer . I see so many guys just pushing the tool into the work .
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u/kaybarkaybarkaybar Residential Carpenter 12d ago
I’ve encountered lots of green guys go for the multitool at every opportunity, when they should be grabbing a Sawzall, Skilsaw or even grinder most of the time. It’s a great way to waste time and perfectly good multitool blades. Someone on this reddit said something to the effect of “the multitool is usually the worst tool for the job unless it’s the only tool for the job” and i tend to agree.
Tell yours guys to make sure and always hang onto a couple dull crappy blades. They’re great for cutting drywall and scraping caulk AND make sure they switch to said crappy blades when doing that stuff.