We previously reviewed these two tools and even did some comparisons in a YouTube video. My initial though was that they would probably sell pretty evenly as each tool has its advantages. So far however the Dremel has proven to be the favorite of the two selling out almost as quick as they are coming in. The accessories have also been hard to keep in stock. This will be one of the hottest guy gifts for the 2008 holiday season, no question.
The Dremel Multi-Max 6300-01 is the cheaper of the two by almost half at $99. I think that might be the ideal price for most people to make an impulse purchase even if they know little about these oscillating tools.
The Bosch PS50 Multi-X to be fair has only released the less popular PS50-2A ($179) model and not the PS50-2B ($199) which has several more blades included. The price is higher obviously but the tool is cordless which make it much more convenient to use. On paper the PS50 is less powerful but in use these two tools seem very similar in performance, I could not really tell any difference when cutting wood or sanding. The battery life is good but could be a problem for some applications such as continuous use when sanding or grout removal.
Verdict: personally I like the PS50-2B the best however that is probably because I like the oscillating tools for their amazing cutting abilities. I have a several sanding tools already that will do a similar job but nothing that can make cuts like this. For detailed cutting jobs the cordless feature is huge, going up on a ladder and make a precision cut on crown molding I don’t want to worry about a cord in the way. If you are getting a tool to do a lot of grout removal however the Dremel Multi-Max may be the way to go. Battery life on the Bosch PS50 will last an hour or more when making occasional cuts but for grout removal you are looking at about 10 minutes of continuous use for that battery draining application. The 12V Max kits PS51-2A (Pocket Driver & Multi-X) and PS52-2A (Impactor & Multi-X) both include 4 batteries so there is little chance you will run out of power for any job but there will be some battery changing.
Obviously all the tools, kits and accessories are available at Ohio Power Tool and currently in-stock unless otherwise noted as a “PRE-SALE”. These are all selling quickly so get your orders in now. Who knows what is going to happen after Black Friday/Cyber Monday but some of these tools may selling out and go on back order until after the Holiday Season.
