Bosch PMF 190 E Multifunctional Allrounder

Initially I was doubtful about the whole concept of multitools. Were they a solution for a problem that doesn't exist, given the fact I already have a circular saw, jigsaw, drills, planer, chisels and various hand saws. Also, those blades looked a bit puny, with few teeth, and a reputation for quickly going blunt.Anyway, I took a chance, and now wonder how I ever did without it! It's tremendously useful for a whole range of fiddly tasks, like fitting door hinges and striking plates, cut outs for latches, small plunge cuts in pieces of wood, shaping wood (even on top of a ladder where a jigsaw or chisel would be a no-no), cutting laminate flooring, slicing thru tongues on floorboards to allow lifting, cutting nails and pipes, and so on.This particular tool seems fairly robust, with enough power for every task I've put it to so far. I was initially going to get the battery version, but reviews indicated the battery life was quite poor. I can well imagine this, as the small blades can take a fair bit of time to do deeper cuts in wood. Also it's easy to hold and use, although the Allen key fixing of blades is a bit slow. I realise now that you often have to change blades, so it might have been better to pay the extra for the PMF250.Talking of blades, I recommend new users to check out the Bosch "C Tec" range. These weren't mentioned in my brochure from Bosch, but they have a slight curve to the toothed edge, which makes cutting easier than with the straight edged variety. Also, if you're using the delta sanding attachment (which I thought would be a gimmick, but is actually brilliantly effective), I recommend you use Bosch's sanding pads, as I found cheap alternatives didn't have the same lifespan or sanding power.The tool came in a great little plastic carry case, with a small selection of blades and sanding pads. There's enough room in there for a whole heap of extra blades and pads, which you will almost certainly need. Therein lies the main drawback, as the consumables are pretty expensive and fairly short lived.But the benefits outweigh the costs, so I'd recommend this tool to any keen DIYer. Also the seller is recommended, providing the item at a good price with a quick delivery time.

When first opened the box, we were surprised that this came carrying case. Good. It is so light, easy to carry. What you need to work safely with this machine is, Eye-protection goggles, Gloves. Gloves need not to be too tick ones as you need to be able to use hands. When working with any electric machines, avoid wearing sandals. We wear proper trainer, and do not carry anything that can catch the blade. Everything you need to use this machine comes with the box.First, we review the cutting function. It is as advertised. WIth this tool, it is relatively easy to cut along with wall, for example, veneer floors. Due to the way blade moves, and because not a circular saw, you need to careful to let the machine rest every one minute or so. Continously keep using without interval only hastens the end of machine life, as this machine is never meant for heavy, professional work. We used this to cut thin veneer board that was placed on the original timber floor of a period property. It worked well. For cutting function, we have no convern, except we always had interval rest after 1 minute of cutting, as we can feel the heating up this small machine.Next, Sanding function. We found, as many reviewers stated, this is very tricky. If you run the sanding function for about 60 seconds or more, the rubber attacher (to which you attach special sandpaper) will melt due to heat. Especially this is true if you were working on the corner where only one segment of delta shaped sandpaper is used. Soon, all 3 tips of delta were melt.Moreover, the cost of replacement sandpapers also build up, as the sandpaper become soon useless after 3 or 4 times of usage. Practically speaking, P60 paper works well, but the finer sandpaper is not useful, as those papers need to be used for longer time, thereby worsening the melting of the rubber delta pad. For sanding, this machine is really meant to be sued for touch up, very small job. For real sanding, circular type is suited. We are really annoyed that for sanding, additional cost just building up, such as special sandpaper, and the replacement delta pad.For replacement sandpaper, you can use any generic type. This machine's most useful point is precision cutting along with wall, etc. We use this to cut the thin veneer floor that is on the top of proper timbers in the original floor, along with wall. As you can see, to cut heavy and thick item, you need proper saw (electric), this machine is meant to touch up, or small job need to be done precisely.As for sanding, also, this machine is most effective to do small, compact places. For the entire floor, you need another bigger sanding machine.Overall, if you were careful and not overload with continuous work (that heats up machine too much), or cut thick materials that is not meant to this type of machine, PMF190 provides excellent handy tool for not only professional renovators, but DIY persons who want to rather save money. Kind of work that this machine does, if you ask professional builders, they will charge a lot for relatively simple work.As always, read instruction manual before using, and check out Youtube to see how other people are doing with this handy machine,.

A great multi-tool!If your a DIY fan like me, this is a great piece of kit to have in your tool chest. I've used this cutter for lots of tasks that would have been very difficult to do without a oscillating cutter. Whilst replacing skirting board, I managed to remove skirting from underneath a radiator which had pipes running through the skirting board.The sanding attachment is also a nice touch and whilst I also have a mouse detail sander which performs a similar function, the accuracy of this sander is much better and its easier to control.I have used the metal cutter on about 7-8 occasions and unfortunately have already lost a lot of the teeth on the blade, but overall, I am very happy with the functionality of this tool.Weight-wise, it's not too heavy, but it feels very solidly built and is heavy in comparison to its' size.Recently, I have bought some grout removal blades/attachments which makes a tedious job unbelievably quick. In the past, I have used a manual grout removal tool to re-grout my shower and the difference is immense. If you use a manual tool, you may as well try and scrape the grout out with a spoon, whereas grout removing with the oscillator is like cutting through butter!It also is useful for cutting under door frames if you are changing thresholds or installing solid flooring.5 Stars for this one - a great buy and perfect additional to your toolkit!