Rockwell RK5102K SoniCrafter Deluxe 72-Piece Kit
by Rockwell
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List Price: Our Price: $159.00 You Save: $40.99 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $79.99 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Rockwell RK5102K SoniCrafter Deluxe 72-Piece Kit
Customer Review: This is a good, solid DIY tool
Summary: 4 Stars
My project is removing moisture-compromised mortar from an 80 year old red brick basement. I have no running water leaks, just seepage through mortar and the flat nail holes used to attach the furring strips.
I tried hammer and chisel, carbide tipped drill bits and an angle grinder with these results: too hard, inadequate to the task, and effective, but far too dusty.
I looked for an oscillating tool. Fein, the macdaddy is, I think, designed for professionals and priced too high. The Dremel appears to have been made for light projects, not mine. The Bosch is battery operated and for this job I wanted electric power. That left the Rockwell. Bingo.
This sturdy tool met my expectations and more. Once I choose the correct blade, the tool tore through the compromised mortar raising only a minimal amount of dust.
A note about blades. I bought the 72 piece Sonicrafter and an extra grinding blade (circular with a flat side), to remove the mortar. I reduced that blade to a gritless nub in about 45 minutes. Next I tried the eliptical triangular carbide grit blade. Because the metal of this blade is stronger, it lasted somewhat longer. Then I mounted the scraper blade, the stoutest piece of metal in the box, with no grit at all. This proved to be the best blade for my job.
I do not know if this blade would be more effective than the carbide grinder blades on non-compromised mortar, all I know is it works like a charm on my job. Given this experience, I expect the perfect blade for strong grout and/or mortar would be a cold chisel blade, but no one offers that, yet.
A note on the blade mount. Several users have complained that the blade on oscilating tools tend to loosen. I have not found that to be a problem at all. Had I designed this tool, I would have used a stronger blade fastener than an allen head, but so far it has worked for me, and if you round out the allen, replacement screws are a few pennies.
Four stars and not five because I have used this tool for only this application.
Customer Review: Rockwell Quality
Summary: 5 Stars
OMG, the Rockewell SoniCrafter is great. I was looking for a corded oscillating tool and looked at the Fein Multitasker and blades, but it is just way too expensive to purchase for my needs. So I bought the Dremel and the Rockwell to compare side by side...
The $100 Dremel is lighter and a bit smaller but the buzz the motor makes compared to the Rockwell motor [a little bit heavier and slightly bigger] which humms smoothly is like comparing a Vespa scooter to a Victory street bike.
Since the basic Rockwell is only $20 more than the Dremel and the extra blades are about the same price, there was no question about going for the quality/durability of a Rockwell.
The only convenience problem that I can foresee is getting replacement blades:
Dremel is carried by big box hardware stores; hobbyists who do crafts on the spur of the moment and do not need to rip open walls, will appreciate the around-the-corner convenience.
Rockwell is carried by speciality woodworking stores or the internet; the Home Proj. kind of guys have to plan ahead before ripping into a wall for remodeling. So ordering parts in advance should be a no brainer.
I also really liked the Rockwell case, it is created with niches and screw-downs to hold lots of blades/attachments in place.
I looked at the Bosch 12v battery operated version, and that would have been a good choice but I do not want to have numerous 18v tool systems and chargers for the various power hand tools that I use. I read that the Bosch delivers 20 min of battery power and I might need more time than that between charges.
All four tools mentioned above have variable speeds pretty much the same: 10,000 - 21,000 opm. The Bosch details that I read boasted of 5,000 - 20,000 opm, but I do not know if I need to go that slow. If I did I would have researched more into the rare Praxon version of oscillating tool, which is reportedly underpowered and equivalent to size and weight of the Dremel.
Customer Review: surprised
Summary: 5 Stars
Rockwell RK5102K Sonicrafter Deluxe 72-pc Kit
I originally wanted to by the Fein all-in-one. I was a little hesitant to buy the Rockwell Sonicrafter but thought, I'll take a chance, the price was right. You can tell how well built this tool is as soon as you hold it in your hands and even more so when you turn it on. Soon after purchase we did a window and door frame "rebuild job" and found many uses for the Sonicrafter. I challenge anyone to remove elastomeric caulk from a steal door or from a pressure treated sill plate without damaging it, we did so with the scraper blade and left little or no marks, I was surprised how well it removed the caulk and how clean it left the surface. On that same job we needed to remove stucco from each side of the openings with out damaging the stucco outside of the jamb area, [we did not want to have a stucco repair], we used the Triangular Carbide Rasping tool and a vacuum to keep the dust to a minimum, normally we would have used a hammer and chisel which would have taken a couple hours, we were done in less than 30 minutes. Again I was very surprised at how well the Sonicrafter worked. I have also used it to, plunge cut base molding and other flat surfaces with extremely accurate cutting results. The Deluxe 72-pc Kit was worth every penny. The variable speed comes in very handy for different job applications. I have yet to find a job that we would not use this tool for. The oscillating action cuts, sands, scrapes and works amazingly well. It is a ideal tool for any one who works doing any type of remodeling.
PS, Every one who has purchased tools to use on their job site everyday to make a living knows, "you don't buy junk" and that some parts will where out ie; screws and bolts "used frequently" to hold cutting blades in place. The manufacture has thought to give you an extra "Allen screw" to hold the attachments to the tool, VERY NICE! Thank You Rockwell.
Customer Review: The Right Tool makes a HUGE Difference
Summary: 4 Stars
Between my father and I, we own an obscene amount of tools. We recognize that the right tool makes a huge difference when presented with a specific obstacle or hurdle. In my case, I had to flush cut and trim wood strips that had been nailed to a brick wall in the corner of a small kitchen. No circular or reciprocating saw would fit and there was insufficient room to use a hand saw. I even tried chiseling the wood, but again...there was no room to swing a hammer. This is when I invested in the Rockwell multi-tool and boy am I happy I did that.
I spent a lot of time deciding which tool to go with. Honestly, the only companies I was considering were Fein, Rockwell and Dremel. The Dremel tool felt too amatuerish to me and it was so new to the market at the time, I didn't want to the lab rat to figure out what was wrong with it. The Fein tool was beautifully made but it carried a not so beautiful price tag. The Rockwell tool split the difference between the abovementioned two tools nicely.
When you hold it, it has an obvious heft to it. From what I can tell, there's nothing plastic to break easily and the cord is nicely sized. The carrying bag is great as is the attachment carrying case, despite the fact I had to empty it out a bit to get it closed after opening it the first time.
The tool runs admirably. It gets a bit warm/hot when running it for extended periods, but it's manageable the entire time. The adjustable speed is great and it takes some time to get use to how to best cut something. Go too hard and you prevent the blades from oscillating and cutting. Too light and it'll be hard to keep the blade from jumping around. Given how much effort it puts, I highly recommend staying with a CORDED multi-tool. I can see the cordless versions from other companies being underpowered if you cutting anything harder than pine or sheetrock.
I recommend this product to amateur and professionals alike!
Customer Review: DO NOT BUY THE ROCKWELL SONICRAFTER RK5100K!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
AN ABSOLUTE PIECE OF GARBAGE!!! I had the misfortune of seeing the TV commercial showing this Rockwell SoniCrafter to be a versatile, easy to use, reliable, and outstanding power tool. After receiving it, I was VERY disappointed. The Allen Screw that secures the blade came loose right from the beginning & the blade spun loose & the unit could not be used. No matter how much force I applied the blade still kept coming loose. Additionally, the unit gets very hot quickly. This unit is a very poorly made inferior piece of junk. I attempted to do a "plunge cut" into paneling in order to install an electrical outlet. After the SoniCrafter failed I wound up using hand tools to do the job. So, What good is this device? No good! Another thing, after phoning Rockwell to get a refund as per their 30 day money back guarantee I was shuffled around from one service rep to another & eventually they disconnected. I phoned Citi Bank(MasterCard)& explained the situation. They initiated a dispute & gave me a conditional credit for $194.41.Months passed and I received a current Citi Bank(MasterCard) statement & saw that the conditional $194.41 credit had been "reversed" & the charge was "reapplied to my account. This entire matter has practically given me "ulcers." Citi Bank(MasterCard) somehow cannot get Rockwell to refund the money. I then contacted the State Attorney General of North Carolina (the state Rockwell is located in) & asked for their help. No soap! They couldn't do anything. Too much time had passed. Then, I contacted the Better Business Bureau in North Carolina & am still waiting for their reply. I URGE all viewers out there to NOT purchase this inferior tool made by Rockwell Tools, Inc. Avoid the problems & aggravation I'm currently going through. Kindly tell everyone else that you know who might have seen that Rockwell TV commercial to NOT believe it & to NOT buy the SoniCrafter. Now, It just sits on my floor of the house gathering dust!