What Can Milwaukee's Oscillating Tool Be Used For & How Does It Compare To Other Brands?

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Milwaukee makes an incredibly wide range of power tools. Just about every product you could possibly need for yard care, woodworking, auto repair, and basic home maintenance is available in the company's signature red and black. One tool in particular is useful in a wide variety of different applications across multiple types of work: The oscillating multi-tool.

Milwaukee currently makes two cordless versions of this tool. There is a smaller version that is available as part of the company's compact M12 portable productivity system (2526-20), and there is a slightly more powerful version that is part of its standard M18 tools system (2836-20). There are some minor differences in their specs and feature sets, but both are a part of Milwaukee's Fuel brushless tool line, and both perform similar functions.

Unlike most power saws and rotary tools, oscillating multitools function by using short, rapid side-to-side movements called oscillations. Several different kinds of accessories can fit on them, allowing users to perform a variety of different types of tasks. Those who have been eyeing one of Milwaukee's oscillating tools at their local hardware store might be interested in learning a bit more about what kind of tasks they can perform and how the Milwaukee models' performance stands up to models offered by other brands.

One of the reasons that oscillating tools are often called multi-tools is that they have a wide range of uses, depending on the kinds of attachments that you pair them with. One of the most common uses for an oscillating tool is as a flush cutter. Flat saw blades are made to fit the tool. These are commonly used in door jamb trimming as well as flooring and plumbing work. Depending on the teeth and material of the saw, these can cut through wood, plastic, drywall, and even metal. The plunging and flat-sided nature of the oscillating saw also makes it a good choice for tight corners where larger saws might not fit and for cutting out clean holes in walls or decking where plunging a larger saw may be difficult.

The second most common use for an oscillating tool is as a detail sander. Triangular sanding pads can be attached to the tool, which are great for sanding places that would be difficult to reach. It's easy to get the tip of an oscillating sander into inside corners, gaps between gate posts, narrow grooves, and recessed areas where more conventional power sanders, like a random orbital sander or sheet sander, would struggle to fit. It's also handy for spot repairs on paint and scratches where you want to minimize the affected area.

That isn't all they can do, though. Other attachments allow you to use it as a scraper for things like caulk, paint, and adhesive residue. There are even special carbide or diamond blades that can remove grout from between tiles.

So now that you know a bit more about what these tools can do, you might be interested to learn a bit more about how the specs of the Milwaukee models stack up next to the models offered by other brands.

Both the M12 Fuel and M18 Fuel Oscillating Multitool are able to deliver the same range of speeds, 10,000-20,000 OPM (oscillations per minute). The M12 has an oscillation angle of 3.9 degrees, a variable speed dial with 12 settings, vibration dampening, tool-free attachment changing, and a built-in LED. The M18 has a 4.2-degree oscillation angle, a variable speed dial with 10 settings, and the same vibration dampening, tool-free attachment changing, and built-in LED. Kenny Koehler of Pro Tool Reviews examined and tested both of these products, awarding the M12 a 9.4 out of 10 and giving the M18 a 9.6. Koehler praised both models for their performance and ease of use, stating, "If you've been waiting for a cordless multi-tool that can compete with Fein in cutting performance and vibration, the Milwaukee M12 Fuel Oscillating Multi-Tool is that tool," and that, "the Milwaukee M18 Fuel oscillating multi-tool is a huge step forward and goes toe-to-toe with the best cordless options out there."

The M18 version of the tool has an aggregate user score of 4.7 out of 5 on Amazon, while the M12 has a 4.9. This places them right alongside top-rated options from many of the other best power tool brands, like DeWalt, Ryobi, Dremel, Bosch, and Makita.