We need to cut off old, rotten deck joists flush to the side of the house. How?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

24. If you are doing ANY remodeling you WILL find a use for it.

I use mine on almost every project.

I just used mine to cut some baseboard in place to install a cabinet for a client. Without the tool, I would have had to remove the baseboard, cut it, re-install and do repairs to the caulking and paint. I was able to draw a line with a square and do a bit of "surgery" and remove the board off the wall. (of course, I nicked the baseboard with the cabinet anyway. DOH! cheap MDF trim in a brand new million dollar home)

I've used my multi-tool from everything to cut outlet boxes in kitchen cabinet islands, to drywall repairs to flooring repairs to grout removal.

There is a German company by the name of Fein (sp?) that had the patent on the multi-tool design. Fein is an old tool manufacturer that had one of the original patents on the power drill, IIRC. Anywhoo, Fein's patent ran out a few years ago and that's when you saw the explosion of the "multi-tool". Everyone started making the tools from Dremel to Dewalt to Rigid etc. Before then, the only game in town was the Fein tool for $300-400 bucks and up.

The new multi-tools all seem to cost about $99 bucks for the corded version. PS: I would only buy the corded version - my brother and I were having this discussion the other day about how the only tools we need to be cordless are drills (even though we still need cords on our bigger masonry etc. drills). But that's our opinion. It seems to me, that using tools like a sawzall or multi-tool for cutting anything of any thickness like joists or studs would require batteries to recharge faster than you could recharge them - But we do work in older Chicago homes with solid old lumber that sometimes feels (and cuts) like oak. There IS something to be said about not tipping over cords or "shooting blanks" when you go to make a cut and your tool is unplugged.

The blades for all the multi-tools are ridiculously expensive. I knew of a guy making knock-off blades for the Fein tool out of cheap Home Depot saws he would buy for 5 bucks and cut in to strips and punch holes for the mounting washers.