Buy Now...
The Sonicrafter is not intended to replace your existing power tools but to complement them because it can deal with many of those jobs which are beyond their scope. It could well be worth having because it will plug a gap in the tasks that can be handled effectively with the tools at your disposal.
This tool operates in an entirely different manner from your other power tools. Instead of having a large movement the tool head, to which the saw blades etc are attached, oscillates back and forth over a small distance -- just a few millimetres. This means that, although it will be effective on rigid materials, softer ones (including your fingers) shouldn’t suffer. The no-load speed can be adjusted between 11,000 and 20,000 per minute. At 250W, is only about a quarter of the power of many of the mainstream tools on the market. Consequently, one cannot expect it to be a high-speed cutting tool.
The kit includes three saw blades, an abrasive cutting disc, a scraper tool and a choice of sanding discs and their mounts so that it can saw, scrape, grind and sand a wide range of material including wood, metal, plastic and tiles and plasterboard. These accessories are contained in a neat plastic box within the very convenient carrying case. It also contains an adapter to enable the Worx tool to be used with accessories from either Fein or Bosch.
Two of the saw blades are 35mm wide and for end-cutting: one is for wood and the other has finer teeth for wood/metal. In use they are “plunged” into the work piece. For example, the Sonicrafter can be used to cut a floorboard or a skirting board without damage to any adjacent material. The third blade, for wood/non-ferrous metal, is a 240 degree segment of a circle and is designed for more general cutting. Finally, there is a carbide grit segment for cutting materials such as tiles. However, I’m not certain how it would cope with hard and thick floor tile although the normal method would be to snap the tile after having cut through the glaze and into the body of the tile with the Sonicrafter.
While I liked the tool very much, I was disappointed with the instructions which, while adequate for tradesmen or experienced DIYers, would probably appear very sparse to the less experienced. After all, as it is not one of the common types of power tools, it would be very useful if the front cover of the manual gave a quick overview of its many uses. However, what was useful was the note at the bottom of the SoniCrafter coloured accessory leaflet that says that the full list of accessories can be viewed at www.worxtools.com. The descriptions and comments there give one a better idea on the use of each accessory provided and on the additional ones available.
I suspect that this is a tool that, at a recommended price of £99.98 (in the Argos catalogue and shortly to be widely available in B&Q stores), many a potential user might initially think is a little expensive. However, once used, they are likely to change their tune. Similarly, if they are given it as a Christmas or birthday present they would soon recognise it as a very valuable addition to their arsenal.
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