2022 test10 productsPower Tools
Which Oscillating Multi-tool Brand Wins?
We compared 10 oscillating multi-tool options head to head. Milwaukee came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Milwaukee
Price shown in test: $219 for just the tool (later referenced in the summary as 'very expensive at $220'), most expensive of all 10 brands
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Runner-up
Flex
Price shown in test: $200 for battery, charger, and tool
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Budget pick
Ryobi
Price shown in test: $99 for just the tool
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Oscillation angle | Noise | Wood (half-inch OSB) plunge cut at 5 lb force | Wood (half-inch OSB) plunge cut at 7.5 lb force | PVC (1 in) cut at 5 lb force | 4 galvanized 16-penny nails cut at 5 lb force | Vibration | Battery | Weight | Speed range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Milwaukee$219 for just the tool (later referenced in the summary as 'very expensive at $220'), most expensive of all 10 brands | 4.2 degrees, most of all brands tested | 79 dB, 2nd quietest of all 10 | 3.74 seconds, took the lead over the Ryobi | 2.63 seconds, fastest of all 10 brands overall | 1.21 seconds, fastest of all 10 brands | 4.1 seconds, fastest of all 10 brands | 5 m per second squared, lowest (best) of all 10 brands | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Flex$200 for battery, charger, and tool | not tested | 80.4 dB, tied with Bosch | 5.0 seconds, 2nd behind Ryobi at that point | 2.83 seconds, 2nd fastest of all 10 brands overall | 1.97 seconds, 3rd fastest of all 10 brands | 5.31 seconds, 2nd fastest of all 10 brands | 33 m per second squared, described as better than average | 24V 2.5 amp hour with a 160 W fast charger, claims 20% more power and 25% longer runtime | not tested | not tested |
| 3DeWalt$106 for just the tool | not tested | 80.6 dB | 5.67 seconds, tied with Ridgid, a little slower than Ryobi and Ridgid | 4.1 seconds, fastest at that point in the video, 3rd fastest of all 10 brands overall | 1.82 seconds, 2nd fastest of all 10 brands | 10.04 seconds, very quick, though Ryobi held a narrow lead over it | 18 m per second squared | not tested | 37 oz | not tested |
| 4Ryobi 18V 1+ HP$99 for just the tool | 3.6 degrees | 77.9 dB, quietest of all 10 brands | 4.35 seconds, described as twice as fast as the Hart and three times as fast as the Warrior at that point | 5.06 seconds, slightly slower than at 5 lb (the extra force slowed it down), 4th fastest of all 10 brands overall | 2.37 seconds, 4th fastest of all 10 brands | 9.78 seconds, 4th fastest of all 10 brands, took the lead at that point in the video | 12 m per second squared, 3rd best of all 10 brands | not tested | 31 oz | not tested |
| 5Bosch$149 for just the tool | not tested | 80.4 dB, tied with Flex | 14.8 seconds, tied with Metabo, described as struggling to keep up with less expensive brands | 7.35 seconds, nearly twice as fast as at 5 lb, but still slower than average | 2.88 seconds, about average, moved into 4th position at that point | 8.21 seconds, 3rd fastest of all 10 brands, took the lead over Ryobi at that point | 23 m per second squared, described as performing nearly as well as the DeWalt | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6Hart$54 for just the tool | narrator's own estimate of 3.2 degrees (not stated as a manufacturer spec in the transcript) | 80 dB | 8.8 seconds, quite a bit faster than the Warrior | 6.38 seconds, took the lead from the Warrior at that point | 2.52 seconds, 5th fastest of all 10 brands | 9.94 seconds, 5th fastest of all 10 brands | 53 m per second squared, described as quite a bit of vibration | not tested | 27 oz | not tested |
| 7Ridgid$99 for just the tool | 3.2 degrees per the manufacturer claim; a separate figure of '80.7 degrees' also appears in the transcript immediately after this claim, which reads as a caption/decimal garble rather than a real second spec and is preserved verbatim rather than silently corrected | not tested | 5.67 seconds, 2nd fastest at that point, just slightly slower than the Ryobi | 8.7 seconds, slower than at 5 lb, described as too much force for the tool | 3.28 seconds, same as the Warrior | 11.76 seconds, about 2 seconds slower than the Ryobi | 5.8 m per second squared, 2nd best of all 10 brands, close behind the Milwaukee | not tested | 36 oz | not tested |
| 8Makita$117 for just the tool | 3.2 degrees | 82.6 dB, slightly louder than average | 9.8 seconds, struggled to keep up with less expensive brands | 5.42 seconds, nearly twice as fast as at 5 lb, 5th fastest of all 10 brands overall | 3.49 seconds, slowest of all 10 brands | 18.35 seconds, quite a bit longer than several less expensive brands | 58 m per second squared, about the same as the Warrior | not tested | not tested | 6,000 to 20,000 oscillations per minute, variable |
| 9Metabo HPT$99 for just the tool | not tested | 93 dB, loudest of all 10 brands by far | 14.8 seconds, tied with Bosch for slowest at that point | 15.3 seconds, essentially unchanged, extra force did not help | 3.13 seconds, barely edges out the Warrior | 36.2 seconds, slowest of all 10 brands by a wide margin; narrator notes this is despite an advertised 3.2 degree oscillation angle, actually cutting slower than the 2.5 degree Warrior | 55 m per second squared | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10Warrior$35 for the battery, charger, and tool, least expensive of all 10 brands | 2.5 degrees, lowest of all 10 brands | 87 dB, loud | 12.2 seconds | 6.64 seconds, twice as fast as at 5 lb | 3.28 seconds, tied with Ridgid | 22.62 seconds, slowest of all 10 brands | 63 m per second squared, worst (highest) of all 10 brands | 12V 1.3 amp hour, the only 12V battery in the lineup (all other brands are 18 to 24V) | 26 oz, lightest of all 10 brands | not tested |
How it was tested
- plunge cut speed through half-inch OSB wood, tested first at 5 lb of applied pulling force via a rope-and-pulley test rig, then again at 7.5 lb
- cut speed through 1-in PVC pipe at 5 lb of applied force
- cut speed through four pre-drilled, straight galvanized 16-penny nails at 5 lb of applied force
- tool weight (given for only 5 of the 10 brands in the transcript)
- tool vibration measured with a vibration meter, in meters per second squared
- noise level
“The Milwaukee definitely seems like the best saw. It is relatively quiet, vibrates less than the other brands, cuts the fastest, and is well-designed for just one-hand use.”