Six months after purchasing my 350Q Multimaster, I learned that Fein was changing their blade mounting system to a new standard called Starlock, beginning in 2016. Since cutting blades are very much a “consumable” part of any OMT (Oscillating Multi-Tool), I was a bit worried about the future viability of my expensive new tool, despite claims of backwards compatibility. Fast forward 6 months and I had nothing to worry about after all. The Fein Starlock blades I’ve bought work as perfectly. After testing this set I’m pleased to report that Bosch Starlocks also work perfectly. While putting this new Starlock set through some cutting tests I also went back to my older Bosch blades to see how they compare. I found a few differences between Bosch’s older style blades and these new ones, but they are all relatively minor (they are in the details section, if you are interested). In my experience Bosch has almost always made excellent multitool blades and these new Starlocks are no exception. If you are looking for a starter set of blades, and aren’t exactly sure what you’ll be needing, this is a well-rounded starter set of high quality Swiss-made blades, that comes in a fairly nice hard-plastic case. You get a bi-metal (BIM) general purpose blade that cuts wood, and non-hardened metal, another BIM blade with longer curved teeth specialized for wood cutting, a short, stout carbide blade that cuts just even hardened metal, a semi-rounded flush cutter, and a smooth-edged knife like blade for cutting “soft” material like carpets, plastics, and removing caulk and adhesives. Note the performance of the “soft” blade varies widely with the material you are cutting, sometimes it works great, other times not. A FEW DETAILS and SPECIFICATIONS: Exterior dimensions of the case: 1 x 8-3/4 x 6-3/8 inches (HxWxD). I noticed that Bosch has shortened the length of their excellent Carbide Blade by 3/16 inches. The older OSC114C had a 3-1/16 inch radius while the newer OSL114C Starlock has a 2-7/8 inch radius. The geometry of this means that the teeth of the shorter, new blade will have slightly more torque (force), and a slightly slower cutting speed. I couldn’t notice notice any difference in performance, but I suspect this tweak may slightly improve durability in certain situations while slightly reducing cutting rate. Bosch blades can mount in any of 12 rotated positions (i.e. 30 degree increments) when mounted in a Bosch tool. Mounted in a Fein they can only assume 4 positions (90 degree increments) unless you use the inexpensive Bosch OIS001 OIS Adapter - it allows the full 12 positions to be used, and works very well. Last time I checked could be had for about 5 bucks here on amazon. Remember, you do not need this adapter to use Bosch blades on your Fein - only get it if you want to position the blade in 30 degree increments rather than 90 degree ones. What I’m saying here applies to both Starlock Blades, and the older previous generation of Bosch blades. If you have the newest Starlock Fein Mulitimaster then just ignore this paragraph - you can mount Starlock blades made by Bosch or by Fein in all 12 positions. Sorry if this is complicated - it’s a real bugger when standards change. The two Bi-metal (BIM) blades have “CURVED-TEC” etched onto them. I’m not sure what this is - but I can say performance seems about the same or slightly better than my older style Bosch blades. If I was buying my Multimaster today I would of course get the latest Starlock mount version. However if - like me - you happen to own the previous 2015 model, here’s something to cheer you up! One advantage of our older model is that it can mount both the original Fein blades AND the newest Starlocks without an adapter. The latest Multimaster only works with Starlock blades and is not backwards compatible.
