Auto body work can be big money, from collision repair to custom street rod work.  Unfortunately, it can also be very expensive to do.  Like any business, it’s all about profit margin, bottom line.  The more you can save on sandpaper, paint, mud, and tools, the better.  Someone who has never worked on cars would probably not guess how much sandpaper costs alone can run a shop over time.  Most good tools are a one-time investment, but there is still the chance that they can break or wear out too.  No one needs to remind us of how the economy is going these days, or the fact that any American business needs to cut as many costs as possible to be able to survive.  That’s why it’s valuable to re-examine some options.

Not every body shop is using oscillating multi tools, but the trend will probably grow.  These tools are relatively new, and not everyone has warmed up to them yet, but they probably should.  We are all familiar with a variety of spinning bit tools like drills and certain types of polishers and grinders.  Oscillating multi tools can be fit with a wide variety of blades and attachments that they move back and forth at very high speeds.  There are many of these tools made by most of the great tool manufacturers: The Versa Tool, the Bosch Multi Cutter, the Rockwell Multi Tool, and others.  Dremel and Fein both make very good multi tools as well, and they all have a variety of blades for multiple uses.  The tools have very similar levels of precision, but there are differences in price, durability, and ergonomics.  When it comes to the blades, those are pretty similar in quality as well.  Bosch multi tool blades, fein blades, and sonicrafter blades are about equal in quality, and they do just about anything you can think of.  One of the great things about these tools is that it’s so easy to switch out blades without switching tools.  Even when you are working in your own shop, space can get a bit tight, and you may have to get under a car, climb into the trunk, or who knows what else?  It’s great to have one light tool that you can just pop blades in and out of to do totally different jobs.  Of course, there are heavy duty jobs that demand specialized tools, but it’s great to be able to grind metal, scrape paint, do intricate cuts in sheet metal, cut fiberglass, cut tubing and hose, and do a bunch of other jobs with one tool and a few blades.

Most people who buy one of these tools end up using the heck out of it, and the blade costs can add up pretty fast.  While the tools themselves are usually pretty durable, the blades will definitely wear out eventually, and some of the name brand blades can cost anywhere from $12 to $30 apiece!  Fortunately, FitzALLBlades is here to help, offering replacements for all major brand name multi tool blades and accessories at ½ to 1/5 the name brand cost.  These replacement blades are fully compatible, and FitzALLBlades uses a unique eight position arbor pattern to give you more options than ever when you need to cut, grind, sand, polish, or shape materials at a specific angle.