LIDL/Parkside multi-tool is this reasonable?

[Nicholas123]

I bought one of these tools a few weeks ago thinking it might be useful down my boat smoothing down fibreglass work I am carrying out on my hull.

The sanding attachment has proven very useful but I found the backing plate that you attach the sanding sheets to (it is called a delta sanding plate) wore out in only 2 or three hours use.
(I expected the sanding sheets to wear out of course but not the thing you attach them to itself). It attaches the sanding sheets using a Velcro type system & these broke down where the sanding sheets themselves must move slightly with all the vibrations.

I contacted LIDL to claim against the guarantee & all they have done is offer to sell me another one for ten pound something.I don't think this is reasonable because I had never heard of these backing plates being considered a consumer item.(you can get bigger ones on ebay from Hongkong for two or three quid but the smaller size used in these units seems unique to the Parkside multi-tool so they have got you over a barrel in this respect). Just buying one would constitute damn near a quarter of the price for the whole unit & I reckon I would need dozens before the unit itself wore out & the work I want to use it for would be complete. :disgust:

Anybody else have this problem & what have you done about it?

 

[Ardenfour]

Could you remove the knackered velcro with a sharp blade the glue a new piece on?

 

[Ian_Edwards]

I bought one 2 years ago, I found it more or less useless for working on the boat, much less powerful than a dremel.
It's sitting in the garage largely unused.
I can see it would be useful for light model making, or perhaps jewelry, but the motor stops as soon as you try and do anything remotely useful on the boat.

 

[Nicholas123]

Could you remove the knackered velcro with a sharp blade the glue a new piece on?

That's something that came to me as I was writing this very thread :encouragement:

 

[Nicholas123]

I bought one 2 years ago, I found it more or less useless for working on the boat, much less powerful than a dremel.
It's sitting in the garage largely unused.
I can see it would be useful for light model making, or perhaps jewelry, but the motor stops as soon as you try and do anything remotely useful on the boat.

I think your probably confusing it with the Multi-grinder ( I actually find the multi-grinder very very useful & can't imagine being able to live without it now.At the moment I am using it with a little grinding wheel to sharpen bits of hacksaw blades & chisels....They have also brought out the 10. something volt model which is quite an improvement)

 

[Topcat47]

I'm still trying to get round my "problem" with a Parkside impact driver. Don't hold your breath. If it all goes pear shaped in the first month, it's a return for refund and chalk it up to experience issue.

 

[peteK]

Have you tried cleaning the velcro with wire brush.

 

[Kelpie]

Just as a dissenting voice, I have once had to claim off a Parkside warranty and found the whole process very smooth and easy. Also, I have a (corded) oscillating multitool and it gets plenty of use on the boat, primarily for making neat little plunge cuts. I don't often use it for sanding though, preferring my random orbital jobbie.

 

[ghostlymoron]

I've found this works with my RYOBI sander but it's beginning to destroy the Velcro so I may have to replace it somehow.

Have you tried cleaning the velcro with wire brush.

 

[vas]

my experience using an einhel multitool with the triangular velcro thing, is that by design this thing is carp.
I've seen the bosch equivalent also failing in a couple of hours...

Only suggestion is to use it for small intervals and make sure the velcro and sanding piece don't heat up, else it just dissolves.
No solution other than using something else and not resort to the triangular thing for anything more than sharp corners, do the rest with a proper orbital sander

cheers

V.

 

[Poignard]

I have a Fein Multimaster and I have found that I get best results, and longer pad life, if I set the speed to minimum when sanding and don't press too hard.

I have a few old pads that would be reusable with new Velcro. Where can you buy a sheet of this stuff?

By the way, using one of these cleaning blocks greatly prolongs the useful life of abrasive pads and belts. They last a very long time.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/abrasive-belt-disc-cleaners-ax21144

 

[vyv_cox]

I have had exactly the same experience with the sanding pad, I'm surprised you got such a long life from it, far more than I did. The rest of the kit has done very well, I use the oscillating saws quite a lot, although they are not very high tensile and cannot cope with harder materials than wood.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I think you should have got much longer use and should expect a full refund if it is not fit for purpose.

I have had this issue with my Bosch (green colour) orbital sander and also with my Fein Multimaster delta sander. Both after a very long time of use, years in both cases. In both cases brushing with a stiff bristle brush helped but only for a short period. Both were replaced with new.

parsifail's tip sounds like a good idea.

 

[Nicholas123]

Have you tried cleaning the velcro with wire brush.

I hav'nt but I have made sure that it is not clogged with fluff & as far as I can see the velcro itself does look pretty knackered particularly in the corners.

 

[Nicholas123]

my experience using an einhel multitool with the triangular velcro thing, is that by design this thing is carp.
I've seen the bosch equivalent also failing in a couple of hours...

Only suggestion is to use it for small intervals and make sure the velcro and sanding piece don't heat up, else it just dissolves.
No solution other than using something else and not resort to the triangular thing for anything more than sharp corners, do the rest with a proper orbital sander

cheers

V.

That is a good observation.It stands to reason that the small hairy bits will be effected by heat :encouragement: (though having said that the nature of the stuff I have used it on has'nt involved very long continuous use).

My boat is on a swinging mooring & I don't have access to 240volts so things like orbital sanders are out of the question.

 

[Nicholas123]

I have a Fein Multimaster and I have found that I get best results, and longer pad life, if I set the speed to minimum when sanding and don't press too hard.

I have a few old pads that would be reusable with new Velcro. Where can you buy a sheet of this stuff?

By the way, using one of these cleaning blocks greatly prolongs the useful life of abrasive pads and belts. They last a very long time.

http://www.axminster.co.uk/abrasive-belt-disc-cleaners-ax21144

Never seen that stuff before.What the devil do you do with it?

 

[Nicholas123]

I have had exactly the same experience with the sanding pad, I'm surprised you got such a long life from it, far more than I did. The rest of the kit has done very well, I use the oscillating saws quite a lot, although they are not very high tensile and cannot cope with harder materials than wood.

I think you should have got much longer use and should expect a full refund if it is not fit for purpose.

I have had this issue with my Bosch (green colour) orbital sander and also with my Fein Multimaster delta sander. Both after a very long time of use, years in both cases. In both cases brushing with a stiff bristle brush helped but only for a short period. Both were replaced with new.

parsifail's tip sounds like a good idea.

I think I might direct the attention of the LIDL Customer Complaints Department to this thread as I don't seem to be only one that dos'nt think this is good enough :encouragement:

 

[Poignard]

Never seen that stuff before.What the devil do you do with it?

Run the machine and hold the cleaning block on the belt or pad. It works brilliantly and saves money.

 

[Norman_E]

I have the Lidl 10.8 volt cordless multitool on board and it has been very useful , even cutting through thick fiberglass layup to fit the new plotter.

 

[Kelpie]

That is a good observation.It stands to reason that the small hairy bits will be effected by heat :encouragement: (though having said that the nature of the stuff I have used it on has'nt involved very long continuous use).

My boat is on a swinging mooring & I don't have access to 240volts so things like orbital sanders are out of the question.

My £50 solar panel and a £30 inverter (300w) lets me run a whole bunch of 240v stuff, including the multitool under discussion.
My sander is a cordless 18v one from Makita, handy bit of kit although somewhat pricey.
Shore power would be nice but there's always a way around it...