Fein Supercut FSC 2.0 Review

Regrouting Tool Review

By Troy Cantini

The Fein Supercut and Fein Multimaster tools have always been marketed as ideal tools for removing grout.  The Fein Supercut is a more powerful and durable than the Fein Multimaster and is made with professional contractors in mind. The question becomes is it worth it to spend over twice the money on the Fein Supercut or with the Fein Multimaster be good enough for your use.

The Fein Supercut is over twice the price of the Fein Multimaster.  The Fein Supercut costs over $800 and for this price you should expect an exceptionally rugged tool that will last an extremely long time. The advantages of the Fein Supercut over the Fein Multimaster are a more rugged build and a stronger more durable motor. The stronger motor is particularly useful when removing grout from large areas of tile.

If you are a professional tile contractor and you will be doing a lot of regrouting work then the Fein Supercut is a must have tool.  Settling for the cheaper Fein Multimaster will not cut it for a few reasons. In addition to the more powerful motor in the Fein Supercut there are specially designed 3/64 inch thin diamond coated grout removal blades that are only available for the Fein Supercut. Fein manufactures 5/64 inch wide diamond coated grout removal blade for both the Fein Multimaster and the Fein Supercut but the 5/64 inch wide blades are too wide for removing grout in most showers with unsanded grout. The edges of the tiles will chip when using a grout removal blade that is too wide. Most shower regrouting jobs will require using the 3/64 inch blade to remove the narrow unsanded grout in standard ceramic tile showers.

There are various other brands of oscillating tools on the market today from Millwaukee, Makita, Rigid, Dewalt etc.  None of these other oscillating tool brands have been tried and tested like the Fein oscillating tools. More importantly none of these oscillation tools supplies the diamond coated grout removal blades necessary for removing grout. The carbide grout removal blades that some manufactures supply are ineffective and will quickly wear down when removing large areas of grout. Fein is also the only company that offers a 3 year warranty on its tools and your are definitely going to need this warranty if you are a professional regrouting contractor.

The Fein Supercut's motor will not bog down and slow when grinding out large areas of grout. burn out when used too aggressively.  The Fein Multimaster on the other hand will slow down when removing large areas of grout. Additionally the Fein Multimaster will heat up over time and require a cooling down period. The Fein Supercut will go for hours without needing a cool down period. Usually after a couple of hours of use your hands and arms will need a rest so this is usually a good time to take a break anyways.

Fein supplies both the corded and cordless versions of its oscillating tools.  Going cordless is not a good option when you will mostly be using this tool for regrouting. You will need a lot of continuous power when removing grout in most regrouting jobs. Running out of battery power will definitely leave you in a bind and could cause you to have to come back to a job site multiple times to finish the job.

The cordless tools are also heavier and more awkward to use in tight corners.  This increased weight will be a curse on your arms and hands when trying to remove grout in large areas. Also trying to remove the grout in tight corners where the cordless battery gets in your way will also make regrouting tile that much more difficult of a job.

The quick release blade system of the Fein tools seems like a great idea on paper but it is really a drawback with the Fein Supercut tool.  The Fein Multimaster also has a quick release blade holder that is similar to the Fein Supercut so it probably has similar issues as the Fein Supercut tool. The quick release blade holder system allows you to quickly remove and replace the blades without having to use any tools to remove them.

The old style Fein tools required you to use a hex driver to unscrew a blade holder screw for replacing the blades.  This old system was not perfect and periodically the blade holder screw would loosen and need to be re tightened to keep the blade firmly in place. The screw in blade holder system did not present too many problems and did not ever break down and need to be repaired like the new quick release blade holder system.