Thread: Metabo Multitool

G'Day Damien,
That's surely one ubeaut machine you've got there.
Yes you can seethe quality in the machine through and through.
Plus one hell of a workshop too, in the background of your photos.
Thanks for the great story.
What are you doing so far from home?
Cheers, Crowie

"GO THE MAROONS"

Great stuff.... where do you find the room to keep it all!?? Love Metabo stuff, I'm almost wishing my old Makita drill to croak so I can add to my Metabo collection!

Danke Damien,
Yes when costs were high and wages were low multi-use tools were more common. Your Metabo collection is fascinating and in very good condition. But I would be a bit nervous about using the little saw bench.
Where are you in Germany? Anywhere near the Festools factory?

Holy cow! and here I was thinking it was going to be about a Fein or Bosch multitool clone That's an amazing collection. Thanks for sharing.

Dear Damien,

That's quite incredible... That's possilby enough to even make Herr Gerhard drool...
Ahhh, those Krauts - you canna' keep 'em down!... (They probably even did a drill-powered Tank or two during the Interwar years...)

Hmmm, some really tasteful Tool- in the background too, it should be noted...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

Originally Posted by Batpig

(They probably even did a drill-powered Tank or two during the Interwar years...)

They had a couple in WWII but the couldn't seem to get the extension cords to reach farther than Stalingrad...

Hi Damien,

my compliments, brilliant display and valuable range of pics, as is customary in your posts! I don't have such complete kits like these myself, only the tool attachments and the drill models of course. Attachments and stationary layouts for DIY users weren't exclusively German, there was also quite a range from Wolf UK, B&D from UK/USA , Skil from USA/NL and Peugeot from France.
Metabo, though, had the vastest range from early on. They outclassed their direct competitors AEG and Bosch in both versatility and quality-in-detail. Though i doubt that Metabo made all of it. I think that some of the pedestal platework and castings were outsourced from other manufacturers.
I never really looked into which manufacturer was the true pioneer in DIY attachments and stationary machines with a drill as power source. Might be fun and interesting to make an attempt.

Kress from Germany had a slightly different approach, they brought out a motor unit with a pistol grip, to be combined with several drive units (jigsaw, sander, bench grinder, circular saw). The peculiar thing about these Kress machines was, that the typical drill gear box was also a separate attachment. It came with the standard base purchase, but "motor unit" could be taken literally here. I'm still trying to find a decent copy. Our Dutch warehouse chain Vroom & Dreesmann used to sell them under their own "Vendex" label, some 35 years ago.
These DIY-machines were never big sellers and V&D eventually let them go at cheap-as-sand prices. I was tempted, but decided to invest in better quality solutions than that (i my saved my money to buy an AEG SB2E-600). I could have had the Kress tool for very little and now that's it's rare, i'm looking for it. Funny thing, eh?

German household appliance manufacturer Krups was another firm to come up with an odd multifunction-solution. They brought out a kitchen mixer/quirl that could double as an electric drill. When the lady was finished whisking the eggs for an omelet, the gent released the paddles with the push button on top and inserted a drill chuck on an axle stub, which had the same bajonet fitting. Since quirl paddles are counter-rotating, you could easily choose left or right hand turning by sticking the chuck in either drive hole. Whereas these appliances normally have motors ranging from 100 to 200 Watts, Krups cranked this particular model up to 400 Watts.

Looking forward to more of your cellar treasures.

Schönen Grüssen aus Amsterdam!

gerhard

P.S., Porter-Cable experimented with a drill powered toy tank. Turned out for the good ....the belt sander, hahaha! (just bullsh*tting, but i couldn't resist)

Originally Posted by gerhard

Kress from Germany had a slightly different approach, they brought out a motor unit with a pistol grip, to be combined with several drive units (jigsaw, sander, bench grinder, circular saw). The peculiar thing about these Kress machines was, that the typical drill gear box was also a separate attachment. It came with the standard base purchase, but "motor unit" could be taken literally here. I'm still trying to find a decent copy.

I had some of that Kress stuff: jigsaw, sander and a drill - all like new. Olive green and black. Can't remember what it's called - somehting with 'X'. Gave it to my neighbour. It was actually quite impressive. Had a spring-loaded lever that locked the drive and the tool together. The motor was powerful and really got the sander going I can tell you.

I have an AEG all in one thingy: lathe, drill press, etc.,. I should take a pic of it sometime 'cause it's never been used and is a really nice example of the system. Oh damn, now I've got to go and take a pic don't I?...

Here we go:

Attachment 171071 Attachment 171070

Great for the kids when they want to start out...

Great, thanks! Full marks again, haha! And yes, there was an X involved in the Kress system, and there were several generations of it, with different models and designs.

Originally Posted by damienhazo

They had a couple in WWII but the couldn't seem to get the extension cords to reach farther than Stalingrad...

Originally Posted by gerhard

P.S., Porter-Cable experimented with a drill powered toy tank. Turned out for the good ....the belt sander, hahaha!

Love it! Love it!...

Originally Posted by gerhard

Schönen Grüssen aus Amsterdam!

Hi Gerhard,

Just wanted to say that I was in Amsterdam the other day for a mate's buck's party. Well it actually went from Friday morning till Sunday evening so it was more a buck's weekend. Needless to say, I consumed a lot of 'blueberry' 'bubblegum' with my mate 'Lemon Larry' in between enjoying the capital's 'coffee' in the cafes.

Stayed in Amsterdam Cribs right in the middle of it all and had a bloody great time! Was amazing to see so many people intoxicated and no fighting. Must be something in the air?

Attachment 171270

I remember in the late 60s my Dad had an AEG drill which had planer , jig saw and a couple of other attachments. Nothing quite as impressive as the Metabo setup
TYrying to balance a tool with a great big drill sticking out was a bit awkward

Originally Posted by damienhazo

I had some of that Kress stuff: jigsaw, sander and a drill - all like new. Olive green and black. Can't remember what it's called - somehting with 'X'.

It was called: X-MAL-CLICK. How do I know this? 'Cause I just bagged a whole box full of the stuff in eBay. Best of all? It's NEVER been used!

The system was developed by KRESS and it's actually pretty impressive. The stuff I bought on eBay (86 Euro) is the 3rd generation black and blue series. How this box set managed to go 30 years without being used is a mystery to me. I thought I'd better take a few pics now because I plan on using it should a suitable situation arrise...

x mal click.JPG x mal click (1).JPG x mal click (2).JPG x mal click (3).JPG
x mal click (4).JPG x mal click (5).JPG x mal click (6).JPG x mal click (7).JPG
x mal click (8).JPG x mal click (9).JPG

Uses a simple bayonnet-type attachement that makes exchanging the tool extremely quick and easy. Ideal for those small jobs away from the workshop where you're not exactly sure what you'll be needing... Just grab the box and you've got everything you need!

Damien

Hi,
What a surprise, I was reading along with great interest when I realised it was a rather old post and wondered who and why it had been resurrected, and the last thing I expected was the original poster to be adding to it like it had never stopped.
I did not know there were that many multi tools made, I was only aware of the Wolf Cub and the Black and Decker. I longed for the Wolf Cub as a school kid and bought a Black and Decker and some attachments (all of which I still have in working order) when I started earning my own income.
Congratulations on that score you made there. As you say there must be a story as to why it was never used.
Regards