My project is removing moisture-compromised mortar from an 80 year old red brick basement. I have no running water leaks, just seepage through mortar and the flat nail holes used to attach the furring strips.
I tried hammer and chisel, carbide tipped drill bits and an angle grinder with these results: too hard, inadequate to the task, and effective, but far too dusty.
I looked for an oscillating tool. Fein, the macdaddy is, I think, designed for professionals and priced too high. The Dremel appears to have been made for light projects, not mine. The Bosch is battery operated and for this job I wanted electric power. That left the Rockwell. Bingo.
This sturdy tool met my expectations and more. Once I choose the correct blade, the tool tore through the compromised mortar raising only a minimal amount of dust.
A note about blades. I bought the 72 piece Sonicrafter and an extra grinding blade (circular with a flat side), to remove the mortar. I reduced that blade to a gritless nub in about 45 minutes. Next I tried the eliptical triangular carbide grit blade. Because the metal of this blade is stronger, it lasted somewhat longer. Then I mounted the scraper blade, the stoutest piece of metal in the box, with no grit at all. This proved to be the best blade for my job.
I do not know if this blade would be more effective than the carbide grinder blades on non-compromised mortar, all I know is it works like a charm on my job. Given this experience, I expect the perfect blade for strong grout and/or mortar would be a cold chisel blade, but no one offers that, yet.
A note on the blade mount. Several users have complained that the blade on oscilating tools tend to loosen. I have not found that to be a problem at all. Had I designed this tool, I would have used a stronger blade fastener than an allen head, but so far it has worked for me, and if you round out the allen, replacement screws are a few pennies.
Four stars and not five because I have used this tool for only this application.Get more detail about Rockwell RK5102K Sonicrafter Deluxe 72-Piece Kit.
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