There are now over a dozen oscillating multi-tools on the market, which begs the question: which one do I buy? What we’re finding, especially thanks to universal accessory adapters now coming to market, is that they all cut basically the same – provided you are comparing them using the same blade. What that leaves is features, price, and of course, rugged build quality and ergonomics. CEL Multi2PRO MT1 Cordless Multi-Tool has some nice features that make it stand out, and it’s an easy tool to use, so it fits nicely into the mix of oscillating multi-tools and provides the company with a competitive product with which to round out their product line.
We tested the CEL Power8 Workshop all-in-one compact benchtop tool earlier last year, and we’d rank the Multi2PRO in the same category. If you’re looking for an inexpensive multi-tool with decent features, CEL has something that’s at least worth a second look.
CEL Multi2PRO MT1 Cordless Multi-Tool Features
You won’t confuse the CEL Multi2PRO MT1 with any other oscillating tool on the market. As far as we know, it’s the only one with a neon green-and-gray color scheme. The tool is fairly narrow and has a green rubberized grip on the top of the tool, but not the bottom, making it potentially slippery to use with greasy hands. The business end of the tool is all metal, and it includes a rare feature for multi-tools: an LED light positioned just under the tool to provide light to the work surface.
The LED actually comes in quite handy and surprised us as a really nice feature for when your work isn’t in the most brightly lit area. The only difficulty with the light is that it’s aiming a bit lower (by like 4 inches) than the place where the blade connects to the workpiece, causing its usefulness to be a bit less than its potential.
There is no case or bag with this tool, so you’ll either need to buy one from CEL (sold separately) or pick up a bag from your local hardware or warehouse store (our recommendation). Instead, the tool comes in a simple cardboard box with a lightweight molded insert for protecting it during shipping. CEL informed us that they are now offering the unit in a case and with 2 batteries.
The tool has a top-mounted switch with a trigger that easily activates the soft-start motor. Speaking of soft-start, this is a nice feature to have, but you can really tell the companies that are doing it correctly and those that are doing it incorrectly. With the CEL, for example, there is a full 1-second delay before the motor begins to ramp up. On a true soft-start motor, the ramp-up to full speed begins immediately when the trigger or switch is activated. It’s not a huge flaw, but noteworthy.
The included lithium-ion battery is rated to a healthy 1.6Ah and comes with a ~1-hour charger. This is a bit long for charging the battery, and since there is only one, you may have some downtime if you’re working on a lengthy cutting or detail sanding job. Speaking of batteries, we loved that the CEL Multi2PRO MT1 includes a 3-LED battery gauge on the side of the tool. Switch on the tool, and you are greeted with a readout that shows either Green, Yellow, or Red to indicate the remaining charge. It will save you the hassle of popping in an almost-dead battery and then realizing you don’t have enough to finish the job.
Just below the battery indicator is the speed selection dial, which has infinite adjustment between 5,000 and 19,000 OPM (oscillations per minute). Though the dial has 6 numbers on it, there are no detents, so setting the speed can be done fluidly and with no limitations on where you set it.
The single included battery seemed to go in and out well. Its form factor is the same as most other battery-in-handle models of tools we’ve tested (and many are made by the same OEM). Two green buttons on the sides of the battery release it and allow it to be easily reinserted into the tool’s handle.
Included with the Multi2Pro is a stainless steel scraper, a universal end-cut bi-metal blade designed for ferrous metals, a sanding pad with 3 fitted sanding sheets (80, 120, 180 grit), and a Carbide Grit Semicircle Saw (MT1-AC01). The sanding sheets attach via hook and loop and were very secure in our testing, not drifting a lot during even prolonged use. CEL also sent us a $40 accessories kit, which impressed us with its diverse range of blades, scrapers, and sanding pads. The company makes these translucent cases that hold the following accessories:
- MT1-AC02-Diamond-Coated Semicircle Saw Blade 2 1/2″
- MT1-AC03-Carbide Rasp Finger
- MT1-AC04-Triangular Carbide Rasp
- MT1-AC06-Sanding Finger Pad
- MT1-AC07-Sanding Finger Sheet, 40.80.120.180.220,1 pc each
- MT1-AC12-1 3/8″ Universal End Cut (for non-ferrous metals)
- MT1-AC13-3 1/8″ Segment Saw Blade
- MT1-AC16-Polisher
We felt this was a great value – and an excellent solution for getting a bunch of accessories at once to make your tool more useful. If you don’t think you’ll use accessories like a carbide rasp or the sanding attachments, then we recommend either buying single accessories as needed or using a system like the BOSCH OIS to adapt the tool for use with alternate accessories.
Testing the CEL Multi2PRO MT1 Cordless Multi-Tool
So how tough is this tool? Well, we used it in a myriad of applications, but a couple of them really stood out. First off, we were in the middle of a large rewiring project and had to cut out a series of electrical boxes for new outlets. Sound easy? Well, it was – but not for the reasons you’d expect. This was an old home, built in 1920. Using the CEL Multi2PRO MT1, we positioned the tool and cut through the tough plaster and lathe material that barred our way. For anyone who’s ever worked with this type of material, it’s brutal on blades and tools alike.
The Multi2PRO really held up well, and even the included bi-metal blade stood up to the onslaught of four separate electrical box holes. It’s a loud tool, coming in around 92dB SPL from 1 meter away – expect that to sound a lot louder indoors, and the sound is a bit mechanical and buzzy overall.
Something that really impressed us was when we then proceeded to cut through a solid steel locking pin that we needed to remove on a trailer hitch (don’t ask!) In a relatively short amount of time, the same blade accomplished the task – much to our surprise. What was even more amazing was that the blade still had teeth when we were finished. I’ve used cheap blades before and found that either one of these tasks would have reduced the blade to a spatula-like state. We’re finding it very hard to complain about the included accessories, even knowing that they couldn’t possibly have cost a lot of money, given the price of this tool.
We did some more real-world testing, this time swapping out the blade for a Bosch, using their OIS adapter system – which worked just fine on this tool. It was nice in that it opened up a whole new array of tool accessories that we could put on this tool. Additionally, the Multi2PRO comes with an adapter that provides a universal “friction fit” for securing any manufacturer’s accessories to the tool. In this way you can use the CEL with any accessory currently on the market.
With our Bosch blade affixed, we tested the CEL Multi2PRO MT1 against several other multi-tools, including the Milwaukee 12V Multi-tool, Bosch Multi-X, and the Dremel Cordless Multi-Max oscillating tool. The CEL performed admirably, and honestly, the accessory did the work – all three tools cut our test wood in exactly the same amount of time, with the same effort applied to each (which is to say, very little). The only downside with the CEL Multi2Pro is that we got a little under 4 minutes of running time with the tool during more difficult jobs.
With a charge time approaching 1 hour (~80% in 30 minutes), that’s a lot of potential downtime, especially since the tool only ships with one battery (we recommend you get the kit that comes with two if at all possible). We’re seeing advancements in the way manufacturers use lithium-ion battery tech that are extending runtime. Hopefully, CEL can make use of some of these changes and roll out improvements in future generations of this product. They’re certainly off to a good start.
Conclusion
Despite our minor concerns, the CEL Multi2PRO MT1 is a really great product. It’s easy to use, has some nifty features, and really comes across as a tool that has some support behind it. A wide variety and assortment of accessories does a lot to convince us that CEL is making a big play here for the market. It’s also apparent that they recognize the importance of letting consumers use alternative accessories when necessary – a fact further espoused by the inclusion of a universal adapter with their tool.
For both Value and Performance, we rated the CEL Multi2PRO in the middle of the pack. It’s really a good, solid product, but it doesn’t leap forward in terms of innovation or quality as much as it simply represents a very usable tool for a reasonable price.
