Parkside PFBS 160 D3 Review: Budget Rotary Multi-Tool

Rotary multi-tools are useful helpers no workshop should lack: cutting off a screw here, polishing a small patch there, sanding a surface in between. The Parkside PFBS 160 D3 is a decidedly affordable example — perhaps not the quietest, strongest or lightest, but cheap, generously accessorised and entirely fit for purpose. For most home improvers it needs to be nothing more.

As the name suggests, these compact helpers take on many tasks with one rotating tool: sanding, milling, cutting, drilling, engraving and polishing — hence the rarely used German designation "fine drill grinder". Hobbyists use them for decorative work, milling ornaments into wood or engraving glasses, where light and handy matters most; metalworkers want something stronger, where weight matters less for short jobs. Even with no specific project planned, owning one never hurts: simple devices like this Parkside cost little and accept the same tools as expensive brand models. The category's godfather remains Dremel — the name has become as generic as Flex for angle grinders — but Bosch Professional covers the power end and Parkside the occasional home improver.

The best feature of the multi-tool world is an unwritten standard: almost all use a collet accepting 3.2-millimetre shanks, so tools from manufacturer X fit the device from manufacturer Y. Different collet sizes and even a small drill chuck cover anything else — practically no limits.

Spec sheets list eye-watering revolutions — 30,000rpm is nothing unusual — but the reason is simple physics: cutting speed. An angle grinder's 125-millimetre disc at 11,000rpm reaches about 4,318 metres per minute at the rim; a multi-tool's 38-millimetre cutting disc needs roughly 36,000rpm for the same cutting speed. The angle grinder works far more effectively thanks to its power, but cannot approach the multi-tool's precision — and in tight spots, the big disc has no chance at all.

The Parkside immediately scores with its case — exactly what cheap models usually omit, and exactly what occasional users want, with everything in one place. Inside sit the multi-tool, a clip-on light, a milling cage, a flexible shaft and a telescopic stand from which to hang the device. The stand-and-shaft combination proves genuinely practical: the tool hangs ventilated and vibration-free while the flexible shaft's collet does the work, greatly improving freedom of movement. The set includes 42 milling, grinding and cutting tools.

Discounter origins are invisible in the build: housing shells meet cleanly, the plastic feels respectable, no edges are poorly deburred. The many decorative steps and edges serve little purpose, but several are rubberised for a secure grip. A small rocker switch powers the unit, a thumb wheel above it sets the speed, and a spindle lock assists collet changes — operation indistinguishable from far pricier rivals.

In practical use the PFBS 160 D3 performs well and solidly rather than perfectly. At up to 86 decibels it is no quiet companion, and at nearly 600 grams quite heavy — though the rubberised surfaces keep it secure, and the flexible shaft relieves tired hands. The sore point is the manufacturer's data: a claimed 10,000-40,000rpm range measured as 19,000-32,000rpm in reality. Parkside never needed the exaggeration — 32,000rpm is entirely sufficient, as the cutting test confirmed: not blisteringly fast, but steady and constant through iron, so long as you avoid excessive pressure.

The Parkside PFBS 160 D3 is an average multi-tool by the numbers — neither light, strong nor quiet — that nonetheless does its job with solid build quality and no real defects. The case with its complete accessory set, including light, flexible shaft, stand and 42 tools, is the clincher at this price. The falsified speed figures are an unnecessary blemish on an otherwise honest, remarkably affordable tool that does everything a home improver needs.