Real owners rate these about evenly: 86% of 35 DeWalt DCS356B owners recommend it, vs 84% of 105 for the Milwaukee 2997-22.
Verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube owner comments — affiliate reviews excluded. Sample sizes differ; judge accordingly. How we score
“well worth it. I've ran my DeWalt multi tool for miles, almost 10 years, and it's still going”— @Tool_Addicted_Carpenter on YouTube
“The trigger is the best. You can roll on the power very smoothly.”— @Everythingisgoingtobealright on YouTube
“The Pivot on the bldae holder gets in the way, although its quick to change blades, you cant get the depth of cut or see the cutting edge clearly in tight spaces, like underneath the sink etc, The Fein is so much more compact at the head.”— @johnr1038 on YouTube
“These are great. I have both lines in my job as a millwright for concrete plant assembly and they work side by side everyday. Going strong for 2 years now.”— Nimbian-highpriest on Reddit
“Been using base model brushed drill at least once a week for the better part of a decade now. Keep saying I’ll get fuel when it stops working but it just won’t quit.”— yemoodle on Reddit
“I was very disappointed with the non-FUEL line. Let the smoke out of the drill the first time we used it.”— Cody0303 on Reddit