Festool

I got a look as some of their tools today. While they do seem quality tools and have some nice features I don't see anything that to me justifies the cost. Can anyone with experience with the tools tell me why they cost 2-4X what a good quality tool cost?

ron

Reply to
r payne
Loading thread data ...

Hello Ron, My only experience in comparing tools was the Festool sanders (Rotex and Delta shape oscilating sanders) to some other brands that I've owned or demo'd. I was impressed with the little amount of dust the Festool left behind and the minimal vibration I encountered. The sanders felt very stabile and the finish they left was better than I was ever able to obtain in my prior attempts at sanding. I'm sure there is a lot of subjectivity in my opinion but I used to hate the sanding part of my woodworking projects and now I enjoy hooking up my two festool sanders to their vacuum and spending an evening sanding.

Altough I also bought a Domino, I never had any experience with a biscuit type joiner but the Domino made it all look so easy (and it is!) and I'm pleased with the my purchase.

Do I th> I got a look as some of their tools today. =A0While they do seem quality

Reply to
marc rosen

quality

They are German.

Much as that sounds strictly like a smart ass comment, it is designed to convey a message.

In our everyday life, we represent some German companies selling their products here in the US.

Almost always, they are higher priced than their competitors.

Getting that first order is often a challenge.

However, once a customer uses a product, recognises the engineering content, the cost becomes much less of an issue.

I have not used any Festool products, but the above probably applies.

That said, you have to make the decision whether they are a worthwill investment for your application.

Have fun.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

I have their CT 22 vacuum, the Domino, and the 125 Rotex sander. Why pay more? Test drive one.

For me the vacuum is, most of all, QUIET. ;~) It mates with almost every Festool tool flawlessly and rolls around beautifully. The Domino is, well a one of a kind tool. The Domino was initially why I bought a Festool tool. the vacuum was pretty much necessary and I did not want to listen to the typical shop vac any more. Robatoy has always tooted his whistle about his Rotex sanders and I was ready to retire my dust spewing 18 year old PC right angle ROS. The Rotex runs circles around the PC and sucks up 99% of all the dust with the vac.

Put your hands on one and demo the tool and you should see why the price is higher. 3 year warranty, 30 day money back guarantee IIRC. Cases that are stackable and latch on to each other. Detachable power cords that can be left with the vac and used on other Festool tools. Oddly, I have come to like the Festool pricing policy. Your local dealer will be the cheapest place to buy the tool because every one has to sell the tool for the price that Festool suggests. I cannot say that I have ever heard of anyone bitching about a Festool tool. I will add that I find the Festool sand paper to not be far out of line with the competition. For the Rubin 5" H&L disks you pay $19.50 for 50 disks. Dust extraction is so good that the disk lasts longer and so far they do not get clogged up. You have to rely on seeing progress slow down to know when to change out the paper. The paper typically looks brand new after use.

If money is tight or you are going to be an occasional user the Festool may not be right for you. If money is not an issue rest assured that you will enjoy the experience of owning and using one. With the 30 day money back guarantee you have little to risk.

BTY the less expensive ETS125 ROS sander can be held in place and guided with a very light tough of your finger centered on the top. $165.00. If you buy a vac at the same time most all tools offer a discount on the combo.

Reply to
Leon

......and to follow up on what Leon said about the vacuum, I also use it in conjunction with my Porter Cable 7&1/4 circular saw , my Makita

10 inch CMS and my Leigh dovetail jig dust collector system. (Brand names mentioned to let you know that the vac hooks up easily to a lot of different tools- no bragging attempted.) Unlike my older shop vacs the remote start and small diameter hose are a perfect combo with these two non-Festool tools. Plus, the clean up is so easy too. The bags come with their own closure and you can really fill them up before there is any noticeable loss of performance. And did I mention in a previous post that my wife loves vaccuming the house with the CT-22? I may have to buy another one, damnit! (No smiley face icon but you get my drift.) Marc (who has no affiliation with Festool, its dealers, or Tyra Banks but would enjoy any preferential dealings from any of them in the future.)
Reply to
marc rosen

Works great with the Kreg pocket hole jig also.

Reply to
Leon

Ron,

If the 2-4X the cost of a good quality tool wasn't enough for you, here's a heads up on the upcoming Festool price increase. This, according to a recent message from McFeely's.

formatting link
may want to look at some of the closeout items that appear at times when new products are introduced. I picked up a PS-2 jigsaw that way and am very pleased with it. Very smooth cuts and easy to use.

Peter.

Reply to
Peter Bogiatzidis

no affiliation with

Yup, that's when the auto-start really shines.

Reply to
Robatoy

Just got some, but no time yet to do much. The engineering is obvious, from the get-go. Results? Later for that, but I expect nothing marginal and much excellence. We shall see.

Reply to
Charlie Self

Charlie, what tool/tools in particular did you get?

Reply to
Leon

My point, if I have one, is once you go beyond some price for a given thing you are no longer paying for an increase in quality. As a carpenter I've used Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Ryobi, Rigid, Craftsman, Porter Cable and others. Some are better than others and in general the better once cost some more. But from what I've seen there is not enough improvement in Festool to justify costing so much more than what else is out there. That is why I asked for opinions from those who have used them.

r> Ron,

Reply to
r payne

Well the Festool line of tools are not what I could consider "carpenter tools". Carpenters generally don't require the precision unless they are getting into built in cabinets. With the Festool line one could get closer to furniture grade wood working and maybe with out the need or a TS or RAS. The way you are speaking it seems that you have not actually used a Festool tool. For the most part Festool is not so much the single tool as much as it is a system that permits sawing, sanding, or routing inside someone's home. In addition to the perceived limited increase in quality that you mention the tools tend to out perform as well.

Reply to
Leon

Please quit talking about the virtues of Festool as I am extra poor this year.

cm

Reply to
CM

I thought I said I had not used them. And I have done built in cabinets and worked on million dollar houses. In my experience a top quality blade and good straight edge makes more difference than brand of tool if there is a minimum level of quality. Bosch, Rigid, Makita, Porter Cable and DeWalt generally meet that minimum quality. Older Craftsman do as well. The rest is the skill of the user and I don't see any improvement short of a panel saw that will compensate for that.

I'm not trying to run down Festool even if it may seem that way, I'm just trying to understand the expense of the tool, is there that much bang for the buck?

ron

Reply to
r payne

Snip

You have received many answers to question about bang for you buck. Those of us that own the tool feel that the price is justified. You apparently are still having a hard time understanding the value through questions and answers. I'll suggest once again that you put your hands on one an try it out. There is a 30 money back guarantee so the risk is minimal. Go to your local dealer for a hands on demonstration.

Reply to
Leon

The quality increase, relative to dollars spent, seems to be exponential. Is a Festool worth the money? Absolutely. It all has to do with what a tool is worth to you. If you have the damn thing in your hands all day, and you want consistent and reliable results, what is an extra couple of hundred dollars over the life-time of the tool?

Having said that (Strunk & White roll over in their graves every time somebody say that, btw) I don't believe that ALL Festool tools are worth their premium. The Bosch jigsaw comes to mind, so do misc. cordless drills/drivers. Nice, but too rich for my blood. Plunge saws and sanders, and even that # 2000 router, well, there simply isn't anything that compares.

Reply to
Robatoy

You seem to be missing the obvious point of what makes Festool different. A Bosch, DeWalt, Porter Cable, Makita, Milwaukee, Hitachi, Skil, Sears, Black&Decker, etc. circular saw all look alike and act alike. They are all interchangeable. Spray paint them all the same color and you cannot tell one from the other. If you put the Festool circular saw next to the ones above, and it is different. It looks different. Its used differently. It handles differently. Its still callled a circular saw but that is about its only thing in common with the above list of saws. It comes with a guide and is built to use that guide. It comes ready for dust collection. It has soft start motor. It has electronics that keep the rpm constant. It has various speed levels for different blades and material being cut. It has a pluge mechanism to make blind cuts. None of the saws in the list above have these features. Some of the other Festool tools have similar amounts of difference from their common namesake tools from the manufacturers you listed. Some Festool are very similar to the general tools and have very little feature differences. The saws and Domino are probably the most different tools.

Festool has dealers all over the US. You'll have to try one to know if its worth it.

Reply to
russellseaton1

Just thought I'd point out that Makita and DeWalt now have plunge saws with guide rails. However, they're priced close to Festool.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

Add PC to the list but like the other 2 it is not yet available to all. IIRC Europe have them but they are not yet available in the US.

Reply to
Leon

Lessee. I can't get to the vac at the moment, but there's a PSB 300EQ+ jigsaw, an ETS 150/3 EQ+ ROS, and a TS 55 EQ+ circular saw.

Reply to
Charlie Self

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.