mike_aa
Member
25% Off Discontinued Kapex at Hartville Tool
- Thread starter mike_aa
- Start date
mike_aa
Member
vkumar said:
Yes, it's the discontinued model - Festool 561287 Kapex KS 120 EB Sliding Compound Miter Saw.
And the price is $1,106.25. That's a savings of $368.75.
The reduced price is definitely a deal breaker even if the motor is the old type, as after a fix (if it does smoke), the new parts will fix it.
Even better if the motor is the new type, just the rest old.
Bottom line: the 25% off is worth the risk (of smoking and then getting fixed with new parts).
Even better if the motor is the new type, just the rest old.
Bottom line: the 25% off is worth the risk (of smoking and then getting fixed with new parts).
ChuckM said:
I don't think this is a slam dunk. I'm still skeptical that the "new" motor has solved the problem given the track record.
People have reported failures even after motor replacement (though not recently) and Festool's denial that there even is/was a problem doesn't make me want to bet the same horse again. And what if the same guy or team that designed the faulty , not a problem motor implemented the so called fix ? Did they really fix whatever the problem wasn't ?
But, if you're in the market for this saw anyway, 25% off a new in the box Festool with full warranty is hard to pass up.
Hartville doesn’t charge tax and has free shipping. For me in Hawaii, shipping is $12 which is extremely good. Many companies won’t ship at all anymore or charge prohibited amounts. Assuming the motors are the same, the risk of motor failure is the same in both new and old. Are the updates really worth $370? Very tempting.
hemlock
Member
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2012
- Messages
- 139
Even with the new motor (I don't see how Festool would not have the new motor in the new builds of old model after admitting it was a problem); I'm not comfortable purchasing a Kapex even at 25% off. Over the past 10 years I have transitioned my shop to primarily Festool. I think it would be quicker to list the Festools I do not have than those that I do.
My point is, I've bought into the premium pricing, service, quality, reliability, and innovation that most Festools reflect. But I just can't get there on the Kapex given the history of the saw and how Festool handled the motor issue. Eight years ago I bought a new SCMS and it was between the Bosch Glide and Kapex. Bosch won then. With this sale, I was tempted at 25% off as I will be finishing the inside of our cabin over the next couple years and thought it would be an asset for that and a time to change to better dust collection. But I just can't justify the cost:risk. Maybe after a few years of the new saw in service with no motor issues, I'll reconsider.
My point is, I've bought into the premium pricing, service, quality, reliability, and innovation that most Festools reflect. But I just can't get there on the Kapex given the history of the saw and how Festool handled the motor issue. Eight years ago I bought a new SCMS and it was between the Bosch Glide and Kapex. Bosch won then. With this sale, I was tempted at 25% off as I will be finishing the inside of our cabin over the next couple years and thought it would be an asset for that and a time to change to better dust collection. But I just can't justify the cost:risk. Maybe after a few years of the new saw in service with no motor issues, I'll reconsider.
xedos said:
I have not seen or heard any reports of Kapex failures either with the new motors or with an old motor that has been fixed with new parts? Has anyone?
as I pointed out earlier, the new motors and new parts are indeed too new to tell if they're the final deal.
hemlock said:
No reasonable Festool users, owning a Kapex or not, would disagree that Festool has handled this file badly. The very bad publicity must also be one of the reasons why the old Kapexes have not been selling and why Festool has to slash prices today. The corporate management has itself to blame for its silence and for letting a technical problem cause lingering damage to its reputation.
ChuckM said:
I believe, but I might be wrong that there were numerous attempts along the way while trying to diagnose and isolate the actual problem cause ieading to this motor design. Details I do not know so don't bother asking me. I do know that the number of complaints here is down.
Could have Festool handled this better - in my opinion - yes.
If my Kapex wasn't so well I would consider either a latest model or the soon to come model.
Peter
This thread was started because of a repeat problem on a repaired Kapex:
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-problems/another-kapex-bites-the-dust-again/
This is not an isolated report (on this forum or others) of a repaired saw breaking again. You need only do a simple search and spend a lot of time reading.
Now it's hard to ascertain who, what, where, and when the "new" motors started going into production and repairs since Festool is mum on the subject. I think it reasonable to assume "new" motors went in all REB variants and repairs from that time period. I would think they tried it on for size long before it was green lit for production, but who knows? And I doubt we'll ever here when that started either. What's harder to gauge is whether the "new" motor has actually solved the issue. I don't think enough runtime has passed to render judgement.
I find it interesting that Festool's handling of the issue has pissed off the wrong person; or enough people that at least one law firm is exploring a class action for kapex owners.
The thread you quoted began in 2017, long before Festool made a public statement (in June or July? this year) about "improved parts" for the motors. I'd like to know if any users whose EB saw motors failed again after they were repaired with the "improved parts", or whose failed motors belong to the REB model (as opposed to the EB model).
Like I said, too soon to tell if the "new" motor really fixed the problem.
The previous fix from festool didn't work for some people. They could have just been going through the motions and replacing like for like on burnt motors. We don't know.
At some point they probably started replacing warranty calls with the new motor. But as I said previously, it's too soon to tell whether this latest "new" fix addresses the problem. So, I don't think you will find anyone that has a smoked kapex that was repaired this year or a new REB model that has either. Neither have enough mileage on them to say. Even the old ones took some hours of use before the problem manifested itself.
I hope the engineers have found a smoking gun in the kapex motor design that they were able to rectify. It's just too soon to tell if they were successful. It's a very nice saw with some great features. Those features aren't worth the premium to a lot of people with a cloud of reliability hanging over its head.
The previous fix from festool didn't work for some people. They could have just been going through the motions and replacing like for like on burnt motors. We don't know.
At some point they probably started replacing warranty calls with the new motor. But as I said previously, it's too soon to tell whether this latest "new" fix addresses the problem. So, I don't think you will find anyone that has a smoked kapex that was repaired this year or a new REB model that has either. Neither have enough mileage on them to say. Even the old ones took some hours of use before the problem manifested itself.
I hope the engineers have found a smoking gun in the kapex motor design that they were able to rectify. It's just too soon to tell if they were successful. It's a very nice saw with some great features. Those features aren't worth the premium to a lot of people with a cloud of reliability hanging over its head.
Cheese
Member
The Germans do so many things correctly, but when they truly hose a process up they do it with VIGOR. That pretty much sums up the Kapex debacle.
It rather reminds me of the current state in American politics.
It rather reminds me of the current state in American politics.
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