Another kapex question

[PA floor guy]

So I have been doing a lot of reading up on the kapex.  Heres my situation, I own 4 mitre saws.  1-8" hitachi, 1-10" dewalt, and 2-12" sliders.  The big hitachi slider which is only a few years old, and the dewalt top model.  My favorite of the group is the big hitachi, I paid roughly 800 for it a few years ago.  But it's so heavy to transport.
  What would justify me to go buy the kapex, what does it do that's better than the hitachi saw or dewalt.  I install and refinish wood floors, so keep that in mind while answering.  I have converted almost every tool to festool, minus the big guy.
  I really think just by showing up at a house to work with these high quality tools, people look at you different.
  Heres an interesting story,  I was hired to refinish floors for a large business owner in my area, he owns a massive bridge construction business. Well, while I was setting up tools, he noticed a stack of systainers setting in his parlor. His face lit up like an Xmas tree. He was ecstatic that I was using tools of this quality in his home.  He then asked me what else I do professionally, and hired me for everything I mentioned. And then also hired me to do a lot of things I don't normally do, but have done at my own home. I spent months working in his various homes, and he has sent me many more jobs, and I really believe that my tool selections started the ball rolling. He knew all about festool, and said that he has never seen any contractor around here use them, and that I must be serious about what I do.  That's my little festool story.  Hey Shane, does that win me a contest.  It's very true....  Thanks.    Sam

 

[peter halle]

Hey, only you can make the decision.  The Kapex is a lot lighter than the Hitachi, the dust collection is better, and it has great accuracy.  I only had the 10" Hitachi before my Kapex and one thing that I enjoy about the Kapex is that it doesn't have the removeable trigger safety button.  Mine would fall out and I would have to search for it or make a temporary one.

I rejoiced when my Hitachi finally went away although I wasn't quite ready to pull the Kapex trigger.  No regrets since.

Peter

 

[Tinker]

I wood think the DC of the Kapex would be a great selling point.  I have a 8" hitachi SCMS and have about given up on containing the sawdust from it.  i just aim it in a direction that will present the least inconvenience when it comes to cleaning up.

I have watched several demos of the Kapex and it is like, "When does the dust come out?"  There is practically none.

I have watched other trades men (I am not in construction any more, but watch guys working on jobs where I am doing landscaping) set up their sliders outside and end up having to rake the lawn each nite.  Or setup in the driveway and do a heap of sweeping at end of day. I see nothing on the floor when i watch a demo with a Kapex. I better quit now.  I cannot justify getting a Kapex for my hobbying but it is an awful temptation.  [scratch chin]
Tinker

 

[ccarrolladams]

With the appropriate saw blade and when the miter saw is accurately set, all of the saws you own should make cuts in flooring better than good enough for your purposes.

The major advantage, besides dust collection, of a Kapex is that it accurately repeats miter and bevel settings day and week after day and week. Included with the Kapex is a very cunning angle setting device which really makes installing crown molding accurately faster. Only you would know if these features are important to you.

You have indicated you need an accurate miter saw that weighs less than some of your saws. Personally I see no reason to use a 300mm/12" miter saw on flooring, Because of the Kapex design it provides greater cutting depth capacity than other 260mm miter saws. I do not personally carry any of my Kapex to sites, but the installation team working for me does.

The clients willing to pay my prices often are dedicated DIY woodworkers. They hire us because they do not have the time to build complicated sets of cabinets fast enough to keep peace in their family. Still, they read about woodworking, so when they see a stack or two of Systainers being rolled into their homes, followed by drop cloths, one or two CT extractors and a Kapex on an UG stand, surprisingly often they ask to try some of the Festools.

Occasionally such a proud homeowner has shown my installers a personal TS55. When that happens, assuming we are on a T&M contract, the installers offer to adjust the toe-in, which always impresses the client. When those clients who do not have a relationship with a Festool dealer, we all recommend one of the pioneer Los Angeles Festool dealers with a massive inventory.

Given your relationship with the wealthy client who provides you so many referrals, if you want my advice it would be to start using a Kapex on a drop cloth and connected to a like-new CT with a 36mm AS hose. BTW, we keep one CT36 especially clean just for use on sites. All of my older CT22s extract dust as well from a Kapex, but externally they look like veterans.

I keep mentioning using a drop cloth under the Kapex. The reason is that some tasks, especially cutting fairly thin and brittle material, such as flooring, frustrates the Kapex dust collection system. In my shop the two permanently mounted Kapex each have behind them a standard miter saw shroud connected with 100mm hose to the plant Dust Collection system to gather anything escaping the Kapex dust port. On site my experience is the drop cloth is more practical and clients appreciate the use of those.

 

[semenza]

  I cannot justify getting a Kapex for my hobbying but it is an awful temptation.   [scratch chin]
Tinker

Get it before the price increase  [big grin]  [thumbs up]

Seth

 

[Iwood75]

IS there really a pending price increase? I've been saving for a Kapex and have just a few hundred $ to go. Didn't Festool just increase prices earlier this year?

 

[Brice Burrell]

IS there really a pending price increase? I've been saving for a Kapex and have just a few hundred $ to go. Didn't Festool just increase prices earlier this year?

Check out this thread: Prices are changing soon.

 

[Blackberry]

I've owned the Kapex for a little over a year now and I'm very happy with my purchase.  It's extremely accurate, the saw is lightweight, the dust collection is great and the motor is strong.  I currently own a makita and previously owned a Milwaukee.  The Kapex is noticeably nicer than my previous saws.  This is the second price increase that's occurred since I bought my Kapex and it'd be nice if one of these competitors stepped up and gave some real competition at a lower price point.  In the meantime, I'm happy with my saw and I figure it holds in value.

 

[tiralie]

He knew all about festool, and said that he has never seen any contractor around here use them, and that I must be serious about what I do. 

Sam:
Great story.
I think you have just made your decision.
Tim

 

[Stone Message]

So I have been doing a lot of reading up on the kapex.  Heres my situation, I own 4 mitre saws.  1-8" hitachi, 1-10" dewalt, and 2-12" sliders.  The big hitachi slider which is only a few years old, and the dewalt top model.  My favorite of the group is the big hitachi, I paid roughly 800 for it a few years ago.  But it's so heavy to transport.
  What would justify me to go buy the kapex, what does it do that's better than the hitachi saw or dewalt.  I install and refinish wood floors, so keep that in mind while answering.  I have converted almost every tool to festool, minus the big guy.
  I really think just by showing up at a house to work with these high quality tools, people look at you different.
  Heres an interesting story,  I was hired to refinish floors for a large business owner in my area, he owns a massive bridge construction business. Well, while I was setting up tools, he noticed a stack of systainers setting in his parlor. His face lit up like an Xmas tree. He was ecstatic that I was using tools of this quality in his home.  He then asked me what else I do professionally, and hired me for everything I mentioned. And then also hired me to do a lot of things I don't normally do, but have done at my own home. I spent months working in his various homes, and he has sent me many more jobs, and I really believe that my tool selections started the ball rolling. He knew all about festool, and said that he has never seen any contractor around here use them, and that I must be serious about what I do.   That's my little festool story.  Hey Shane, does that win me a contest.  It's very true....   Thanks.    Sam

Sam

You really ought to enter this account in the Festimonial contest - it really does just go to show how good Festool is...oh, buy a Kapex. I have the 120 and it is the best bench mounted saw (covers mitre and radial arms) that I have every owned or used.

Peter

 

[KorDes]

I've just recently purchased the Kapex, and yea the bill hurts but I'm 100% sure it will pay for it self some time soon.
Reasons I bought it were I've only got a type of radial arm saw that takes up way too much space in my garage. It's very difficult to adjust for angle cuts. It can't do compound cuts.
And it's not portable. I've had to borrow my brothers shitty Ryobi SCMS for any on site work.

The Kapex resolves all of these problems and more, I'm certain. I'm just lucky this last big job I'm doing will pay for it and still have money to spare.

You just might need to charge a little more for future jobs. It seems you're developing a good reputation for high quality work so you should be charging accordingly.

 

[pws]

  I really think just by showing up at a house to work with these high quality tools, people look at you different.
 

A great story and almost too perfect to be true but I believe it. Working in the flip side of construction (architecture/design) I find clients really do (even if subconsciously) equate how I present myself with their aspirations. If I want to successfully sell/show them a vision, to an extent I need to embody that vision.

Unfortunately this doesn't mean I drive Porsche's.  ;D Would be sweet to pull up in a 911, open up the front, and pull out a bunch of systainers.

Merry Xmas everyone!

 

[Eli]

I don't even really think twice about any festool buy anymore. The people I work for pay me better because I have them, they've said so, I know it makes my work better, I get a lot of satisfaction out of using them. I think if you were working for me and I threw you a lot of work on the basis of the quality of your tools, you should go get the new stuff. I know GC's that hire me so they can have a play with the green stuff, and I don't disappoint them.

The UG stand is a perfect example. I think it cut my roll out/pack up time in half. It means I can get an extra half hour of work done per day, and enjoy packing up instead of dreading it.

+1 on the dropcloth under it.

 

[Tinker]

A big + on the drop cloth.
When I was doing masonry, i always took extra care to cover the area where I was working, especially where we were mixing mortar.  It took a little time to set up but was so much quicker at cleanup time.  I get real peaved when today's young contractors don't care about other tradesmens' work areas.  The carpenters throw buckets of dust into the hedgerows.  Masons leave cement tracks on the blacktop.  Painters are the absolute worst.  They clean brushes in the most open areas of lawn or toss left over paint thinner into fine shrubbery. I could go on.
I have not seen a Kapex on any site jobs yet, but I am sure they will eventually start to appear when tradesmen find out how easy it is to keep a jobsite clean.
Tinker

 

[festooltim]

I got my Kapex the day it came out and I would not be without it. Main reason was weight, my back takes enough abuse and carrying a 60 pound saw through the house and up and down  stairs was to much. The lasers, accuracy and dust collection where a bonus.

 

[ScotF]

The Kapex is one awesome saw and I am sooo glad I got one earlier this year.  Even for mundane tasks like cutting ABS drain pipe is great -- the ability to slow the motor down and the phenomenal dust extraction is huge.  I am getting ready to haul it inside my master bath so I can complete lots and lots of framing cuts and I am not worried about dust -- a drop cloth on the floor and the CT26 with 36mm hose and I should be good to go...beats running up and down two flights of stairs who knows how many times if I were to complete these same cuts outside.  Whenever anyone wonders why the Kapex is more, this is one of the main things I mention -- this is the value of such a wonderful saw.

Scot

 

[skids]

The Kapex is one awesome saw and I am sooo glad I got one earlier this year.  Even for mundane tasks like cutting ABS drain pipe is great -- the ability to slow the motor down and the phenomenal dust extraction is huge.  I am getting ready to haul it inside my master bath so I can complete lots and lots of framing cuts and I am not worried about dust -- a drop cloth on the floor and the CT26 with 36mm hose and I should be good to go...beats running up and down two flights of stairs who knows how many times if I were to complete these same cuts outside.  Whenever anyone wonders why the Kapex is more, this is one of the main things I mention -- this is the value of such a wonderful saw.

Scot

It's a fine point...And one I should probably bump up on my list of Kapex awesomeness. I overlook the fact I can set up closer to my work, because I am so pre-occupied with everything else this saw does so dizzying well.