Anyone considering ditching Festool tools?

[Dunn wood]

Saw this today from former FOG poster Erock.  Interesting perspective.........on Festool

I Agree with EROCK. And I do use these tools for work.  65 systainers later.

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Everyone is entitled to a view and opinion. I think Festool does enhance/change tools. Perhaps not as quick as we like, but it happens regularly. Track saws have the 90 degree stop now and wear strips on the bottom sole which is nice. Batteries keep improving and the new hoses and Bluetooth is pretty cool. New saw blades and other things. They are not for everyone and no one tool company has everything nor is any company perfect. I like my Festool stuff and I also like my stuff from competing brands.

 

[Kev]

I really get Eric's response and I think I would have reacted the same way over "Imperialgate" ... Festool USA screwed that up big time. I personally have a gripe with Festool locally - TTS Australia in relation to pricing, new product availability and service. I'm not ditching my existing massive investment in Festool, but my new tool buying process no longer starts with "do Festool make one?".

I'll add that I'm getting a lot more comfortable with yellow tools [cool] [big grin]

 

[bertv]

If only the US of A had kept to their promise (made in the form of signing an international treaty more than a hundred years ago) to go metric — part of Eric's reasoning would have been moot. : )

That being said: he has a point about pricing, but one should not forget that Festool sold their tools in the US for far less than their prices in the rest of the world for years, probably to gain market share.
The prices are becoming more in line, esp. taking into account the cost of the USD in relation to EUR.

Also: he may have switched to Bosch for a lot of his tools, but still owns the FS *pearls*. And I wager he came out at almost zero cost, switching, on account of the worth of his FS stuff in the 2nd hand market.

 

[jonathan-m]

On the battery platform issue, I completely understand the desire to have a single battery that can work on everything. That's ideal. However, we think it's important to design the battery around the tool — not the other way around. In the case of the cordless sanders, the balance and ergonomics of the sanders would be really off if we used the existing 18 V batteries. While having a single battery is more convenient, it's not worth it if it requires us to compromise on the quality of the tool.

I fully realize it's a knee jerk reaction, but it's something dear to my heart which has downgraded my experience with every tool i use, by a lot. Which is also why I'm very frustrated and upset with it.
That being said, why then did you compromise so darn hard on the new locking vacuum hose ends?

I'll just add, I'm not buying any more Festool that come with these new locking dust ports, they're simply horrible. You have a vacuum costing €500 or more attached to your tool and when you disconnect your hose a bunch of residual dust just falls out... no, just no!

Some people had issues with the hose disconnecting, well you should have simply improved the dust ports on a few of your tools.
What you have now is far worse.
For example the new removeable dust ports on the saws, half of the times when I attach my 7m hose the entire dust port just falls /breaks off the tool. The plastic twist connection is just too weak, they simply can't take the weight of a longer hose.

So in which way is the problem with hoses disconnecting from the saws solved by introducing this ingenious locking hose system? I never, ever had my hose disconnect from my saw in the past, now I have to be super careful with every cut so the entire dust port does not keep breaking off the tool half of the time and wasting my time trying to get to click the entire dust port thing back into my saws.
I also had the priviledge of buying a buch of useless new dust port connectors to hopefuly fix the problem but alas, it's simply a bad design!

So now you've introduced stiffer rubber connectors that are harder & more fiddly to connect, that also happen to leave residual dust every time you disconnect from just about ANY tool AND the dust ports now fall/break off your saws entirely.

So nothing has been fixed, in fact, it's gotten worse on all your tools. So please enlighten me and tell me how this improved the quality at all? Do you test your own equipment at Festool besides dust chambers, do you field test your own products on job sites? If so, then how are these issues not coming up? Judging by all the Kapex threads I'm now just waiting for my 1year old Kapex to fail... when it does, I'm totally done with Festool.

Festool gives it's users that special feeling allright, every time you walk up to your €1200 miter saw with the question, is this the cut that's gonna break it?

So in response to the Original poster, I'm guessing I for one do consider ditching Festool.

 

[Cheese]

I'm with [member=14783]jonathan-m[/member] on this one. The new hose connection is ridiculous. I figured I'd solve the issue by purchasing the last 5 original hose connectors that I could find. Well that didn't work out so well because the Pro 5 has the new bayonet mount dust port.  [eek]

This jumped out at me last week when I was doing some drywall sanding with an ETS EC 125/6" pad and the Pro 5. When I was finished, I placed both of them on the kitchen cabinet and walked away. When I returned to collect the 2 sanders the issue was obvious, there was a pile of drywall dust sitting under the Pro5 dust port. Here's a photo of the 2 sanders, it's pretty obvious what the problem is. [mad]

 

[Dick Mahany]

I'm with [member=14783]jonathan-m[/member] on this one. The new hose connection is ridiculous. I figured I'd solve the issue by purchasing the last 5 original hose connectors that I could find. Well that didn't work out so well because the Pro 5 has the new bayonet mount dust port.  [eek]

This jumped out at me last week when I was doing some drywall sanding with an ETS EC 125/6" pad and the Pro 5. When I was finished, I placed both of them on the kitchen cabinet and walked away. When I returned to collect the 2 sanders the issue was obvious, there was a pile of drywall dust sitting under the Pro5 dust port. Here's a photo of the 2 sanders, it's pretty obvious what the problem is. [mad]

Thanks for the photo.  I've read a lot about the reported problem but don't have any of the "new and improved" tool ports and so couldn't picture it.  That set up would be an absolute deal killer for me.  What a terrible design.

 

[Cheese]

Thanks for the photo.  I've read a lot about the reported problem but don't have any of the "new and improved" tool ports and so couldn't picture it.  That set up would be an absolute deal killer for me.  What a terrible design.

Ya, and that's after it's already dumped some of its load on the counter top.  [sad]

 

[DrD]

I have posted several times about my displeasure and outright disgust with Festool Corporate, their pricing policies, lack of meaningful tool updates/accessories, etc. 

It has gotten to the point with me, that for a reasonable offer, I would ditch all my Festools.  It's not that I don't enjoy and appreciate the tools, but rather along the same lines as Eric (erock) I really don't like the company.

 

[sheperd80]

I agree with those who say they like (some of) the tools but not the company. I researched festool for quite awhile before buying in, and i kinda knew what to expect. Theyre a profit machine that doesnt care what you think as long as the money keeps coming. Just look at the battery platforms, accessories, accessories for the accessories, kits, price increase etc.

Ive built a small system that works together well for what i do, and i never went off the rails and started buying festool everything. The goofy cordless drills never appealed to me in the least, nor the kapex, carvex, or vecturo. I need serious tools, not gimmicky toys. The mft sucks, but it inspired me to make an actual useable work table that cost less than $40 to make. The carts and ports and stuff... come on people... If you keep giving festool hundreds of dollars for plastic, theyll keep selling it.

So for me...No, im not ditching festool anytime soon. Im as hesistant to buy anything as i ever was and will add to my woodworking system as needed.

Festool makes precise, handheld woodworking tools with dust collection... thats ALL they make as far as im concerned.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[promark747]

but one should not forget that Festool sold their tools in the US for far less than their prices in the rest of the world for years, probably to gain market share.
The prices are becoming more in line, esp. taking into account the cost of the USD in relation to EUR.

Agree with you on the first part, but the USD/EUR exchange rate has decreased substantially over the past several years, which in theory should have benefited people paying in US dollars.

 

[egmiii]

For me, as a hobbyist, these tools are a luxury, not a necessity. If they do the job to my satisfaction, at a price that doesn't insult my intelligence (more and more this is happening), then I will continue to purchase new tools.

I was going to purchase the 2018 Midi, but given that it does not support the new Bluetooth module, I have decided to hold off. I can't understand why this functionality was excluded given the redesign, and price increase! If you add the capability a year from now, current buyers will be upset. If you wait 3-7 years for the next redesign, the fence sitters will be upset.

I purchased the module for my CT36. It's a huge feature in my opinion. Why would you handicap half your dust collection lineup? Corporate decisions like this are giving legitimacy to this thread and upsetting brand ambassadors like myself.

 

[JSlovic]

I have to agree with Eric on some aspects of the annual price increases.
Here's an example- Red Bins for a systainer 498038- they were $15/ a dozen in 2013 they're now $19. 5% annually for 5 years for no apparent reason.

 

[Peter_C]

Festool has room to grow for sure. Market loss should be a good reason to start improvements. They can start with the guide rail attachments on the MFT/3!

Really the only Festool I wished I hadn't bought is my TS55 REQ, but instead purchased a Mafell saw and their rail system. Typically I run my routers against the backside of the rail so it wouldn't make a difference what brand the rails are for my Festool equipment. Actually my trusty old Festool OF2000 is a Mafell rebranded (Festool did come out the OF2200 which has a lot of improvements).

There are lots of tool brands to choose from today, especially when it comes to cordless tools. No one tool brand makes everything a person needs. Heck I have three types of batteries made by two manufacturers.

I saw Eric in another video using his new Bosch Colt and couldn't help but laugh. Why would anyone go seriously backwards? Not only does the Colt have an issue with the housing dropping, but it does an excellent job of spreading the cuttings everywhere, as shown in his video, and my picture below.

This was one of the last times I used my Bosch Colt, before replacing it with a OF1010. No comparison between the two is even possible.

[attachimg=1]

 

[McNally Family]

My theory on the annual price increase has much more to do with keeping dealers happy, than anything else.  It takes a good hunk of change to maintain a decent size Festool inventory, and the fact the inventory goes up in value each year, helps justify the investment the dealer has made.  The banks don't pay anywhere near what the ever increasing inventory does....

 

[Svar]

This was one of the last times I used my Bosch Colt, before replacing it with a OF1010. No comparison between the two is even possible.

Not a fair comparison. Try using OF1010 without dust collection. Bosch does sell DC attachment for Colt.

 

[Peter_C]

Not a fair comparison. Try using OF1010 without dust collection. Bosch does sell DC attachment for Colt.

Wait until your Bosch Colt drops the bit on a $650 piece of Corian. F$*(#D This is a known issue.

I stand by no comparison. (And yes the housing was tight.)

 

[Dick Mahany]

This was one of the last times I used my Bosch Colt, before replacing it with a OF1010. No comparison between the two is even possible.

Not a fair comparison. Try using OF1010 without dust collection. Bosch does sell DC attachment for Colt.

Not trying to go off topic, but couldn't resist............Dust extraction on my Bosch Colt with my Festool  CT36 is excellent and the 27mm hose fits perfectly.  Now, back to the matter at hand [smile]

[attachimg=1]

 

[Master Carpenter]

I don't know why people take the annual price increase as a negative. With used Festools often selling for 80% of new value, after a few years of ownership you can sell them for what you paid. Not too many products out there right now like that.

I do understand that Festool needs to maintain the highest level of perceived quality for this to continue to happen. Nobody pays BMW money for a KIA, new or used. I like that my collection increases in value every year.

Festool ABSOLUTELY needs to maintain perfect customer service and deal with any "tool issues" impeccably.

 

[RustE]

I don't know why people take the annual price increase as a negative...

Because it is more than my salary goes up some years.  The prices of the tools that I do not own quickly get out of reach.

Very rarely do I sell tools, so resale value is not much of a consideration when buying.  The reason I bought some Festool items was because of features and overall quality.