Best bang for your buck.

[Jesus Aleman]

I will take a suggestion from Nikao and start a post on which are the festools that give you the best bang for your buck compared to other tools.  For example, some people favor the Bosch jigsaws over the Trion, especially when comparing the 2X price of the Trion.  I would like for everyone to chime in on what are the differentiators between the following festools and competitors:

OF1400 Router
ROTEX Sanders (I guess this will include belt sanders, polishers and finish sanders)
ETS Sanders
Linear Sanders
Domino
Trion Jigsaw

I suggest we don't touch on the plunge saws/MFT combo as there has been many threads on the value of this versus other systems, the plunge saw as a complement to a tablesaw, or the plunge saw as a table saw replacement.

BTW, everyone have great holidays with family and friends.

JGA.

 

[mwhafner]

The OF1400 is the top of my list.  I have 12 routers, but only one is a Festool.  The OF1400, by far, gets the most use.  I am in the process of thinning my "collection". but only to buy another OF1400.  I do a lot of dovetail work with the Leigh jig, and the ability to chuck any size bit (1/4", 8mm, and 1/2"), as well as dust collection, make it without equal.  I wish that I had a couple more of them.

The next would be the LS130.  It is by no means my most used sander, but nothing else does what it does. 

I would rank the 150mm sanders third.  From my perspective, the Rotex 150 and ETS 150/3 are one tool.  They just complement each other so well.  Once stock of abrasives, and I am ready to go.

I would rank the Domino fourth.  It is a great machine, and has no equal.  I will also state that Lamello has done an excellent job of expanding the capabilities of their biscuit jointers, leveling the playing field. 

There is a current thread discussing the benefits of the Trion over it's competition, but I don't think that Festool offers a huge benefit here. 

One product not mentioned here is the HL850.  It is incredibly unique. 

 

[nickao]

Even though I have two planers and a few jointers I think I would like to try the 850 in its upside down mount position. Though I could never afford it now maybe in the future.

I have a little craftsman jointer, but still some of my pieces are so small it is a scary proposition to use the little jointer. I was thinking the 850 might be a tad safer and simpler to put little pieces through.

What is the smallest size that the 850 can joint in the upside position?

Nick

 

[mwhafner]

Regarding the 850, I think that the issue is more comfort than capacity.  I am much more comfortable jointing small pieces on the 850 than on my PM54.  I have surfaced 3/16 material on the 850, and was comfortable.

I am a fan of the large bed of the PM, but you can't beat the cut quality of the 850.  The spiral blade makes a huge difference in both noise and cut.

 

[Notorious T.O.D.]

I originally became interested in Festool because of the dust collection capability of the routers and sanders.
I like the 1010 and 1400 routers but think for me the most useful may be the 700 which I hope to acquire in the near future.
I also like the ability to use the routers with the rails and MFT/3 table system.  But at heart I am a shaper guy and will turn to the shaper for many tasks that  a lot of people would tackle with a router.  I guess it is a luxary I have because over the years I have acquired 4 shapers of various sizes and just about all the cutters I will ever need.  I think it is unfortunate that more people in woodworking don't get to experience a shaper as there is no comparison to a router once you do.

While I like the Festool sanders and their dust collection I think my best sander value has been the 16" wide belt which can act as anything from a planer to a finish sander and has virtually 100 percent dust collection.  It is the ultimate timesaver for me and I can change grits about as fast as on the Festool sanders.

The Domino is a great tool and perhaps the fastest way ever to do mortise and tenon joints.  I have had a biscuit joiner since the early 90s but never used it because I never felt it made a strong joint nor added that much in the alignment of parts being glued together.  It was perhaps the biggest waste of money I have spent on woodworking.  The Domino is faster and more accurate than using a router to make mortises and its only shortcoming is that it cannot make the 1/2" by 3" deep mortises I occasionally use for interior or exterior full size doors.  For that I will have to stay will a slot mortiser or a honking big router and a 5 inch long bit....  But given that there is just nothing in the same category as the Domino in my view....

I also think that the Festool MFT and MFT/3 may be the ultimate Festool tools.  They are unique in design and unmatched in ability to hold components and guide cutters be it a saw, router, or even a Domino.  They may be the best timesaver that Festool has brought to market so far IMHO.  I think they will change the way anyone who works with them works ....and for the better.  They are simple but amazing tools in their own right.

Best,
Todd

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Todd,

I wholly agree with your explanation of why you headed down "the Slippery Green Slope."  I think the MFTs are the most valuable and least appreciated Festool products by those who have not used them enough to realize their value and versatility, with more uses yet to be invented by members of FOG.

Dave R.

 

[nickao]

I think the MFT's are the ultimate too!

 

[nickao]

Regarding the 850, I think that the issue is more comfort than capacity.  I am much more comfortable jointing small pieces on the 850 than on my PM54.  I have surfaced 3/16 material on the 850, and was comfortable.

I am a fan of the large bed of the PM, but you can't beat the cut quality of the 850.  The spiral blade makes a huge difference in both noise and cut.

3/8" is perfect what would be the shortest length you would put through? I am not putting a 3/8" piece through my Grizzly 8" jointer so that in itself makes it more attractive to me.

Nick

 

[mwhafner]

Regarding the 850, I think that the issue is more comfort than capacity.  I am much more comfortable jointing small pieces on the 850 than on my PM54.  I have surfaced 3/16 material on the 850, and was comfortable.

I am a fan of the large bed of the PM, but you can't beat the cut quality of the 850.  The spiral blade makes a huge difference in both noise and cut.

3/8" is perfect what would be the shortest length you would put through? I am not putting a 3/8" piece through my Grizzly 8" jointer so that in itself makes it more attractive to me.

Nick

I don't think that any length would be an issue.  I don't generally work with pieces as small as you.  When I do, I just hot glue the piece to an old D-handle push block that I keep lying around.  I ran a couple of pen blanks for a buddy a couple of weeks ago, and they were 1/2' x 1/2' x 4'. 

 

[tbellemare]

Nick:

I just measured our demo tool. The gap from the infeed to the outfeed is about 2" with the head pivot centered between them.

Tom

 

[JayStPeter]

The ETS150 is a real workhorse in my shop.  I would give it the nod as the #1 tool in my shop.

Jay

 

[nickao]

mwafner that pen blank is a small piece!

The hot glue idea is great, but I fear doing it 100 times or so would just take to long, but I'll use the idea in a pinch!

 

[mwhafner]

We were just trying to get size it down, and it was too short for the planer or drum sander.  It worked, and I still have all of my digits, so I call it a success.

If you have a split fence on your router table, you could also try using it as a jointer.  Just usa a straight bit and shim the outfeed side of the fence.  It takes a little getting used to, but it works.  I used to do this on jobsites, before my slide on the "slope". 

 

[Jimhart]

I just finished a circular staircase. Set up the HL 850 in the upside down mode to take tiny shavings across the back of the treads to fine tune the fit. I used the angle fence to make it easy to put a few degree bevel on the cut. Can't imagine another tool that would let me do that at the customers house, steps away from the staircase, with total dust extraction.

 

[nickao]

Scribing the treads on the back edge I usually would use a little hand plane. I never thought of using a power plane for that, I think my little 6" craftsman planer may be able to do it.  Hooked up to the CT it is about 95% effective at dust collection. But it is bigger and heaver than the Festool, probably louder too.

Jim what is the smallest piece you think you can put through the Festool? I am hoping to make very small adjustments on very small pieces.

 

[Eli]

Man this list is still way too short. Top of mine is Rotex, Domino, TS55. But even the CT's are so head and shoulders above others that they're a revelation. MFS is unique in itself. Although it's not "about" the MFT, no other system gives you the clamping ability onsite. Even the belt sander with its fence puts it in a different class than competitors. Love how light the sanders are in class, love the RTS400 especially. I reach for it all the time.

 

[Jimhart]

Scribing the treads on the back edge I usually would use a little hand plane. I never thought of using a power plane for that, I think my little 6" craftsman planer may be able to do it.  Hooked up to the CT it is about 95% effective at dust collection. But it is bigger and heaver than the Festool, probably louder too.

Jim what is the smallest piece you think you can put through the Festool? I am hoping to make very small adjustments on very small pieces.

Nick,

I used a block plane also, when I just needed to take a bit from one spot. The Festool let me take an even amount along the whole edge of a 43" long tread that's 3/4" oak. I could also add a 2 or 3 degree bevel that made it much easier to do further fine tuning with the hand plane.

I would try a piece less than about 6". Anything less than that and you be putting a hand right over the blades, which I avoid like the plague.

I'm going to post the spiral staircase project in the next day or so. Used some pretty cool setups that took advantage of several unique Festool capabilities. I did a straight staircase a year ago, before I got into Festool, and this was a whole lot more fun.

Jim

 

[richard.selwyn]

Part of the problem is how you evaluate bang for the buck.  I think that a lot of their stuff (over here) is highly priced, but then the perceived quality is generally much higher too.  I was going to make a comparison between American and German cars, but then as I drive a clapped out French van I'd better not 

I've got far too many Festools, most of which I rate very highly - although for jig saws I use my Bosch more often than my Festool. I'm not sure that my festool drill drivers (I have to confess I've got 3) actually make holes or drive screws any better than any one else's - but then no one else's have eccentric and right angle drives or centrotec. 

I think the biggest margin of "bang for buck" is in dust collection.  I've got 3 festool vacs and their efficiency combined with the fact that their tools are DESIGNED to work with dust collection make for a very clean work site.  I hope also that the longevity of their tools will help to tip the balance.  I only "discovered" Festool about 10 years ago so time will tell.

 

[Cannuck]

1. Domino
2. TS75 Saw with guide rail

 

[Warrior]

1. TS75 / vac
2. Sanders/ Vac
3. Domino
4. 1010 and 1400 router/vac