CANCELLED - Festool Carvex Jigsaw 2011 Version

[tallgrass]

maybe it is a conspiracy between bridge city tools and festool just to show us stuff that they are not going to sell or will sell at some point in the future if we are lucky. This way meither tool company actually has to sell anything.......why can't some crappy company like Ryoby have these problems!

 

[monte]

.

hmmm, so am I to assume by the sweepstakes promo photo in the header above that we could win the Carvex that we cannot buy?

[eek] [eek] [eek]

......for that matter both the cordless and the corded seem to be available to win. ;D

 

[Corwin]

UL is probably skeered that the intensity of the LED and the strobe combination will lead to convulsions or epileptic siezures or some such other silliness.

You know, if warning labels were removed from everything, in a generation or so, common sense would again become common. I believe some knuckle-head named Darwin had a theory relative to this

You guys may think this type of thing silly and/or funny, but I assure you that it is no laughing matter for those that suffer from any these type involuntary movement disorders.  It just is not silly or the least bit funny.  These conditions are life changing for sure.  They are also exceptionally rare conditions, and I know all too well that it is certainly not "common sense" to be aware of some things that might be the cause, as identifying the cause is the single most difficult obstacle for all that have developed these conditions.  You will see warnings on video games and the like, as they "may" cause involuntary movement disorders.  But, UL has passed those electronics despite this possibility, so I doubt that this is the reason for not releasing this new product.

Sorry for a rather harsh reply, but your ignorance in these matters is offensive.

 

[Kodi Crescent]

You guys may think this type of thing silly and/or funny, but I assure you that it is no laughing matter for those that suffer from any these type involuntary movement disorders.  It just is not silly or the least bit funny.  These conditions are life changing for sure.  They are also exceptionally rare conditions, and I know all too well that it is certainly not "common sense" to be aware of some things that might be the cause, as identifying the cause is the single most difficult obstacle for all that have developed these conditions.  You will see warnings on video games and the like, as they "may" cause involuntary movement disorders.  But, UL has passed those electronics despite this possibility, so I doubt that this is the reason for not releasing this new product.

Sorry for a rather harsh reply, but your ignorance in these matters is offensive.

I like to make my share of jokes, but you are right.  These are serious conditions that the person who suffers from cannot help.  We shouldn't joke about that any more than we should joke about others who have a condition that was of no fault of their own.  Many of these things that people refer to as "common sense" are not common sense, and require serious research to discover.

 

[Wonderwino]

Perhaps something as simple as a strobe-effect override switch and warning label for those afflicted would solve the whole issue.  [blink]

 

[NuggyBuggy]

You will see warnings on video games and the like, as they "may" cause involuntary movement disorders.  But, UL has passed those electronics despite this possibility, so I doubt that this is the reason for not releasing this new product.

But a person who has a seizure playing a video game is probably less likely to hurt themselves than if they were using a jigsaw. 

 

[gojira]

I don't know guys but I suspect seizure disorders are as well known in Europe as anywhere else. The Eurozone would seem as likely or even more likely to address this issue in tools as anyone in North America. When we find out what caused this, and I feel confident we eventually will find out, we will probably be amazed at all the Festool angst over it. In the meantime, I suspect we can just get by with what we have. I do feel sorry for those who need the capability now but were holding out for the better mousetrap. I certainly hope that NA does not end up with an emasculated version of the tool. The strobe is really not an issue for my personal use. The angle base was the thing that really got my attention. I do hope we see that feature in NA.

 

[Mavrik]

A flashing light is more scary than a high speed jigsaw blade?
[blink]

 

[pyleg]

Ignoring the, well, silly suggestion that complaining and speculating isn't productive (screw that--the Huns need to know how I feel!)...I'm fascinated by what these application are. 

Perhaps juggling?

Maybe something to do with guns? 

Perhaps a new, upside-down slant on the Saw/Texas Chainsaw Massacre/Scarface movies? 

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Just a friendly reminder to adhere to our forum guidelines, thanks. Specifically, be nice or don't post.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

I'm kind of mystified by the wild speculation going on in this thread. I have no foreknowledge of the situation, nor do I intend on even asking about it. What is so puzzling is that one person will present a "guess" and then after a few postings, this "guess" suddenly becomes "fact". No where in the original announcement is there even the slightest hint of there being a legal liability issue, yet that is the de facto conclusion being drawn. I suppose that is because we are not accustomed to companies behaving in that manner, so there can be no other reason for a delay in release except by risk of liability. That answer would be logical with most U.S. companies, but neglects to take into account the philosophy behind the management of Festool-USA. In the U.S., we are blessed with a division of Festool that is unlike any other division of the company.

As for this speculation about the LED strobe being at issue, this would hardly be a cause for delay of product release. Simply shutting down the strobe effect would be quite simple. and in all likelihood could be implemented with a firmware change of the EC-Tec controller, while still utilizing existing hardware. As for the further speculation of a stroboscopic effect inducing seizures, this too doesn't stand to logic. In order for a stroboscopic effect to result in a seizure, it must occur at a frequency within visual perception of the human mind. This means it must occur significantly BELOW 10 hertz. However, the speed range of the tool is 500 sps to 3800 sps, which is far above the stroboscopic rate necessary to induce seizure.

Frankly, I don't know the reason for the delay, nor am I willing to use up one of my "favors" to find out. However, this wild speculation is getting to be a little silly at this point. I do know Festool-USA well enough that my speculation would not fall outside of the bounds stated within the published announcement at the beginning of this thread.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Fair enough Rick, but all this speculation could have been avoided if Festool had us told what these "certain applications specific to North America " are.  I can't conceive of such an application and it seems that no one else who has posted can either.  The term smacks of
political/legal speak rather than a statement made by woodworkers applying the Carvex tool to applications.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Rick, don't feel like there's any pressure on you to find out.  I'm sure you used a big favor in getting that fancy shmancy new toy delivered to your house recently.  [wink]

I have a really good speculation of what happened.  Hear me out!

It's Bethany's fault.  She made all those goodies for the gang in Lebanon and they're too busy enjoying stuffing their faces to bother putting together any new packages and shipping anything out.  Once the chocolate face gang runs out (that's why they're not sure for a time-line), they'll resume the Carvex packaging and distribution.

Peter, I think the right thing to do would be to balance the equation by having Bethany make the rest of us large goody baskets and this way our minds will no longer be on the Carvex till we're finished and by that time it'll all be ready.

OK?  [smile]

 

[Jesse Cloud]

The cardinal rule of PR is that when you have bad news, just lay it all out in one session.  Being secretive just adds fuel to the fire.  But in the real world, that's easier said than done.

 

[ajones]

I think Rick is right there is no one issue with the carvex.I think the jigsaw was launched to quickly and is not up to snuff.
and you will get it when its fixed.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Surprising how everyone seems to be missing such a simple thing.  It could (and I'm just taking a wild guess here) be the user's manual causing the hold up.  That would fit with the things Christian talked about in the private-to-dealer letter.  Just a thought!

 

[ajones]

festool  dont do user manuals  [big grin]

 

[Joe Smith]

What I find really odd, is that Festool has not told us why it is delayed.  

 

[Ken Nagrod]

festool  dont do user manuals  [big grin]

They do here, although not up to the ones like Rick C. does.  That's why the supplemental exist.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Fair enough Rick, but all this speculation could have been avoided if Festool had us told what these "certain applications specific to North America " are.  I can't conceive of such an application and it seems that no one else who has posted can either.  The term smacks of
political/legal speak rather than a statement made by woodworkers applying the Carvex tool to applications.

Over the past 15 years, Ford has recalled millions of trucks/SUV's because the Cruise Control system can result in a fire while the vehicle is not occupied. My truck is one of those that falls under the recall, but has never been serviced. Did Ford explain that brake fluid could enter the safety switch on the Master Cylinder as the cause, or did they simply say it was due to a problem in the Cruise Control system? I wanted a better answer why my truck could start on fire, but I didn't get one until I actually experienced the problem first-hand when my truck's wiring melted while troubleshooting a semi-related problem.

I could pick up the phone and have the definitive answer why Carvex is not released in just a couple seconds, but I will not call in a favor for such a trivial topic, nor would I reveal that insider information if I had it. What people are overlooking is that Festool-USA has a closer finger on the pulse of their customers than any other division of Festool. (Something that should be Praised, not belittled). Give it a little more thought. How many other countries around the world pay to have someone else write new manuals for Festool products besides Festool-USA? ZERO!

When Christian Oltzscher says he is not satisfied with a product, I take his word, because I already know how firmly he believes in his philosophy for satisfaction in the U.S. market. Just as an example, there are many companies in the U.S. that will release a new product with the full-knowledge that demand will outstrip supply and they will be in backorder within a week of release. To the complete contrary to this, Festool-USA has previously delayed product release dates when they realized demand would outstrip supply, and they refused to have a new product go into backorder within weeks of release.

Edit to Add: There have been several postings while I typed mine. There is no delay due to a manual. That would be a UL issue, nothing more. No, I am NOT writing a manual for this tool. I've never even seen the tool before.