Carvex pendulum stops at random position?

[silence2-38554]

I recently got a used PSBC-420.  I've watched all of Festool's training videos & have taken the time to do the pendulum screw mod.  In using it this past weekend, I noticed a couple odd things.  The blade / pendulum seems to stop at a different, random position every time I let go of the trigger.  Holding the trigger to re-set the pendulum to its upper position only seems to work sometimes.  When it does, the pendulum moves up in stages rather than one single motion as seen in Sedge's videos.  Then when running the saw in the air & letting go of the trigger, it will continue to stop at random points of its travel every time.  This makes already annoying blade changes even more annoying, as I'm sure you can imagine.  Does anyone else experience this behavior?  Or should I send it in?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

It should stop at the top of the stroke every time. Mine has only failed that one time, and it was my fault. I hit something with the end of the blade while it was running, which broke the blade.
Mine is a barrel grip, so no "momentary" trigger, and it took a few minutes to get it back to the top again. Once there though, it has been fine since.
Sending it in for service might cause you problems though. They are not going to like the pendulum screw mod.

 

[4nthony]

have taken the time to do the pendulum screw mod

Have you backed off your grub screw then tried to do the stroke reset? I wonder if the grub screw is too tight and preventing a proper return.

Sending it in for service might cause you problems though. They are not going to like the pendulum screw mod.

Kinda thinking the same thing in this regard. Let us know if you send it in and are successful in having it fixed.

 

[morts10n]

Sell that p.o.s

 

[Michael Kellough]

I have a bunch of jigsaws and I don’t think any of them consistently stop at any particular stroke position.

 

[rst]

Sedge does a comprehensive of how Carvex functions in new Sedge Talks.  He addresses that very act, how to properly insert blades…pretty much everything one would need

 

[4nthony]

I have a bunch of jigsaws and I don’t think any of them consistently stop at any particular stroke position.

The Carvex needs to stop in a specific position for the blade release mechanism to work.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Carvex is one I don’t have.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

Sell that p.o.s

Agreed. It's the absolute worst machine Festool makes. Buy a Mafell P1CC instead.

 

[squall_line]

Sell that p.o.s

Agreed. It's the absolute worst machine Festool makes. Buy a Mafell P1CC instead.

Even though it's still corded, I may eventually get a P1CC because, in the places I would ever want to use it for detailed work, I'd be fine with a cord.  My Carvex has been used for demolition more than anything else at this point in its life, and cordless is much more suited for that.

If and when Mafell ever decides that it's ready to make a cordless model of the P1CC, they should sell quite a few more.

Or hundreds of thousands more, based on how many posts you can find around the internet that say "once they release a cordless...."; the actual take rate from those people would still be less than 10%...

 

[silence2-38554]

Sent it in for service today, we'll see how it goes.  Also, I absolutely agree with the sentiment that this saw is a piece of garbage.  It's as though they hired a new designer that had no experience at Festool, they were put on this one product & then subsequently fired.  The overall theme of Festool products, usually, is that they are cohesive.  All of the ideas & innovations incorporated into themselves work well together & within the rest of the Festool system. 
In that regard, the Carvex falls short in every way.  Ergonomics, ease of use, dependability, convenience, they're all bad.  I've had a Trion for a couple years & It's a better saw in every way, it's just not cordless.  Now, even though it sucks, I grab the Carvex every time because I can take it across the worksite without having to deal with power cables.  I wouldn't have bought it at all if I didn't get a killer deal on it & the whole accessory kit.  I just want it to work how it's supposed to lol

 

[silence2-38554]

Just wanted to follow up on this- I undid the screw mod before sending it in (very easy to reverse).  Festool had it for about two weeks, then I finally got a shipping notification.  Not only did they just replace the entire saw, they gave me an updated systainer, insert and a couple blades for free!!  Needless to say, I’m thrilled with their decision, considering I just shipped them the bare saw in a box. 

A couple things I’ve noticed so far- The T-Nr. On the new saw is entirely different from the original saw.  I’m curious if this indicates that it’s a revised version?  The original saw was built in 2019, the replacement in 2022.  The other thing I noticed is that there is still more fore & aft play in the pendulum than I would expect.  I’ll get a better feel for the saw this weekend, maybe I’ll even pop the side casing off & see if the front retainer pin situation is any different at all.  At least the pendulum always stops at the top now!