Centrotec Installers set - why won't Festool USA order some in????????

[daddyscott2001]

I sent an email via the Festool website and got the canned response of "its a limited availability item".  What gives me great consternation is why this and other items which wouldn't be subject to the safety requirements (table saw conversion for the TS series) couldn't be regularly imported and offered? 

It is a box of drill bits for pete's sake!!!!!!!!!

I am in need of new countersinks and really like the design of the Festool.  But at the individual price point, the installers set is a great value (in my opinion) versus buying the individual parts and pieces and the systainer.

So, Festool US, what gives????  We aren't allowed to order from overseas, where these are a regularly available item.  I don't want to pay the outrageous EBAY prices - kind of negates the value of the set.  This makes NO sense.

Please give me a legitimate answer why Festool US won't offer a box of drill bits that the rest of the world can buy?

Thank you in advance.

Scott

 

[Shane Holland]

The bits in the US version are specific to applications in the US market. It's not the exact same set sold in the rest of the world. So, it has to be manufactured in batches that are made specifically for FUSA.

That said, I agree that it should be a regular catalog item offered all the time.

 

[daddyscott2001]

Thank you for the reply sir!  I was referencing the set that is currently listed on the Axeminster website 950896.  I see they have the metric drill bits, but it looks like everything else is the same.

Thank you again for your reply.  Could you send up the flag again to see if they will make it a regularly available item?

 

[elfick]

Simple solution for Festool...
For tems like this that are available all the time in the rest of the world they should just allow retailers to ship worldwide.

 

[RKA]

Unfortunately it's short-sighted thinking IMNSHO.  If you're going to sell a tool, sell the accessories that go with it.  But there is an accountant that says...they don't move, we can sell 100 tracksaws for every one of this widget, it just takes up space in warehouses and retailer's shelves.  I certainly understand why smaller retailers can't afford this, but in the interests of serving customers better, Festool should at least stock them and refresh yearly to provide customers with everything they need to make their tools functional. 

That said, amazon is making it easier to get things from overseas and shipping is usually reasonable.  Some UK sellers are also willing to ship despite Festool's absurd policies.  It takes a little digging and if you find a retailer, don't post it here or Festool may put an end to it.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

We know that many people want the Centrotec set to be a permanent item, and we hope that it can be at some point. We're always glad when we hear that we're getting more of them, and hopefully it can eventually become part of our permanent catalog.

 

[daddyscott2001]

We know that many people want the Centrotec set to be a permanent item, and we hope that it can be at some point. We're always glad when we hear that we're getting more of them, and hopefully it can eventually become part of our permanent catalog.

Thank you.  I guess I will keep waiting to buy those new countersinks.  With my luck, as soon as I bought them, the set would be available!  ;D

 

[bertv]

[member=14103]daddyscott2001[/member]  -- Maybe some form of consolation: there are a lot of tools and accessories made in the USA that are unavailable in the rest of the world (or at outrageous prices), eg the Centrotec-compatible countersink bits made by Snappy Tools. I tried ordering them today & even with a US-based forwarding address it is impossible to conclude ordering because the billing address of my credit card is not in the US. Go figure — dollars are less green over here in Europe, it seems.

Okay, rant over.

 

[DeformedTree]

The bits in the US version are specific to applications in the US market. It's not the exact same set sold in the rest of the world. So, it has to be manufactured in batches that are made specifically for FUSA.

That said, I agree that it should be a regular catalog item offered all the time.

So the problem is Festool just being dumb.  The answer is simple, sell the Global Set.  Why is festool making "Bits specific to the US".  If that means inch based stuff, just don't.  Stop trying to convert stuff to inches and so forth.  I'm not even sure what would need to be US specific. Best I can tell it's just a couple of brad point bits in fractional sizes.  Just sell us the metric drill bits. If someone is desperate for a fractional drill bit they can get one anyplace. Also looks like maybe some square drive is replaced with Pozi. Again that's an upgrade, we can get square drive stuff anyplace, but Pozi drive stuff is hard to find and yet is needed as lots of stuff use Pozi drive. I've bought whole bit sets in stores before just to get the 1 pozi I needed. 

It's easy to grab inch drills and such, it's more of a pain to find metric drills when you need them (nod to Menards for selling metric drills in stores), so just selling the metric set would be a benefit. Plus if your drilling holes for screws to go in, metric drills are really what you need anyways since most the screws folks would be using are really metric based screws anyway no matter what the packaging says.

If Festool really wants to offer Inch based sets too, fine, do that as well and folks have to accept limited availability. But just offer the global set too with availability all the time.

 

[DashZero]

I just ordered a Spax Systainer from Germany.  I have sympathy.

 

[Stephen B]

Could no longer find it on the FESTOOL Aust. Site; although this could be as much about the sites organisation as the Sets availability down here. I did however find it at Sydney's Northern Abrasives -https://www.northernabrasives.com.au/festool-centrotec-assembly-package-sys-1-ce-sort

In searching the FESTOOL Aust site I come across another set (out of stock) that might be of interest to some, particularly stair and cabinet makers -https://www.festool.com.au/products...s/gd-d10-staircase-drilling-system-set_768098

It will be Metric.

 

[mrboult]

^^^what a rubbish answer from festool USA. We know, we wish etc.. Do these guys not have any clout with Germany? Selling the drills and not the bits is pretty rubbish service imho.

Sorry to be rude, but it's ridiculous.

 

[Bob D.]

GD D10 Staircase Drilling System Set = $1889.00AU

Currently out of stock.

Where do I sign up for that, or is it only available on April 1st ?

 

[Gregor]

I wonder why Festool (USA/Headquarter) dosn't offer their customers the option to just order any stuff not in regular stock but available in Europe.

I'm sure that quite some wouldn't have any problem to even pay upfront (or accept a reservation on a CC) to actually get certain stuff, even when it would take a month to ship it over and distribute to the local dealers for delivery/pickup. It can't be that hard to tell the mothership to put a pallet filled with $list_of_ordered_stuff into the next container headed for the states, especially when customers already have paid upfront for these items so the time they would occupy warehouse space would be the time it takes to pack the pallets for shipping to the dealers...

Looks like a classical case of management failure to me.

 

[bertv]

I wonder why Festool (USA/Headquarter) dosn't offer their customers the option to just order any stuff not in regular stock but available in Europe.
[…]
Looks like a classical case of management failure to me.

Well. I won’t pretend to know all of the ins and outs of the markets, but I think that compliance is a big part of the reason why some FS products are not available in the CUSA. Eg I noticed that stuff I 'import' from your side of the Atlantic comes with all kinds of disclaimers and legalese and special notices and warnings about a California Rule or whatever.
So – imagine some poor gal or guy at the FS HQ having to get all that sh*t sorted and added to the systainers that you want shipped to your country. It boggles the mind!

 

[six-point socket II]

Yes, the 1986 California Proposition 65.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_California_Proposition_65

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[ScotF]

Except they have sold various Centrotec sets before and most/many of the individual bits are available so no UL listing I am, aware of. My guess is it is an economic thing. Not enough demand to support a full time offering.

 

[Cheese]

I wonder why Festool (USA/Headquarter) doesn't offer their customers the option to just order any stuff not in regular stock but available in Europe.

Well, I'll pile on this thread and add that while items available in Europe would be really nice  [smile]...worse yet is why can't we even purchase items that are available only in the US. I purchased the SYS-CE 2015 USA set that contains imperial brad point drills with Centrotec ends. I use the 3/16" size most often and decided to order an extra bit. I contacted Festool service and was told that the imperial bits were not a "serviceable item" so they were not available for sale.  [mad]

What happens if one is broken or lost? If it was me, everytime I opened the CE Systainer and saw the empty location I'd do the slow burn.  [mad] [mad] [mad]

[attachimg=1]

 

[jeh]

Yes, the 1986 California Proposition 65.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_California_Proposition_65

Kind regards,
Oliver

Look in the Abuse section of the Wikipedia entry to see how worthless this law has been to the consumer and to see that companies put the warning signs up "just in case" further reducing its benefits. CA is a will eventually self-implode under the weight of its overbearing government, taxes, and regulations.

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi Jim,

I know/understand. But I’m not here for politics. I only posted that for reference purposes, because I knew what Bert meant - and others from our side of the big pond might not.

Kind regards,
Oliver