Domino buyers remorse

[Jmaichel]

About 4 months ago I made several tool purchases that included a good number of Festools, one of them being the Domino. I have only used it once since I bought it and that was to calibrate it. I thought about all the projects I have coming up over the next year and I can't think of any instances where the Domino is going to be a "game changer". The DF500 set and the Tenon assortment was almost $1200. I think about all the other tools I could have bought instead like an MFT or Kapex and it sadens me. I came close to taking it back within the 30 day period but didn't, now I am thinking about selling it and buying something else. Anyone else feel this way about their Domino or am I alone on this.

James

 

[copcarcollector]

I feel the exact opposite! I bought my Domino during last years recon sale. I have used it about three times, probably routed 24 holes! I can't wait to do more with it.

But of course to each their own. I see Dominos for sale all the time on eXXX, if you think you would be happy with something else (hopefully some other Festools!), then sell it.

 

[Kev]

Nope - you're alone  [wink]

I'd be surprised if there's no opportunity to use the Domino - what are the projects in your pipeline?

Chin up  [big grin]

Kev.

 

[Paul G]

Just got one yesterday, not feeling any remorse, excitement is more like it.

 

[sancho57]

When I first got my domino after a end user class,  I was all fired up. Then  realized i never used it. then after another end user class I learned more about it. I still didnt get my moneys worth of use out of it once I was home and started on my own projects.

Then I decided after talking to my local festool rep and got some more pointers on how to use it different techniques etc.

Then one day I told myself…

Self use the stupid tool, so I started incorporated it in various projects and now I love it.  

Its one of those tools that the more you use it, the more uses you find for it.

If that makes sense.

I suggest just start using it. It does take some thought to figure things out.

Look at some of the videos on festool TV.

Paul Marcel has a excellent tutorial on the domino.

 

[peter halle]

Actually, you have company.  I got a Domino set and the extra systainer of dominos for Christmas about a year after it was released.  I tried it out on some scrap and had a learning curve.  I really looked into the mirror and wondered if I had just jumped onto the bandwagon without thinking about my applications.  It honestly sat for quite awhile until I had some things to use it for.  Then I became more comfortable and started to make reasons to use it.

Of my Festools it is the one that sits in the systainer the most because of what I do.  But when I do need it it is there and I am glad I didn't get rid of it.

Peter

 

[Jmaichel]

I kind of figured I would be alone. I guess there are ways I could work the domino into projects. I am in the middle of building a steamer trunk and thought about using it but other joinery just made more sense. I think in instances where I could use the domino I just prefer to use other joinery. Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[Jmaichel]

Actually, you have company.  I got a Domino set and the extra systainer of dominos for Christmas about a year after it was released.  I tried it out on some scrap and had a learning curve.  I really looked into the mirror and wondered if I had just jumped onto the bandwagon without thinking about my applications.  It honestly sat for quite awhile until I had some things to use it for.  Then I became more comfortable and started to make reasons to use it.

Of my Festools it is the one that sits in the systainer the most because of what I do.  But when I do need it it is there and I am glad I didn't get rid of it.

Peter

I think that I got caught up in the moment when buying a bunch of Festools too. It seemed like that everyone was talking about how great the Domino is and that it's a game changer. I am sure for most people it is. I am just hobbyist and I can think several other tools I wish I would have bought instead  [sad]

 

[ccarrolladams]

The Domino in my experience requires the most practice and experimentation to use with confidence. In the ideal situation people would do as Sancho suggested, go to an End User Class to be coached in Domino Basics, then buy one and start practicing. I never suggest buying a Festool, leaving it unused beyond the 30 day date, and then start using it.

I was lucky to have been coached using the Domino by pals in Europe long before they were sold in the USA. Then I made use of a bunch of off-cut scraps to practice until I was confident. The Domino vibrates differently than other tools. It does not handle like a biscuit joiner. When I do not use a Domino for a couple of weeks, I dig out some scrap material and practice.

There are several tasks needed in cabinet making where the Domino has improved my work flow. Of course there are other tasks when proven methods I have used for decades are, for me, more efficient and equally effective.

 

[Jmaichel]

The Domino in my experience requires the most practice and experimentation to use with confidence. In the ideal situation people would do as Sancho suggested, go to an End User Class to be coached in Domino Basics, then buy one and start practicing. I never suggest buying a Festool, leaving it unused beyond the 30 day date, and then start using it.

I was lucky to have been coached using the Domino by pals in Europe long before they were sold in the USA. Then I made use of a bunch of off-cut scraps to practice until I was confident. The Domino vibrates differently than other tools. It does not handle like a biscuit joiner. When I do not use a Domino for a couple of weeks, I dig out some scrap material and practice.

There are several tasks needed in cabinet making where the Domino has improved my work flow. Of course there are other tasks when proven methods I have used for decades are, for me, more efficient and equally effective.

I guess an end user class would be nice but not sure it would make a huge difference. I don't have a ton of extra shop time for practice and I also don't forsee a bunch of cabinet making in my future. I may just have to chock this purchase up to a learning experience.

 

[builderbob]

Actually, you have company.  I got a Domino set and the extra systainer of dominos for Christmas about a year after it was released.  I tried it out on some scrap and had a learning curve.  I really looked into the mirror and wondered if I had just jumped onto the bandwagon without thinking about my applications.  It honestly sat for quite awhile until I had some things to use it for.  Then I became more comfortable and started to make reasons to use it.

Of my Festools it is the one that sits in the systainer the most because of what I do.  But when I do need it it is there and I am glad I didn't get rid of it.

Peter

I think that I got caught up in the moment when buying a bunch of Festools too. It seemed like that everyone was talking about how great the Domino is and that it's a game changer. I am sure for most people it is. I am just hobbyist and I can think several other tools I wish I would have bought instead  [sad]

I think if you feel you bought the tool in haste & have other tools you'd prefer to have & use at the moment of now, sell it and get what you need!  Yes, you'll take a bit of a loss and you have to forget about that and move forward!  Don't keep it just because!

My domino sat for about a year when I first got it at release and now it's an integral part of some of my joinery processes.

Best of luck!

 

[fritter63]

Anyone else feel this way about their Domino or am I alone on this.

James

My domino has given me lots of buyers remorse..... About all the tools around my shop that it has made obsolete.

My tenoning jig, mortise attachment for the drill press, incra fence (so I could micro-adjust tenons), both my biscuit joiners, and of course, the Leigh FMT.

Still thinking I should sell all those.

Then I could get the 700.

 

[jacko9]

Sorry to hear you feel that way but, if you don't do a lot of Mortise and Tenon work then you might have purchased a tool with marginal usefulness.

I have the Domino 500 and XL700 and greatly appreciate the improved efficiency that they bring to my furniture making.

Jack

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Buyer's remorse on a Domino is extremely rare, but that is actually very good for you. It means that you will get top-dollar on selling it. If you go to Craig's List and search "Festool" or "Domino" you will discover that there are almost no listings. The tools don't come up for resale very often, and that is why they hold their full price very well.

If yours is unused, you can sell it for just a little bit below factory cost as long as you write a good ad. Show good pictures that shows that the Domino is unused.

That being said, I do recommend that you do take some more time using the Domino before you sell it. I've never heard of anyone being disappointed with owning one once they have spend some time using one. It may take a little bit of time for you to realize just how valuable it really is. You wouldn't want to have to buy a new one later on after you sell the one you have.

 

[fshanno]

What do you do?  Do you make doors?  Face frames?  Cases?  Kids wagons?  

Do you do anything at all where a biscuit or a dowel might be used?  

Loose tenons aren't quite as fast as pocket screws but they are much more fun and classy and you feel more like a woodworker and less like a factory worker.  So determine to use dominos to join your next face frame and to attach it to the case.  No mechanical fasteners just dominos and glue.

Make up your mind that you are going to build some cases without using any kind of mechanical fastener.  Use dominos and glue.  

And think about how you are clamping.  Do you have the most efficient setup you can think of?  Take some time.  You can develop jigs to assist in clamping setup.  In addition to being a reliable joinery mechanism loose tenons make assembly a breeze.  And the Domino is particularly useful because it can be tight in one axis while giving you some play in the other axis.  

Do these things a few times and then reassess where you are.  You've got a three year warranty so you have plenty of time.

 

[cliffp]

I don't regret buying mine at all. A year ago I didn't do woodworking as a hobby at all (I did just the most basic diy). I had some money to burn and bought a T15 drill. I thought then that to justify having it I ought to look into the idea of doing some proper woodworking. This led me to see ads for the Domino which struck me as an amazing machine and I wanted to buy one immediately but people on this forum persuaded me to buy various other more essential things first (TS55, MFT, CT Midi etc). I did soon get the Domino and it has absolutely lived up to my expectations. I echo what others have said about the learning curve. I made a few mistakes with it due to not using it properly (I should have studied the resources available more carefully including Rick Christopherson's excellent manual). It is now probably the last tool I would ever sell.

 

[Jmaichel]

Rick thanks for the advice. I know everyone probably thinks I am nuts [eek] I really don't have any need to build cases right now and I hate to build something just so I can use the Domino. I have not had a moment yet where I thought "oh I am glad I have the Domino" but I have had a couple moments where I caught myself saying "I wish I had gotten and MFT instead of a Domino" or "I wish I had gotten a (blank) instead of a Domino." I just don't build enough projects over the course of a year to have a real need for one. I also don't want to become a Festool fanboy. Although I love all the other Festool stuff that I have, I don't want to get in the habit of buying something just because Festool makes it.

James

 

[upscale]

I think in instances where I could use the domino I just prefer to use other joinery. Thanks for the replies so far.

Don't let it bother you. I bought my first tablesaw forty years ago. A tablesaw has always been the first, main component of any workshop that I've had. In any event, three years ago, on the basis of advertisements and testimony, I bought myself a Festool TS55 tracksaw.

It sat in its systainer virtually unused for six months because I just couldn't leave my tablesaw to use it. Eventually, I worked an exchange with the dealer I bought it from for some other Festool products. He made money on my buying additional stuff and I was a satisfied customer who will buy there again when the time comes.

So, if the domino is not doing it for you, for *whatever reason*, then sell it off (maybe losing money in the process) and don't look back. It's your peace of mind that is on the line.

 

[semenza]

I kind of figured I would be alone. I guess there are ways I could work the domino into projects. I am in the middle of building a steamer trunk and thought about using it but other joinery just made more sense. I think in instances where I could use the domino I just prefer to use other joinery. Thanks for the replies so far.

Whether or not is a big game changer , a small game changer or no game changer depends on what you build, and what other tool you own. Its a great tool  but that doesn't mean it is the right tool for your use and methods. Selling it  should be no problem. Put the money towards something you will use. You can always buy the Domino again when a project comes along and you think 'hey a Domino would be great for that'.

Seth

 

[JuliMor]

The first time I ever heard of a Domino was in a thread where everyone was raving about it.  I Googled it and watched some videos and yes, it looked like a great replacement for a biscuit joiner as well as some other tools.  I bought my biscuit joiner primarily for aligning panel glue ups.  Then one day I routed through a biscuit while profiling an edge.  The piece was ruined!  I learned you don't need biscuits for panel glue ups and the joiner now rarely gets used.

Looking at what the Domino can do, I realized there are other tools that I need more than the Domino.  It's a pretty major investment to simplify things I do the "old fashion way."  As for your remorse, if you feel you should sell it and buy tools that would get more use out of, then sell it, buy the new tools and enjoy them.  Better that than trying to work the Domino into your projects or finding projects where you would use the Domino, all the while missing tools you really need.  If the warranty is transferable and the tool hardly used, you should be able to get close to what you paid for it.