Domino DF500 warranty worth $1200?

[natenator76]

Hi all and merry christmas!

First time post here and hope it doesn't break any rules. Posting to get some feedback from those with with a domino to help figure out a direction for myself. Apologies for what may be a long-winded, convoluted post.

The other day I bought a DF500 and domino systainer set. Total all in was a bit north of $2400 CDN

The next night I'm on marketplace and a used DF500 popped up. It was the 20th anniversary emerald version from 2019 and included a domino systainer set. Price was $1200 for both.

I went to look at it today thinking that if it tested well on site that I would keep it and return the one I just bought as I hadn't used it yet for a savings of $1200. Obviously, no warranty left on the used one. I did buy it as it tested well and really doesn't even look like it was used that much - as the guy claimed (lost shop during pandemic, thought he would get back up and running and never did so it's been sitting. Rest of his tools sitting on shelf or wrapped appears to back the story).

I did do more testing with the used machine over the past few days and everything checks out well. Plunges smooth, no chatter, adjustments register, height and depth measure out correctly, etc.

On the flip side I could easily sell the used domino for what I paid (keeping the systainer with dominos), returning the new domino systainer set, and keeping the new DF500 which would give me a savings of over $600 BUT I get the 3 year warranty on a new machine.

I don't know enough about these machines to know whether not having a warranty is worth saving $1200 dollars by keeping the used DF500? Would love to hear from people with more years of experience with their domino on whether non-neglect issues pop up within the 3 year warranty window.

Thanks for reading and the help in advance.

Cheers!

 

[Michael Kellough]

I bought one of the first Dominoes sold in the US and I’ve been in/on the FOG as long as anyone.

Posts about actual problems with Dominos that require service have been extremely rare.

I’d keep the used one and return the new.

 

[peter halle]

Before you make you decisions, check to see if the domino selection you bought with the new domino are returnable.  They may be classified as accessories and not technically returnable.  I am not trying to throw angst into the equation but you should have all the info at your disposal before deciding what to do.

Peter

 

[natenator76]

Before you make you decisions, check to see if the domino selection you bought with the new domino are returnable.  They may be classified as accessories and not technically returnable.  I am not trying to throw angst into the equation but you should have all the info at your disposal before deciding what to do.

Peter

Hi and thanks. Yes it is definitely returnable. It was bought from Lee Valley in Canada and specifically mentions a 30 day return policy on all festool products.

 

[SoonerFan]

I have had my DF500 for about a decade.  Never had an issue.  And as Michael noted posts about Domino issues are rare.

 

[ChuckM]

Do what Michael said. If it's true that the patent for the Domino Joiner is set to expire in some years, the price for a Festool Domino Joiner might not stay high as it has been sustaining.

 

[JeromeM]

I bought one of the first Dominoes sold in the US and I’ve been in/on the FOG as long as anyone.

Posts about actual problems with Dominos that require service have been extremely rare.

I’d keep the used one and return the new.

I would agree with the above.
My domino has been going strong for between 15 & 20 years, I don’t recall exactly when I bought it
The price you paid for the used unit is well under market they are normally virtually the same as new or maybe just 20% less.

There is just one point to look out for, that is the older dominoes use pins the new ones use paddles, mine uses pins and I consider them to be significantly better than paddles, I could retrofit to use paddles but never will.

 

[Cheese]

Vote #5 for keeping the old & returning the new. Unless you're a professional and intend to run the Domino full time every week, all year long, the warranty really buys you nothing unless you got a lemon to begin with.  [sad]

I can't even remember a post on any Domino going toes-up on this forum.

 

[natenator76]

I bought one of the first Dominoes sold in the US and I’ve been in/on the FOG as long as anyone.

Posts about actual problems with Dominos that require service have been extremely rare.

I’d keep the used one and return the new.

I would agree with the above.
My domino has been going strong for between 15 & 20 years, I don’t recall exactly when I bought it
The price you paid for the used unit is well under market they are normally virtually the same as new or maybe just 20% less.

There is just one point to look out for, that is the older dominoes use pins the new ones use paddles, mine uses pins and I consider them to be significantly better than paddles, I could retrofit to use paddles but never will.

This used one and new one (obviously) are the paddle version. I've never even seen the ones that had pins though I've read about them from owners.

Yeah I realize it was a great deal. Rarely can you even find a used one around here for less than $1400-$1500 but this one was $1200 with a systainer full of dominos. When I went to look at it I was just praying it was legit haha.

I feel better now knowing that dominos issues, aside for misuse, are few and far between such that I can return my brand new machine + domino systainer for a $1200+ savings which will allow me get some other tools I had been eyeing or save the money for a different day considering I also bought a new ts75+tracks and a CT26.

Thank you to all who chimed in.

Merry Christmas to all!

 

[Cheese]

I've never even seen the ones that had pins though I've read about them from owners.

FWIW...here's the pin version, a very desirable commodity in the wild.  [smile]

[attachimg=1]

 

[natenator76]

I've never even seen the ones that had pins though I've read about them from owners.

FWIW...here's the pin version, a very desirable commodity in the wild.  [smile]

[attachimg=1]

what exactly makes them better than paddles?

 

[Cheese]

what exactly makes them better than paddles?

Paddles index from an edge only while pins index from an edge or from inside a mortise.  The importance of that really depends upon how you work. I prefer the flexibility of pins but unfortunately I've never been able to purchase a DF 500 with pins, so paddles it is until I purchased the DF 700. [smile]

 

[onocoffee]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]
Here's one for you. I'm pretty sure it's the pin version but there's no images of the front. I'm suspecting it is a pin version because of the age of the Systainer.
https://www.facebook.com/share/186b57rL1b/

 

[JeromeM]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]
Here's one for you. I'm pretty sure it's the pin version but there's no images of the front. I'm suspecting it is a pin version because of the age of the Systainer.
https://www.facebook.com/share/186b57rL1b/

If you look carefully it shows paddles on the picture on the systainer. The original Systainers were in use for quite a while after the DF500 switched to paddles.

 

[ChuckM]

I've never even seen the ones that had pins though I've read about them from owners.

FWIW...here's the pin version, a very desirable commodity in the wild.  [smile]

[attachimg=1]

what exactly makes them better than paddles?

For the sake of discussion, both versions have their pros and cons.

Yes, the pin offers the flexibility of working directly with or in the mortises in certain situations such as making louvers. However, if my understanding is correct, the pins won't work in 4mm mortises.

The paddles offer solid and better registration when working with materials as thin as 8 or even 6mm (!). The cross stop accessory also allows the paddle machine to work in mortises, though not as handy as the pin version in the rare cases.

Finally, according to this (true?), you can't retract and lock the pins as you can with the paddles:
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/how-to-remove-pins-from-domino-df-500/

As a side note, fence drift was a problem associated with some earlier domino joiners (pins) but has since been fixed in the later releases, apparently with no fence drift issues reported by any paddle machine users.

 

[onocoffee]

If you look carefully it shows paddles on the picture on the systainer. The original Systainers were in use for quite a while after the DF500 switched to paddles.

Ah, good catch. Mine eyes no longer have clear resolution!

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Keep the used. I have several Festool's and only about 1/4 of them were purchased new.

Must say I bought a DF500 when it was first relesased. It had the "slipping" fence issue (fence would not hold vertical position). Sent it in a for repair and it was better but still slipped unless you tightened it to the fear of breaking it. So I ended up selling it. I saw so many have good luck with them over the years I bought another one and it's a thing of beauty. I use it on almost ever project. I like it so much I ended up getting a DF700 too! Careful it's a slippery slope.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

$1200 CAD for a lightly used DF500 with the Domino kit is less than I paid for my lightly used (extremely lightly) DF500 in USD. Since you verified it worked well before buying it. I think it's a good value to keep the used unit. While there's certainly risk with no warranty, these tools are generally very high quality, so your risk, IMHO, is more than acceptable given the cost difference. If it did need fixed at some point, it would still likely be less in total (buy plus repair) than the new unit in your currency.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Agreed with the above. Used does not mean degraded or lesser in any way, for what is essentially a lifetime tool, like this. Mine has literally cut mortises for nearly 10k Dominos, but to look at it, you would never know.
In all of the years that I have been acquainted with Festool and the users, I have only ever heard of one that had to be "serviced". It was a repair, for a unit that was dropped. Initially, it appeared undamaged, but something was tweaked enough to cause binding in the sliding action.

My second MFK700 came to me used, sight unseen, from a member here. 3 years ago? something like that. It is absolutely no different from the other.

 

[Cheese]

Mine has literally cut mortises for nearly 10k Dominos, but to look at it, you would never know.

FWIW...I just ran across this Festool Fact:

"The domino cutters can last from 4,000 to 15,000 mortises, depending on the material being cut. How do they achieve such a long life? The high quality of the cutters combined with the patented mortising action reduces the chance of heat build-up as the cutter is always moving."

So, it's more likely that the average Domino user will damage or chip the Domino bit before they actually wear it out.

I only keep an extra 5 mm bit around because I did break one many years ago.