Festool 18v Sanders Announced

[Kev]

Kev - not being hostile.  I am simply questioning where your "listening to" or "filling a void " in the market stance comes from ?  This is just open discussion. 

Who is or was asking for a product like this ?  And if they exist, how did FT get in touch with them ? Facebook ?  The local bar in Wendlingen ? Coffee shop in Lebanon ?  No one here has said they own cordless sander of any make yet. And many of those have been available for some time now. I also referenced several things that have been asked for around FOG that have been ignored by FT. 

Which lead me to the conclusion this is a product searching for a market. Not a product filling a need in the marketplace. And that FT doesn't seem to connect with its customer base for product development.

I am making no comment on whether this is good or valuable product.  I have already said I think they'll sell these in good numbers to start, and that the conversion to mains power is ahead of the curve.  Only Dewalt is pursuing this type of compatibility.

Everyone doesn't have to agree.  It's this sort of thing that gives FT owners monikers like fan boy, and kool-aid drinker.  By all means , applaud them for coming out with a new widget, but don't get all bent out of shape or think you are being attacked because someone else thinks the latest rollout isn't a home run.

[member=727]antss[/member] if observing the need or opportunity through obvious use cases and the many positive opportunities for use discussed thus far in this thread isn't a good enough answer for you then I'm going to quit trying to respond.

Nobody is heralding these sanders as ground breaking .. I doubt Festool consider them a "home run".

Be aware the fan boy and bent out of shape digs don't really do much to further the value of your questions.

 

[Gregor]

Oh, reminds me that the two years they guaranteed to not exploit submitted ideas without compensation (at their Ideenoffensive) are over - so I think I can share now what I suggested to them back in April 2015.

It was declined as 'not being technicaly possible' and 'would be to expensive' for the existing 18V tools.

 

[Shane Holland]

Oh, reminds me that the two years they guaranteed to not exploit submitted ideas without compensation (at their Ideenoffensive back then) are over - so I think I can share now what I suggested to them back in April 2015.

Back then it was declined as 'not being technical possible' and 'would be to expensive' for the existing 18V tools.

In Festool Germany's defense... When I worked for Festool USA, this was an idea that was shared with Germany. That was probably 7+ years ago. So, the idea had been kicked around before.

I was actually not surprised to see this on the new sanders for that reason.

The industry is driving at a million miles an hour to make everything cordless. Whether you need cordless or not, it's coming for all tools.

 

[Phil Beckley]

Hi
As the new kit is jumbled up in this thread I will start a separate thread for each new item
rg
Phil

 

[Gregor]

In Festool Germany's defense...

No offense taken from my side, I didn't submit it out of greed or a drive to get rich, but because I though it was a good idea that would make the cordless stuff more interesting - or interesting enough for me to actually buy any of them (apart from a C18), to be precise.

So should someone manage to build such a thing (and be it out of a burned out battery pack to get the casing) in a 220V 50Hz version: PM me, I'll most likely buy one should it be able to handle the load of the existing 18V tools.

 

[antss]

Kev -  you're reading too much between the lines again.  I was not calling you a fanboy or accusing you of getting bent out of shape. 

I was saying that the practice of the collective herd ganging up on the nay sayer for swimming against the tide is one of the things that gives groups those types of labels.  I cannot control whether you internalized that or not.  It was not my intention to antagonize you.

I was also saying that offering a tool that runs on mains and battery is pretty groundbreaking.  Who else besides Dewalt is offering that today ?  A battery sander is certainly not groundbreaking.

Shane's comments seem to bear out my suspensions:  The industry (FT incld.) has decided that cordless is coming our way whether we need or want it.  Not that FT somehow implemented a focus groups' findings and brought us a cordless sander that many of us have been wanting.  You've knocked my position that FT is just rolling this thing out for the sake of expanding their lineup saying that you think they are filling a need.  Fair enough.  I'm simply disagreeing with that and asking what evidence there is to back up that there is this need/want in the market place. 

 

[Phil Beckley]

.....and here is the link for discussion on the Cordless 18v sandershttp://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...ess-sanders-18v-available-september-1st-2017/
rg
Phil

 

[LooseSox]

And it seems the Vecturo is going corded, or there will be a corded (non-Plug It) version...

Why dump the plugit? Dosn't make sense to me, I think it's a great feature.
I always hate the fixed cord (and how I have to untangle it) when I pull out my HL 850...

Isn't the general idea with plugit to be able to quickly attach power and dust extraction without having to go to the vac to swap cords by having both attach to the tool? So for a tool that doesn't have a dust extraction port, why equip it with a plugit?

 

[Phil Beckley]

....and the Granat Net is herehttp://festoolownersgroup.com/festo...2017-uk-europe/msg515107/?topicseen#msg515107
rg
Phil

 

[Gregor]

So for a tool that doesn't have a dust extraction port, why equip it with a plugit?

First: no dust extraction attachment for the vecturo is an oversight they should fix, then the tool would get a spot quite high on my shopping list. Also, depending on use case, running it with a vac might still make sense, even with the sleved hose (that as the plug it in the sleeve).

Second: a fixed cable just sucks for many reasons:
- a mess when it comes to pack the tool into the systainer
- a mess when it comes out again
- a mess when you swap between several tools on a job as their cords lie around as tripwires or tangle with each other to form the new guinnes book record knot
- can't be as easily replaced in case of an 'accident' as a plugit cord (30 seconds to grab a fresh from the box)

 

[DB10]

why equip it with a plugit?
[/quote]

The only problem I have had with both of my Fein's over the years has been with the power cables, both had breaks in the cable, first one I fixed before I misplaced it and the second one was sent for repair under warranty to TTS. It came back fixed but instead of replacing the nice long rubber lead they replaced it with a cheaper shorter and harder plastic lead that was difficult to coil.
I have always had a cordless multi tool but it was a Bosh 12v and although it was ok it was no replacement for the Fein's but since receiving over a year ago now an 18v Dewalt multitool via redemption the Fein has not been used. I can not see me buying another mains multi tool either fixed lead or plug it, again.

 

[GarryMartin]

[member=11629]GarryMartin[/member] , was there any mention of compatibility with the 18V AirStream chargers?

You should be able to use any charger capable of charging existing 18V batteries.

 

[Kev]

..... but since receiving over a year ago now an 18v Dewalt multitool via redemption the Fein has not been used. I can not see me buying another mains multi tool either fixed lead or plug it, again.

[member=42735]DB10[/member] I'm really impressed with the Dewalt multitool. Paired with the small battery it can tackle lots of tasks I would have attempted differently in the days before I had it.

 

[Bob D.]

[member=11629]GarryMartin[/member] , was there any mention of compatibility with the 18V AirStream chargers?

You should be able to use any charger capable of charging existing 18V batteries.

Excellent, now I just have to wait for them to be offered here in the States.

 

[rdr]

Garry, any talk of large Ah batteries in near future?

It's all new news at the moment, but I wouldn't have thought Festool would announce higher Ah batteries any time soon. The marketing text is making a good deal about the fact that the battery is quicker to charge than deplete, so with two batteries, you should be able to work near non-stop I guess?

We already have an excellent solution to starting the Festool extractors with a remote keyfob, so it's not beyond the realms of imagination that a vibration sensor could be coupled to the same sort of electronics.

[member=191]Rick Christopherson[/member]

From personal experience, small batteries with quick charge times can be better in some scenarios. I do a bit of metal work as a hobby, when the cordless grinders hit the market they were not seen as a replacement for corded models in the workshop. Now I have three of them  all with different discs on as they are so quick to grab and use compared to the corded units which only get use for really heavy jobs nowadays. I have found having smaller lighter batteries that charge in 20mins make for a lighter better handling unit and with no impact on workflow as I have one charging whilst using the others.

This is how I see it working for these sanders, they need to be light and nimble.

One day we will have induction charging, just put the FESTOOL down on a charging mat during your workflow and it tops up on juice, thats where FESTOOL could be a game changer [smile]

 

[six-point socket II]

One day we will have induction charging, just put the FESTOOL down on a charging mat during your workflow and it tops up on juice, thats where FESTOOL could be a game changer [smile]

Hi,

It's already out there. Albeit not from Festool but Bosch Professional.http://www.bosch-presse.de/presspor...-charging-system-for-professionals-42629.html

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Jmacpherson]

Hard to believe some people can be negative about this. It's just another option added to the already existing range. Don't like it, don't buy it.

I could use one right now, I have to paint the front of somebody's garage box that's far out in a place without power. Oh, I'm really looking forward to hand sand all the rust off that metal door - not.

But it would be something I wouldn't use that often, always preferring my sanders hooked up to a vac when possible. But nice to have when you need it. Bit pricey though .... €728 over here, double that of the corded version. I don't think these new sanders are going to be on Festool's best seller list.

I was using my EHL 65 today with the AS 36mm hose which gives better extraction but was proving to be just to heavy and awkward, so I reverted to the 27mm which was better but naturally resulted in some extra cleanup afterwards on the bench.
But it made me think how irritating hoses and cables can be when sanding outdoors, so like you I can see times when they would be useful.

 

[TylerC]

I think part of the key here is that they're not purely cordless. They're hybrid (both cordless and cordless), which gives you more flexibility.

[member=727]antss[/member] fairly asks who the market is for this. A few of the first uses that come to mind for me are punch-out work for remodelers, getting into difficult spaces (ceiling trim, closets, etc.), and places without an easily accessible power source. Will they become the primary sander for every craftsmen? Probably not, but I think they're a valuable addition to the sanding lineup -- especially for remodelers and contractors.

As to the question about NA availability, I think people will be pleased with the answer.  [wink]

 

[antss]

Tyler - are you able to comment on whether there are plans to expand the "hybrid" functionality to other tools in your cordless lineup ?

 

[TylerC]

[member=727]antss[/member] There's nothing for me to share about that now. (That's 50% me being coy, 50% honestly not knowing.)