Festool announces new products for US, available June 1st!

[Shane Holland]

Careful, Plug-It smell is addictive!  [big grin]

Guess we need a Festool Plug-it Cord air freshener or shop candle.  [tongue]

I think he's right though, the cord is what has that distinctive smell.

 

[teocaf]

Shane, I'm sure now that you're there, you'll hold their feet to the fire to make sure that "unparalleled" is not just some word someone came up with at the monthly meeting.  I imagine you'll be having them open systainers to stick bubble wrap inside and all sorts of "unparalleled" things...  They're very fortunate to have you there; hope you're settling in alright.

Bryan, you had me worried with your description of "mashed up plastic".  The pic of the new drill looks great--that's a killer looking piece of gear.  I'm also replacing a couple of 28v milwaukee pieces (not a drill, but rather a sawzall and a bandsaw).  Still in search mode for the right replacements.
Your comment about the smell cracked me up.  I started picturing this scene in my mind:  you're opening the systainer and going "Ahhh, there it is!"  Slight pause.  "Wait a second", you're thinking.  Your face dives in the box; sniff, sniff, sniffff...    You grab the packing slip, check it several times, scratch your head and start ranting:  "Man, they didn't ship IT.  They DID NOT ship THE SMELL!  I just CAN'T believe it!  I TOLD  those guys three times to make sure they include the smell..."
"Hmm---maybe it's on back order..."

 

[bkharman]

Ha!

The plastic is mostly the insert in the Sys. The Sys got scratched up from the right angle attachment flopping around. Actually, most of the "damage" was from that right angle flying around.

I must say that my v28 stuff has treated me very well over the years!  I still use my sawzall, drill and circular saw a lot on outdoor projects. I actually used my bandsaw 2 times and sold it afterward... Back in 2006.

I had 3 original battery's and 2 bit the dust. The drill is more than 75% of that last batt so I should be good here.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[Cheese]

[member=21412]bkharman[/member]
I'd be very interested in hearing what you think about the PDC vs the V28 Milwaukee as far as power & performance go. I also have the V28 platform and am thinking about replacing it with something (?) because it's so big & heavy. The circ saw & Sawzall aren't too bad (heavy), but the hammer drill and impact wrench are too ponderous for a lot of tasks.

You stated "Pretty substantial difference in size and weight!!"

I'm assuming the V28 is larger & heavier, is that correct?

 

[Brice Burrell]

Shane, I would like to suggest that your packing department put bubble wrap or packing pillows inside the systainers.  I have also received damaged inserts, systainers scratched on the inside, and marked up accessories from loose parts banging around while in transit.  Might be less hassle in the long run for everybody.

I don't see that as practical.  It's not as simple as throwing in a single sheet of bubble wrap. As we all know the inside of Systainers are very irregularly shaped and so are all the inserts.  Getting bubble wrap in and to have it actually prevent the contents from moving would be time consuming.  As Shane pointed out there is usually some minor blemishes from the ride over from Germany.  So, I can't see it as worth the effort to fit bubble wrap into each Systainer that probably has existing blemishes... 

 

[elfick]

Shane, I would like to suggest that your packing department put bubble wrap or packing pillows inside the systainers.  I have also received damaged inserts, systainers scratched on the inside, and marked up accessories from loose parts banging around while in transit.  Might be less hassle in the long run for everybody.

I don't see that as practical.  It's not as simple as throwing in a single sheet of bubble wrap. As we all know the inside of Systainers are very irregularly shaped and so are all the inserts.  Getting bubble wrap in and to have it actually prevent the contents from moving would be time consuming.  As Shane pointed out there is usually some minor blemishes from the ride over from Germany.  So, I can't see it as worth the effort to fit bubble wrap into each Systainer that probably has existing blemishes...

I know of at least one dealer that does this, at least on certain systainers... I believe it was Hartville Tool.

 

[Samo]

I've had new tools shift out of the insert tray during shipping.

Our local UPS guy was a Rugby star back in the day.

 

[tbellemare]

I tape things down to the liner and use pillows and bubble wrap inside.

The liners weren't designed to hold things in place during shipping. Fairly heavy objects (think chucks or collets) come out and fly around inside the systainer commonly unless secured somehow.

Tom

 

[Shane Holland]

I talked to the warehouse and we have some improvements coming.

We will pack our Systainers with super fluffy baby bunnies that are crazy glued to plastic vac seal over all of the contents. Every component will be wrapped in multiple layers of 3-ply toilet paper with a green bow, not the cheap public bathroom brand either. Our boxes will be lined with NASA-grade airbags and a taser that shocks anyone who mishandles them.

[big grin]

 

[copcarcollector]

I talked to the warehouse and we have some improvements coming.

We will pack our Systainers with super fluffy baby bunnies that are crazy glued to plastic vac seal over all of the contents. Every component will be wrapped in multiple layers of 3-ply toilet paper with a green bow, not the cheap public bathroom brand either. Our boxes will be lined with NASA-grade airbags and a taser that shocks anyone who mishandles them.

[big grin]

[sad]

Not sure I would be joking about damage in transit to a $600 drill that could easily be prevented with a couple of sheets of bubble wrap... just sayin'. A little bit of prevention goes a long way to a happy customer.

 

[Shane Holland]

Not sure I would be joking about damage in transit to a $600 drill that could easily be prevented with a couple of sheets of bubble wrap... just sayin'. A little bit of prevention goes a long way to a happy customer.

Sorry if it came across the wrong way. I was just joking around because of the post from Tom, not the situation with Bryan's drill.

In all seriousness, this has been addressed with the warehouse and changes are being implemented to improve our processes. Feedback is always welcome and it's how we improve as a company.

 

[copcarcollector]

No worry Shane! I have purchased from The Nut in the past and certainly will in the future. It is a shame that Festool does not account for things moving around in transit when they design the Systainer inserts, or even add some foam or bubble in there direct from Germany.

 

[Slartibartfass]

I figure there is a big difference for Festool shipping stuff via pallets vs UPS conveyor belt abuse.... Certainly internal stuffing of systainers would help reduce movement of stuff...

 

[teocaf]

I don't see that as practical.  It's not as simple as throwing in a single sheet of bubble wrap. As we all know the inside of Systainers are very irregularly shaped and so are all the inserts.  Getting bubble wrap in and to have it actually prevent the contents from moving would be time consuming.  As Shane pointed out there is usually some minor blemishes from the ride over from Germany.  So, I can't see it as worth the effort to fit bubble wrap into each Systainer that probably has existing blemishes...

Of course it's all in how you view your business.  Certainly, good arguments can be made for both sides.  As a festool dealer here in the US, where you can't compete on things like price, how do you separate yourself from the other dealers of the same brand?  Is it feasible to open the systainers after they cross the ocean and perhaps pad a bit here and there as needed?  Is it reasonable to use contacts at the manufacturer to bring up certain damage in transit issues that may be becoming commonplace?  does someone buying a bmw or an audi from a dealership get more of a vip treatment than one getting a chevy?  Do you try to understand a specific subset of customer of a particular brand that may have concerns and interest beyond the pure functionality of the tool?  do you go simply for market share of the upscale tool market and hope the complaints don't overtake the sales figures?  It's an interesting quandary from a small business standpoint, if nothing else.  I don't claim to have any definitive answers, but the questions are interesting to me as they relate to various business model approaches.

 

[bkharman]

[member=21412]bkharman[/member]
I'd be very interested in hearing what you think about the PDC vs the V28 Milwaukee as far as power & performance go. I also have the V28 platform and am thinking about replacing it with something (?) because it's so big & heavy. The circ saw & Sawzall aren't too bad (heavy), but the hammer drill and impact wrench are too ponderous for a lot of tasks.

You stated "Pretty substantial difference in size and weight!!"

I'm assuming the V28 is larger & heavier, is that correct?

Hey Cheese. I just weighed the two (body and Phillips bit only) and the V28 came in at 3 kg and the PDC came in at a little over 2 kg.  That is a difference of about 2 lbs.

It also feels really good in the hand. The Milwaukee had a very front heavy feel to it, even with no bits in it.  All in all it balances very well in the hand.

Just got home from work and will give it a go tomorrow. Very solid piece of kit here. The right angle attachment is also very solid (this one is metal) and the Jacobs chuck seems pretty solid as well.

Ready to put in some decking and replace some of the kiddos playground. Carpenter bees did a number on it this spring!

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[Cheese]

[member=21412]bkharman[/member]
Thanks for the post, a 2# difference is huge, especially when it entails balance.  [eek]

I also concurr with the nose heavy comment.

Also been reading reviews on the TSC 55, maybe it's time to put the V28 platform down the road.

 

[TheTrooper]

I ordered a TS55 from CPO a few years ago and it arrived with just a UPS Lable on the Systainer [eek]

Does the PDC come with attic lids or does the C18 also come in one?

 

[bkharman]

I ordered a TS55 from CPO a few years ago and it arrived with just a UPS Lable on the Systainer [eek]

Does the PDC come with attic lids or does the C18 also come in one?

PDC does come with the attic lid. Not sure about the c18.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[Shane Holland]

Only the PDC has the attic lid.

 

[Throwback7r]

I have ordered from CPO a few times. the Label was never on a systainer.