Festool Carvex 400 Series Jigsaws!!

[Phillylfc]

I own a corded version of the latest festool jigsaw with the D handle, just wondering if everybody who owns one is totally satisfied with it, i personally love the accessories and think it is a very clever system. However i have unfortunately been very disappointed with its performance where it matters, the cutting, the blade seems to wander it seems to vibrate alot, and if you just need to trim a little more from the piece you've been cutting i.e cut into the work piece from side on to lose your pencil line, you have no chance! Im a huge festool fan and have lots of other festool tools and couldnt speak highly enough for them but sadly even though i want to love this new jigsaw with its fantastic gadgets i cant help feeling i wish i had the older model to get the job done! just wondering am i alone on this or anyone feel the same????????? 

 

 

[Alan m]

[welcome] to the fog.
good to see another eu member. ye brits are taking over.
hope you stay here for the long haul as it is a very nice place to stay , with all the very knollagable and great to share members here
dont know anything about this jig saw exept what has been released by festool.

sounds concerning that the newest model might not be as good as we expected.

 

[peter halle]

I own a corded version of the latest festool jigsaw with the D handle, just wondering if everybody who owns one is totally satisfied with it, i personally love the accessories and think it is a very clever system. However i have unfortunately been very disappointed with its performance where it matters, the cutting, the blade seems to wander it seems to vibrate alot, and if you just need to trim a little more from the piece you've been cutting i.e cut into the work piece from side on to lose your pencil line, you have no chance! Im a huge festool fan and have lots of other festool tools and couldnt speak highly enough for them but sadly even though i want to love this new jigsaw with its fantastic gadgets i cant help feeling i wish i had the older model to get the job done! just wondering am i alone on this or anyone feel the same????????? 

 

Which blade are you using?

 

[jonny round boy]

I own a corded version of the latest festool jigsaw with the D handle, just wondering if everybody who owns one is totally satisfied with it, i personally love the accessories and think it is a very clever system. However i have unfortunately been very disappointed with its performance where it matters, the cutting, the blade seems to wander it seems to vibrate alot, and if you just need to trim a little more from the piece you've been cutting i.e cut into the work piece from side on to lose your pencil line, you have no chance! Im a huge festool fan and have lots of other festool tools and couldnt speak highly enough for them but sadly even though i want to love this new jigsaw with its fantastic gadgets i cant help feeling i wish i had the older model to get the job done! just wondering am i alone on this or anyone feel the same????????? 

 

Welcome the the FOG!

When did you buy your Carvex? Festool UK are loathed to admit it, but there were some issues with the first batch(es) of Carvexes (or is it Carvii? [blink]). Another member on here (Windmill Man) got one of the first, and had a lot of issues with it just not cutting as it should, interchangeable bases not fitting correctly etc. He did get it resolved eventually though.

It may well be worth you getting in touch with him. He's in the North-West, and from your username I'd guess you are too (though I could be wrong on that one).

JRB

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

This thread is causing serious  [scratch chin] [scratch chin] [scratch chin]

 

[Kevin Stricker]

This thread is causing serious  [scratch chin] [scratch chin] [scratch chin]

No Doubt.  It would be nice to hear from some of the pros overseas to get their impression.  Always nice to hear the whole picture, especially when you are talking about a $500 jigsaw, which is what the Carvex becomes when you get the bases.  Is it really 5x better than my Bosch 1591?  Twice as good?

What I really want to know about is the dust collection.  Thought it was pretty funny to see the guy in the background on the last "Carvex rara" video with the vac cleaning up after the beveled cut through 8 quarter pine.

 

[Timtool]

i think nehardwoodfloors means that it's strange that someone starts a "bomshell" thread like this as Jeremy clarkson would say, and then gives no sign of life.
i would like some more clarity on this, is it a faulty tool or are they all like that?

 

[festooldude]

I got the exact same thing with my carvex.. It's wobbly and all.. It spills tons of grease, and the 'piston' has a lot of play..
The blade is all over the place.. I hate the auto function.. The fact i dislike about it is that it changes speed up and down,
during making the cut, and when the speed is lowered, the strobelight is getting weird, then i totally can't see
whatever i'm doing.. When i set it to speed 5, it's not the same max speed as on auto... hate that..
The transparant cover on the front of the carvex, the chipguard( not confuse with splinterguard) it goes up and down
all by itself, by vibration.. also suck bigtime.. if i put it up, it doesn't stay up, if i put it down, it doesnt stay down..

The V groove in the sawguide, weares out the backside of the blade real fast.. and, it doesnt feel sturdy, the blade
bounces al over the place..

wish i bought the ps 300 .. looks way stiffer and saws more precise.. i guess..

more comments?

 

[fritter63]

i think nehardwoodfloors means that it's strange that someone starts a "bomshell" thread like this as Jeremy clarkson would say, and then gives no sign of life.
i would like some more clarity on this, is it a faulty tool or are they all like that?

You mean, A "drive by posting"?

 

[Timtool]

You mean, A "drive by posting"?

wel yeah, but now festooldude's post brings in more confusion.
i was quite interested in the carvex, but if these problems are common then i may just as well keep my €600 and my Bosch.

festooldude, have you contacted festool about your problems?

 

[jonny round boy]

... if these problems are common then i may just as well keep my €600 and my Bosch.

These problems were, as far as I'm aware, related to the first batch or batches of Carvex jigsaws, and have now been resolved. Any carvex you buy now should be free of these issues.

 

[fritter63]

You mean, A "drive by posting"?

wel yeah, but now festooldude's post brings in more confusion.
i was quite interested in the carvex, but if these problems are common then i may just as well keep my €600 and my Bosch.

festooldude, have you contacted festool about your problems?

Yeah, me too.

I was teetering towards it just for the DC. Then again, I don't really use my Bosch that much. Maybe I would if it was high quality?

I used the Bosch last weekend to do a sink cutout on my new garage sink cabinet, and I have to say I didn't really experience any issues.

The was, I turned the countertop (MDF w/formica) upside down for the cut. Then to make the radiuses (which were marked on the upside), I just got a down cut bit and it left no chipping on the formica. Also gave me a nice straight cut, except for on the curves where blade kept wanting to twist.

So yeah, would be good to understand what's going on here.

 

[fritter63]

... if these problems are common then i may just as well keep my €600 and my Bosch.

These problems were, as far as I'm aware, related to the first batch or batches of Carvex jigsaws, and have now been resolved. Any carvex you buy now should be free of these issues.

was kinda wondering about that.

Even Festool has their Corvair's

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

... if these problems are common then i may just as well keep my €600 and my Bosch.

These problems were, as far as I'm aware, related to the first batch or batches of Carvex jigsaws, and have now been resolved. Any carvex you buy now should be free of these issues.

Like JRB has stated, Festool in Europe has acknowledged that some of the original production units had issues. This is covered under your warranty. Contact your dealer or Festool service for assistance in getting the issue resolved. These problems have long since been resolved and will not affect the Carvex introduction in the US/Canada.

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

I was actually referring to whether or not too buy the jigsaw.

I had read that initially they had problems and fes of Europe actually collected the problematic jigsaw and corrected it's issues and recalled the lot to fix those too.
I was just wondering if the jigsaw in question was one that was supposedly fixed or not.
We may never know as it seems like he's awol'd the site.

But all in all I would still buy it. Just because I know festool stands behind everything they put out. If broken, they fix it. If you hate it, you can return it! Any problem with my vac and they don't just send a replacement part, they send 2!
As long as they keep this kind of support I will buy tools from them for life!

 

[fshanno]

... if these problems are common then i may just as well keep my €600 and my Bosch.

These problems were, as far as I'm aware, related to the first batch or batches of Carvex jigsaws, and have now been resolved. Any carvex you buy now should be free of these issues.

Like JRB has stated, Festool in Europe has acknowledged that some of the original production units had issues. This is covered under your warranty. Contact your dealer or Festool service for assistance in getting the issue resolved. These problems have long since been resolved and will not affect the Carvex introduction in the US/Canada.

I hope so because right now I'm using a little piece of junk that I bought for $12 when I killed my old jigsaw using it to vibrate the edges of a concrete countertop I was pouring.  I wanted to wait till the Carvex was available before I bought a real saw. 

It's causing me grief.  I've got a wiseguy customer who offered to let me use his when he saw me cutting out for his cooktop with the cheapo.  How humiliating.  If I get a Carvex I probably won't use it to vibrate concrete.

 

[Brice Burrell]

It's causing me grief.  I've got a wiseguy customer who offered to let me use his when he saw me cutting out for his cooktop with the cheapo.  How humiliating.  If I get a Carvex I probably won't use it to vibrate concrete.

Just another reason to buy Festool. [big grin]

 

[windmill man]

The Carvex you will get in the US is the sorted version. Its Good.

The first batches released in Europe were very bad and had to have a lot of reworks.

Unfortunately Festool did not operate a recall, so there probably are a lot of carvex owner in Europe that think Festool makes rubbish Jig saws.

Any body out there that is not happy with their carvex should punt it back to their dealer to get it sorted. If it is sorted properly it is in a league of its own. If after you get it sorted its still not up to muster get it back again to them.

A FULLY SORTED CARVEX HAS NONE OF THE PROBLEMS REPORTED ON THIS SITE.

Enjoy your Carvex  guys and be grateful, sometimes it has its advantages not to have brand new tools released to you.

 

[Arthouse Joinery]

Mine has none of the issues posted here, it is by far the best Jigsaw i've ever used, much better than the PSB 300 which i thought was a bit ordinary for Festool, glad they came out with the Carvex and designed something awesome again  8)

 

[Dan T]

Anyone gone for the cordless version?