Festool Carvex 420 (both corded & battery) - Comparisons

[GhostFist]

Good luck on that.

 

[nclemmons]

Wow Frank

Thanks for the detailed reviews.  You do a better job than any magazine editor in really trying practical tasks with your tools.  The recent Syscart review and now this review are excellent examples of real-world uses - even if you do carry propane cylinders!

I'd be curious how the saws cut metal - ease of control and quality of the cut.

I'd also be curious how the saws handle curves on thick materials.  The idea of cutting corbels I'd second.

Many thanks for putting the time and effort into this -

neil

 

[ScotF]

Frank,

Excellent review.  I have the Bosch and a Trion.  I get dead-on cuts with the Trion.  My experience with the Bosch is that I can get very, very close and sometimes perfect but I do find more blade deflection than with the Trion.

Do you have any up close shots of the cuts with a square?  Also, what about any pics of the resulting 45 degree bevel cuts?  Interested in seeing the final cut if you have something available.

Great review -- very thorough and unbiased -- well done!

Scot

 

[Eric_W]

Great review!  I know this is off-topic, but what finish did you use on the cedar?  It looks great.

 

[GhostFist]

Another question, how does the cut quality differ, if at all between the trion and the carvex? Would you say the carvex is a significant upgrade worthy of trading in the trion?

 

[jmbfestool]

You said in one of your Posts:  The blower on the Bosch did not help much, if at all.

Yet at the end you said:

The Bosch JS572EB is a very good saw.  There are features that I like on it that are not on my faithful Trion.  These  are the blower, the light, and the much better non-90 degree angle cutting with positive stops.

 

[bkharman]

2 Comments.  The "mystery strap Thingy" is for folks outside of NA.  It allows them to lock the power switch for us CMS users.

The Blade ejector seems like something I would rather enjoy.  I often have to fight with my jigsaw when the blade is dull (and very hot) and I think that would be a perfect thing for me to shoot into a bucket or trash bin.

I am jealous of all of these but think i would rather enjoy the mains version... and perhaps the D handle (really like my D handle drivers!)

Bryan

 

[jmbfestool]

2 Comments.  The "mystery strap Thingy" is for folks outside of NA.  It allows them to lock the power switch for us CMS users.

The Blade ejector seems like something I would rather enjoy.  I often have to fight with my jigsaw when the blade is dull (and very hot) and I think that would be a perfect thing for me to shoot into a bucket or trash bin.

I am jealous of all of these but think i would rather enjoy the mains version... and perhaps the D handle (really like my D handle drivers!)

Bryan

Your Dead on!  Thats what I do!  I just am and FIRE! Dont have to touch the hot blade.

 

[festnoob]

Great read Frank, many thanks. My test request is how tight a clean radius can the carvex cut using the jig. Also sure wish you could get your hands on a Mafell to compare with also.

+1

Thanks for the honest review.

 

[Frank Pellow]

You said in one of your Posts:  The blower on the Bosch did not help much, if at all.

Yet at the end you said:

The Bosch JS572EB is a very good saw.  There are features that I like on it that are not on my faithful Trion.  These  are the blower, the light, and the much better non-90 degree angle cutting with positive stops.

That may seem like a contradiction but it is not.  I did not find the blower on the Bosch to be helpful in that particular task, but I did find it to be helpful elsewhere.  I wish that the Carvex had a blower.

 

[festnoob]

You said in one of your Posts:  The blower on the Bosch did not help much, if at all.

Yet at the end you said:

The Bosch JS572EB is a very good saw.  There are features that I like on it that are not on my faithful Trion.  These  are the blower, the light, and the much better non-90 degree angle cutting with positive stops.

That may seem like a contradiction but it is not.  I did not find the blower on the Bosch to be helpful in that particular task, but I did find it to be helpful elsewhere.  I wish that the Carvex had a blower.

Well put; it is therefore a paradox and not a contradiction.

 

[festnoob]

On another I was thinking of the angled base...I posted this on Paul Marcel's review and was wondering your take on this-

I was pretty sure about my preorder over a month ago, but the angled base is a real turn off especially that there's no dust collection. Makes absolutely no sense to me being it is Festool.

It also appears that cutting an inward bevel (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) on a scribe line would pose a problem if the line goes toward the work piece. Would the base hit the work piece being it folds down into 90 degrees and rests against the edge you are cutting off? Eventually I see the front of the base making contact. (Hope you understood)

Also I see a problem cutting an inward angle (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) if the cut needs to be made a half inch or slightly more/less into the piece. Where would the support be? It couldn't support safely on the little bit of base left or on the material that's being removed. Or if the base is folded to 90 would you even be able to begin the cut?

 

[Kev]

On another I was thinking of the angled base...I posted this on Paul Marcel's review and was wondering your take on this-

I was pretty sure about my preorder over a month ago, but the angled base is a real turn off especially that there's no dust collection. Makes absolutely no sense to me being it is Festool.

It also appears that cutting an inward bevel (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) on a scribe line would pose a problem if the line goes toward the work piece. Would the base hit the work piece being it folds down into 90 degrees and rests against the edge you are cutting off? Eventually I see the front of the base making contact. (Hope you understood)

Also I see a problem cutting an inward angle (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) if the cut needs to be made a half inch or slightly more/less into the piece. Where would the support be? It couldn't support safely on the little bit of base left or on the material that's being removed. Or if the base is folded to 90 would you even be able to begin the cut?

Is this for a situation where you can't cut from the other side or something??

 

[festnoob]

I guess, in less words, what I'm asking is if there is a point where the base would hit the stock when going in one direction and have to unsafely on the stock being removed when going in the other direction

 

[hemlock]

Frank,

      Great review , can't wait for the rest.

      How do you feel about the "open hand" grip on the Carvex barrel grip saws?  In other words  when I checked one out I noticed that it is more difficult (or not possible) to wrap fingers around under the  body of the saw.  Hope I explained that well enough.

Seth

Very helpful review....thank you.  I did not see anyone respond to Seth's question.  I have wondered this too and seem to have read somewhere else the Carvex barrel was bigger than the Trion and that report suggested getting the D handle Carvex because you would have the flexibility of the smaller D handle AND the barrel grip due to the switch locations on the Carvex.    Any experience or perspective on this?

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

(3)  Depending on the position of the blade holding mechanism after one shuts off the saw, the blade ejection mechanism is not always properly aligned, therefore it does not always work.  These photos illustrate this:

Frank, I've not had a chance to read the whole write up, but thanks for taking the time to put together this thorough review.

I did want to comment on this real quick because I think this may happen to some of our soon-to-be Carvex owners. The Carvex needs the blade at the top of its stroke for the ejection mechanism to work. In some instances, the blade does not return to this position and thus the ejection button doesn't work. This most commonly would happen if the Carvex is turned off mid-cut. The blade hangs on the material, preventing it from completely the stroke and returning to the top (home) position.

There's a simple remedy... Turn the Carvex on for about 20-30 seconds and it will sense the problem and fix itself. You can actually see it happen with the strobe effect.

Hope someone finds that tip helpful.

Shane

 

[festnoob]

On another I was thinking of the angled base...I posted this on Paul Marcel's review and was wondering your take on this-

I was pretty sure about my preorder over a month ago, but the angled base is a real turn off especially that there's no dust collection. Makes absolutely no sense to me being it is Festool.

It also appears that cutting an inward bevel (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) on a scribe line would pose a problem if the line goes toward the work piece. Would the base hit the work piece being it folds down into 90 degrees and rests against the edge you are cutting off? Eventually I see the front of the base making contact. (Hope you understood)

Also I see a problem cutting an inward angle (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) if the cut needs to be made a half inch or slightly more/less into the piece. Where would the support be? It couldn't support safely on the little bit of base left or on the material that's being removed. Or if the base is folded to 90 would you even be able to begin the cut?

So can anyone who has a carvex respond to this?

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

I think I understand your questions.

It also appears that cutting an inward bevel (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) on a scribe line would pose a problem if the line goes toward the work piece. Would the base hit the work piece being it folds down into 90 degrees and rests against the edge you are cutting off? Eventually I see the front of the base making contact. (Hope you understood)

Turn and cut from the opposite direction. Then the angle base is at an acute angle rather than obtuse, but your bevel is the same.

Also I see a problem cutting an inward angle (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) if the cut needs to be made a half inch or slightly more/less into the piece. Where would the support be? It couldn't support safely on the little bit of base left or on the material that's being removed. Or if the base is folded to 90 would you even be able to begin the cut?

First, you flip cut in the opposite direction assuming there is more support on the other side of the cut. I doubt you've be cutting something only a couple of inches wide, so presumably more support on the other side.

Also, if you think the base is too narrow, there are screws that hold the plastic runners on the bottom of the base. You could remove the plastic runner(s) and add a piece of thin wood, Plexi, or something else to make the base wider using the existing screws, or longer screws if necessary. So, you could make the base as wide as you wanted.

You've got 30 days to try it out for yourself to see if it meets your expectations/needs.

 

[festnoob]

I think I understand your questions.

It also appears that cutting an inward bevel (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) on a scribe line would pose a problem if the line goes toward the work piece. Would the base hit the work piece being it folds down into 90 degrees and rests against the edge you are cutting off? Eventually I see the front of the base making contact. (Hope you understood)

Turn and cut from the opposite direction. Then the angle base is at an acute angle rather than obtuse, but your bevel is the same.

Also I see a problem cutting an inward angle (meaning: causing the edge of the stock to become less 90) if the cut needs to be made a half inch or slightly more/less into the piece. Where would the support be? It couldn't support safely on the little bit of base left or on the material that's being removed. Or if the base is folded to 90 would you even be able to begin the cut?

First, you flip cut in the opposite direction assuming there is more support on the other side of the cut. I doubt you've be cutting something only a couple of inches wide, so presumably more support on the other side.

Also, if you think the base is too narrow, there are screws that hold the plastic runners on the bottom of the base. You could remove the plastic runner(s) and add a piece of thin wood, Plexi, or something else to make the base wider using the existing screws, or longer screws if necessary. So, you could make the base as wide as you wanted.

You've got 30 days to try it out for yourself to see if it meets your expectations/needs.

Thanks...would the 30 days apply to the accessory kit also?

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Thanks...would the 30 days apply to the accessory kit also?

Ah, yes, good point. No, our 30-day return guarantee only applies to the tool. Sorry.

However, some dealers may offer their own 30-day return policy on products probably with the condition that its returned in like new condition.