JimH2 said:
The whole saw is a compromise since the primary goal was to fit it in a systainer. Of course the fence and miter bar are going to be crappy just as they are for all small portable table saws and given it uses a battery there will be blade restrictions and limited run time. the digital height and angle setting features are very nice and the SawStop technology is a requirement if safety is paramount. There have to be big gives as you go smaller on almost anything.
Fitting such a small saw in a systainer is its genius. Ultimate portability.*
The fence and mitre bar are absolutely
not crappy. Have you seen the saw? Touched it? In photos / videos, it looks a bit like it might have the build quality of a laserjet (which in itself would be waaay above the build quality the Proxxon FET, for example). But it’s not. The build quality is the best I have ever seen in a Festool — and I have many of the “flagship” products. This isn’t just up there with the best, it’s way better.
The
mitre fence is plain and has no points of attachment. But it’s not crappy.
The rip fence is really really solid / square, with ways to attach jigs. The pull out feature is a nice addition.
The mitre locks in place and is rock solid with the slider. And the slider is amazingly solid and square. No play in it whatsoever. Super glidey. It’s a really fine piece of engineering.
Blade choice is indeed restrictive, but you can cut to a height of 50mm, which is enough for me.
I haven’t tested all-day use on the batteries, and likely never will, as I won’t be laying floors with it. But even if they don’t last a full day, just get a couple of spares. Or throw them in the charger while you have lunch. I don’t get battery “range anxiety”, but I know some feel it acutely (and I’m about to find out, because I’m selling my HKC 55 with its charger in the next few days (and it’s my only charger) and the new charger hasn’t arrived yet [scared])
SawStop would have made it a slam dunk for many, but there just isn’t the room.** I’m sure someone somewhere is working on a smaller design, but clearly it’s not ready yet. Maybe at some point in the future. In the meantime, the riving knife and blade guard are very easy to switch in and out, which means they will get used. No screwdrivers etc needed — just an internal button that you use the allen key to push.
I’m borderline on the fold-up table. It’s a very well executed fold up table, as fold-up tables go, but perhaps the addition of an extra locking mechanism would make it even better. It has a tiny amount of play front/back (around 0.2mm — you can feel and hear it, but hardly see it), but none side/side, and no up/down where the tables join. There’s a slight amount of up/down play at the extremity, but gravity is holding it down and you’re pressing down in use. And the extremity is adjustable if it gets out of flat with the main table.
Throwing in a couple of zero clearance inserts would have been a nice addition. They have a complex geometry and would really need a CNC / Shaper Origin / 3D printer to make new ones.
As I say, I’ve only had it a few days and the mitre fence is the only thing I can really criticise.
Otherwise, it’s very innovative and a major achievement / milestone for Festool — a change from just trying to producing a better jigsaw / track saw etc. to rethinking the whole machine.
* I also hope it’s the first of many in this form factor. I’m space-constrained (as are many in Europe / in cities) and could use the space. E.g. I’d sell my CMS immediately for a smaller systainer version of a router table — and this saw’s surface area with the table folded out is as already big as a CMS. Developing the idea further: they have the sliding table and a lift mechanism in the saw already. Add a small router spindle like the Shaper Origin’s and drill a couple of holes in the table for a fence and voilà [big grin]. When can I order? [big grin] [big grin] [big grin]
** or rather, inside there is a surprising amount of room. Maybe in a future version they will use it all for something.
