Festool in-general

[Nanod]

Well I'm the guy your referring to as buying all the festool's. Here's my thoughts I'm defiantly not a collector I use my tools's every day it's how I make a living!!! I bought what i knew I would defiantly use the only tool's I haven't used are the planer and RAS. I'm really loving being able to use my tools with out being covered in saw dust every day the dust collection is unbelievable!! The ones I have used the most are the kapex,domino,ts55,and mft.

So to answer your question are the worth it. I'm not going to be using my 30 day refund.

Yes they are expensive tools and I already have them in other brands that can do the same job as they do. But when you start using festool as a system it's great every thing works together and there no dust. I'm sure there not for everybody the first time I looked at any festool was at rockler when I saw the $$$$ I just laughed!!! Then I started to read up on them mostly here on the FOG and watch video's about each tool i liked what I saw and read so I went for it.

At the end of the day it's up to each person. Me personally I love them and wouldn't do with out them but I also got along with out them for the last 15 years. So the decision is up to you my friend!!!

 

[mouppe]

I build perhaps one piece of furniture amongst other stuff a month. It's a hobby. I might only use my CMS table once every three or four months. TS55 once a week. Router once a month. Vacuum press every few months. Domino once a month.

I use my hand tools daily, but when I want to use a power tool my Festools are perfect for the task. It's not the frequency of use that makes them good value for me, but their quality, enjoyment and consistent dependability. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again (not that I will have to since they last for so long!).

 

[tjbnwi]

My original post may not be clear. I use my tools professionally. I look to Festool as my first choice for a tool purchase, if they have it available that is what I purchase. There are a few other items i wish they wouls sell in NA.

Most here have seen my posts of the "system" working together. My point is, just because the tool is avalible if your not going to use it, don't buy it. Save the funds so when the need for a tool arises you have the money to purchase it/them. The most expensive tool you'll ever purchase is the one that sits on the self collecting dust.

Tom is the dealer I use, he gets my orders to me in a couple of days or sooner. Because of his service I don't have to buy tools that aren't put in service right away.

Is the investment in Festool worth it? Yes, without a doubt, if you invest wisely.

Tom

 

[Jaybolishes]

This forum is a huge testament to why you should buy festool.  I can't think of any other tool company that has such a following of amazing talented woodworkers, who come here because they love their tools so much.  Once you buy a festool, you'll forever have this awesome group of craftsman to give you ideas, suggestions and advice.  Just that alone makes festool a no-brainer to a man and his craft.  All it takes is the first green tool, the money is a distant second thought after that. 

 

[semenza]

Hi Crawfish,

  Welcome to the FOG!  [smile]

  I started with a ATF55 and CT22, predecessors  to the current TS55R and CTs. That was waaay before I was a moderator on FOG and also before I went pro. They are excellent quality tools, that perform very well, with  the best support you can find.

  You will not go wrong with the track  saw and vac.

Seth

 

[sancho57]

Wow these answers pretty much sum it up.

The only thing I can add to the question of are festools worth the price.

The answers you have received are more like testimonials so Ill continue along that line of thought.

I see 2 questions being asked so to answer question 1, why festools:

Honestly its a personal preference. Here is why I chose festool after getting over the sticker shock.

I have a small shop. It was full of wood working machinery all stationary tools. I got tired of rolling them out using the, rolling them back use the next one and repeat. I struggled with sheet goods so I bout a TS 55 ad guide rails. Then I got a MFT and CT 26. But I must admit I struggled with the festools like alot of the guys do when they first bought them.  But the mobility and space saving had me hooked so I bought another one and another each one making my life easier. I used less and less of my stationary tools. But they filled my shop.
I dont miss them, well sometimes as festools will do all the same work but it takes some creativity sometimes to accomplish it.

I got a job offer to work in the UK (2 weeks from my retirement) 3 days from retireing I accepted the position. I hate selling things so I have a very close friend who lives on a farm in another state. he offered to store some of my stuff for me (3 ea roll aways and some other items). I gave him my stationary tools. He puled up with a 16' covered trailer , we loaded everything up which included a full size cab grade delta table saw, jet 6" jointer, rockwell drill press and a host of other small tools. I never used them since I started buying festools. I a getting some of the back such as my jet air purifier (not DC) and PC air grinder, templaco door drilling kit etc.

Now to answer your question directly.

Its personal preference.

Look at it like buying a car. A Yugo will get you from point A to point B. So will a Bentley.

Most of us are somewhere in between. Harbor Freight Tools will build the sae thing as festools do, not as efficient.

I buy life long tools. I hate being in the middle of a job and have to stop and return a tool. Depends on what you want.

Question 2 Do you have to buy all festools,

No you dont.

With that being said:

The beauty of festools is they are a system. everything is sold ala cart. So you create a work flow according to your style of wood working. YOU CREATE YOUR OWN SYSTEM BY BUYING WHAT YOU NEED TO DO WHAT YOU WANT.

My current shop is a all festool shop. That is except for my thicknesser (delta 13" planer) and my multimaster (which i dont use much should of put it in storage) the same with my Milwaukee hammer drill.

I know my reply was like reading war and peace. But there is not simple answer to your question. 

I hope I answered it.

If not someone here definately will.

 

[Max Neu]

I jumped on the festool bandwagon a few month's ago,and I now have about everything but the track saw (because I have a large sliding panel saw).I own my own business building high end cabinets,so I use my tools for a living.I am a working boss,so I use them personally,I don't just hand them to employee's and have them make the products.For me,I use Festool because I have an appreciation for quality tools and machinery,all of my machinery is top notch,mostly European stuff (chop saw,edgebander,sliding saw,shaper, etc.).I find that for me,working with high quality tools and machines is alot more enjoyable,which keeps me motivated to go out and work long hours everyday,which is critical for income,since I am a small business.Since I am the only one producing the product for the business,staying motivated is priceless.

 

[Bob Marino]

 Crawfish,

You've gotten lot's of intelligent advice and insights - all of it free and all of it quickly - and I'm sure your post will continue to inspire others to share their observations.
I would also like to offer my 2 cents as a Festool dealer as well as a user. And I'm not one of those user/dealers who think that your projects will suffer unless a Festool tool is used, or a shop not stocked with 20 Festool tools is somehow lacking. I'm fully aware that there are Festool fanatics out there who think differently, and I have (half jokingly) mentioned to some of my colleagues as well as customers, that if Festool were to introduce their own line of toilet paper, there would be those swearing nothing cleans better.

The machines are precise, efficient and for the most part, the tops in their class. Many have been ground breaking and simply changed the way people operate -  the Track Saw (Festool was first to introduce the Track Saw way back in 1964) and the Domino are the 2 primary examples. But I also think Festool changed the way we think, or maybe raised our awareness, about the importance of dust collection in the shop/jobsite/home. Every tool, save the drills and MFT, has inherent dust collection.

While constantly striving to improve and innovate, Festool does not look to bring out new models of existing tools on a whim. Think MFT 3 - the "3" in the MFT/3 signifies that this is only the 3rd version and the MFT was around many years - Festool historians can give the initial year it was first introduced.

Also, Festool does not introduce "me too" tools; most are very innovative: Rotex dual mode sanders, the Trion and now the Carvex jigsaws, the LS 120 linear sander, Kapex Miter Saw, the routers that affix to the rails and the 850 planer that (with an accessory Bench Unit that enables the planer to be used as a small jointer) They simply do things "similar" tools don't/can't do.

I would lastly mention, and I am betting other dealers can verify, that nothings speaks more highly of, nor more honestly to, the inherent high quality and value of the  Festool  line of products,  -  not the advertisements, nor even the many (well deserved) positive reviews and comments, but the extremely low rate of returns and the repeat sales. The proof of the pudding here remains with the customer.

Bob

 

[Stone Message]

Hi Crawfish

Buying Festool kit hurts but that pain goes away very quickly when you see the quality of the kit and the way that it makes your woodwork so much easier, more accurate and more enjoyable.

Festool tools have transformed the way I approach almost every woodworking task from simple face framing work to high quality cabinet work. The TS55R with the MFT3 might change a few things but add a CT extractor and a Domino machine and you will never look back. Then add a Rotex or two, an OFxxxx and a Kapex and you will wonder just how you managed to keep using your old tools.

The FOG is a great resource. Just look around the various threads and you will soon discover that the positive feedback on Festool kit is not any marketing hype created by the manufacturer (or their dealers) it is genuine praise from a whole world full of very satisfied customers.

Peter

PS Welcome to the FOG - now start saving for some nice green tools.

 

[Sparktrician]

While I have a very decent selection of Festool products, I have bought only those that make my work easier and more efficient.  There are far more that I don't own, and don't intend to own, that would never return the investment that it would take to own.  As Tom Bellemare mentioned earlier, dust collection is a huge feature, especially when I go into a customer's home and tell them that they can have the planned party that evening, without having to do a full-on exercise of cleaning so that the place doesn't look like a bomb had hit that afternoon.  I truly enjoy doing a demo on someone's driveway of buffing out a piece of solid surface countertop material, first with dust extraction, and subsequently without dust extraction.  It makes the point and I can work without customer anxiety.  Well done, Festool. 

 

[ShawnRussell]

I am a DIY guy who does not have a lot of time. For me time really is money. I finally bought a Kapex after taking a Festool class. I am extremely pleased with the purchase despite how much it costs. I only get to do repairs and changes after work. Thus I come home, cook, help with homework, and try to get in a little project work. Everyone in my home has some form of allergy. When I am wrapping up for the night I would much rather spend 15 minutes reading a bed time story than cleaning up chips and dust everywhere. Two or three years from now the extra price is but a distant memory.

I love the quote by Jim Rohn: You can get more money but you can not get more time. 

All that to say I personally think the Festool line is well worth the money. And, I say this as a guy who can least afford it. I saved for almost 18 months to get a Kapex and I would do it again...saving for a Domino now. 

 

[Kev]

I'm fully aware that there are Festool fanatics out there who think differently, and I have (half jokingly) mentioned to some of my colleagues as well as customers, that if Festool were to introduce their own line of toilet paper, there would be those swearing nothing cleans better.

I can see it now - 10 different toilet roll holders for the different "grits", working from coarse to fine. FLUSHTEX?

 

[Davej]

I'm fully aware that there are Festool fanatics out there who think differently, and I have (half jokingly) mentioned to some of my colleagues as well as customers, that if Festool were to introduce their own line of toilet paper, there would be those swearing nothing cleans better.

I can see it now - 10 different toilet roll holders for the different "grits", working from coarse to fine. FLUSHTEX?

Don't forget the viles for the final 'polish'  [smile]

 

[peter halle]

I'm fully aware that there are Festool fanatics out there who think differently, and I have (half jokingly) mentioned to some of my colleagues as well as customers, that if Festool were to introduce their own line of toilet paper, there would be those swearing nothing cleans better.

Bob,  please cancel my advance order for the 4 cases of FesFlush.

Thanks.

Peter   [poke]

 

[Bob Marino]

I'm fully aware that there are Festool fanatics out there who think differently, and I have (half jokingly) mentioned to some of my colleagues as well as customers, that if Festool were to introduce their own line of toilet paper, there would be those swearing nothing cleans better.

Bob,  please cancel my advance order for the 4 cases of FesFlush.

Thanks.

Peter   [poke]

Ok, Peter, I'll cancel your order and make note to all that there will no breaking up the rolls into 10 sheet packs. ;D

Bob

 

[wow]

I'm fully aware that there are Festool fanatics out there who think differently, and I have (half jokingly) mentioned to some of my colleagues as well as customers, that if Festool were to introduce their own line of toilet paper, there would be those swearing nothing cleans better.

Bob,  please cancel my advance order for the 4 cases of FesFlush.

Thanks.

Peter   [poke]

Ok, Peter, I'll cancel your order and make note to all that there will no breaking up the rolls into 10 sheet packs. ;D

Bob

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there...

 

[sancho57]

Bob,

Does fesflush come in a systainer?

Do you ship to a APO?

We only get John Wayne TP here.

[oops]

 

[Stephen B]

[size=11pt]
Did not know there were so many new Festool products for (us) 'Down Under'!  [eek]

 

[Kev]

[size=11pt]
Did not know there were so many new Festool products for (us) 'Down Under'!   [eek]

Do you mean apart from the "green Protools" ?

 

[Stephen B]

[size=11pt]
Did not know there were so many new Festool products for (us) 'Down Under'!   [eek]

Do you mean apart from the "green Protools" ?

No Kev, I was referencing the replys above from No 32 on!  [big grin]