So.
Let's summarize the actual changes.
1. Festool is essentially doing nothing more than changing the marking sticker on the routers and a plastic marking part on the saws and a marking sticker on the parallel guides.
2. Festool is not changing the lead screws on the routers, so the micrometer adjustments are still being made in tenths of a mm.
3. The only real change to the parallel guides is that the scale is being changed.
4. Festool will not offer metric versions of any of the tools in North America despite the only real changes amounting to stickers.
5. Depth changes on tools will present relatively little impact on their use but the parallel guides is the one change that has a fundamental change in the usage of the tool since it's entire purpose is to be a linear measurement stick.
6. Tools will continue to be sold at super premium prices.
Predicted Impacts.
1. Having imperial depth markings may result in a slight increase in tools but it will be limited by the fact that super premium pricing is the first thing controlling sales. Many customers set depths in ways that have little to do with the indicated scale anyway. The only sales that will result in having imperial depth scales will be to customers who have lots of money, are willing to pluck it down, and have a severe aversion to metric depth scales. Meanwhile, existing customers who have converted to metric are offended because Festool despite charging super premium prices is too cheap or too stubborn to at least provide a metric retrofit sticker.
2. Parallel guide substitutes are available in both metric and imperial markings by numerous other companies at lower prices. Festool will only sell imperial marked parallel guides. Markings on parallel guides are much more fundamental than depth scales on other tools. Sales of parallel guides would likely be maximized by offering both versions or at least a conversion sticker.
3. A good portion of Festool's market is cabinetmaker's both professional and hobbiest. 32 mm systems mean that a good portion of are already using metric. I don't see Festool picking up a lot of framing carpenters for track saws regardless of depth measurement, dust extractors have nothing to do with this, sanders have nothing to do with this, drills have nothing to do with this.
It makes no sense not to offer metric parallel guides especially considering that people who buy LR32 rails probably buy parallel guides and want them to be metric since LR32 is part of the 32 mm system. Don't forget the Domino system in this
4. Festool could probably sell more 1010 and 1400 routers and LR32 sets by making holed tracks standard with track saw packages and MFT tables. I bet the impact would be greater than
changing the scales to imperial while refusing to provide metric scales.
5. It was cabinet making, that got me into festools parallel guides and metric. Since then, I have bought Fastcap metric tape measures, Starrett metric rules for my combination squares and woodpeckers squares in metric. Festool is missing out on system sales that aftermarketer's are nailing. Clamps, parallel guides, dogs, measurement, squares, MFT alignment, etc.
Final analysis.
Offering imperial only depth scales and parallel guides will not increase sales of expensive tools that are sold to finish carpenters, furniture makers, cabinetmakers, and premium hobby buyers. It will not increase sales of expensive tools to framing carpenters or D.I.Y.'s who buy bargain brands at home centers.
Festool can increase sales by improving the MFT table which suffers from a fence that is too thick for 1/2" (12mm) ply products, a fence that causes a loss of too much cross cut capacity, does not retain fence to rail perpendicularity after height changes due to lack of a Slop Stop like improvement and other needed improvements. (I realign to a few thoudandths using a dial indicator and Woodpecker's square to obtain sliding table saw quality work), and a clumsy parallel guide system that could easily be modified with cursors for more precise adjustment.
Festools are purchased by me because they allow me to do work to the same degree of precision as a shop equipped with sliding table saws and 32 mm spindle line boring machines. For a few thousand dollars, I can produce work that a shop containing ten's of thousands of dollars of equipment produces (at a much slower rate of course.).
That's why I bought your tools. Give me more of that. Better dust extraction. Give me more of that. Look at what happened with the dust extractor sales. Study that. Offer a better discount for package deals than a measly 10%. Drop your pricing a little bit on both the hardware and the replacement items and you will lose less sales to Bosch, Makita, Fein, and now even Dewalt who are starting to get on board with dust extraction. Offer LR32 ready tracks standard with track saw sales to distinguish yourself from Makita and Dewalt.
Listen to the people who buy your tools now and buy aftermarket tools that are necessary due to your failure to capitalize on the strength and value of your products.
