festool kapex motor burnt up?

[Dan1210]

hi chaps today my kapex died on me, i only ever use it for trim, im totally gutted and in the middle of a full house build! its literally 15 days out of warranty, i mean really ive beat dewalt saws for 8 years still going strong.
Im not sure if its the motor or bushes but repair costs have got me really worried, some guys on usa forum have paid nearly the price of a new saw to get it fixed.
Really gutted this is the second festool to let me down  [crying]

 

[DAZ40]

Hi i totally under stand i have a Kapex it is about five years old now it has had two new motors at £200 each and six months ago all the guard was replaced at £160 i don't use it hard. i have been on sites with dewalt with ten men using it hard for four year's or more on pub job i have never see one burn out

DAZ

 

[Dan1210]

Was that including carriage and repair costs or did you repair yourself? Its totally dropped me in the poo if im honest.

 

[RKA]

I haven't been here very long, but I do recall reading about an out of warranty saw (in the US) that was sent back for some work outside of warranty and the total costs including round trip shipping and dispatch of an appropriate container were in the neighborhood of $350.  I thought that was very reasonable and certainly nowhere near the cost of a new saw.  Perhaps you should contact them, describe the problem and ask for a range of estimates assuming some likely failures, then you can judge whether it's worthwhile to send it in?

 

[Dan1210]

Really you think thats reasonable? To spend double on the kapex vs competitors saws then have it die after 3 years of very light use? I expect to rely on these tools for at least 5 years, in fact festools are the only ones that have ever broke down on me.

 

[DAZ40]

hi that was including carriageand and repairs the last time i used it 2 days ago it had a bad smell if it goes i wont repair it i will get a dewalt and sell it

 

[Dan1210]

Thanks.

 

[DAZ40]

can i ask what volt is it mine is 110volt the first time happened i was told what size of transformer are you use it was 3.3kva and they seid you should 5kva on site and that mite be the problem??

 

[hopper]

I am very disappointed that your kapex only lasted that long.  For the cost of them one would expect them to last a life time ( I mean your life time not its).  I have the ts55 req, carvex + accessories, domino 500, mfk 700 and of 1400.  I hope they are more reliable than your Kapex.

 

[DAZ40]

when i got mine i was over the moon but now it like walking on egg shells i think for the money it is crap

 

[Dan1210]

Mine is 110volt version, like i said im a kitchen fitter and trim carpenter the saw has only had light use, for the money im really annoyed, i have quite a few festools and the ts55 was perfect for 5 years till i upgraded.
I have the stand too thats £1500 worth of saw, im not even sure i want to spend £200 to get it fixed, im considering getting another dewalt or makita.
Ive beat the hell out of my little dewalt choppy for 10yrs and its still going great. This kapex really must last longer for the money, im not sure its fit for purpose when taking into account the cost.

 

[RKA]

Really you think thats reasonable? To spend double on the kapex vs competitors saws then have it die after 3 years of very light use? I expect to rely on these tools for at least 5 years, in fact festools are the only ones that have ever broke down on me.

If you re-read my comment you'll see I was commenting on the cost of the repairs.  I'm not qualified to say whether the failure itself is reasonable.  I don't know how it's been used or what failed and why.  But it is a machine, and the last time I checked, I don't own any machines that are failure-proof.  If this is an isolated event, work on getting it fixed and move on.  If this has happened repeatedly, which you have implied (in bold above), perhaps it's time to have a talk with Festool about determining a root cause for the failures or maybe you've already decided to move on?

What I can say is ranting about it is not likely to fix the saw.  I can understand the disappointment, but the fastest course of action is to contact Festool.  Have you done that? 

 

[Dan1210]

Yes i have contacted festool and yes i am ranting, i have 3 kitchens to do with no saw, my small dewalt wont do big mouldings, last time it took 3 weeks to replace the burnt motor in my cxs! For £1000 i dont expect the thing to break down on me.

 

[Brandon]

My Kapex motor burned up in just under a year of minimal use. It was obviously repaired through the warranty but I was very disappointed. I've had a hitachi for almost 8 years with no issues and I use it for some rough stuff. Also have a Bosch for 4-5 years with zero issues.
I think Festool should do the right thing and recall the Kapex or extent the warranty.

On a side note my festool jigsaw is failing also. Again, I've had a Bosch for 7+ years, no problems. I have further complaints and issues with some of my Festools but I won't continue. It seems to me that in general I have more problems with my Festools than any other brands.
What's up with Festool?

 

[Nippychippy]

Could you not demand a loner kapex till they sort it out and 15 days isn't long out if warranty they might be flexible it's worth a shot

 

[Dan1210]

My jigsaw is the oldest festool i have (trion) and still going strong touch wood...ive not long just bought the new ts55,of 2200 router i must say its more than a little worrying after my cxs was returned twice within 6 months.
To clarify it only seems to be the newer tools ive had issues with, my old ts55 and trion have been rock solid 6-7 years old.

 

[Dan1210]

Yeh bare with me chaps i am annoyed, festool sent me the repair form and when i got in from work i noticed warranty ran out on the 5th of this month, i will speak to them tmrw they may help me out...

 

[DAZ40]

I think festool is going the same way elu went when dewalt bought them out they get a good name and then go chep on parts to save cash

 

[DAZ40]

Brandon can you tell me the volt of your Kapex 110/230?? most of the problems seem to be on the 110v

DAZ

 

[Dan1210]

well great result chaps, festool uk have agreed to repair under warranty as close to expiration date, phew! now if we can get to the bottom of if this only affects the 110v version i may switch over to 240v as im not doing much site work anymore...