Holmz said:jdw101 said:Didn't Festool invent track plunge rail saws? Seems strange that the Mafell rails are so much better...
The facts (as I see them) are:
1) Once the Festool patents ran out Bosch/Mafell could release their rail.
(In a perfect world there would be a DIN standard for the rails- the world is not perfect)
2) The MT55 can run on a FT rail and is the only Mafell tool that can run on the rail, and then without any tilt as the FT rail is 6-mm and the Bosch 5-mm thick.
3) No FEstools can run on the Bosch rail.
4) Someone with more time than me could probably figure out whether they could make a TS55 base that goes into a Bosch rail...
(I cannot see how that would be bad for anyone except manufactures and sellers of FT rails... and likely an instant warranty buster)
The majority of the reason I started looking at the other saw was rail situation. But many are happy with the FT rails, so it seems more of a personal leaning than fact.
I have both Festool and Mafell saws. The Mafell rails have a better connection system (no need for third party workaround), an easy to change splinter guard (slides in place, no sticker) and include cord deflectors for both ends. The only downside is they are not as rigid as the Festool ones and could be damaged easier if abused (like thrown around). Some other notes:
- Rail prices are about the same as the Festool equivalents though the sizes don't match up exactly.
- There also are availability issues in the US for the longer rails. Rails longer than the F160 (63") are not available. I had an F210 (6.9 ft) shipped from Germany because I like the convenience of one rail for most cuts, however the connector is rock sold so there are not any alignment issues when connecting two or more rails together. I do feel lucky that it made it from Germany 100% intact considering it shipped in the factory cardboard box.
- There is no Festool equivalent to the Aerofix rail.
- P1cc jigsaw works on the their rails.
Mafell is not trying to be a jack of all trades tool company like Festool. They make 1 or 2 models of each tool and some thoughtfully designed accessories. They also have some very unique tools that no one else offers, however their pricing higher and sometimes significantly higher than Festool.