Festool ofk500, mfk700 or Makita edge trimmer?

[Javib]

Hi all, I own a of1400 which I’m very happy but it is too heavy for edge chamfering, rounding and removing small cnc tabs -working mostly with melamine ply, mdf and valchromat panels- I am reading about the different festool options -I’m based in Europe so I have access to ofk500- but I can figure out which one would fit my needs, also considering a cheaper makita palm router. Mfk700 seems more versatile than ofk500 but not sure I would use all the bells and whistles as already have the of1400. I am afraid that I don’t have any festool retailers nearby so I can’t really compare them in person so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!!

 

[fignewton]

I have the 1400 and the MK700.  With the attachments in the set, I find the 700 to be incredibly useful for a number of tasks.  I used it just today to do roundovers on 4 5-slat 46 inch shelves I’m building for a plant stand. Watch Sedge’s video on the 700 for good info.

 

[afish]

if you have a cnc, then I would say you might be better off with several small cordless trim routers.  I do most of my cutting on cnc and I have 6 cordless dewalt trim routers so i dont need to change bits very often.  these 6 routers handle 95% of what I need. My MFK only comes out for trimming real wood edge banding or laminate edge banding. I have a few larger 1/2 routers but I cant even remember the last time I touched one.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

if you have a cnc, then I would say you might be better off with several small cordless trim routers.  I do most of my cutting on cnc and I have 6 cordless dewalt trim routers so i dont need to change bits very often.  these 6 routers handle 95% of what I need. My MFK only comes out for trimming real wood edge banding or laminate edge banding. I have a few larger 1/2 routers but I cant even remember the last time I touched one.

afish, I have seen your name many times, but I'm failing to remember what it is that you do? Hobbyist, pro woodworker, fitter/installer, etc. I don't know if I have missed it, or you have just never indicated?
I mention this because of the multiple router comment, which leads me to pro in some capacity.
I do the same, but I just don't see most hobby woodworkers or makers seeing the value?
Even here I have seen guys who fall into the "one" router thinking?

To the original question: This falls into the horrible answer of "it depends". If all you need to do is trim tabs from cnc parts, the much cheaper Makita compact router is fine. It will do the job all day long. The cordless version is quite handy and everything is compatible between the corded and cordless. The size and volume of the parts you cut may have some influence in this though.
If you do smaller parts it might be better to trim the tabs on a router table. It's all about size ratio. Big parts, bring the tool to the parts and with small parts, bring the part to the tool.
The Makita will also fill all of your edge profile needs too. There are also plunge, tilt, and off-set bases available for it.
The Festool offerings will do all of this too. The MFK700 has the horizontal base that adds much more utility as well as very good dust collection. It however lacks the plunge feature. You would need to go to the OF1010 to get both plunge and horizontal trimming.

 

[afish]

if you have a cnc, then I would say you might be better off with several small cordless trim routers.  I do most of my cutting on cnc and I have 6 cordless dewalt trim routers so i dont need to change bits very often.  these 6 routers handle 95% of what I need. My MFK only comes out for trimming real wood edge banding or laminate edge banding. I have a few larger 1/2 routers but I cant even remember the last time I touched one.

afish, I have seen your name many times, but I'm failing to remember what it is that you do? Hobbyist, pro woodworker, fitter/installer, etc. I don't know if I have missed it, or you have just never indicated?
I mention this because of the multiple router comment, which leads me to pro in some capacity.
I do the same, but I just don't see most hobby woodworkers or makers seeing the value?
Even here I have seen guys who fall into the "one" router thinking?

To the original question: This falls into the horrible answer of "it depends". If all you need to do is trim tabs from cnc parts, the much cheaper Makita compact router is fine. It will do the job all day long. The cordless version is quite handy and everything is compatible between the corded and cordless. The size and volume of the parts you cut may have some influence in this though.
If you do smaller parts it might be better to trim the tabs on a router table. It's all about size ratio. Big parts, bring the tool to the parts and with small parts, bring the part to the tool.
The Makita will also fill all of your edge profile needs too. There are also plunge, tilt, and off-set bases available for it.
The Festool offerings will do all of this too. The MFK700 has the horizontal base that adds much more utility as well as very good dust collection. It however lacks the plunge feature. You would need to go to the OF1010 to get both plunge and horizontal trimming.

I was a carpenter for many years started out in commercial and ended up in a large shop that did large display's. While I mostly did metal fabrication there I am accomplished in the wood side as well.  I ended up moving and changed career paths but still missed working with my hands. So, I guess if your in a hurry to define me I would say hobbyist=yes, Pro=yea, Fitter/installer = yep that too. Do I offer my services to the general public = no 

Everybody's time has value its the value you put on your time that will dictate whether or not its worth it.  If a guy is cutting on a CNC then I would assume most of the heavy cutting is done there. Its tough to recommend anything for anyone without knowing all the details so I only try to offer food for thought.  You can get 4.5 Makita trim routers for one MFK.  So my "opinion" is unless you do a lot of difficult to trim edge banding I would rather have the 4-5 trim routers.  The MFK does add the dust collection but its only so-so. Not a make it or break it for myself.  I dont have a stationary edge bander that does everything I only have the conturo so I have to trim everything by hand.  For most PVC banding the razor type trimmer works the best to remove the bulk no shavings flying no glue getting gummy followed by a dewalt trim router with a festool bit sized for the thickness of the edge banding and a little hand sanding. If im using real wood or laminate for edge banding I will grab the MFK otherwise it stays in the systainer.  trimming the faces "if needed" then the dewalt trimmers come out, one with an amana flush trim bit with square bearing followed up with a no file bit. If or when you need to jump around between a few different router setups its invaluable to have them set up once and dialed in no matter who you are.  Burn an edge or damage a face and have to peel it off, buy more material and re do work you already did and the extra 129 bucks for a second trim router will feel like a good value. 

 

[grobkuschelig]

I would not want to be without my MFK700.
For me the main selling point is ease and refinement of adjustability. Sure it is very expensive when compared to a Makita/Dewalt alternative, but the ease of use and integration with plug-it and dust extraction make it worth it for me.

 

[fignewton]

Yeah, I’ll footstomp the dust control for good measure.  When I did my slats yesterday, just a tiny bit of chips on the top of the MFTs. Took maybe 10 seconds to vacuum up. Used to have a Bosch Colt trim router.  Same job, I would have been cleaning up for 20 minutes. That thing threw chips and dust everywhere with just a 1/8 roundover bit. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

afish, that is pretty much what I assumed. It's the "pro" thinking about time/effort/value that I goes along with "set-ups", as in keeping a specific router for a single bit.
"Burn an edge" or "peel a damaged face" are things that only apply to one who does laminate, which is also a pro.
Sure anyone can laminate their own coutertop.....but they don't. Very few people would even consider putting it on anything else.

I'm fully aware that my router collection is ridiculous by most standards, but I keep them ready to go for common tasks at all times. But I work in the special projects department of a large cabinet shop and I just never know what is going to be needed next. I might go all week never touching a laminate job or the corresponding tools, or a sheet or Corian, etc. Then again, I might do exactly that all week.

The beauty of the MFK700 is the modularity and repeatability of it. I have on of mine set-up for 2 different bases and a corresponding bit with each. I have a 0 degree base for wood edge flush-trimming with a 3/4" diameter bit and the 1.5 degree standard base with a smaller shorter bit for laminate or PVC edging. I can swap bases and the matching bit with absolute trust that it will cut just exactly like it did the time before.

 

[afish]

the mfk and conturo for pvc is not a great combo.  the conturo puts the glue on the banding so the mfk tends to heat up the excess glue enough to make a sticky mess. this could be part of my climate too since its hot and humid here.  the mfk is great machine but its more specialized for me. i have never even used the vertical based, the dust collection is nice but I can usually aim the chips away from me anyways but it is a nice feature when doing a lot of trimming.

 

[JeromeM]

Hi all, I own a of1400 —snip—— a cheaper makita palm router. Mfk700 seems more versatile than ofk500 but not sure I would use all the bells and whistles as already have the of1400.

so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!!

I have all 3 thought my Makita may be trim rather than palm version.
The MFK700 with every bell and whistle gets enough use to be justified. If any one of them broke down I would replace it immediately.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

the mfk and conturo for pvc is not a great combo.  the conturo puts the glue on the banding so the mfk tends to heat up the excess glue enough to make a sticky mess. this could be part of my climate too since its hot and humid here.  the mfk is great machine but its more specialized for me. i have never even used the vertical based, the dust collection is nice but I can usually aim the chips away from me anyways but it is a nice feature when doing a lot of trimming.

I have never used mine with a heat-based adhesive and it's fairly rare that I have to apply PVC by hand anyway. That is normally done on a machine that does the application and trimming at once.
If I do have to apply PVC by hand, it is with a spray adhesive, which has never caused me any issues. Same with laminate edging or veneer edging.
I don't use the vertical base much either, probably mostly because I have some many other small trimmers. It does come in handy once in a while. I especially like the off-set handle on the base. That makes is very stable on edges.

 

[afish]

I didnt know "laminate" was considered a pro trait and havent seen anyone build a laminate counter in 20+ years. I am a little surprised that more dont use it for other things.  Im finishing up an outdoor kitchen and used laminate for the doors and drawers.  Since its outside I wanted something that was going to be durable and easy to clean laminate on a waterproof substrate fit the bill.  I used epoxy to glue all the banding and faces on which was slow going since the epoxy had to sit overnight before I could trim it.  So I could only do two edges at a time and I only have a 4'x4' vacuum bag so 2 doors at a time plus I had to cut doors first then layup the laminate.  It would have been muuuuch nicer to layup the full sheets then cnc them.  It was also a wood grain so had to match the grain up after. Luckily it wasnt a big project and there was only 11 door/drawers to do.  Laminate has its place typically as cabinet or drawer liner for me its much easier. This brings me to my next shop project, a flip top vacuum table that can handle full sheets.  Im done dealing with a bag.  Your posts sometimes makes me miss working in the shop but then I remember all the BS that went along with it too.  Not sure how it is there but I miss the access to all the free scraps.  The stuff we used to throw away...