FWIW I think that this issue needs to be viewed from within a much larger context.
I view the premium price of these tools in two ways, neither of which is necessarily complimentary. The first has to do with the principle of "what it
actually costs to produce something". In this case, we're talking about tools
in general and premium tools
in particular. However, the same principle applies whether we're talking about the production of tools or food or anything else.
When manufacturers/brands opt to externalize the bulk of their costs - by choosing to produce their goods in distant and despotic lands that lack both the rule of law and adequate labor & environmental protections (all of which combine to shove many of the costs of production onto the backs of exploited workers and the environment and, increasingly, even onto the rest of society - by way of funding corporate welfare, producing mass migrations of climate/economic refugees and/or increasing workers' reliance on various forms of public assistance, etc.), rather than manufacture in evolved democracies (like Germany or, to a lesser extent, the United States), the result will be a) the end retail price of the applicable widget will almost always be less then a comparable widget produced in a place where the water, air and soil are relatively clean and where workers enjoy such "luxuries" as strong organized labor, ample time-off and affordable state-sponsored healthcare, childcare, education, elder-care, etc. and b) the quality of the applicable widget will often (though not always) suffer.
When I purchase a Festool product I am, whether I understand it or not, supporting an entire system which prioritizes product quality and the rights of workers & the environment (and, to some extent, the rights of consumers)
over the detriments associated with the "
race to the bottom" (the latter as practiced by the bulk of tool manufacturers). IOW I choose to support mothers and children, specifically, and people, in general, having universal access to world-class education, world-class healthcare (if not also clean air, water and soil) and the attendant award-winning quality of life that these "luxuries" produce. I support these things for everyone on the planet but I don't buy the argument that by purchasing sweatshop-produced goods I can indirectly improve people's lives in the Majority World. To meaningfully do that, we would have to lift the yoke of U.S. and European imperialism and in its place institute a system of economic reparations to make-up for the last half-millennium of abuse and exploitation.
Just like the cost of small-scale, organically-produced food more closely mirrors the actual cost of what it takes to produce food (by utilizing a system that, relatively speaking - and relative to conventional ag - doesn't pollute the environment, pays its workers a fair wage and which works
with nature instead of
against it), the cost of a high-quality tool produced in Germany more closely mirrors the actual cost of what it takes to produce tools
without (and, again, this is all relative) trashing the environment, without exploiting workers and without asking/expecting the larger society to shoulder many of the costs of production (direct government subsidies for things like transportation, energy, etc., aside).
The second way in which I view the now regular price increases - and this could be seen as an even more global (if not also cynical) view - is through the lens of human overpopulation (as manifested by resource depletion and climate change and all of the attendant massive-scale consequences). Given what countries like Germany (which, after all, is still
at its heart an industrial nation) are facing as a result of the
weakening of the North Atlantic Current (a.k.a "North Atlantic Drift" and "North Atlantic Sea Movement") - and the very real potential for it to
shut down altogether - and the realities of doing business on a planet that is rapidly approaching many of the associated finite limits, there is an increasing incentive, particularly among the wealthiest among us, to take steps, no matter how utterly silly (like amassing and concentrating monetary wealth), to "prepare" for the looming collapse of society. Given the reality of our situation, therefore, I wouldn't put it past Tooltechnic's owners to increasingly want to engage in the business of transitioning as much wealth as possible from "the people" to "the 1%". Now, I am not privy to TTS Tooltechnic System AG & Company's books so I can't know for certain what the breakeven point is and how close to it (or far beyond it) the current pricing scheme is - IOW what profit margins are, relative to what retail prices currently are, relative to what consumers are willing to pay, relative to what it actually costs to participate in adequately funding an evolved welfare state. However, given that more and more people are waking up to the very real and present threats that we (and future generations) face, it wouldn't be unreasonable to postulate that the people at the very top of Tooltechnic may a) see the writing on the wall and b) may, as a result, be seeking to maximize their wealth as a (no matter how pointless) hedge against near-future troubles.
For me, acquiescing to Festool's pricing comes down to my desire to do less harm. Which is why, in the context of building projects with the aid of electric tools, I prioritize buying pre-owned Festools (over new), using locally sourced and/or reclaimed materials as often as I can, avoiding toxic chemicals/ingredients and why I do everything I can to buy non-sweatshop-produced tools (and, in the other parts of my life, locally and/or ethically produced
consumer goods). That said, I am not a Luddite and I choose to participate, no matter how far in the margins, in the larger economy - I just try to do so as ethically as possible. I could do much more but this is where I am currently at. Plus, I have no illusions that any of my actions are producing any truly meaningful effects, beyond those that exist in my own head (which help me get out of bed in the morning). Our fate, after all, has already been written.
So, as a toast, here's to futile efforts and even more to futile ideas. And, to the FOG, which serves as a wonderful distraction from the chaos taking place outside. Cheers.
ollar exchange rate isn't one of them! Here is a 10 year trend chart...looks like this factor would have netted us a 30% price reduction in 2014-15 and 40% since 2010. Instead the price of the Kapex is up about 20% since 2010! Of course there have been many improvements to the Kapex since 2010...nope same saw except the newer ones do come equipped with that "improved" motor armature. The relentless annual Festool price increases are all about supporting Festool's luxury goods tool model, where the high price is a feature, not a problem!
