Festool TS55 vs Bosch GKT55

[Magpal]

Hi,

I am looking for a new plunge saw and have narrowed it down to Festool TS55 or Bosch GKT55.

I recently discovered Festool as a brand and I really like Festools system approach. I currently own a Festool Domino 500, MIDI and a MFT/3. I really like all these tools and how well it is built. The domino and MFT makes precision work possible even for a hobbyist like me! I do also own a Bosch jigsaw,  ROS65VC sander and a GKS55 circular saw which are also great tools.

The GKS55 saw uses the FSN guide rails. These rails are really good! The build quality and engineering is IMO better than the Festool rails. However, the GKS lacks the plunge action as well as a decent dust extraction. I am therefore considering upgrading to a plunge saw. I find both the GKT55 and TS55 to be great saws and it would be nice to get some comments from people with experience with both saws.

Since I have not bought into the whole Festool system I am almost neutral when it comes to Festool vs. Bosch. However, since I have the MFT/3 it would be nice to avoid modifying the rail attachment for use with FSN. The plug-it cord is also a nice feature that I would probably add anyway. As I see it there are some pros for both saws:

Festool pros:
-Plug-it
-Splinter guard
-Accessories: Side cover, CMS
-Riving knife
-No modification for use with MFT
-Microadjust
-Slim housing

Bosch pros:
-FSN guide rail system
-Price

I think the FSN rails are a big plus, but does it surpass the Festool Pros? Since I am a hobbyist I can probably live with using an extra 5 minutes on straightening the rails once a while. What about the Festool splinter guard. Does this make a huge difference when you need to keep the off cut? Are the microadjust and slim housing features that are worth mentioning?

I would appreciate some help on choosing the right saw. (even though i know people are heavily biased here [wink])

 

[Wuffles]

Why do you already have an MFT/3

 

[Locks14]

I have the GKT55, for me the deciding factor was the way the rails so accurately joined together, better than the Festool rails. Two 1600mm FSN rails joined together are just as good as a single longer rail, owing to the superior joining system of the Bosch/Mafell rails.

If you are not interested in portability and can accommodate longer rails in your workspace, then I'd say there's basically no difference between the two, but if you already have FSN rails I'd go for the Bosch.

 

[Wuffles]

Why do you already have an MFT/3

And to be clear, I meant that in a disbelief kind of way. Who buys an MFT/3 and doesn't yet have the saw and is wondering about the saw?

I don't understand perhaps as I don't and won't have an MFT/3 myself.

 

[Holmz]

Why do you already have an MFT/3

And to be clear, I meant that in a disbelief kind of way. Who buys an MFT/3 and doesn't yet have the saw and is wondering about the saw?

I don't understand perhaps as I don't and won't have an MFT/3 myself.

Well I did...  [embarassed]
Still sus'ing out the saw when I got the MFT, and everything I found was leaning me towards teal or red.

Then I found that one can put the Bosch rail onto the MFT.
You need a couple of Kreg T bolts for the Bosch slots and some thumb nuts.

For me the main reason to get the Bosch is the rails.
Even if the saw was not as good the rails are 2x better.
As the saw is considered better is a double win.

I got 3 rails in 1600 and cut one at 1050 for the MFT.
The remaining 2 are used for sheets usually coming apart and going together many times/day. The 550 remaining chunk generally fits on a Bosch mitre for 2x4 trimming.

If you are leaning towards love for the Plug-It then maybe put a Neutrik onto the tool?

 

[Magpal]

The fact that i already have the MFT is because i have a very small workshop with no room for storing a miter saw. I also do a lot of work with 2400x600 pine sheets and the MFT is brilliant for accurate splitting of these plates. The GKS saw works with the MFT, but as i said it lacks the plunge action and proper dust extraction. The workflow is therefore limited.

So far it serns like people who join rails multiple times a day prefer the Bosch due to time savings. How about the micro adjust and splinter guard then?

 

[Wuffles]

The fact that i already have the MFT is because i have a very small workshop with no room for storing a miter saw. I also do a lot of work with 2400x600 pine sheets and the MFT is brilliant for accurate splitting of these plates. The GKS saw works with the MFT, but as i said it lacks the plunge action and proper dust extraction. The workflow is therefore limited.

So far it serns like people who join rails multiple times a day prefer the Bosch due to time savings. How about the micro adjust and splinter guard then?

I missed the fact you had a circular saw already, sorry.

I've got the Mafell but I don't use the rails that came with it, I already had too many Festool rails.

 

[Jak147]

Hi magpal
The splinter guards are great the first time you install them and continue work fantastically until you forget to remove them before making a deeper cut. I try to keep one for each common cut depth 12,18,25. The micro adjust is just that it allows you to dial in perfectly for your particular sheet goods, but as you will be cutting into your mft bed anyway it becomes a mute point as half a mil makes little difference

One point you may have over looked is the ability to use the festool rails with other tools, I regularly use mine with the 1010 router for grooving the center of a panel. I'm not sure if the Bosch does this or not. You can also use the carvex jigsaw with a rail thou I'm not sure why you would want to

For me the overal festool system is what I bought into, I have all my tools in systainers and everything has a plugit.

Before festool I had the makita plunge saw and fitted it with the neutrik powercon as mentioned above, it worked great but you will quickly learn that it just another thing to get caught up on the rail and it doesn't need any help in that department

 

[Locks14]

The fact that i already have the MFT is because i have a very small workshop with no room for storing a miter saw. I also do a lot of work with 2400x600 pine sheets and the MFT is brilliant for accurate splitting of these plates. The GKS saw works with the MFT, but as i said it lacks the plunge action and proper dust extraction. The workflow is therefore limited.

So far it serns like people who join rails multiple times a day prefer the Bosch due to time savings. How about the micro adjust and splinter guard then?

The micro adjust is a feature I couldn't decide about. In the end I decided for my purposes and the intended use I had for the saw, the ability to adjust in 1mm increments was perfectly adequate. I've had the GKT55 for 5 years now and haven't come across a situation where I needed the micro adjustment. This is probably because my workflow when using the saw is to have something sacrificial underneath the workpiece to ensure as clean a cut as is possible. As would happen with the MDF top of your MFT/3

As for the splinter guard, I'm not sure what benefit it brings over the results from the Bosch. I use mine on solid materials and wood veneers with the 48 tooth best for wood blade and the cut couldn't get any cleaner IMO. I guess if you're using it on melamine faced chipboard with an extremely thin (cheap) laminate facing it might offer some benefit, but I stay away from this material in the work I do. Also the fact it has to be put on and off rather than being a permanent feature made me think it wasn't worth the hassle.

So for me, the rail system of the Bosch gave more meaningful, real world benefits, than the ability to adjust beyond 1mm increments.

 

[Holmz]

...
I've got the Mafell but I don't use the rails that came with it, I already had too many Festool rails.

If the cuts are vertical then it makes sense.
If you rotate for 45 degree cuts then then the splinter guard will be in the wrong place by a mm...
(All my cuts have been 90 degree cuts).

 

[Wuffles]

...
I've got the Mafell but I don't use the rails that came with it, I already had too many Festool rails.

If the cuts are vertical then it makes sense.
If you rotate for 45 degree cuts then then the splinter guard will be in the wrong place by a mm...
(All my cuts have been 90 degree cuts).

Table saw for that malarky. Possibly once in 7 years?

 

[SoonerFan]

I got the TS55 with an MFT/3 at the beginning of my conversion to Festool.  Rather than a best of breed approach I went with Festool.  One of the main factors for me was the Festool system.  Plug-it cords, dust extraction, rails, sustainers, etc. we're all important to me.  I felt Festool was the best overall choice when looking at the system, the quality of tools and the number of tool options.

The rails are a little more time consuming to put together but for me the connected rails are very accurate.  Since I am a home owner/hobbyist a little more time is not a huge deal. 

 

[Holmz]

I got the TS55 with an MFT/3 at the beginning of my conversion to Festool.  Rather than a best of breed approach I went with Festool.  One of the main factors for me was the Festool system.  Plug-it cords, dust extraction, rails, Systainers, etc. we're all important to me.  I felt Festool was the best overall choice when looking at the system, the quality of tools and the number of tool options.

The rails are a little more time consuming to put together but for me the connected rails are very accurate.  Since I am a home owner/hobbyist a little more time is not a huge deal.

1) You are not alone. Many people put "the system" ahead of how the tool functions.

2) I have an unusual set up with a Bosch rail on an MFT, so I can run an MT55.

These two approaches bound the thought and decision process, and both approaches can have cogent arguments made to support them.

 

[JimD]

The main reason I see to get a Festool track saw is the extras you can get for it that you can't for other brands.  Parallel jigs for multiple cuts of the same width, for instance.  There are at least 4 manufacturers that sell them for the Festool.  Festool also has the rails you can use with a router to make holes on 32mm centers.  Nice for cabinets.  They sell the router fixtures to go with this.  I use a DeWalt track saw (which plunges) and have been able to make a parallel guide and you can get a router adapter for its rails but it would be tough to duplicate all the enhancements available for the Festool.

On the other hand, if the Bosch does what you need it to do, I would probably think of another tool to get rather an duplicate the functioning.  If you have a project where you need the enhanced Festool capabilities, then I would get it then.

 

[Holmz]

Those FT enhanced capabilities...
The "Bosch System" also has a 32 mm holey rail, and router adapter. There is also the DD40 which appears to be the best 32-mm "System".

Now if one is aware of that, and says, "I want to use a 1010 router", or, "I already have a FT saw or FT rails", then fine... They have sensibly reasoned it out.

Those 4 parallel guide enhancements are not part of "The Festool System", unless the FT System has been magically been extended to the third party manufacturers.

But it is good info for the OP to do the homework on.

 

[peter halle]

Holmz,

Forgive me because I live in NA please but Bosch has finally come up with a system after Festool has had it for years?

Peter

 

[Holmz]

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member] - Assume by "years" you mean ~1/2 century?
I am not sure how long the Bosch/Mafell tracks and saws have been out, but I think it is a long time, but a lot less than 1/2 century. I think it is 10-20 years???

Those rails may be NAINA, so they they still may not yet be "finally be in North America", unless you get the Mafell ones from the NA distributor.

However the OP being in Europe has had access to them for a long while.

 

[peter halle]

I was referring to the router adaptors and the holey rails for the Bosch.

Peter

 

[Holmz]

I was referring to the router adaptors and the holey rails for the Bosch.

Peter

Yep - good point [member=1674]Peter Halle[/member] ... The rails and routers add complexity to the decision... especially if one has a FT router.

I have not yet tried the router adapter on the Bosch OFA Kit 800, and not really had a need.
Whether it is any good or not, I am not sure, but I read that one needs to chamfer the holes and "tune the rail"...

 

[Magpal]

Thanks everyone!

So the microadjust is probably not needed unless there is a very special case. The same is probably true for the splinter guard, according to the experience from Locks14 and the fact that nobody seems to be missing it. Then we are down to the plug-it (which can be installed on the bosch as well, but not as slick as on the TS) and the ability to use the saw with CMS. Regarding the CMS, I have yet to hear from someone that thinks the CMS works well with the TS55 (due to the hassle with assembly and disassembly of the saw). Personally, I still think the CMS sounds like a good idea, but should I stay away from this solution?

Rail accessories are also a good point. The Festool rails have plenty of aftermarket accessories. I definitely think the FS-PA parallel jig would be handy and this is not yet available for FSN.  As for the LR32 system, this is available for FSN in Europe so that is a "tie" (or maybe a plus for the Bosch, since the price is better). The base is compatible with the OF1010 router from Festool, but I do not think it is compatible with the OF1400 router. This may not be an issue, but I think the Festool routers looks better than the Bosch IMO so I will probably end up investing in a Festool router.

I am starting to lean towards "the system" rather than "the best". I really like it when things work together without some kind of modification. However, it seems like the Bosch is a better saw and there will probably be a lot more accessories to come.

As for the MFT and FSN. How have you modified the guide rail support at the front to allow for correct positioning of the rail?