Flex and Festool - is this a new era for them?

[bwehman]

So the RSC and the KHC appear to be "rebadged" Flex tools. This isn't the first time Festool has rebadged a tool in a way, Protool and the PDC for example. At least in the states, Flex has a reputation for being just another Lowes brand. How do we feel about this new path Festool seems to be taking?

Personally, I don't mind. It's not like they're 100% clones of Flex tools. The added dust collection innovations are always welcome, as well as the Centrotec chucks on the KHC. Flex seems to make great tools, albeit I don't have any personal experience using the brand. Well, assuming we're not counting the RSC I've been using a ton.

 

[mino]

So the RSC and the KHC appear to be "rebadged" Flex tools. This isn't the first time Festool has rebadged a tool in a way, Protool and the PDC for example. At least in the states, Flex has a repotting for being just another Lowes brand. How do we feel about this new path Festool seems to be taking?

Personally, I don't mind. It's not like they're 100% clones of Flex tools. The added dust collection innovations are always welcome, as well as the Centrotec chucks on the KHC. Flex seems to make great tools, albeit I don't have any personal experience using the brand. Well, assuming we're not counting the RSC I've been using a ton.

Protool was a "brand of Festool" for the construction side. That was not rebadging.

Festool (TTS to be precise) purchased Narex in 1990s and combined it with their own engineering, added Holz-Her and partnered with other small German tool makers to create the Protool brand. It did not work out financially, but that was no "rebadging" as the joint tools were just that, joint TTS projects. DRC/PDC was one of the examples.

As for joint projects, Festool seems to partner with a lot of smaller German makers since the Festo/Festool chnage in the 1990s. Just up to now it was usually by having small tool makers ODM some tool or part of it for them but mostly it was still made in Germany stuff.

What changes is the need to play the battery platform game seems to be pushing them to expand the range even outside that "old" partnership model over to (high end) chinese stuff like you mention.

I think this is not really gonna affect the core tools. But we are likely to see more of these "filler" tools to expand on the battery platform scope. One thing I would like to see is e.g. some reasonably-priced pin nailer, a stapler and a 16G nailer in the Ryobi AirStrike level. Those would deffinitely be candidates for a rebadge.

 

[woodferret]

There's only so much core-competency each engineer can establish.  If they focus on system integration and some of their core tools, then I don't mind them 'farming' out the design to others with a larger team.  It's not like they design their own BLDC motors anyways... so think of it like that - that they already farm out critical core components.

I do hope they vet their partners more though.  QA from some latest offerings like the sys3 bag kinda seems off-putting.

 

[Lincoln]

I still find it startling when the label doesn't say 'Made in Germany'. Where did all of this start, with the batteries?

Not sure about in the US, but down here, Flex tools are pro quality from what I've seen. A colleague has the drywall sander and it's excellent. Their vacs are re-badged Nilfisks, which are great.

 

[six-point socket II]

I think the really new era has yet to come. We will see.

The KHC was a desperately needed upgrade from the BHC, yet it is nothing special - just a tool you must have in your portfolio if you are a European tool manufacturer. The dust extraction solution on this one is already outdated and has been available from competitors for years. Which doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.

The RSC, many wanted one - now they have one with a pretty well working dust extraction solution which is very welcome.

Both tools have to compete in a world that is very different from Festool’s core market.

Future will tell.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Cheese]

I still find it startling when the label doesn't say 'Made in Germany'. Where did all of this start, with the batteries?

Not sure about in the US, but down here, Flex tools are pro quality from what I've seen. A colleague has the drywall sander and it's excellent. Their vacs are re-badged Nilfisks, which are great.

I owned a couple of Flex tools, a polisher & a tile wet saw. Both were made in Germany, both were red in color and both worked well, they were nice tools. Now I noticed they've changed the color of the tools to black/dark gray at Lowes. Maybe it's a Bosch blue vs Bosch green thing?

Here's the warranty offer from Lowes and the warranty from Flex.

[attachimg=1]

[attachimg=2]
https://www.flexpowertools.com/warranty

 

[mino]

Not sure what the story is in the US.

All the comments above relate to the "European/German" FLEX tools company, not the one linked.

"flexpowertools.com" (USA) and "flex-tools.com" (Europe) are apparently fronts of different tool companies. Possibly a name-licensing deal ?

On a glance the US "FLEX" looks (to me) like playing a bit above the Ryobi space with mostly chinese ODM designs.

On the other hand, the European "FLEX" portfolio is an analogue to Metabo/Bosch in that they make some core tools inhouse (mostly in Germany), design others for external manufacturing, and fully outsource rest for chinese ODMS for the breadth of a portfolio.

Whatever ther story behind, the US FLEX porfolio as hosted on "flexpowertools.com" has pretty much nothing to do with Festool or likely even with the German "Flex" company known as the inventor of the angle grinder back in their day. Besides the name.

ADD:
Ok, I checked a bit more, and while the brand seems to be within the same Chevron conglomerate (along with some European manufacturing and design teams they got when they purchased Flex 10 yrs ago). It is also clear the US division is now doing their own thing for the most part..

 

[Kev]

I purchased a FLEX forced rotation polisher years ago and realised I'd effectively ended up with a ROTEX without the ability to sand

Seems to be well made though and it saves me from having to clean up the ROTEX before polishing something.

I've only ever seen the red and black tools as perhttps://www.flex-tools.com/en