The first time I ever even heard of Festool was when I started working for this guy who has a ts55. I was amazed. I tried to find side work based specifically on projects that would give me an excuse to borrow it.
But Festool was always out of my price range. A couple years later I found someone selling Makita's knockoff for $250 on Craigslist, and I found a website where I was able to get 2 55" guide rails for $90. While this was not a Festool saw, it did come in a systainer. For a while, my habit lay dormant.
But what they don't tell you is that those systainers don't take hold until you have 2 of them. That first time those locking tabs click into place, and you pick up one handle and are carrying two toolboxes, that's when it hits you.
My second systainer was an old CDD with 2 completely shot batteries, but also with the right angle and eccentric chucks, on eBay for $125. Then I found a C12 on CL with good batteries but no accessories for $220.
Now I had 3 systainers, a working Festool drill with all the fixins, a tracksaw, and 2 55" rails for a grand total of $685.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Hooked.
Then I found out about T-locs, and yeah... It's all gone downhill from there. I got an ro90 with a CT MIDI, a used ETS 125 with a whole gang of sandpaper and a couple extra systainers, a cleaning kit, a bit set (from England because I like the ones they have there better than the ones coming out soon here), a systoolbox, a sortainer, and a Trion. I also just ordered a few plug-it sockets that I'm gonna install in that makita tracksaw and whatever else tickles my fancy, and now I'm just looking for excuses to get more...
And then I saw Ron Paulk's Ultimate Work Bench. Man I'd love to make me one of those! But how the hell am I gonna drill all those holes in a way that's worthy of my ever expanding festool collection?
So my LR 32 is on it's way and I'm hoping someone will sell me a nice used OF 1400 soon... Or maybe a Festool employee will see how beautifully I write and send me one to review. [big grin]
A guy can dream.
This has been terribly therapeutic.