Bigchasbroon
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Today the festool truck was in town. I was half a mile away and I didn't visit. I think I've found the cure or the critical level of ownership where the rate of purchases begin to diminish. 
I think I'm cured!
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Stephen B
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I think I am cured too. I recently purchased an HK55, and I suspect it will be my last Festool tool purchase. *
Even when I was in the dealers and looking at all the other 'temptations' I knew it would be one of my last Festool purchases except for accessories because -
. I am now at an age and income level where tool purchases must be carefully justified and considered. Any future Festool purchases wi ill have to have unique features and an active need. The HK55 with 420Rail is a good example of my thinking here.
. I have most of the Festool tools that I need, and I consider that most, well at least the corded ones, will see me through another 10-15 years.
. A few non Festool tools that are coming up for replacement such as a Makita SCM will not be replaced, for example; by a Kapex.
This is not to say that I do not dream of a another Sander or the larger Domino. [smile]
[size=10pt]*Unfortunately I have not got to use it yet, because soon after the purchase my left eye's Retina separated and I am recovering from the procedure. Maybe in two weeks it will be in use.
Even when I was in the dealers and looking at all the other 'temptations' I knew it would be one of my last Festool purchases except for accessories because -
. I am now at an age and income level where tool purchases must be carefully justified and considered. Any future Festool purchases wi ill have to have unique features and an active need. The HK55 with 420Rail is a good example of my thinking here.
. I have most of the Festool tools that I need, and I consider that most, well at least the corded ones, will see me through another 10-15 years.
. A few non Festool tools that are coming up for replacement such as a Makita SCM will not be replaced, for example; by a Kapex.
This is not to say that I do not dream of a another Sander or the larger Domino. [smile]
[size=10pt]*Unfortunately I have not got to use it yet, because soon after the purchase my left eye's Retina separated and I am recovering from the procedure. Maybe in two weeks it will be in use.
HarveyWildes
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bigchas said:Today the festool truck was in town. I was half a mile away and I didn't visit. I think I've found the cure or the critical level of ownership where the rate of purchases begin to diminish.
You do realize, don't you, that once you have been bitten by the Festool bug, you're never fully cured? You may have to settle for diminishing purchases.
PreferrablyWood
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I'm getting pretty well filled out with my Festool setup, I still would like the R0 125, a Domino XL, and the planers. So I can follow you that you can have reached a saturation point. I don't really understand the need to make it a problem that needs a lot of discussion. Just move on to gear that has a more appropriate fit to your present status..Enjoying what you have in the Festool department, and discover what the competition has to offer and enjoy the contrast.
The multiple Kapex threads on here cured me.
I'll still buy Festool if it's the best tool for the job or they have a tool that nobody else makes an equivalent model of. But the failures of the Kapex and my own side by side testing of the Carvex against the top of the range Bosch, gave me the wake-up call that Festool isn't automatically the best brand. I went through a stage where everything had to be Festool but I've since learned to be more objective and not just blindly default to the Festool offerings.
My most recent Festool purchase was a CXS and it made sense for me. But when I needed a new heavy duty sander I bought the Bosch GEX1502 Turbo instead of the RO 150. I couldn't find any performance differences but the Bosch was £165 cheaper and had a 3 year warranty.
I'll still buy Festool if it's the best tool for the job or they have a tool that nobody else makes an equivalent model of. But the failures of the Kapex and my own side by side testing of the Carvex against the top of the range Bosch, gave me the wake-up call that Festool isn't automatically the best brand. I went through a stage where everything had to be Festool but I've since learned to be more objective and not just blindly default to the Festool offerings.
My most recent Festool purchase was a CXS and it made sense for me. But when I needed a new heavy duty sander I bought the Bosch GEX1502 Turbo instead of the RO 150. I couldn't find any performance differences but the Bosch was £165 cheaper and had a 3 year warranty.
nickao
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Is that the same as the Bosch 1250 DEVS in the US?
I have one, but my Rotex broke. I tried to use the 1250 DEVS Bosch for a day. Well I went and spent more than double, 595.00 for the Rotex verse 219.00 for the Bosch, after one day of use. The Bosch will sit as my very nice back up.
There is a performance difference and the Rotex is the winner, enough for me to pay 2.2 time more money to get it. I do some very rough sanding, if you don't you may not realize that top end difference.
I totally 100% agree with your sentiment though, Festools is not the top tool in every tool category, not even close. As you say the Festool jig and miter saws have a lot to be desired and for me the TS 55Â isn't near the saw the old Makita is. A few others come to mind.
I have one, but my Rotex broke. I tried to use the 1250 DEVS Bosch for a day. Well I went and spent more than double, 595.00 for the Rotex verse 219.00 for the Bosch, after one day of use. The Bosch will sit as my very nice back up.
There is a performance difference and the Rotex is the winner, enough for me to pay 2.2 time more money to get it. I do some very rough sanding, if you don't you may not realize that top end difference.
I totally 100% agree with your sentiment though, Festools is not the top tool in every tool category, not even close. As you say the Festool jig and miter saws have a lot to be desired and for me the TS 55Â isn't near the saw the old Makita is. A few others come to mind.
I developed an obsession for Festool, and then i got over it. I love the systems approach, the build quality and the dust collection. I love that their tools look like they were beamed down from a space-laboratory, and i love Systainers! As a 50+ hr/week proffesional and weekend hobbyist I'm willing to pay big for the best, but I've used alot of their tools and many dont appeal to me at all. I expect something for what theyre charging. Not perfection, but atleast improvement over cheaper tools, and alot of the time its just not there. It seems that for every great innovation they add to a common tool (kapex, carvex, etc) they make unfathomable sacrifices, limiting the usability of the tool for me.
I love my domino, and i like some of their sanders, routers and vacs. But to ask $500 for a tiny vacuum thats only slightly better than an $80 vac is just insulting. 500 for the vacuum with the boom hose and cord kit would still be outrageous... I may get lucky on a used ct-mini soon though ;-) They're very nice $200 vacuums!
The marketing people at Festool are brilliant. You feel like you're missing out if you dont have their latest. They sell you the idea of a system, and ship you half of it. They are selling the tool of the future, and prices are inflated to that future. At 3x the cost of the alternative, this saw must be the best right?!
All that said there are still a handful of Festool gizmos on my wish list, and i thoroughly enjoy using some of them. Im not a hater, just realistic. Oh and....Give North America the HK85!!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
I love my domino, and i like some of their sanders, routers and vacs. But to ask $500 for a tiny vacuum thats only slightly better than an $80 vac is just insulting. 500 for the vacuum with the boom hose and cord kit would still be outrageous... I may get lucky on a used ct-mini soon though ;-) They're very nice $200 vacuums!
The marketing people at Festool are brilliant. You feel like you're missing out if you dont have their latest. They sell you the idea of a system, and ship you half of it. They are selling the tool of the future, and prices are inflated to that future. At 3x the cost of the alternative, this saw must be the best right?!
All that said there are still a handful of Festool gizmos on my wish list, and i thoroughly enjoy using some of them. Im not a hater, just realistic. Oh and....Give North America the HK85!!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
SS Teach
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I wanted to upgrade my jigsaw and my Dewalt 10 inch miter saw. I spent a lot of time on FOG reading the pros and cons of the Kapex and Carvex. For my needs and considering the costs involved I went with top of the line Bosch. Would a Domino be better than my biscuit jointer or Kreg K5 sure. But for the costs involved and the projects I build I'm fine.
waterloomarc
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sheperd80 said:
Ha! This is very true and a very succinct way of putting it. That said, I'm still lusting for the bigger domino. I just have a really hard time spending that kind of money on a portable power tool.
Xoncention
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Trust the pack. Once you have used it and pumped out a few projects you will wonder how you ever managed without it. Other joinery systems have their place to be sure, but the mortise joint is one of the oldest in the craft, and the neatness of the finished product and the speed of assembly makes them a dream to produce. Also the scope for creativity is very open as you pursue more complex joinery. The larger unit opens the field that much further. [2cents]waterloomarc said:
waterloomarc
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Yeah. I love my 500 and use the heck out of it. But the 700 is almost as much as I paid for my cabinet saw!
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