Is Festool worth the money?
- Thread starter caelyn8
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Given the current threads that are going on in this forum, I'm intrigued as to why you would choose this for a first post. There is no such thing as the best tool company as none cover every aspect of the power tool market and most will cover some niche area that they have a real experience in. My humble opinion is that you buy the best tool for the job required not just the name.
Robin
Robin
Naildrivingman
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I Think that Festool has a lot going for it, but I agree with Robin. Not one tool company can possibly cover all needs. For example, I feel Rigid makes the very best shop vacuum for the money. Bosch makes the best corded hammer drill. Skil made the best worm drive saw (Mag 77). I could go on down the list in my tool stable, but suffice to say that while I own a fair amount of Festool, there are tools in their inventory that I would not buy.
Where the rubber meets the road is dust collection. If one wants to maintain a clean worksite, Festool is pretty hard to beat. Couple that with portability and organizational ability and they are a winner in my book.
Where the rubber meets the road is dust collection. If one wants to maintain a clean worksite, Festool is pretty hard to beat. Couple that with portability and organizational ability and they are a winner in my book.
SS Teach
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For me it's the dust extraction. I was refinishing my kitchen cabinets and living in a dust bowl. I caught a video of a Planex in use, no dust. That did it for me. Same problem with my router. The TS was a no brainer. But when it came to a miter saw, jig saw, or 18V drill, no. The Domino is in a class by itself. Having sandpaper in a Systainer resting on its sander is fantastic. No searching for it all over the shop. So dust extraction with router,sanders, and saw, organization with Systainers, and great tools, you really can't go wrong. I left out the tools that can use a guide rail. Spend time on FOG, watch YouTube videos and you can form a good opinion of how the tools function and if they're right for you.
There are a lot of variables to this question.
I have several Festools, some I have complaints about. Yet those complaints have not yet cut into my investment....(yet?)
Some tools have not been used enough for me to reap a return on my investment, but that is not the tools fault and does not detract from it's quality. There are other tools that are worth every penny I paid for them,...and then some.
If you are buying tools to use twice a year, Festool is not the route I would take, unless it is for one of their specialty tools like the Domino.
I have several Festools, some I have complaints about. Yet those complaints have not yet cut into my investment....(yet?)
Some tools have not been used enough for me to reap a return on my investment, but that is not the tools fault and does not detract from it's quality. There are other tools that are worth every penny I paid for them,...and then some.
If you are buying tools to use twice a year, Festool is not the route I would take, unless it is for one of their specialty tools like the Domino.
CrpntrFreak
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If you looked at each tool individually you would have a better argument about if that tool is worth it or not. You also have to look at who will be using the tool(s).
If you take the biggest tool people like to bag on, the Kapex, and do an HONEST comparison, that saw IS the best miter saw out there. Is it worth $1500? No. But whatcha gonna do? Other saws can come very very close to the same cut it makes, but are they 47lbs? Can you put them 2 inches away from a wall? Do they have dual lasers? Do you actually use the darn hold down? The Kapex is the first miter saw I really use the hold down.
Also when people say "it's about the system", that is no joke. The system really does save me time and money. For example, I just bought the TS55. I have owned the Makita track saw for years and it is awesome. I see no difference in cut between the Makita and TS55. The Makita also has more power. About 2 amps to be exact. But I have gotten into the Festool "system". The Makita's cord is short and it is unable to be taken off. When I set up my mobile shop, I now only need one cord and one hose with the TS55 and the cord will reach all around my work bench.
So as with any tool or tool manufacturer, do your homework. Find what works best for you. In my experience though, Festool works awesome. I'm saving time, I'm producing clean products, and I'm not breathing all that dust.
WOW..... that was a book eh? ;D
If you take the biggest tool people like to bag on, the Kapex, and do an HONEST comparison, that saw IS the best miter saw out there. Is it worth $1500? No. But whatcha gonna do? Other saws can come very very close to the same cut it makes, but are they 47lbs? Can you put them 2 inches away from a wall? Do they have dual lasers? Do you actually use the darn hold down? The Kapex is the first miter saw I really use the hold down.
Also when people say "it's about the system", that is no joke. The system really does save me time and money. For example, I just bought the TS55. I have owned the Makita track saw for years and it is awesome. I see no difference in cut between the Makita and TS55. The Makita also has more power. About 2 amps to be exact. But I have gotten into the Festool "system". The Makita's cord is short and it is unable to be taken off. When I set up my mobile shop, I now only need one cord and one hose with the TS55 and the cord will reach all around my work bench.
So as with any tool or tool manufacturer, do your homework. Find what works best for you. In my experience though, Festool works awesome. I'm saving time, I'm producing clean products, and I'm not breathing all that dust.
WOW..... that was a book eh? ;D
Birdhunter
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What do I think about Festool being the best?
Dunno, but I like their tools enough to buy them. Many reasons why, too many to list here. Perfect? No. Pretty darn good, yes.
Dunno, but I like their tools enough to buy them. Many reasons why, too many to list here. Perfect? No. Pretty darn good, yes.
pettyconstruction
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If a tool makes your job faster , cleaner and/or better then yes.
All of MY Festools do all of that for me. Ymmv.
Charlie
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All of MY Festools do all of that for me. Ymmv.
Charlie
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To me, yes. I have bought quite a few and haven't sold one yet. In ten years.
But everybody will have their own cost and value measuring sticks.
Although the Festool policies vary from country to country you have the opportunity to buy a product and then try it out in your own world and workflow and then return it. I suspect that is even the case in places like Argentina.
Peter
But everybody will have their own cost and value measuring sticks.
Although the Festool policies vary from country to country you have the opportunity to buy a product and then try it out in your own world and workflow and then return it. I suspect that is even the case in places like Argentina.
Peter
Birdhunter
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The only Festool product I’ve bought that I don’t use regularly is my C12 drill and that’s because I have T18, CSX, TSX, TI15. Might sell it, but probably won’t. I’m sorry some people have had issues with their Kapex, but mine has been flawless and is the first miter saw that I don’t have to drag outside to use.
Kev
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The only way to answer this is to firstly define your personal definition of value.
To use an extreme example: if opening a newly delivered systainer with a a sparkling new Festool inside gives you a jolt of please that's better than sex then you may reason that you've had value from the several hundred dollars you've just spent - regardless of the function of the tool [smile]
I certainly feel Festool appeals to those that have a mild case of OCD ...
I do firmly believe that Festool products are designed with TCO/ROI (total cost of ownership / return on investment) in mind and they expect the higher price of their tools and consumables to be offset by increased productivity over time.
To use an extreme example: if opening a newly delivered systainer with a a sparkling new Festool inside gives you a jolt of please that's better than sex then you may reason that you've had value from the several hundred dollars you've just spent - regardless of the function of the tool [smile]
I certainly feel Festool appeals to those that have a mild case of OCD ...
I do firmly believe that Festool products are designed with TCO/ROI (total cost of ownership / return on investment) in mind and they expect the higher price of their tools and consumables to be offset by increased productivity over time.
Kev
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rst said:
[member=25351]rst[/member] [big grin] [big grin]
I feel like I've been stabbed in the eye if someone places a pencil on my desk the wrong way!
I honestly couldn't say if OCD is or isn't a good thing .. but I can say I've observed a directly correlation between level of organisation and quality of work! [wink]
Holmz
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caelyn8 said:
[member=65967]caelyn8[/member] - Give us the list of tools you are looking at and then we can all argue about which is "The best".
(I can opine as naseum on this.)
It is pretty bold to say that one is best, without some metric as to what good is, and then some proof that the goodness has been soundly arrived at.
Hence a stack of quality tools can look as colourful as the inside of a bag of skittles.
For me it is.
ts55 track saw to safely break down sheet goods and ts75 to give me a good edge on lumber.
rotex 150
domino
dust collection
ts55 track saw to safely break down sheet goods and ts75 to give me a good edge on lumber.
- can't stress how much ease of mind it gave me breaking down sheet goods
- I like working with thick lumber it lets me get a decent edge after running through my jointer/planner.
- at the time there was no real alternative other than circular saws, some have come up with some alternatives now but I no reason for me to replace what I have
rotex 150
- gets my table tops ready for finish, love being able to remove glue squeeze out to finish quality
- lets me experiment with finish by quickly removing finish so I can try another test
domino
- no explanation needed
dust collection
- came with my ts55 so I use it. so-so for me but I'm a hobbyiest so I could have hooked it up to my shopvac.
