Kapex 120 problem

[Barry Primrose]

Hi all
New to the group and looking forward to many discussions, sorry if this has been asked before.
I have had kapex 120 for 5 years I fit kitchens and do general custon units etc, the saw has mostly been used in the workshop, have been doing a Oak stair over the last couple of weeks and was surprised when cutting spindles it went pop with a puff of smoke, after reading a few comments on line its looks as if its a common problem,if so do Festool not have dute of care to repair it FOC if it a known fault, any views would be appreciated.
Big Festool fan and 95% of my power tools are Festool and had one or two needing new motor brushes which is expected and not a problem.

 

[nclemmons]

Welcome to FOG.  Sorry to hear about your problems. 

I'd give Festool a call on Monday to understand your options.  They have the details.

If it's five years old, likely out of warranty and repairs would be on your dime.  They will send you a box to ship back to them but you cover the shipping costs.

 

[ear3]

Welcome to the FOG, and sorry to hear about your Kapex.  As you've browsed the site, it looks like you already know of previous complaints about the unreliability of the Kapex motor.  There is currently a difference of opinion between Festool users (particularly those who have experienced the problem) and Festool HQ about whether the problem is simply anecdotal or points to an underlying flaw with the machine. 

All I can say is that the more anecdotes that are added here and elsewhere, the higher the likelihood it will result in Festool taking action to address the issue, granting, of course that that likelihood is still probably pretty small, and also that any remediation will likely only apply to future models of the saw rather than those operated by current owners.

Let us know what you hear back from Festool service.

 

[aloysius]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.  In regard to an "extended" warranty claim, there's no harm at all in asking, but given others' experiences it'll probably be unsuccessful.  But who knows?  Unfortunately, you pays your money & takes your chances in regard to machine longevity.

Something to consider when you make your next tool purchase I suggest.

 

[Gregor]

With 5 years of requent use it might be that the brushes just had worn out. You should check for that, as it would be a cheap repair that you can do yourself (without having to send in the machine).

 

[mrboult]

Bad luck.

I'd just add a warning about sending it in for repair.  If Festool quote you a repair price that you decide you don't want to pay. . they might end up returning your saw in lot of pieces!

Can't remember the details but it seems to happen quite a lot. And some people have previously commented that they would have rather just sold it broken but assembled as broken Festools can still fetch reasonable $$. But when it's in 30 pieces . . .

Maybe someone with a better memory or actual experience can chime in on this issue. . .

There's been a lot of bad press here on the forum about the KS120. It's hard to know exactly how big the issue is in a real world sense, but I am sad to say that it was enough to put me off spending that much $$ on one.

Best of luck. let us know how it goes, always interested in reports of how these issues pan out, knowing that one day it might be me. .

 

[Gregor]

I'd just add a warning about sending it in for repair.  If Festool quote you a repair price that you decide you don't want to pay. . they might end up returning your saw in lot of pieces!

Can't remember the details but it seems to happen quite a lot. And some people have previously commented that they would have rather just sold it broken but assembled as broken Festools can still fetch reasonable $$. But when it's in 30 pieces . . .

It is festool policy.  Possibly the reasoning behind it is that the tool is still defective, thus it would need to be disassembled again anyway - either to get to the part that needs replacement or to separate the different materials for clean recycling.