Kapex Advertising Claim--True?

[hemlock]

Can someone at Festool verify this...is it true?  Its from an add for current stock of the old Kapex (EB).  Is there a build date for the Kapex 120 EB after which the new motor was used?

 

[ChuckM]

Interesting.

If Festool wants to recover from its bruised/damaged reputation, it should do the right/honorable thing: recall all old Kapexes and outfit them with the new motors. Or, promise to outfit them with the new motors free of charge if they smoke within the next 5 years.

I know I'm daydreaming.

 

[Cheese]

Interesting.

If Festool wants to recover from its bruised/damaged reputation, it should do the right/honorable thing: recall all old Kapexes and outfit them with the new motors. Or, promise to outfit them with the new motors free of charge if they smoke within the next 5 years.

I know I'm daydreaming.

No...VERY INTERESTING...

So, from what Festool once declared as an international nothing-burger, the notorious smoking motor "nothing to see here folks" phenomenon has now morphed into part of the Festool Sales & Marketing toolbox.  [oops]

I wonder if crow tastes anything like chicken? [popcorn]

 

[Koamolly]

Is that the ad from Hartville?  Have any other dealers made that claim?  Is that an actual Festool ad/statement?

 

[ChuckM]

If the claim is verified, the EB sale (25% off?) is an excellent deal (of course, assuming that the new motors won't have the smoking issue).

 

[Jim E.]

I just bought one of these saws from Hartville, and it was delivered two days ago.  The build date on the s/n plate is 05/19.  I understand that Kapex's built since March '19 incorporate the new motor.  I think it's a great deal.

 

[hemlock]

I was hoping Festool would clarify this with a yes or no, and if yes, when.  Instead it looks like we may be headed down the road of another thread about Kapex-gate.  Not my intent; and I can't imagine something Festool would want either.   

What is the basis for understanding the new motor was installed starting in May of 2019?  Documentation included with the saw?

This should not be this hard. 

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Although I was told by two different Festool employees, that the later EB’s were fitted with the later parts, upgraded motors etc, this is the first time I have actually seen it stated anywhere.
I suppose it is a final admission of sorts, that the failures were not myths and not user error as it was often claimed.

I expect there’s still a lot of grey areas and legal wrangles though.

 

[Doug S]

I guess Festool tested the new motor in the old Kapex for a while, probably about 2 years, if they didn't smoke after 18 months (average life cycle for the smoking ones) there was a good chance it was a fix so felt confident releasing it in new model  [wink]

 

[ChuckM]

The average life cycle, let alone the testing period, is anyone's guess since Festool has not shared anything on the subject. But I hope it will at least come forward with the cut-off date/month of the EBs which are built with the new motor parts for the benefit of those who are interested in the sale.

 

[Jim E.]

Somewhere on the FOG I had read that the Kapex motor improvements were brought into production 8 months ago, which would be Feb '19, and that any saws built since Mar '19 would have those improvements included.  I wish I could find that string.  But when I ordered my Kapex from Hartville last week, I called Hartville to ask about the new motor, and they told me that Festool USA assured them that their inventory of EB's included the updated motor.  FWIW. 

 

[Doug S]

Unfortunately for Festool they are still digging themselves deeper in to the hole.

My Kapex was last repaired over 2 years ago, I was told it was with updated parts and that I would have no more Kapex problems, so far this is true  [smile] obviously you presume (hope) they would be using the updated parts in Kapex that were in production at that time.

They release the new Kapex making a big thing about advertising the "new motor for extended service life" then now tell us it's not actually a new motor but same as in the old model.

I suspect it's the same motor they have been using for over 2 years, this is not a problem as mine is holding up fine but as usual it's the mixed messages we are getting that doesn't help their reputation.

 

[Bob D.]

It's continued reports such as this and the mention of the blade wobble problem
in another thread that keep me from replacing my aging DW708 with a Kapex.

I guess I am better off looking at some other brand which disappoints me.  [unsure]

 

[ChuckM]

If I did not already have a Kapex (4 yrs+, no smoking issues), I'd jump on the EB with a new motor deal for the huge discount. I'm not a risk taker in general, but this deal would be low risk to me given its warranty offer. Most importantly, the saw features and performance are the best out there.

 

[PeterJJames13]

[member=57948]ChuckM[/member] agreed. I finally got my Kapex a little over a year ago - I should have waited lol! Still, no issues with mine either (yet). If I didn't have one already, I would roll the dice on it at this price for sure.

 

[hemlock]

Agreed this is good deal if the motor is indeed the new one.  That is the question.  Here, apparently is the answer....

I spoke with Hartville technical staff and they said their Festool rep told them that Festool began installing the updated/redesigned motor in the EB "over a year ago".  And that all the EBs they had in stock had the updated/redesigned motor. 

I spoke with FestoolUSA and I'll paraphrasing their response (they were quite helpful) as follows: the last update to the Kapex motor was a newly designed armature in Oct of 17.  Thus, the motor that has been installed in the EB since then, is the same motor in the REB. There has been no update to the motor since Oct. 17.

So both Hartville's and Festool's perspective seem to align. 

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

[member=17460]hemlock[/member] over a year ago is pretty much inline with what I was told too. Apparently Festool sorted the issue a good while ago now, and sent out many EB’s with the new improved parts successfully, right up to the launch of the REB.

 

[EJW]

I waited for the REB because of the updated motor and bought one last week. Now I am reading all these comments that the EB has the updated motor and it is making me want to return it and buy an EB from Hartville at a discount!!

 

[xedos]

EJW , that might be a fool's errand.

Unless you can get someone at Hartville to verify the build date on the saw you're going to receive, there's no way of knowing you'll get the "new" motor.  Hartville goes through a lot of gear and it's likely they're fulfilling orders from stock, which has been around since ? ? ?

If you don't get a 'new" motor, you're probably going to pay shipping to return under the 30 day policy.

 

[RKA]

Oct 2017 also matches Festool's earlier statement on the FOG about the motor issues.  They had indicated they made changes in 2017.  They didn't indicate specifically when in 2017 or whether all changes were implemented within that year, so at the time of the posting it was ambiguous.  The additional info provided above should be some comfort to those who purchased recently (even if you didn't get the latest discount).