Kapex - help, 1 day old and it will not turn on

[johnleve]

My Kapex arrived on Thursday.  I hauled it down to the basement and set it up.  After unpacking it I turned it on and it ran fine, made the same grumbling sound as my TS75.  I did not use it much- made a few kerf cuts and aligned the lasers.  I played around with it a bit and I am sure I activated the fast-fix; just fooling around with it like anyone with a new tool would.  I cannot recall if I started it again after that or not.

Tonight I went to go make my test cuts to align the miter gauge and it will not start.  I have messed around with it for 45 minutes and it still will not start.  I plugged it into different circuits, with and without the CT attached.  I activated the fast-fix, took the blade off and then put it back on, all to no avail.

I have not the slightest clue as to what if anything to try next.  To make matters worse I offloaded my old miter saw earlier in the evening and was planning on helping a friend with a molding project tomorrow.

Does anyone have any suggestions?    The only thing that comes to mind is that while I was unpacking it the Styrofoam packing had a few loose bits and a very small piece found its way into the upper trigger area and I was unable to get it out, perhaps it is somehow blocking something?  I tend to think not as I get the solid click when I pull both triggers as if it should be starting but am strongly considering taking the plastic cover pieces off the trigger housing to check it out.  I did blow some compressed air in there and something came out, not sure if it was all that was in there or not.

I truly hope it is something silly that I am doing wrong otherwise this will be quite the let down from a rather significant investment.  Any suggestions would be appreciated even if it is something that might be insulting to my intelligence, I really need this thing working by 7am and the last option I can think of is to remove the plastic housing which I would prefer to avoid.  I would assume that doing so would not void my warranty?

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Sounds like you need to turn the green fast fix knob.

 

[rljatl]

Did you check your fuse/breaker box to see if any of them tripped by any chance?

 

[johnleve]

Sounds like you need to turn the green fast fix knob.

I did, even went so far as to take the blade completely off and re-install it.  I bet I have turned that thing 20 times now.  Thank you for the reply though, any suggestions are welcome.

 

[johnleve]

Did you check your fuse/breaker box to see if any of them tripped by any chance?

I did, even tried different circuits, no luck.  Thank you for the reply though, any suggestions are welcome.

 

[WoodWorkingEric]

Can you turn on the lasers? (Verify the tool is getting electricity)

-Eric

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Like Darcy suggested, you probably left the FastFix knob engaged. That will disabled the saw and is a safety feature for blade changes. Check that first.

 

[johnleve]

Can you turn on the lasers? (Verify the tool is getting electricity)

-Eric

Yup, the lasers go on and the CT turns on in manual mode.

 

[johnleve]

Like Darcy suggested, you probably left the FastFix knob engaged. That will disabled the saw and is a safety feature for blade changes. Check that first.

That is what I thought as well, I have turned that knob countless times now and still nothing.  I took a short video and will share the link once it is uploaded.  I don't know if it something I am doing wrong or just bad luck.  I won't list the video since I don't know what the issue is but anyone on here can check it out with the link.  I am very open to suggestions, I looked at the handle housing and I don't think it is something I should be trying to take off- anyone done it before?

 

[johnleve]

Here is the video, uploaded a lot faster than I thought it would:

 

[Benjamin]

Ya looks like you need to exchange it...  Hopefully it's not to much of a pain

I had a similar problem with my domino right when I got it ,so they exchanged it and never had a problem since.

 

[johnleve]

Ya looks like you need to exchange it...  Hopefully it's not to much of a pain

I had a similar problem with my domino right when I got it ,so they exchanged it and never had a problem since.

I figured as much, unfortunately I had a project I was planning to help a friend with that now needs to be canceled.  Hopefully UPS or FedEx can pick it up from my house as I don't have a way of transporting it while it is in the box.  I really looked forward to making this purchase and now it has soured at least a little bit.  I just seems so odd, it worked for such a short amount of time and then just went out.  I would assume I will be sent a new one since it is within 30 days but I would really like to know what was wrong with it when they open it up.  Looks like I will be making my first call to the legendary Festool customer service team on Monday.

 

[wow]

Ya looks like you need to exchange it...  Hopefully it's not to much of a pain

I had a similar problem with my domino right when I got it ,so they exchanged it and never had a problem since.

I figured as much, unfortunately I had a project I was planning to help a friend with that now needs to be canceled.  Hopefully UPS or FedEx can pick it up from my house as I don't have a way of transporting it while it is in the box.  I really looked forward to making this purchase and now it has soured at least a little bit.  I just seems so odd, it worked for such a short amount of time and then just went out.  I would assume I will be sent a new one since it is within 30 days but I would really like to know what was wrong with it when they open it up.  Looks like I will be making my first call to the legendary Festool customer service team on Monday.

The Kapex is a LOT of money, but if you have the ability to 'swing' it, could you buy one locally and just get a credit for the one you are returning? Just an idea to help you get your project done...

 

[Greg M]

This is the one major advantage to buying local.  Now your choice is to return it to the place of purchase for an exchange or send it into Festool for repair.  I think Festool pays shipping both ways so I'd go that route.  Festool will have it back to you quickly and from what I've read they will go through everything and ensure that it's in perfect condition.  I've only dealt with their service department over the phone and they were fantastic!  Got my Kapex problem fixed by myself with their help.  BTW, UPS or Fedex can pick it up from your home.

 

[Benjamin]

I think the best idea is to contact the service department by phone and maybe theres something they can help you with?

its very possible you can get a new saw much faster then you think, Festool is pretty good about these things.

 

[johnleve]

Thank you all for the suggestions, alas it appears that I have been unlucky.  I have emailed Festool with the info and will work through them to get a replacement.

I agree about buying local but I knew it would be a challenge to get the saw home in the box so I purchased it online and it was shipped right to my door.

In an ideal world the saw would be picked up from my house and a new one sent directly to my house.  I do not think it is unreasonable to ask for a new saw rather than a repair on this one as I have only had it a day and I don't think I would ever be confident with this exact same one again.  It stinks that I had to postpone the project and have to take the time to pack up the saw but stuff happens.

 

[Greg M]

Thank you all for the suggestions, alas it appears that I have been unlucky.  I have emailed Festool with the info and will work through them to get a replacement.

I agree about buying local but I knew it would be a challenge to get the saw home in the box so I purchased it online and it was shipped right to my door.

In an ideal world the saw would be picked up from my house and a new one sent directly to my house.  I do not think it is unreasonable to ask for a new saw rather than a repair on this one as I have only had it a day and I don't think I would ever be confident with this exact same one again.  It stinks that I had to postpone the project and have to take the time to pack up the saw but stuff happens.

Festool is fantastic about making sure the saw is completely repaired.  I've read accounts that a person sends in an item for repair under the warrantee and when they get it back there were more parts replaced then they thought would be replaced.  Another words, they are very thorough. 

Which would you rather have?  A saw that came off the assembly line made with new untested parts or one that comes from a highly trained expert who has gone through the saw and checked every function?  Once you use either of them they are both used which means that their value is exactly the same.  Your warranty isn't any different.  You'll still have 3 years to ensure that it works properly.  Festool isn't like other companies who might not be so thorough or who might just grab any refurbished item off the shelf and send that back to you.

If it turns out that the motor is bad and they install a new motor, isn't it still a new saw minus the little use that you put on it??  One thing is for sure, they'll do their best to make you happy.

 

[wow]

In an ideal world the saw would be picked up from my house and a new one sent directly to my house.

Festool will, in fact, arrange for the saw to be picked up at your house and the replacement sent directly to your house. As far as the 'new' part, I think Greg addressed that very well.

If you truly want a 'new' one, that is possible as well. You simply need to return the one you have to the place of purchase and then re=purchase a new one, either from the same place or from another dealer.

All in all, pretty simple and painless.

 

[johnleve]

Good points guys, I guess you are correct and it really doesn't matter, I didn't think of it like that.  I am sure I will figure out a workable solution with Festool on Monday.

 

[johnleve]

Okay, here is the resolution to my issue.  I contacted Festool through email over the weekend and right away on Monday morning I received an email back with instructions on how to request service through the website.  Doing so was painless and I had a UPS label within minutes.  I boxed up the saw, they have instructions which make it simple, and after some acrobatics was able to get it into one of our vehicles for the trip to UPS.  I believe we dropped it off on Tuesday night, on Friday I received an email stating they had the saw.  Yesterday, the following Monday, I received an email stating that they had shipped the saw back to me.  I emailed to ask what was fixed and was told that they sent a new saw so I am not sure what was wrong with it but it would appear to be something more serious than could be fixed or perhaps they were just doing a kindness since the saw was only a day old.  I would have been happy with a repaired saw after thinking about it more and from input from other members but a new one is even better.

I have the project with my friend rescheduled for the last weekend in February and while it has been an inconvenience to be without a miter saw for a week it was not the end of the world.  I think Festool's warranty is fantastic and the service is top-notch.  I am also not displeased with my decision to purchase online.  If I had purchased locally I might have been able to get a replacement sooner but it would still have delayed the project and I would have had the same problem of transporting the saw in its box that I had in bringing it to UPS.  I still purchase smaller tools locally but prefer for larger items to be shipped direct, I won't be changing that based upon this experience.

Anyway, overall a positive experience in my mind- there will always be issues with manufactured products but Festool take care of this one just about as proactively as could be done.