Kapex: how to adjust platform height

[newellj]

Snip.
I'm not sure how I'll proceed.  It's a want item rather than a need item, so I'll probably keep checking local vendors rather than ordering one online, which means this could take a long time.  I'm not going to buy one and ship it immediately to Festool - retail customers shouldn't be drafted into service as the manufacturer's final QC check.

People buying a Kapex online is taking a risk, because if it's off here or there, as in your case, returning the machine is a hassle. I got and will get all my Festool machines from a local store only. Touch wood, if I need to return anything, I just drive over there, without worrying about packaging, paper work, etc.

Festool, as I said before, should send someone or a team to SawStop and learn how to improve their QC/QA process. Customers should definitely not be expected to be their volunteer QC partners when they pay top dollars for some toy.

Agree.

 

[Cypren]

Like a lot of people, I think I've tried to split the difference between having a good relationship with a local dealer and getting the best value for my money. I tend to buy larger things that are difficult and expensive to ship and prohibitively difficult to return for service from my local Woodcraft store (like stationary machinery that has to be delivered via freight), but smaller tools I tend to order through Hartville Hardware's Amazon storefront, because the 5% cash back from an Amazon credit card applies to it. When you're ordering a bunch of green toys, that small discount adds up very fast.

Amazon's return policies (including the limitations they place on third-party vendors) are so generous that there's not much risk in doing things this way. If I get a dud unit, I can just take it to any number of local stores that serve as Amazon return drop points.

I have to imagine it's getting harder and harder for small dealers to compete as Amazon's physical logistics network continues to expand and chip away at the remaining advantages they enjoyed. At this point, there's a pretty limited number of things that a local dealer can even get me faster than Amazon, much less cheaper.

 

[newellj]

Went to a semi-local dealer yesterday who had received four the day before.  There was one unsold and after checking to be sure it was good (it was), it came home with me.  The manufacture date on this one is March 2021, which is a little surprising.  Glad that the third time worked out and glad to have this saw now.

 

[ChuckS]

Welcome to THE miter saw club!  [big grin][tongue]

For best dust extraction, use a short 36mm dia. hose, and, if desired, add a sawstache to the rubber hood. And for safety, do use the world's most expensive (but also most functional) miter saw hold-down clamp where possible. (Some Kapex users say they never or seldom use it. I use it in 95% - 98% of the time, either by itself or in conjunction with other accessories or jigs -- especially for shorter and smaller pieces. According to one US safety study of woodworking machines, miter saws cause the second most no. of injuries, only after the table saws.)

 

[newellj]

Welcome to THE miter saw club!  [big grin][tongue]

For best dust extraction, use a short 36mm dia. hose, and, if desired, add a sawstache to the rubber hood. And for safety, do use the world's most expensive (but also most functional) miter saw hold-down clamp where possible. (Some Kapex users say they never or seldom use it. I use it in 95% - 98% of the time, either by itself or in conjunction with other accessories or jigs -- especially for shorter and smaller pieces. According to one US safety study of woodworking machines, miter saws cause the second most no. of injuries, only after the table saws.)

Thanks, Chuck!  Already had a 36mm/3.5m hose.  Love the clamp, which certainly is the best design ever, actually bought a second for when I want to clamp both sides.  I am very surprised about the miter saw statistic.  My worst injury was on a router table.  [sad]