People say there are other SCMS available which accomplish nearly everything doable on a Kapex. Certainly over many years I have owned a lot of different radial arm and power miter saws. Beside my several Kapex currently I own a 10" (250mm) Hitachi miter saw and a 22" (550mm) radial arm saw. Each have their purposes.
To gain the many benefits of the Kapex requires some experience and a willingness to learn about the Kapex without constantly comparing it to other SCMS. Festool provides an ops manual and there are excellent supplemental manuals. There are demo videos and instructional videos.
I had the advantage of visiting Europe while the Kapex was being introduced, so I had the chance to try Kapex shortly before they were launched. On subsequent visits to Europe I used Kapex belonging to friends, sometime with coaching from Festool reps. Then here in the USA in the months leading to the NA Kapex launch I had the chance to gain coaching from Festool USA reps. Since taking delivery of my first Kapex a few minutes after midnight they day my dealer could let us take delivery, I have coached many new Kapex users.
Yes, there are tricks to getting the most from Kapex. For these reasons I encourage everyone to participate in such Festool classes as "Intro to Festool" and "Cabinet Construction" and "Doors and Drawer" and "Solid Surface" In fact we also used the Kapex during "Advance Router"
Every time I see Steve Bace and Brian Sedgeley coaching anyone using a Kapex I learn more.
