KAPEX - Looking for positive reviews before purchasing

[RJNeal]

I'm a happy kapex owner. I've owned it since 2008. Used in the trades. Mostly for trim and finish, do have some framing time on it. Mostly used by me but does have some time on it by others. The saw is not used every day. I also have a yellow boat anchor for most framing needs. I'm concern about the motor issue but I'll deal with that when/ if it happens. I make sure that I use a  10 gauge extension cord if I need a cord. The kapex is a really accurate saw.
Good luck.
Rick.

 

[gruz]

Another happy Kapex user.  I use mine professionally doing trim and cabinet installations and the occasional deck.  On my second saw as the first was stolen.  Haven't had any issues whatsoever.  It's in my van with me all the time on the UG cart and has stayed square and true (though I quickly check it when I set up)  Also have the extension wings with some aftermarket modifications- great system.  good dust control.  I also have two Dewalt 12" sliders at home and the shop, and have had and used other brands in the past. 
The only bad thing I'll say is you'll have to put up with other tradespeople commenting on the saw- mainly the price and how you must be made of money...  I think it's a good investment, easier, faster, and more fun to use = saves money.
Good luck.

 

[DrD]

I am a very happy Kapex owner.  I do woodworking as a hobby, so I cannot give you the perspective of one whose living depends upon it's maintenance free functioning.  Having said that, my Kapex is like my EDC handgun - it goes what I want/expect it to do every time I need it to do something. 
I have found internet forums to be very interesting, and in terms of "what to buy" to be very impractical.  Go onto any gun forum, regardless of make/brand and there will be ad-nausiam posts on "DON"T BUY THIS" and were one to heed such advice, one would not find a decent gun anywhere, yet most shooters really have no problems. 
There are any number of long time posters on FOG who use their Kapex and haven't  had their motors burn up.  I talked extensively with Tom Bellemere (rip) and Bob Marino before purchasing mine; admittedly both are/were dealers, AND both are/were imminently HONEST men.  If you read/follow the postings of professionals such as Peter Halle, Brice Burrell, Peter Parfitt, and others you will be well informed to make your decision. (Please excuse the misspelling of any names.)
Just my nickel's worth.
 

 

[NL-mikkla]

Same here, super happy with the machine.
It stays in the shop permanent with a dedicated vac and home made wings/syscarts system.
I make high end furniture and some selective home improvments and not use it every day.
But I use it for anything I can think of it, thin stock, thick stock, wide stock, stock to thick for the machine so I have to reverse cut, aluminum, bevel, miters, in hardwood, plywood and HPL.
I fit would die on me I would buy a new one the same day.

It's super accurate, also with repeted cuts, I have no problems with fences or anything.
I love the lasers and really know how to position the wood to get the cut I want.

 

[Cookannapurna]

I'm the facilities manager of a children's camp, build custom furniture, and do custom on-site carpentry.  I've had my first Kapex for 4 years now.  I got sick of bolting and unbolting it from the chop station in my shop, so 2 years ago I bought a second one and the stand and extensions.  I have had only one problem with my portable one and it was my issue (sheet of plywood fell over and knocked the saw and stand to the ground), Festool fixed it promptly and for free.

I don't know which I like more the saw or the stand!

I use one or the other 6 days a week, and have had no issues other than the above.  I could not be happier with the saw, or Festool service.

 

[nickao]

This is kind of a weird thread topic to me.

Are you doing comparison shopping? You can always find someone that likes a tool and had a good experience. A tool can have a 10% rating, 90% negative, still those 10% will give you a positive review

When I comparison shop, even if the tool has a 90% positive rating, I read the negative reviews very carefully.

Maybe you should be asking, "looking for reviews for those that purchased in last 3 years" or "looking for negative reviews of the Kapex" or just "looking for reviews of the kapex". Otherwise all you are going to get is a bunch of people telling you the positives, not the negatives.

My question would be why do you need such an expensive chop saw when there are so many that are as good, many would say better, for almost half the cost?

IMHO, this isn't the best place that I would ask for reviews on a Festool. It's a Festool forum. Sure check this forum and ask around, but go to a more neutral place as well. Go to Amazon, go to the general woodworking forums, check the reviews(there are many), you will get a better balance. Here you are going to get lovers mostly and the haters that are so mad they found this forum to vent.

To answer the question, well I can't, I find it difficult to give the saw a positive review.

 

[antss]

Thanks to everyone, please keep the feedback coming.
I am very aware of the shortcomings with the motor and armature and have had a consult with the tech in repairs at Festool to see if anything could be said to ease my concerns.

And what did they say ? 

I'm certain the group will be VERY interested what you were told.

My take is almost everyone likes theirs , until they don't. Which always seems to be after year 4 of ownership.  It's a nice tool and will do the job.  So will a Dewalt 705 and there are folks around here that have models approaching two decades old. Dust collection is an afterthought and the bevel mech. is crude at best. It still works, and can provide accurate cuts. So it really depends on what you value.

If fairly reasonable certainty of a saw lasting you ten or twenty years is high on your list with few or no repair expense - then Kapex isn't a good bet in 110v.  If dust collection and ease of use are high on the list and you're willing to shoulder the risk of longevity then Kapex is a good choice. Where does price fit on your list ?  Only the individual can make these judgements when determining value.

FWIW , Milwaukee's 12" saw has really good dust collection and accuracy. It's waaaay heavier and bigger than Kapex, so not a great choice for easy portability though.  Costs about a third of Kapex.

 

[DrD]

What is good, what is better - wow, I rest my case.  Back to the handgun analogy where, by the way the gun in question actually costs more than a Kapex.  For what I needed, there were several which met most of the criteria, but only one met all, and that particular gun had a boat-load of haters, primarily because of its cost, but all kinds of negatives were expressed ranging from "it isn't reliable, wouldn't feed the ammo of my choice, the manufacturer wouldn't stand behind it," etc.  I bought it because it met my stated needs, and literally thousands of rounds later, nary a bobble - I couldn't be happier.
What is you need?  Is weight important, size, footprint, horizontal, vertical cutting capacity, lasers, reproducibility of settings, blade flex, blade run-out - actual kerf, and more?  Once you set forth your needs, you will find the one answer.  Buy what you need.  There are plenty of Kapex owners who are quite satisfied, and if you are in the USA, you have 30 days after your purchase to return it if you don't like it.  I cannot endorse the Kapex for you for I don't know your needs.  I can endorse the Kapex for my self, for just like my edc Kimber, it meets my needs.

 

[bobfog]

From discussing a mitresaw being unreliable to comparison to a handgun that's supposedly necessary to carry every day!  [doh] [doh]

 

[Johncarlo]

As a contractor I have a ton of positive things to say about the Kapex paired with the stand. It's a joy to use. As with any tool there is always risks. In the end it's your money and you need to decide on the risk you are willing to take. Good luck with your choice. I think that's positive and will end this before I head in another direction!

 

[CarolinaNomad]

After lugging around a 12" Dewalt Miter SCMS, I'm a very happy Kapex owner.  It's the little details thats overlooked.  The wings and ug cart is expensive but again worth it.  Especially if you have MFT or CMS.  the wings easily attaches to those which makes them multi used.  The weight of the Kapex is lighter than the Dewalt.  The angle finder conveniently located on the saw.  the clamp can be used one handed.  And the dust collection is not perfect but better than other options and can't be perfect.  Straight out of the box, the blade has be very accurate to my standards and not once have I heard the blade vibrate when slowing down like my dewalt.  I still have my dewalt, but can't seem to get anyone to purchase it close to the price I bought it for.

 

[Cheese]

From discussing a mitresaw being unreliable to comparison to a handgun that's supposedly necessary to carry every day!  [doh] [doh]

Well ya, ... you need a permit to carry to prevent those jealous Dewalt and Bosch Glide owners from stealing your Kapex, and they'll only back off when they see the Kimber 45 on your hip.

 

[nickao]

The Kapex isn't the best  slider and no owner of a DeWalt or Bosch is jealous.

Get the Bosch or the DeWalt slider and use the rest of the money on the OF 2200(it will put you over 1475.00) or a Domino 500, these are tools you simply cant match with other manufactures. The Kapex is a cross cut saw just eating valuable money you could use for the best of the best that Festool makes.

Buy  Rotex 150, buy a CT collector, or the other aforementioned Festools, those are worth the cost. The Kapex on the other hand wouldn't be the best Slider even if it cost 799.99. I actually own these saws, the DeWalt and Bosch(and the Milwaukee and a Rigid)and the Kapex sits at my brothers.

I ask the OP to do his research, go to Amazon and read the 1,2 and 3 star reviews very carefully. Then come back here to verify their comments are true.

If your only criteria is a light saw that collects dust and cuts nicely than a Kapex will work great. It's not the best saw and if cost is factored in it's nowhere near a good value. Nor is it a tool a person that has no experience using a slider should be purchasing as their first slider unless money doesn't matter and they want all their tools to match in color.

 

[DrD]

Excuse, my comments were directed to those who have the ability to systematically process logical thought, but oops, there are those who chose to continually show by their posts their inane inability to ascertain the sum of 1 plus 1.

 

[Cheese]

The Kapex isn't the best slider and no owner of a DeWalt or Bosch is jealous.

Really...

 

[semenza]

Miter saw discussion, not gun debate please.

Seth

 

[ajones]

Miter saw discussion, not gun debate please.

Seth

Yes, don't want to open a 'which one smokes the most' debate... [wink]

 

[bobfog]

Miter saw discussion, not gun debate please.

Seth

Yes, don't want to open a 'which one smokes the most' debate... [wink]

[big grin]

 

[mbrusso]

The kapex is a hell of a saw, however I am going through a bit of a headache here in canada for the first time after a service on the machine. As I thought most normal people would do, I sent the saw in without a blade, and also without the outside arbor flange and arbor bolt.  They sent me the saw back without the inside arbor flange (picture attached)  So now I can't run a saw blade. In addition to that, whoever took the saw apart to service it absolutely KILLED my rear angle indicator (photo also attached)

I asked for both parts to be sent to me asap, however they are saying that I have to send the saw in for the angle indicator to be installed? Come on- It's attached with maybe 6 t25 screws and maybe some adhesive backing.

I'm supposed to wait another 3 weeks for turnaround?? That's not fair

 

[Job and Knock]

I'm a trade carpenter and joiner who is working on a large refurb and extension at the moment (a 2-1/2 year project) so my SCMS is in daily use cutting everything from joists to mouldings, oak skirtings (baseboards) to built-up 4-part softwood cornices. The Kapex is simply the most accurate SCMS I've ever used in more than 30 years (starting with the Elu version of the DW608 in 1986) and has the best dust extraction of any mitre saw I've ever used - far better than the Makita LS1013 it replaced. The UG cart and extension wings are a joy to use and make setting-up and breaking down a saw station far quicker and easier than it was with my old Makita. OK, so mine is now a mere 6 months old, but before buying it I had already used a colleagues tool and talked to several other owners I know. Nobody I talked to had had reliability issues - and all (like mine) are 110 volt versions if that makes a difference. That contrasts markedly with the experiences I've heard of from Makita LS1016 owners, especially in the USA, where for the first 3 or so years of production there were major accuracy issues (blade wobble, etc).

In terms of ensuring reliability the only thing I do is to ensure that the saw is always used on a heavy (32 Amp, 4 or 6mm) extension cable and that it does not share a transformer with any other power-sapping tools such as welders or heavy angle grinders because that can kill any tool.

The only bad thing, as Gruz says, is that you have to put up with other tradesmen commenting on the saw - mainly the price and how you must be made of money...  Overall, I'm very happy with the saw with no quality or mechanical issues although it is early days, yet.