Kapex or not?

[builderbob]

I have been thinking about getting another just to keep in the shop too.

A new one is still a heck of a lot cheaper then an Omga. [eek]

Darcy, I often find myself using the philosophy/justification of "the alternatives are more expensive"!

Bob

 

[semenza]

Welcome chippy1984,  [smile]

If your guesstimate of the Mil DC is 60%, then you would get much better on the Kapex.

Does Australia have the 30 day trial period?

Seth

 

[Kev]

Welcome chippy1984,  [smile]

If your guesstimate of the Mil DC is 60%, then you would get much better on the Kapex.

Does Australia have the 30 day trial period?

Seth

Noooo

Good thing too. I can't imagine what it'd be like if I didn't even have to think first (as much as I'd like it).

 

[mshull]

Hi.    I'm new to FOG, but have been buying Festool products since 2003.  I have a very large collection, including many I drag back from Europe.  So, I like them.

I received my Kapex after being on a waiting list when they first came out.    I'm not sure how mine got out of the factory.    The lateral swing was so tight that the saw had to be anchored and it took two hands to move it.    After telling the dealer, I learned that Festool had a fix.  I contacted them and they promptly send some replacement parts.  Its slightly better, but its still quite bad.

My laser was not aligned.  This was fixable, but its something that could have be done accurately at the factory.

I love and hate the new cart.  If you open and close it exactly right, its great.    If you don't, its easy to lose control of the saw or even have the cart to tip over.    It would have been easy to design it to be more stable.

There are many good things about the Kapex, but the stiffness in the lateral swing makes it hard for me to think of them.

 

[Kev]

Hi.    I'm new to FOG, but have been buying Festool products since 2003.   I have a very large collection, including many I drag back from Europe.   So, I like them.

I received my Kapex after being on a waiting list when they first came out.    I'm not sure how mine got out of the factory.    The lateral swing was so tight that the saw had to be anchored and it took two hands to move it.    After telling the dealer, I learned that Festool had a fix.   I contacted them and they promptly send some replacement parts.   Its slightly better, but its still quite bad.

My laser was not aligned.   This was fixable, but its something that could have be done accurately at the factory.

I love and hate the new cart.   If you open and close it exactly right, its great.    If you don't, its easy to lose control of the saw or even have the cart to tip over.    It would have been easy to design it to be more stable.

There are many good things about the Kapex, but the stiffness in the lateral swing makes it hard for me to think of them.

I have no stiffness, lasers are perfect out of the box and I also don't have issues with the cart ... the last is probably a technique related problem, the the two priors don't sound very Festool like at all! Send it in - get it perfect.

 

[Festool Hill]

Hi.    I'm new to FOG, but have been buying Festool products since 2003.   I have a very large collection, including many I drag back from Europe.   So, I like them.

I received my Kapex after being on a waiting list when they first came out.    I'm not sure how mine got out of the factory.    The lateral swing was so tight that the saw had to be anchored and it took two hands to move it.    After telling the dealer, I learned that Festool had a fix.   I contacted them and they promptly send some replacement parts.   Its slightly better, but its still quite bad.

My laser was not aligned.   This was fixable, but its something that could have be done accurately at the factory.

I love and hate the new cart.   If you open and close it exactly right, its great.    If you don't, its easy to lose control of the saw or even have the cart to tip over.    It would have been easy to design it to be more stable.

There are many good things about the Kapex, but the stiffness in the lateral swing makes it hard for me to think of them.

I have no issues with the lateral stiffness. I think that's an old issue that has since been resolved. I did however have to adjust the saw, it was out enough to adjust it.

 

[nehardwoodfloors]

I tried and returned the makita ls1016. I think some of its users do not know how a saw should feel. Because after 1 cut on 2 different 10" makitas i knew they were both junk.
I bought the highly regarded ls0714 by Makita. Its DC is as good if not better then the Kapex and its a buttload cheaper. Periodic adjustments are needed but I cut millions of cuts on it a year! Great saw.

 

[score0matic]

I also have the LS 0714 It is alot like the OF 1010.  they are Such a pleasure to use, so light & handy--both get passed over for bigger, heaver, "do it all tools"  because they have more "capacity".    what is funny is the "extra capacity" is only used 2% of the time (there are exceptions  like the crown molding specialist)  but they drag an xtra 30 #  around for no other benifit.

 

[City Properties Inc]

Hey I think this is might be my wrap up.

I think it’s been almost a year since I bought the Kapex. Since then I have cut Aluminum tubing , Cedar, IPE 1x - 2x6, mahogany 5/4, walnut, 3” thick oak, 100 year old reclaimed floor joist, pressure treated and non, composite doug fir as as big 4x8, finish ply, crown various type of trim. Just change the blade for the cut and off you go.

We recently did 1500 sf or 3750 lf IPE deck on high rise. IPE comes in random lengths so we first had to pre cut on the loading docks were we used the plunge saw and track and Festie vac. We were cutting and loading for 14hrs. The maintenance man was making his rounds and giving us grief about dust and then did a double take and said hey man where’s the dust? A few more of the building techs came around and said what happened to the dust. I said it’s in the bag. I explained it cost money to clean up. Just do it once and be done with it.
Through the elevator and onto the terrace we go only to find out we get a change order. We had to re cut everything again but this time with the Kapex I could of really used another on this job because we had a very tight schedule and I mean tight.
After setting up a production line that consisted of Kapex, Domino, sand (edges), wax, glue and join. It took us almost 5hrs to pre cut about 90% of the deck. All I can say is what happened to the dust. If any of you have worked with IPE that stuff is nasty and gets everywhere. You should have long sleeves mask, glasses, gloves and Festie package.
We have a very large IPE job coming and will be purchasing 2-more with Vac’s.
After 3/days of cutting and dominoing we filled up about 28gallons of of IPE dust only and say only because the framing was steel.
imagine being 640 ft off the ground and having to chase dust all over with pan and broom. What was left wasn’t worth a conversation.

Our jobs consists of a lot steps small houses roof tops mostly with very limited access for large heavy tools. One of the primary reason for buying the Kapex was size, weight and dust collection. It allows you to preform 10% better on a residual bases over night. When was the last time you got 10% better over night. I know your thinking you can make better or same cut with my Dewalt or Makita and you just might.
But what do yo want to move around? 47lbs or 60lbs
Do you like banging up walls dinging railing in old historic homes?
Do you like bathing in saw dust and blanketing the job with it?
And now the cost This was quoted by me some time ago.

Your thinking cost. I know I kow...blah blah blah. This is what it cost and as far I’m concerned if your a small contractor with a full time or 2 employee’s it’s doable. Just get them use to it and keep the Makita for not so accurate and dirty jobs.
I estimate that dust collection alone will save me about 1 week/yr (min). What’s that worth to you? All of the above and bonus weeks of a pay. What’s that worth to you?
If you use this saw 20days a month 240/days year it’s comes out to be $5.62 per shift. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s less then sandwich or 2-3cups coffee a day.

We at City Decks Inc have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the Festool Systems time and time again.

Thank you all for the time.
Yannis N. Tsakiris
www.citydecksinc.com
www.citypropertiesinc.net

 

[oldie]

Thanks for long term feedback - always beneficial for others.
Just curious.
Did you find the variable speed useful on occasion.
Some have said helpful when sawing some materials.
Thanks

Richard.

 

[duburban]

Hey I think this is might be my wrap up.

I think it’s been almost a year since I bought the Kapex. Since then I have cut Aluminum tubing , Cedar, IPE 1x - 2x6, mahogany 5/4, walnut, 3” thick oak, 100 year old reclaimed floor joist, pressure treated and non, composite doug fir as as big 4x8, finish ply, crown various type of trim. Just change the blade for the cut and off you go.

We recently did 1500 sf or 3750 lf IPE deck on high rise. IPE comes in random lengths so we first had to pre cut on the loading docks were we used the plunge saw and track and Festie vac. We were cutting and loading for 14hrs. The maintenance man was making his rounds and giving us grief about dust and then did a double take and said hey man where’s the dust? A few more of the building techs came around and said what happened to the dust. I said it’s in the bag. I explained it cost money to clean up. Just do it once and be done with it.
Through the elevator and onto the terrace we go only to find out we get a change order. We had to re cut everything again but this time with the Kapex I could of really used another on this job because we had a very tight schedule and I mean tight.
After setting up a production line that consisted of Kapex, Domino, sand (edges), wax, glue and join. It took us almost 5hrs to pre cut about 90% of the deck. All I can say is what happened to the dust. If any of you have worked with IPE that stuff is nasty and gets everywhere. You should have long sleeves mask, glasses, gloves and Festie package.
We have a very large IPE job coming and will be purchasing 2-more with Vac’s.
After 3/days of cutting and dominoing we filled up about 28gallons of of IPE dust only and say only because the framing was steel.
imagine being 640 ft off the ground and having to chase dust all over with pan and broom. What was left wasn’t worth a conversation.

Our jobs consists of a lot steps small houses roof tops mostly with very limited access for large heavy tools. One of the primary reason for buying the Kapex was size, weight and dust collection. It allows you to preform 10% better on a residual bases over night. When was the last time you got 10% better over night. I know your thinking you can make better or same cut with my Dewalt or Makita and you just might.
But what do yo want to move around? 47lbs or 60lbs
Do you like banging up walls dinging railing in old historic homes?
Do you like bathing in saw dust and blanketing the job with it?
And now the cost This was quoted by me some time ago.

Your thinking cost. I know I kow...blah blah blah. This is what it cost and as far I’m concerned if your a small contractor with a full time or 2 employee’s it’s doable. Just get them use to it and keep the Makita for not so accurate and dirty jobs.
I estimate that dust collection alone will save me about 1 week/yr (min). What’s that worth to you? All of the above and bonus weeks of a pay. What’s that worth to you?
If you use this saw 20days a month 240/days year it’s comes out to be $5.62 per shift. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s less then sandwich or 2-3cups coffee a day.

We at City Decks Inc have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the Festool Systems time and time again.

Thank you all for the time.
Yannis N. Tsakiris
www.citydecksinc.com
www.citypropertiesinc.net

so did you get the sponsorship yet?

 

[ScotF]

Great review and feedback...also, curious which blades you have used and how long have they lasted between sharpening?  I love my Kapex and I am just a hobbiest...I can see how this really makes you more productive, improving your ROI.

Scot

 

[Floorman70]

I can`t fault my kapex,it`s accurate,robust and very clean,i have a ct mini and a 33 and even with the mini,there is virtually no dust,i can cut a lot of hardwood flooring in a day,with no problems,no mess and most importantly,a happy and impressed customer.I`d definately recommend the ug set,the kapex may not be that heavy,but can be a bit of a tight squeeze ,getting you and the saw through some doorways,even carrying it on the frame isn`t any harder than without

 

[ali]

Do you think a Kapex is up to the task of regularly cutting PVCu and aluminium extrusion?

 

[City Properties Inc]

VERY.. USE IT ALL THE TIME.

 

[City Properties Inc]

VERY.. USE IT ALL THE TIME.

I CUT EVERYTHING WITH IT. I USE IT IN A REAL WORK ENVIRONMENT  NOT HOBBY. IT WILL BE GOING BACK FOR A CHECK UP,  A GOOD CLEANING AND TWEAKING. I CAN BARLEY SEE THE LASER ANYMORE. MY KAPEX LOOKS LIKE IT WAS DRAGGED DOWN A DESERT ROAD. IT HAS SO MUCH IPE DUST ON IT HAS STAINED THE METAL.
USE LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

 

[City Properties Inc]

Hey I think this is might be my wrap up.

I think it’s been almost a year since I bought the Kapex. Since then I have cut Aluminum tubing , Cedar, IPE 1x - 2x6, mahogany 5/4, walnut, 3” thick oak, 100 year old reclaimed floor joist, pressure treated and non, composite doug fir as as big 4x8, finish ply, crown various type of trim. Just change the blade for the cut and off you go.

We recently did 1500 sf or 3750 lf IPE deck on high rise. IPE comes in random lengths so we first had to pre cut on the loading docks were we used the plunge saw and track and Festie vac. We were cutting and loading for 14hrs. The maintenance man was making his rounds and giving us grief about dust and then did a double take and said hey man where’s the dust? A few more of the building techs came around and said what happened to the dust. I said it’s in the bag. I explained it cost money to clean up. Just do it once and be done with it.
Through the elevator and onto the terrace we go only to find out we get a change order. We had to re cut everything again but this time with the Kapex I could of really used another on this job because we had a very tight schedule and I mean tight.
After setting up a production line that consisted of Kapex, Domino, sand (edges), wax, glue and join. It took us almost 5hrs to pre cut about 90% of the deck. All I can say is what happened to the dust. If any of you have worked with IPE that stuff is nasty and gets everywhere. You should have long sleeves mask, glasses, gloves and Festie package.
We have a very large IPE job coming and will be purchasing 2-more with Vac’s.
After 3/days of cutting and dominoing we filled up about 28gallons of of IPE dust only and say only because the framing was steel.
imagine being 640 ft off the ground and having to chase dust all over with pan and broom. What was left wasn’t worth a conversation.

Our jobs consists of a lot steps small houses roof tops mostly with very limited access for large heavy tools. One of the primary reason for buying the Kapex was size, weight and dust collection. It allows you to preform 10% better on a residual bases over night. When was the last time you got 10% better over night. I know your thinking you can make better or same cut with my Dewalt or Makita and you just might.
But what do yo want to move around? 47lbs or 60lbs
Do you like banging up walls dinging railing in old historic homes?
Do you like bathing in saw dust and blanketing the job with it?
And now the cost This was quoted by me some time ago.

Your thinking cost. I know I kow...blah blah blah. This is what it cost and as far I’m concerned if your a small contractor with a full time or 2 employee’s it’s doable. Just get them use to it and keep the Makita for not so accurate and dirty jobs.
I estimate that dust collection alone will save me about 1 week/yr (min). What’s that worth to you? All of the above and bonus weeks of a pay. What’s that worth to you?
If you use this saw 20days a month 240/days year it’s comes out to be $5.62 per shift. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s less then sandwich or 2-3cups coffee a day.

We at City Decks Inc have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the Festool Systems time and time again.

Thank you all for the time.
Yannis N. Tsakiris
www.citydecksinc.com
www.citypropertiesinc.net

so did you get the sponsorship yet?

THAT WOULD BE FUN....

 

[eclipsepro]

does anyone use the UG stand with theres if so want do you think of it ?

 

[redbirdone]

I noticed that the Kapex plus the UG mobile station is not offered in a package deal where you would see some savings.  Is there any chance Festool would consider bundling these two items?

 

[copcarcollector]

Perfect timing on the last two posts! I am close to buying the Kapex and UG set, and would also be interested in opinions of current UG cart users. As for the bundle, I agree it should be offered, similar to the Kapex/MFT combo. I did see a "package" listed on a US dealer site, but it was just full retail on both items.