Kapex owners

Oy, I just know that one of these here sawhelpers are in my future.  ;D :D I believe it may actually have been preordained.  ;) :D ;D Fred
 
Chris Mercado said:
Tom,

Isn't that you in the video on the sawhelper site?  Good Job...

Chris...

Hi Chris! Yup, I am indeed the fella on the Sawhelper video. I'm the one in the blue shirt stumbling over his words  ;) I live about fifteen minutes from their office, so I'm in pretty regular touch with them, bugging them with new ideas. So, in the interests of full disclosure, I am the fella in the video, but it's an unpaid testimonial, I have no financial stake in the company. I just really think it's a neat product!!  ;D
 
Obviously I don't give a hang about price and availability isn't that much of an issue. The issue raised was not whether or not one would buy a tool at any given price. The poster I quoted said:

"I don't think that it is a fair comparison to say that we really get the tools cheaper in relation to you."

This is clearly not true. I gave you an example and there are heaps more. You do pay less. So it is fair to say that. Just keeping it real.
 
Eli said:
Obviously I don't give a hang about price and availability isn't that much of an issue. The issue raised was not whether or not one would buy a tool at any given price. The poster I quoted said:

"I don't think that it is a fair comparison to say that we really get the tools cheaper in relation to you."

This is clearly not true. I gave you an example and there are heaps more. You do pay less. So it is fair to say that. Just keeping it real.

Sorry there was a mix up in the original post I made.  I intended to say "tool" and not "tools".  I did not have the intention that we were going to compare the price of all tools from continent to continent or country to country.  I was simply trying to point out that "price/cost" is relative.  Furthermore, the example given of the cost of the Kapex still stands in my mind for the numbers that were stated.  I do not pretend to know the prices and then the conversion costs of festool products in all places.  When the U.S. gets a discount, which is evident by your example Eli, there must be a trade off and that is probably the lack of tool selection in our market as has been stated earlier.  I am sure festool has analyzed what they think will sell and what they are able to sell at what price in order to gain something in the us market.

JJ
 
Somewhere in this rambling thread someone asked if anyone had the Festool stand/extensions/sawhelper type thingy.  Yes - I've got three of them - two on one side to go up to 3 metres plus and one on the other side.  The good thing about them is that they are light, easy to carry around and fit etc.  The bad thing is that being light and easy to fit they are a bit flimsy compared to my chopsaw table with Kreg guide.  The tape measure guide on the festool stands is a neat idea, that offers the possibility of long cuts + a compact stand, but it is not as accurate as other, fixed systems (and the tape starts at 30+cm).  Hope this helps whoever posed the question.
 
Tom Gensmer said:

Hi Chris! Yup, I am indeed the fella on the Sawhelper video. I'm the one in the blue shirt stumbling over his words  ;) I live about fifteen minutes from their office, so I'm in pretty regular touch with them, bugging them with new ideas. So, in the interests of full disclosure, I am the fella in the video, but it's an unpaid testimonial, I have no financial stake in the company. I just really think it's a neat product!!  ;D

In looking at this product more carefully I can definitely see some advantages for me.  I'm going to give them a call today...

Chris....
 
Kreg - your Kapex pic shows the sawhelper wings but the Kapex itself is on an MFT. In the Sawhelper booth they had a Kapex mounted to their own stand (with the wings, of course). The Sawhelper set-up is a dedicated saw stand & it starts at $460 (plus shipping) and goes up from there.

If you get the 100" wings and then add the optional crown stop then the price for just the stand alone is almost $700 - and they didn't say/know if the Kapex brackets would be extra. That's over $2k for a miter saw & stand. That hurts just thinking about it.

At least with an MFT-type set-up like your pic shows the table can be used for other things.

-Norm
 
I "played" with the Saw Helper while at the show.

My opinion...  It's nice...  But a bit expensive.  I could use the Kreg extension rails along with some MDF/O and get the same end result for about 1/5-1/7 the price.  I know, I know, this solution is heavier than the Saw Helper.  I admit that.  But the cost, oh the cost...

Two things stood out.  For the money they are asking, the stand could/should be something more than an "X' frame with a top and I think the stops should be a bit more refined.  Another opinion is they need to change the design of their optional crown stops.

The part of the crown stop that holds the crown molding in place has a small 3/16" wide point; think steel bar stock.  It should be something much wider, like a "T" vs. an "I".  The current design makes the point a place for the crown to pivot.

JMTC

 
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