Kapex problem Poll

[Bob Marino]

So i spoke to Festool today.....In addition, the tech said a whole new miter locking mechanism is a couple of weeks away (which will fit on your saw and will of course be free) I then suggested to him that the saw would be at its peak if the new mechanism included a detente lock out feature-- he agreed and said it is a possibility.....

Can any Festool dealer (Bob, Tim, etc) confirm this, is there an updated miter lock in the works?

Thanks -
Mike

Mike,

  I just got off the phone with Lester seconds ago and this  is true new - spring plate and handle.
No one hear as seen the new handle and spring though. My guess is that it will allow a tad more clearance, eliminating any scraping.

Bob

 

[MiterMaster]

Mike,

I just got off the phone with Lester seconds ago and this  is true new - spring plate and handle.
No one hear as seen the new handle and spring though. My guess is that it will allow a tad more clearance, eliminating any scraping.

Bob

Will there be an announcement here on the FOG letting Kapex owners know the new handle is available?  Or, perhaps a sign-up sheet that dealers have available for their customers, and once the new handle is available it will automatically ship to them?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Bob Marino]

Mike,

I just got off the phone with Lester seconds ago and this  is true new - spring plate and handle.
No one hear as seen the new handle and spring though. My guess is that it will allow a tad more clearance, eliminating any scraping.

Bob

Will there be an announcement here on the FOG letting Kapex owners know the new handle is available?  Or, perhaps a sign-up sheet that dealers have available for their customers, and once the new handle is available it will automatically ship to them?

Thanks,
Mike

Mike,

That was a question I  asked and they are not sure yet.

Bob

 

[glass1]

Just to follow up. I pulled my original sprung steel plate off and sure enough it had a slight bend to it. The replacement was perfectly flat. I installed it and the saw turned nicely..... but The miter lock was not as firm  I could move the saw out of the locked position  To be frair I don't know if the new lock is not stable under normal cut positions..... but I could move the saw even if the miter lock was locked. If festool cannot come up with a more absolute solution I will have to return the saw even though everything else about rocks.

 

[honeydoman]

i am now on kapex #4.  got #3 and I was told that is was checked out throughly.  set it up in an office building and it scraped horrible on the first turn!  had to pack up everything, stand, wings, compressor, radio etc.  as I could not leave any tools at this commercial site... and drive 80 miles round trip to replace saw again.;.  this one worked fine at the store.  after about 10-20 turns of the miter table it started scraping again.  switched plate and seem to work fine.  time will tell.

cost me over 4 hours of my time,  by the time I got back to job, it was to late to set up again (30 min)  take down and clean up 30min because I had an appt at 5:00 that day for an estimate.  what a wasted day, thanks again kapex.

used the saw today mainly cutting on the flat, have 500 ' base 500  backer 500 chair 400 shoe to install my monday, and will be 1 day late but the saw dust collection worked great, dialing in the bevel angle worked fine.  time will tell

I am trying, Festool, to help out and buy and keep a saw......

 

[glass1]

Well, unless the modification is impressive I think I will return my saw. The sad thing is I really don't like any of the other scms on the market. I will use my credit to buy an 1400 router (with accessories ), the mft3 and jig saw. I just put my old sawbuck back int use  I guess the ts55 and mft3 can be used for critical cuts. I just cannot justify the cost of the kapex compared to what it can do with how many other festools one can buy with the same money.

 

[MiterMaster]

i am now on kapex #4.... 

Kreg you are not alone!

Mike

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Mike,
I've always said that having open discussions about issues helps a quality company.  All great companies are un-afraid of public commentary about their tools, and I consider Festool a great company.

Sometimes, when there is a problem with a tool, the discussion can be tough.  But the company comes out ahead if they engage the community -- show publicly that they are working to solve the problem and listening to what their customers tell them.

All companies make mistakes.  The question is, how do they handle it?

That's where the forum comes in!

It is perfectly fine to criticize here, and it's clear people here mean their criticism to be constructive.

Stay in touch,
Matthew

 

[MiterMaster]

All companies make mistakes.  The question is, how do they handle it?

I agree, especially with newly released tools, issues are going to happen.  I'm waiting to hear back from Festool in regards to my saw, I'm hoping for a replacement.  Will keep you all updated.

Mike

 

[honeydoman]

yes their are problems with new release, however, I thought this saw has been available in europe for over 1 year or more, don't know for sure.  BUT what happened to the Festool Anoucement about this situation.  I thought their was a post awhile back that said an anoucment was comming.

they have been taking care of the problems through the dealers, and it is costing the dealers money also, especially on returns to the credit cards. most charge 2% fee on credits.

 

[Bob Marino]

yes their are problems with new release, however, I thought this saw has been available in europe for over 1 year or more, don't know for sure.  BUT what happened to the Festool Anoucement about this situation.  I thought their was a post awhile back that said an anoucment was comming.

they have been taking care of the problems through the dealers, and it is costing the dealers money also, especially on returns to the credit cards. most charge 2% fee on credits.

  There was an anouncement by Festool, stating what the problem was and the fix, posted a while ago by one of the memebers here. Maybe it can be "dug up" again, since I forget who initially posted it.

Bob

 

[MiterMaster]

The Kapex announcement is on this thread, *but* this was not posted by Festool, who has been quite on this subject.  I'm not exactly sure where this announcement came from, as when I search Festool's site, I can not find any info on this issue.  This announcement has been posted here on the forum, but again I'm not exactly sure where it originated.

http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=4685.0

Mike

 

[MiterMaster]

I'm waiting to hear back from Festool in regards to my saw, I'm hoping for a replacement.  Will keep you all updated.
Mike

I just got off the phone with Festool's repair manager.  He listened to my issues that I have been experiencing with the Kapex, and his response for me was to send the saw back for a full refund.  Okay, sounds great.

His next suggestion shocked me, that perhaps the Kapex was not accurate or dependable enough for my needs and that it would be better for me to find another brand of miter saw.  This was definately not the response I was expecting, I've always had great customer service from Festool, until now!!!!

Mike

 

[rnt80]

I'm waiting to hear back from Festool in regards to my saw, I'm hoping for a replacement.  Will keep you all updated.
Mike

I just got off the phone with Festool's repair manager.  He listened to my issues that I have been experiencing with the Kapex, and his response for me was to send the saw back for a full refund.  Okay, sounds great.

His next suggestion shocked me, that perhaps the Kapex was not accurate or dependable enough for my needs and that it would be better for me to find another brand of miter saw.  This was definately not the response I was expecting, I've always had great customer service from Festool, until now!!!!

Mike

Mike,

That certainly is a shocking response.  It sounds like it came from an individual, not the company, that is fed up with the mess that this has become and is at the end of his rope.  Unfortunately, that individual speaks for the company whether he likes it or not.  I can't imagine Festool being satisfied with writing off one of their products because it couldn't meet some basic industry standards.

 

[MiterMaster]

...It sounds like it came from an individual, not the company, that is fed up with the mess that this has become and is at the end of his rope...

I believe this to be true, we all have frustrating days at times.  I do not want this to turn into a "bash Festool" thread.  I still feel the Kapex has a lot of very positive features, and it's sad I had issues with the saws I received.

Will I still use my Festools?  Of course, they are the best tools out there, and I will continue to buy Festool.  Will I purchase a Kapex, you betcha - it has a lot of nice features and I will keep trying until I get one without issues! 

Mike

 

[peter halle]

Mike,

If i were in your shoes, i would contact Festool again and go up the ladder by stating that you had not receeived service that met your expectations.  It can be done without bashing.  Once you explain your situation, I would be shocked to find out that the normally high customer service doesn't come thru.

Festool certainly has a need to address the issues, and I would bet that they want to

Just my advice worth .03.

Peter

 

[Matthew Schenker]

The Kapex announcement is on this thread, *but* this was not posted by Festool, who has been quite on this subject.  I'm not exactly sure where this announcement came from, as when I search Festool's site, I can not find any info on this issue.  This announcement has been posted here on the forum, but again I'm not exactly sure where it originated.

http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=4685.0

In the discussion you cite, I also asked where this statement originated.  No one seemed to know the answer!  After asking around (online and offline) I finally tracked it down to Timmy C's blog on Festooljunkie.  I have been puzzled as to why the official statement would appear only on Timmy C's blog, but not on Festool's own Web site.

Matthew

 

[honeydoman]

yes I agree with you matthew.  why not have a statement directly from  would be nice Christian Oltzscher, I wonder how the show is going to go in atlanta where they will all be for the next several days I wanted to go, and had  a pass.  but I am so overloaded with jobs I have to finish and get done .  just do not have the time to head down their even for a day.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Kreg,
I assume you mean Christian Oltzscher?  Yes, it would be great to have a response directly from the company here, and earlier in the Kapex discussions I publicly called for them to tell us what's going on and let us know what we can expect.  But Festool seems to have made a corporate decision to not post in online forums any more.

Since the only place where that public statement about the Kapex can be found is Timmy C's blog, I do wonder how "official" it really is.  Introducing the statement, Timmy C writes, "Festool's Official Statement Is Copied Below..." But I can't tell what it's copied from.

The Kapex issue seems to be major enough that the company would want to clear up the mysteries and get this thing on the right track.  Of course, I believe the FOG is a good place to start!

Thanks,
Matthew

 

[honeydoman]

yes, i corrected the spelling, thanks.  after all I am on my 4th kapex and I am starting to find issues with it.