kapex...that's good ?

[seb87]

Hi everybody... [big grin]

i'm writing from Italy!

i'mlooking for a mitre saw and i love festool product..

but here , in italy , the kapex 120 is very expensive , 1185?...

i've heard the kapex it's good but not for this price... the other mitre saw are better ( bosch , hitachi , de walt )

can you , kapex owner , tell me if hte kapex is a really good tools or there are other mitre saw who are better ?

thanks  [smile]

 

[woodguy7]

Welcome Seb

I have had many different chopsaws but the Kapex is by far the best i have used.  I would tend to keep it more for finishings & finer work rather than heavy construction all the time but it would cope with anything thrown at it.  It is the most expensive saw i have bought by quite a bit but i don't regret my purchase one bit & would buy it again in a heartbeat.

Woodguy.

 

[mastercabman]

First,Is the Kapex a good saw?    YES!
Is it the best saw?    You be the judge!  I just bought the Kapex again,that's right,again.I first tried the Kapex when it first came out (July 2008)
I used it for 30 days and took it back.At the time i could not justified the cost.If you think about it,there are saws that cost at the most $600.00-$700.00 and can do a good job.(12" saws)As for 10" saws,they are anywhere from a little under $400.00 to about $550.00.So buying the Kapex is like buying 2-3 saws!
When i worked with the Kapex the first time,i really loved it.One thing about the saw that i did not liked was the miter table.AND I STILL DON'T LIKE IT NOW!
But the miter table is not smooth like i want it to be.I wish the table was as smooth as the Milwaukee saw.REALLY NICE!
The Kapex miter table reminds me of a,i know you are not going to like this but,it reminds me of a DEWALT miter table! [embarassed]
So now i decided to get this thing again.I got it again because it is a saw that you can easily set up anywhere.Accurate,nice blade,good design,and the dust control is by far the best i have seen.
As a matter of fact,I just did a job yesterday (remodeling)and did all of my cutting inside.The work that i had to do was up stair and the homeowner was allready using the bedroom and closet but not the bathroom as it has not been trim out(plumbing)I had to install vanity cabinets,an island in the closet and a entertainment/bookshelves.I did all of my cutting in the bathroom using my CT 22.NO PROBLEM! It would take me for ever if i had to go outside to do all of my cutting.
The saw looks big but it is light compared to other saws,easy to carry.I like the special cutting position it allows you to cut tall pc of wood,and can cut 6 5/8" crown nested against the fence.Witch i really like because i do come across large crown molding and i really don't like cutting crown on the flat.
So,is it worth it?  Well,i think that when you are looking at the Kapex,the first thing you need to do is forget about the cost.You need to look at what the saw has to offer compared to others.Remember FESTOOL is not CHEAP! Everything they make is top notch and pricey.But you knew that!
Good luck with your decision.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I agree with the advice above.  The saw is outstanding, but there are other saws that are maybe 90% as good at 2/3 of the price.

I mostly build chairs, which have lots of compound angles.  The fits must be dead accurate or the joint will not be strong.  I can get the same accuracy or better with the kapex micro bevel and laser that I do with a very well tuned tablesaw and an expensive miter gauge (together they cost more than the kapex did by the way).  And the best thing is that when I am finished using the Kapex (like most festools) there is little or no cleanup.

I do this as a hobby.  If I were in business and looking closely at controlling costs, I might have made a different decision.  But since I am buying tools so that I can enjoy using them, the Kapex was a very good buy.

 

[Guy Ashley]

Hi Seb

For what its worth I will share my experiences with you and as yet I dont own a Kapex!!

For over 30 years I have been a furniture maker/bench joiner and work predominately in hardwoods. About 3 years ago I took the plunge and set up my own business and like everyone looked for "quality tools" but value for money, and price was a more determining factor than it should have been. So I bought Dewalt, Makita, Trend etc etc.

However as the months went by and these tools were made to work as hard as I was they started to develop varying faults which required repair, usually just outside the warranty period!!

Then on a job my Bosch plunge cut saw screamed loudly, smoked and died! A quick trip to my tool dealer with panic due to a shortening deadline resulted in me buying a TS55 and guide rail. I finished the job and felt like I had a new best friend!!

Since that day my routers, planers etc have all felt rough, inadequate and poor compared to the build quality, performance and end user thinking that has gone into the Festool products.

So in the end I have Ebayed, ditched and abandoned my other power tools and have been converting to Festool.

On the subject of the Kapex, I still have my Dewalt 718 and as it was too heavy to lug around to jobs I bought a smaller Makita LS0714 which I got for site work but it does not have the depth of cut required for some jobs so I now take both!!!!!

In hindsight my initial reluctance to pay Festool prices and the subsequent loss of hard earned cash has in fact proved more costly than if I had just bitten the bullet and got the Festool equipment.

It may be a hard financial decision but dont forget you effectively get a 3 year guarantee with these products. Most of my previous power tools have struggled to live for two!!

I will be purchasing the Kapex 120 and CTL 26 with 36mm as soon as I can afford it and if I had made the right decisions previously I probably would have them now!!

As you are in Italy it might be worth while looking at UK dealers as the UK Pound is very weak at the moment. I know my local dealer sends a lot of Festool kit to Europe.

Guy

 

[The Dude]

If you don't have them I'd highly recommend the Kapex Table Extension / Crown Stops.  The Sawhelper setup is great but you can make your own extensions quite easily and if you use something such as the Kreg track and stop kit you can have the capability of preceise repetiive cuts very easily.  The Kapex crown stops are very nice and attach quickly and positively to the Kapex without damaging the saw.  Nothing would work as well in my opinion.  There are 2 nubs that you need to grind off then you can tap with a #8 X 1.25 tap and bolt your attachment to them.  I use the Sawhelper extensions but if you look at the pics you can see how easy it would be to do other things too.   

Chris...

viking man!  Great post.  I get call after call and turn them on to you; partly because "you got it goin' on" and partly just to annoy you  ;D  Just kiddin'  Now I can point them to this thread so you can save your cell minutes.

Pace e Bene

Timmy C

 

[seb87]

i want to choose one of these

Festool KAPEX 120
De Walt DW712
Bosch GCM 12 SD Professional
Hitachi C 12RSH

bosch and festool are 900 and 1150?

hitach 580?

de walt 630?

but , maybe , i can take a kapex 88...but , maybe it's to small...

 

[Frank-Jan]

The KS88 isn't "smaller" than the ks120, they just removed features to make it less expensive. (it doesn't have the lasers, beveladjustment turnknob, and the tall miter setting).

The Dewalt 712 you mentioned IS smaller; the 717 xps compares better to the kapex size-wise.
(The Bosch and the hitachi have a bigger blade than the kapex)

 

[seb87]

The KS88 isn't "smaller" than the ks120, they just removed features to make it less expensive. (it doesn't have the lasers, beveladjustment turnknob, and the tall miter setting).

The Dewalt 712 you mentioned IS smaller; the 717 xps compares better to the kapex size-wise.
(The Bosch and the hitachi have a bigger blade than the kapex)

correct , i see only today who are the same machines with no "extra" for the 88

 

[seb87]

the kapex has know problems ?

yesterday i saw it in the shop...but i can't use it..

 

[peter halle]

Seb,

I see you are from Italy.  The North American model had some scraping issues when it was first introduced that have been rectified.  I don't remember hearing that there was an issue with the models in other parts of the world.

Hope that you get a chance to try one out!

Peter