Kapex up to hype?

[harry_]

Disclosure: I do not own a Kapex. (It's probably the next Festool on the wishlist, soon as work [read:income] can satisfy the expense)

I think that maybe one of the things that is being overlooked regarding the accuracy of the Kapex is the ease of keeping it accurate.

I own a Bosch 4412, have had it for 6+ years. From time to time while in the back of my truck 'stuff happens'. Maybe I got cut off in traffic and had to panic stop, shifting the load,.etc.. the saw gets 'bumped' and falls out of alignment. The fence either becomes un-zeroed to the zero stop or the zero/45 stops lost their accuracy.

While in theory resetting either is a simple procedure, in reality what a PITA! Making the adjustment is easy, locking down the adjustments is a nightmare as securing the hardware 'torques' out the correction I just made. I have tried different things to make the process easier, but it is still slow and clumsy to do. Embarrassingly slow if you are on a job site and the customer is hovering about.

From reading the manuals, and using the Kapex during the cabinet making class, resetting it looks to be a BREEZE. The best part (to me) of resetting the blade to fence is that you never have to diddle with the fence itself. Just a seemingly smarter way to go about it. Granted, it is something that we never really want to do, but that does not make it an unimportant thing to consider.

Maybe we can get some additional input regarding ease of adjustment of the Kapex from other members.

Also, maybe I can get a pointer or two on how to speed up the process for adjusting my 4412 (new thread please)

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Harry-

In the last two years, I have had to adjust my Kapex for accuracy 0 times.

It rides in my trailer or in my suburban.  Things have fallen on it.

When I took it to Festool to have something repaired (I had a piece of trim stuck up in blade housing and it broke that plastic piece that the rubber dust thing clips on) they gave it back and said they went to adjust it for accuracy and said it was still spot on.  That was after one years hard use.

It is really the only miter saw I trust to stay in it's factory settings.

 

[fshanno]

What hype?

With the lasers on that thing I can split the pencil mark every time on both sides of the blade.

Now, if I can find a way to get the pencil mark in the right place I'd be in business.

 

[JSands]

My only reason for not buying Kapex is, I prefer a 12" blade, and a greater cut distance... I think Kapex is spec'd at 12" cut width... not bad for a 10" blade... it is clearly design for trim guys,  which is more than adequate.  Trim makes money....

The real claim to fame for Kapex, as I see it.... it seems to be very accurate for a portable saw (no surprise there) and of course, classic Festool portability.    If you don't have the need for portability, it opens up other options IMO...  I have used one, its a great saw, and you would expect such at this price point...

 

[harry_]

What hype?

With the lasers on that thing I can split the pencil mark every time on both sides of the blade.

Now, if I can find a way to get the pencil mark in the right place I'd be in business.

[thumbs up]

 

[otis04]

I started this thread because I am in the market for a new saw and think the Kapex is pricey.  I have now decided to buy the Kapex after the new year.  It came to me at 5:30 this morning as I was cutting rabbets on some built ins with my 1400 followed by shelf pins with the LR 32.  This stuff just works and it all works well.  I will buy more .

Thanks for all of the input

Chris

 

[semenza]

I started this thread because I am in the market for a new saw and think the Kapex is pricey.  I have now decided to buy the Kapex after the new year.  It came to me at 5:30 this morning as I was cutting rabbets on some built ins with my 1400 followed by shelf pins with the LR 32.  This stuff just works and it all works well.  I will buy more .

Thanks for all of the input

Chris

Glad we all were able to help. That bold part has to be the understatement of the decade  [big grin]

Seth

 

[netcastle]

I don't post here often, but I lurk a lot.  I have only been addicted for about a year and a half and since then have replaced many of my tools with Festool products.  I have bought a few non-Festools in that time including a Makita 7 1/2 slider.  I wish I had bought the Kapex.  When we talk about tools in terms of "is it worth it or not" I think we look at the price tag and confuse this number as being indicative of a products overall worth.  I look at it in terms of value.  In all the years as a wood working hobbyist and enthusiast, I think that the most used tool in my shop has been the miter.  If not, it's a close second to the table saw.  I don't think it's a stretch to say that this is the case for many of us here.

Since buying the Makita two months ago I am still tweaking it and learning it's idiosyncrasies (to be fair I don't use my tools every day).  Still, down the road, I will probably wish I just forked over the extra money to have a tool that just works the way I want it to, like virtually all of the other Festools that I own.  If I were a pro, I wouldn't have though twice about the Kapex. 

 

[Jonhilgen]

Please stop talking about this saw.  I know its worth every penny, I just don't have enough pennies yet.  I can't wait to use this saw to install prefinished trim! 
[big grin]

Jon

 

[peter halle]

I have had the Kapex for about a year.  I have never been able to use the lasers because I usually work outside and sunlight obliterates the lasers.  Over the weekend I moved into my leased shop space and set the Kapex up on the MFT and turned the lasers on.

This saw has travelled bumpy roads in the back of my truck for over a year.  I bought it unexpected from a local dealer when my other saw broke at 10:37 AM and I need to finish (added just in case anyone thinks that preferential treatment is involved) and the lasers were spot on.

Actually got to use the angle divider - takes some getting used to - and that works for me too!

I am finally getting to the point were I can really appreciate all the technology and the engineering that was put into this saw.  It has made me money over the past year, but a change in venue is bringing to my eyes all the bells and whistles that make this better than the rest!

Other opinions will differ, but ...

Peter

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Personally I find the cut quality, precision, and accuracy to amazing.  I did need to adjust the lasers, but they are consistant,  dead on, and useful. I can count on them.  I recently was fitting some pieces  that I was cutting to fit. And to get the fit really good  I was shaving the end off with the Kapex repeatedly. Like a 1/64 ( swear, probably less on a couple cuts) at a time. It was no trouble at all.

Seth

I build furniture.  Like Seth, I sometimes 'sneak up' on a perfect fit.  I use a stop and sneak up by placing a piece of paper between the stop and the workpiece, maybe 1/100th of a inch.  Works great, keeps a consistent miter and bevel when I do that.  That's worth the $1300 to me.

With my old DeWalt miter saw, I spend half an hour cleaning up at the end of the day.  With the Kapex, I clean up once every couple of weeks.  Got my $1300 back long ago just from that.

 

[adubeau]

Yeah I really want one to replace my Hitachi 10"

On my xmas list... But I don't think I have been that good...