Tfb said:
Hi I'm new here and should introduce myself properly but I'm in bait of a hurry, I currently own the latest makita offering the ls1216 but its giving me trouble so it's going back for a refund.
I want to know if the kapex is worth the money? I can pick one up first thing in the morning for £965 which I think is a pretty good price compared with the retail but its still a pretty hefty price, also will I miss a 12" saw?
I really like the festool, kit so far I have the ts55r and the carvex jigsaw but is this csms really worth the money
Cheers tom
[welcome] to The FOG, Tom,
Only you can decide if a Kapex will improve your work enough that to you it is worth the money.
Since all of us on my side of the pond are meeting you for the first time, at least I have no clue the sort of work you will be doing.
Festool did design the Kapex so in some ways it has the capacity of a 12" miter saw and it does get the most from its 10" blade. But the primary design of the Kapex is for finish carpentry, not framing and such tasks requiring a lot of power. So, if you only do a little finish carpentry tasks, it might take you longer to justify the price of the Kapex.
Besides the cost of the machine, to gain the benefits, you really need to learn to work with the Kapex and not try to turn a Kapex into a more traditional miter saw. A major benefit of the Kapex is dust collection, which is important when working in a shop, but vital for installs and finish work inside clients homes and businesses. Generally framing miter saws are used outside or in spaces which will be cleaned later.
I notice in your list of Festool kit you do not mention a Festool CT dust extractor. Not only is the CT going to remove the dust, it is important to keep the Kapex cool.
My suggestion is to search through the material here on The FOG about the Kapex and then ask us specific questions.
People say I am frugal spending money. I own a large custom cabinet shop employing six other cabinet makers. Besides all the usual big machines, my shop has six Kapex, one reserved to go on site, two in permanent positions and three on roving stands to be positioned where needed. All have dedicated dust extractors. Also all of us have been using Kapex since they came to the USA.
We have compromised our work habits to gain the benefits of the Kapex. Without such compromise the Kapex might not be worth the price. It is all up to you.
