So, I have had the Kapex for about three weeks now. Here are my thoughts thus far... As everyone on this web site is painfully aware, there were issues with the initial introduction of the saw in the USA. I will not rehash all that was said in the many, many post on the issues associated with the scraping sound. I unfortunately was one of the "lucky ones" with a Kapex with issues... However, I will say that in my case, Festool has completely lived up to their reputation as a great company in terms of customer satisfaction.
I contacted their customer service center and as I had posted earlier, they could not have been more helpful. They sent me a new Spring Plate and after the 2-minute installation of that part, the saw has now taken on a completely different personality. Prior to that retrofit, I was not very impressed because I could not get past the issue at hand. However, replacing that part has completely corrected all issues that I used to have. Adjusting miters angles is now actually a breeze... Now that I have spent probably 20+ hours over the last few days with this baby, I must admit this is one sweet tool... To be sure, there are some issues that in my mind could be improved, but overall there simply is no other SCMS that I have used in the past that could compete with it.
To begin with, the cut that comes from this saw is simply awesome. The SCMS that I am replacing is the 12" Dewalt model DW708. I used to think that was a nice saw. However, I now feel differently... Just before I got the Kapex in, I had gotten my high-tooth-count Dewalt Carbide-tipped saw blade sharpened. I am working on a deck that is approximate 800 SF. I am replacing all of the decking material with composite decking. The cut coming from the freshly sharpened Dewalt was what I used to think was very good. Now being able to directly compare the Kapex and the Dewalt, the Kapex's cut literally seams as if it were run through a sander. It is that smooth.
I am not sure if the blade is that much better, the difference is with a 10" versus 12" blade, or that there is more flex with the Dewalt rails, but I have never gotten the quality of cut that I can with the Kapex... One problem that I used to have with the Dewalt was when trying to "sneak-up" on a cut (i.e., finely shave). It seems that the result would be a cut that was not completely flat along the length of the cut when using the slide. I swear it is as if the Dewalt blade (or something) would flex ever so slightly" That same technique on the Kapex results in a completely "true" cut...
The lasers are great, for the most part. I say for the most part because they are almost worthless in direct sunlight... Even using those wacky "red" goggles that often come with a Laser Level, the lines are not very visible. The goggles certainly help, but not enough to completely compensate for direct sunlight. Now, once clouds block the direct sunlight or if operating the saw in even a brightly lit shop, they are fantastic. They were (as they say) "spot-on" directly out of the box... When using them, you know exactly where the blade will strike the material you are cutting. One future enhancement would be to increase the brightness of the lasers so that they could be used in an outside environment.
One other feature that I really like is the "Hold Down Clamp". At first, I though that it did not apply enough clamp-down force to adequately secure the material at hand. However, I quickly discovered that with a little push down on the green cap at the top of the metal rod while simultaneously pulling up on the black plastic housing that the rod goes through, the amount of downward force can be significantly increased. With a little practice, I was able to do both the above things while pushing down the green locking handle all using a single hand. Using the above technique will adequately hold down most material.
As far as "dialing" in a miter at any arbitrary angle, I will say that this saw is significantly more accurate than the Dewalt. Prior to replacing the Spring Plate with one that was within tolerance, let's just say that this would have been an exercise in futility... However, with that problem behind me now, setting a given angle could not be easier. While working on my deck this weekend, I noticed that there was not a single corner (16 in all) whose angles were at either a typical "90" or "45" degrees... As is the case with most construction these days, I routinely found myself setting angles at 41.5 degrees, and even further tweaking that to 41.8 degrees... It is a relatively straight forward thing to set angles repeatedly to within 2/10 of one degree.
As with most SCMS saws, those common angles (i.e., 90, 45, 22.5, etc) that have detents are extremely accurate (once calibrated) and will not easily be "bumped" off angle. However, the arbitrary angles that one usually sets are a different story. With my Dewalt, I can't tell you the number of times that I had an angle set (and locked) only to be accidentally bumped out of position. With the Kapex, once locked this baby is staying there unless you "reeeeeally" are hell bent on "accidentally" bumping the angle.
One other issue that I have had with my Dewalt is that it is nearly impossible to set an angle that is very close to an existing "detent". For instance, when trying to set an angle of say 90.25 degrees, the locking mechanism will always try to "pull" the angle to that detent. It can be a real pain. Not so with the Kapex. As long as the miter stop release lever is pushed, the angle will stay exactly where you set it as you lock it. That is a really nice feature of this saw.
As far as dust collection is concerned, I would say that the Kapex is far and away the best I have seen/used. It does collect most of the dust, but I am not sure that it is as high as is indicated. That is not scientific, but cutting composites this weekend, I did notice a bit of debris escaping the saw. It might have something to do with the material, but there was a bit of mess. Overall, it is hands down excellent at that task. One word of caution, the dust collection was not good at all using the 27mm hose. Once I switched to the 36mm hose, things were significantly better...
One thing that I did not pay attention to initially was just how quiet this saw is. I suspect it has something to do with the soft start, but it is significantly quieter than my Dewalt. There is also no "jerk" as the blade first starts spinning. It kind of just rolls on the power and easily cuts through whatever you are sawing. I have not had a chance to play much with the variable speed but I would say that I never noticed the saw struggling to cut whatever I threw at it, even 2x12 pressure treated material... At one point, I was cutting some Aluminum and had to slow down the speed to "4". That is not an option on most SCMS (if any)... Doing so made for very nice cuts through the 1/8" thick Aluminum...
Oh yea, one other thing that I wanted to comment on. At first, I thought that the idea of having the height of the miter saw equal to a "Sys-1" container would be of no real benefit to me. However, after working on the deck this weekend, it is fantastic... Working with 20' deck boards is tough as they are very heavy and composites are very flexible... By arranging four "sys-1" containers at intervals along the length of wood, the boards were completely supported along their length... It is just a nice "freebee" that in fact turns out to be beneficial after all...
Finally, I wanted to comment a bit on the portability of this saw. With my old Dewalt, moving the saw throughout the house was a real back breaker... It is not so much the weight (guessing 75 Lbs.), but the "ganglyness" of that unit... Trying to get that saw through a 30" wide door opening without trashing either the saw or the casings was nearly impossible for one man. Not so with the Kapex. At 47 Lbs, it is first off significantly lighter. And with the way the saw is constructed, by sliding the miter all the way to the left (and locking it and the rails), this unit is very tidy indeed... The built-in handles make for a very convenient way to man-handle this saw. I am easily able to move throughout the house without killing myself.
In conclusion, in the few days that I have gotten to play with the saw, I have really grown to like it. Once all the initial "issues" were corrected, this unit is a real pleasure to operate. It is light, accurate, quiet, clean, and the cut simply can't be beat. In my mind, it now completely lives up to the quality and reputation of a typical Festool product. It is just a shame that it got off to such a rough start... That being said, I am certain I will be using this tool for a long time to come...
I contacted their customer service center and as I had posted earlier, they could not have been more helpful. They sent me a new Spring Plate and after the 2-minute installation of that part, the saw has now taken on a completely different personality. Prior to that retrofit, I was not very impressed because I could not get past the issue at hand. However, replacing that part has completely corrected all issues that I used to have. Adjusting miters angles is now actually a breeze... Now that I have spent probably 20+ hours over the last few days with this baby, I must admit this is one sweet tool... To be sure, there are some issues that in my mind could be improved, but overall there simply is no other SCMS that I have used in the past that could compete with it.
To begin with, the cut that comes from this saw is simply awesome. The SCMS that I am replacing is the 12" Dewalt model DW708. I used to think that was a nice saw. However, I now feel differently... Just before I got the Kapex in, I had gotten my high-tooth-count Dewalt Carbide-tipped saw blade sharpened. I am working on a deck that is approximate 800 SF. I am replacing all of the decking material with composite decking. The cut coming from the freshly sharpened Dewalt was what I used to think was very good. Now being able to directly compare the Kapex and the Dewalt, the Kapex's cut literally seams as if it were run through a sander. It is that smooth.
I am not sure if the blade is that much better, the difference is with a 10" versus 12" blade, or that there is more flex with the Dewalt rails, but I have never gotten the quality of cut that I can with the Kapex... One problem that I used to have with the Dewalt was when trying to "sneak-up" on a cut (i.e., finely shave). It seems that the result would be a cut that was not completely flat along the length of the cut when using the slide. I swear it is as if the Dewalt blade (or something) would flex ever so slightly" That same technique on the Kapex results in a completely "true" cut...
The lasers are great, for the most part. I say for the most part because they are almost worthless in direct sunlight... Even using those wacky "red" goggles that often come with a Laser Level, the lines are not very visible. The goggles certainly help, but not enough to completely compensate for direct sunlight. Now, once clouds block the direct sunlight or if operating the saw in even a brightly lit shop, they are fantastic. They were (as they say) "spot-on" directly out of the box... When using them, you know exactly where the blade will strike the material you are cutting. One future enhancement would be to increase the brightness of the lasers so that they could be used in an outside environment.
One other feature that I really like is the "Hold Down Clamp". At first, I though that it did not apply enough clamp-down force to adequately secure the material at hand. However, I quickly discovered that with a little push down on the green cap at the top of the metal rod while simultaneously pulling up on the black plastic housing that the rod goes through, the amount of downward force can be significantly increased. With a little practice, I was able to do both the above things while pushing down the green locking handle all using a single hand. Using the above technique will adequately hold down most material.
As far as "dialing" in a miter at any arbitrary angle, I will say that this saw is significantly more accurate than the Dewalt. Prior to replacing the Spring Plate with one that was within tolerance, let's just say that this would have been an exercise in futility... However, with that problem behind me now, setting a given angle could not be easier. While working on my deck this weekend, I noticed that there was not a single corner (16 in all) whose angles were at either a typical "90" or "45" degrees... As is the case with most construction these days, I routinely found myself setting angles at 41.5 degrees, and even further tweaking that to 41.8 degrees... It is a relatively straight forward thing to set angles repeatedly to within 2/10 of one degree.
As with most SCMS saws, those common angles (i.e., 90, 45, 22.5, etc) that have detents are extremely accurate (once calibrated) and will not easily be "bumped" off angle. However, the arbitrary angles that one usually sets are a different story. With my Dewalt, I can't tell you the number of times that I had an angle set (and locked) only to be accidentally bumped out of position. With the Kapex, once locked this baby is staying there unless you "reeeeeally" are hell bent on "accidentally" bumping the angle.
One other issue that I have had with my Dewalt is that it is nearly impossible to set an angle that is very close to an existing "detent". For instance, when trying to set an angle of say 90.25 degrees, the locking mechanism will always try to "pull" the angle to that detent. It can be a real pain. Not so with the Kapex. As long as the miter stop release lever is pushed, the angle will stay exactly where you set it as you lock it. That is a really nice feature of this saw.
As far as dust collection is concerned, I would say that the Kapex is far and away the best I have seen/used. It does collect most of the dust, but I am not sure that it is as high as is indicated. That is not scientific, but cutting composites this weekend, I did notice a bit of debris escaping the saw. It might have something to do with the material, but there was a bit of mess. Overall, it is hands down excellent at that task. One word of caution, the dust collection was not good at all using the 27mm hose. Once I switched to the 36mm hose, things were significantly better...
One thing that I did not pay attention to initially was just how quiet this saw is. I suspect it has something to do with the soft start, but it is significantly quieter than my Dewalt. There is also no "jerk" as the blade first starts spinning. It kind of just rolls on the power and easily cuts through whatever you are sawing. I have not had a chance to play much with the variable speed but I would say that I never noticed the saw struggling to cut whatever I threw at it, even 2x12 pressure treated material... At one point, I was cutting some Aluminum and had to slow down the speed to "4". That is not an option on most SCMS (if any)... Doing so made for very nice cuts through the 1/8" thick Aluminum...
Oh yea, one other thing that I wanted to comment on. At first, I thought that the idea of having the height of the miter saw equal to a "Sys-1" container would be of no real benefit to me. However, after working on the deck this weekend, it is fantastic... Working with 20' deck boards is tough as they are very heavy and composites are very flexible... By arranging four "sys-1" containers at intervals along the length of wood, the boards were completely supported along their length... It is just a nice "freebee" that in fact turns out to be beneficial after all...
Finally, I wanted to comment a bit on the portability of this saw. With my old Dewalt, moving the saw throughout the house was a real back breaker... It is not so much the weight (guessing 75 Lbs.), but the "ganglyness" of that unit... Trying to get that saw through a 30" wide door opening without trashing either the saw or the casings was nearly impossible for one man. Not so with the Kapex. At 47 Lbs, it is first off significantly lighter. And with the way the saw is constructed, by sliding the miter all the way to the left (and locking it and the rails), this unit is very tidy indeed... The built-in handles make for a very convenient way to man-handle this saw. I am easily able to move throughout the house without killing myself.
In conclusion, in the few days that I have gotten to play with the saw, I have really grown to like it. Once all the initial "issues" were corrected, this unit is a real pleasure to operate. It is light, accurate, quiet, clean, and the cut simply can't be beat. In my mind, it now completely lives up to the quality and reputation of a typical Festool product. It is just a shame that it got off to such a rough start... That being said, I am certain I will be using this tool for a long time to come...
