Moving (220v) German Festool Workshop to the US

[festoller]

Good morning fellow FOGs,

I’ve been researching the 110v/220v issue, but couldn’t get a clear picture of what’s really possible and feasible and need advice on moving or not moving the precious 220v Festools to the US, not to mention the indispensable espresso machine and grinder [eek]

In average my tools (Kapex 120, TS 55, OF 1010, Domino, Carvex, Rotex, ETS, CXS, T15, T15i, RTS, CTL 26)  are 5-10 years old, but in very good condition and well maintained and serviced.

Of course everything will move stationary into a new workshop, but they will most probably be used during remodeling, before 220v installations are done. Typically I’ll never use more than the CTL in combination with one other tool.

I suppose it’s possible to install a few 220 outlets in the workshop, but what are the technical requirements? For off site, can you just use the kitchen/ laundry room 220v with an extension cord or do you need a transformer.

I’d appreciate any advice, maybe someone already went through this hassle?

 

[rocky100370]

All I did for mine is run a 220v line with outlets. Everything runs fine and no problems.

 

[Bob D.]

All I did for mine is run a 220v line with outlets. Everything runs fine and no problems.

That works and if your tools never leave your shop then probably good. But what happens when you venture out to work anywhere else do you have problems finding places to plug in chargers for cordless tools as well as powering your corded tools.

 

[mino]

My take:

Shop/Stationary tools: Keep and setup 220V for them.
Kapex 120, TS 55, OF 1010, Domino, CTL 26

Battery tools: Keep as is (check chargers are 110V compatible, sell on those which are not)
CXS, T15, T15i

Mobile tools: sell-on in DE and repurchase in US
Carvex, Rotex, ETS, RTS

I would replace with:
Battery-powered Carvex (works on 15V, so only basic tool needed), ETS 125/3 + 150 pad, RTSC (and add ETSC 125 + Edge guide later)

 

[sancho57]

when i moved my shop from the US to UK, i ran everything off a trany.

so you could set your shop up w 220 or use a tranny or both with no real issues

 

[Jim_in_PA]

You'll want to verify that the tools are also compatible with 60 hz power which is the North American standard. I'll echo what others said...in the shop, it's relatively easy to accommodate 240v service for tools but using them elsewhere, not so much. The cords will need to be re-terminated, however, as the 240v plug used where you live now is different than the 240v plugs and receptacles that are approved and used in the US and Canada.

 

[woodwise]

Depending on how long you will live in the US and how much site work you do, you may consider purchasing an inverter generator to bring with you.https://www.honda.co.uk/industrial/products/generators/inverter/overview.html

The EU22i will work great with all of your 230v/50hz tools and offer some portability. My previous company used these daily and with a bit of maintenance, they ran for thousands of hours with no issues.

 

[jonnyrocket]

For off site, can you just use the kitchen/ laundry room 220v with an extension cord or do you need a transformer.

You can definitely have a US based electrician build you a box that plugs into the 240V outlets used by US based Clothes Dryers and this would allow you to have appropriate power for any site work. Such a device will tap into the larger amperage outlet at the clothes dryer and then provide you with a few circuit breakers that protect two or three 240V outlets at lower amperage ratings. In fact, such a system could fit nicely into a systainer to make the whole kit look at home.

 

[xedos]

Before moving , I’d suggest going to a home center in Germany and buy half a dozen EU receptacles and wall boxes to bring back with you.

You or an electrician can wire those in your new shop or garage to a 220v breaker and make things easier & neater.

 

[festoller]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions!  [not worthy]

Obviously my timing for Festool purchases is perfect. Prices have increased significantly and availability is uncertain and of course there’s the premium to US Festools.

Running a 220v outlet in the shop seems to be the easiest solution, at least for the stationary tools (Kapex, CTL, TS55, Domino, etc.) Although there’s still the 60 hz issue, that might be a problem long term. Installing EU receptacles and wall boxes is a great idea, I just not sure if this could cause trouble with insurance or resale of the property. Is there Festool service and support for 220v in the US?

Replacing the cordless tools with US versions seems appropriate, unfortunately the German 220v chargers are not 110-240v , just 200-240v. Unfortunately I just noticed T15 is discontinued. So these I have to purchase in the US. Charger and batteries can be used to operate additional tools. As for the CTL and off site use, I could just get a smaller CT, although at least 10 years ago, the difference between CTL and CTL Midi was notable.

Then there’s the inverter, but running a CTL and Kapex at the same time, could be challenging for inverter and power line. 

 

[Mini Me]

Not small tools as discussed here but we routinely run 50hz rated motors at 60 on cyclones and have ben doing so for years and my personal Clearvue runs at 70hz with no problems. The advantage is the motor speed will increase from about 2850 to 3450 rpm. 

 

[notenoughcash]

dont the USA tcl and sca charge 15V batterys?  just wondering

 

[mino]

dont the USA tcl and sca charge 15V batterys?  just wondering

They do. The batteries are the same. No point in replacing the cordless stuff, just sell-on the chargers if they cannot do 110V.

 

[mino]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions!  [not worthy]

Obviously my timing for Festool purchases is perfect. Prices have increased significantly and availability is uncertain and of course there’s the premium to US Festools.

Running a 220v outlet in the shop seems to be the easiest solution, at least for the stationary tools (Kapex, CTL, TS55, Domino, etc.) Although there’s still the 60 hz issue, that might be a problem long term. Installing EU receptacles and wall boxes is a great idea, I just not sure if this could cause trouble with insurance or resale of the property. Is there Festool service and support for 220v in the US?

Replacing the cordless tools with US versions seems appropriate, unfortunately the German 220v chargers are not 110-240v , just 200-240v. Unfortunately I just noticed T15 is discontinued. So these I have to purchase in the US. Charger and batteries can be used to operate additional tools. As for the CTL and off site use, I could just get a smaller CT, although at least 10 years ago, the difference between CTL and CTL Midi was notable.

Then there’s the inverter, but running a CTL and Kapex at the same time, could be challenging for inverter and power line.

For the CTL, long term, I would just plan to change the motor and electronics to 110V when their runtime expires. Just get one set of brushes for the 220V version with you from Europe and once the motor goes over its hours (if) get the US 110V parts in.

The bulk of the Festool CT series is in the non-electric parts costs, so replacing the motor+control board is actually sensible. You may even sell-on the control board later on via ebay ...

 

[Paul_HKI]

Installing EU receptacles and wall boxes is a great idea....

Definitely an argument to be made there for a PowerHub / SYS-PH with a US 220V plug fitted.

Buy two, leaving you with 8 x 220v outlets for your various EU tools to run from, and no issues with the hard wired infrastructure in your residence/garage etc.

Even if you only 'need' one, buy two, so you have a spare on hand.

 

[mino]

Installing EU receptacles and wall boxes is a great idea....

Definitely an argument to be made there for a PowerHub / SYS-PH with a US 220V plug fitted.

Buy two, leaving you with 8 x 220v outlets for your various EU tools to run from, and no issues with the hard wired infrastructure in your residence/garage etc.

Even if you only 'need' one, buy two, so you have a spare on hand.

I would be careful here. In the same way as wiring an EU socket on a wall is not a good idea.

The thing is, US "220V" is not equivalent to European "230V" in where the earth it.

In US it is actually someting along the "L1" "PE" "L2" with L1 and L2 being opposithe phase to give you 220V.

In Europe, it is "L, N, P" with the L being 230V against the ground and the N being effectively "ground" just not earthed locally.

For most devices, this does not matter given how they are wired. Definitely does not matter for the non-earthed stuff. But with earthed devices, there can be devices which expect one of the working wires to be 0V against ground and the other 230V(average). Such devices may not work correctly and/or their electronics can burn out.

Taking a device you know is compatible and giving it a US 220V plug can be completely safe as long as you know the device can handle/is-compatible-with this operation.

Wiring an European plug in a NON-STANDARD way however can be dangerous. It can create the FALSE impression on non-experts that ANYTHING that can be physically plugged they can plug there ... which is not the case.

Wiring up European plugs around the shop and powering them from a properly earthed 110V->230V transformer may not be officially legal, but is safe if done propelry.

Taking a US grid 2x110V input and putting a 1x230V socket on it ... not so much.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

You do not want to install the EU receptacles in wall boxes here in the US. That indeed could cause issues you don't want to face if there is any kind of accident, etc. You could likely, however, make up an adapter (or use an existing EU to US adapter if they exist) that plugs into a US standard 240v wall receptacle and provides a conversion to your tools without changing the cord termination. The challenge with any existing adapter is that 240v power receptacles in North America are primarily only for appliances and often hidden behind those appliances. Some are even hard-wired, depending on when they were installed. (Had that situation this past weekend when I took delivery of a new range for the kitchen and found the old one was hard wired)

So again, resolving this in a shop situation is relatively easy if the tools will work reliably on 60 hz power, but "out and about" is going to be a lot tougher.

 

[Cheese]

I'd consider checking into if a SYS-PowerStation can be charged on US 240 vac power. If so, that would take care of both your in-shop needs and your remote power needs.

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[mino]

I'd consider checking into if a SYS-PowerStation can be charged on US 240 vac power. If so, that would take care of both your in-shop needs and your remote power needs.

That would be the most cost-effective approach indeed.
[big grin]

Jokes aside, you cannot transport a 1500Wh LiIon pack on an airplane or using common international shipping methods. Dangerous goods thing that must be declared and all that. And no, you do not want to try faking that. Will light up on the customs safety check like a christmass tree. You would be lucky they do not have it blown up by the explosives removal squad ...

If you were shipping your stuff using a dedicated container by ship, then it could be fine though.

 

[squall_line]

I purchased my OF1400 from a gentleman who was moving from the US to Europe.  He decided to sell all of his corded tools and re-purchase when he got situated.  I think the only items he decided to keep were specialty tools that he knew he couldn't get in Europe, and he had some hospital-grade voltage converters/drivers to take care of that.  Packed almost everything else in Milwaukee Packouts to protect it in the container as it got shipped.

He had a LOT of tools to sell, was in a pretty remote location, and wasn't shipping anything.  He still sold almost everything for typical used Festool prices (that is, almost full retail).

My guess is that you would save just as much, if not more, in shipping costs than you would "lose" in selling and re-purchasing.  You would also save the hassle of waiting for the ship to arrive, waiting to have power and converters installed and running, worrying whether or not anything would be damaged in transit, etc.

That's just my take on it, though.