My Kapex got cracked, not covered

[ScoFF]

I experienced a kickback cutting a 2x4 and it slammed back against the dust shroud cracking it off.  The the piece the rubber duet boot clamps on is the entire left and right side enclosing the blade so that's bad. 
I could epoxy the plastic back together and maybe bondo it but I sent it in for a repair quote hoping it might be covered since I got it in 2013.
They came back $262 USD.  I can't afford that at this time.  Too bad it's made of plastic and they won't repair it. I didn't think it was that fragile.

I'm not a professional, a hobbiest for about 8 years in my basement.  In hindsight I should never have spent this much money on a saw since I don't need the premium.  I only splurged as a gift to myself since I did odd jobs at the time and thought I'd have a saw to last a lifetime.  I also wanted the dust collection since I work out of my basement.
To be breaking it 2 years later and have a $375 CDN repair bill under warranty is really going to kill me.  I likely will be smearing pink bondo on my expensive saw and staring at it for the life of it. 

View attachment 1

 

[Rob in Vancouver]

Honestly, what the frig is wrong with Festool? This type of repair is $262USD (about $350 Canadian). Sorry, this is price gouging.

Is your fence out of square?

I thought the Kapex had a 3yr warranty?? Why won't they cover it??

 

[Locks14]

Honestly, what the frig is wrong with Festool? This type of repair is $262USD (about $350 Canadian). Sorry, this is price gouging.

Is your fence out of square?

I agree. It would have taken hardly any time at all to have just fixed it out of a gesture of goodwill, but there's no obligation for Festool to do that. However, if they do decide to charge, $262 for that is just daylight robbery!

 

[ScoFF]

"Repair cost would be $262.18 USD including return shipping :  new stop (this is the back fence spanning left and right side, "not straight anymore"?), dust clamp, dust extr. attachment , and 2 pistol grips (left and right plastic sides of the main part of the saw)"

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Anyone ever tried or seen the top side covers removed from the saw?

Do it yourself,  it won't take long until you realize the price was reasonable to begin with.

Buy a new dust boot and repair the break. It's nothing critical.

 

[TylerC]

I've spoken with our service department about this. This repair falls outside of the warranty because the crack didn't happen as a result of a product defect.

That said, I've made the Canadian repair team aware of your case, and they're committed to finding a solution that you're satisfied with. Please give them a call if you have concerns or want to talk through options.

 

[Tinker]

"Repair cost would be $262.18 USD including return shipping :  new stop (this is the back fence spanning left and right side, "not straight anymore"?), dust clamp, dust extr. attachment , and 2 pistol grips (left and right plastic sides of the main part of the saw)"

When I read the original post, it seemed like only the plastic shroud was damaged.  It did seem quite expensive.  Now, with the latest post, it appears a whole lot more is involved (damaged).  Suddenly, it no longer looks so excessive.
Tinker

 

[tiralie]

Do it yourself,  it won't take long until you realize the price was reasonable to begin with.

Buy a new dust boot and repair the break. It's nothing critical.

Agreed, EKAT makes it dead easy to find the part numbers and any dealer will order the parts for you.
Tim

 

[jeh]

Honestly, what the frig is wrong with Festool? This type of repair is $262USD (about $350 Canadian). Sorry, this is price gouging.

Is your fence out of square?

I thought the Kapex had a 3yr warranty?? Why won't they cover it??

The warranty does not cover user inflicted damage and the cost is reasonable given the other items included in the repair including return shipping. The solution is not to bitch here, but instead order the part and install it yourself.

 

[mastercabman]

I had that happen to me
Got the part and replaced myself
The part was the left side cover
I think I paid about $25.00
The part was not too bad to replace

 

[Kevin D.]

I experienced a kickback cutting a 2x4 and it slammed back against the dust shroud cracking it off.  The the piece the rubber duet boot clamps on is the entire left and right side enclosing the blade so that's bad. 

View attachment 1

So was it you were trying to cut it too fast, or what Bob?.  Just curious so I don't do the same to mine.

Sorry to hear that btw. 

 

[ScoFF]

No I always cut slow, I always have the non cutoff side clamped too. I was trimming off 2" off the end of a 2x4 so maybe it has a twist or released some tension but the blue grabbed it.  Good thing my hands were away.

 

[ear3]

Yeah, kickback on the miter saw is no friggin joke.  Adds a few gray hairs.

No I always cut slow, I always have the non cutoff side clamped too. I was trimming off 2" off the end of a 2x4 so maybe it has a twist or released some tension but the blue grabbed it.  Good thing my hands were away.

 

[raph38]

looks to me that this is part #195 "housing" selling for about $50

 

[ScoFF]

There's two sides, I need both. 

 

[kdzito]

I had the same thing happen to me.  I would really question them about the fence not being square.  My kickback caused the piece (a 1 x 2) to be wedged only between the blade and the plastic rear blade guard.  The piece was not wedged between the fence. 

Here is a pic of mine.  They replaced the pistol grip and rear blade guard(?).  It cost me about $85.00 and they only charged me for parts.  I'm surprised they are trying to charge you that much.  I see a pattern on many Kapex's pistol grips and rear blade guards breaking due to kick back.  Maybe they should at least make the rear blade guard out of metal!!!!!  This happened to my DeWalt and the blade guard did not break since it is metal.  I'm a little disappointed with my Kapex because of this design.  Nevertheless I still believe it is a good saw; however, i feel your pain Scott.

 

[ScoFF]

As soon as I get it back I'm going to make a zero clearance rear fence like in the suplamenrary manual and maybe that might catch something in the future although it might just go over top.

 

[bionicus]

Kickback from slowly trimming a 2x4 that was clamped down.. Where is the user error here? I'm pretty sure that until this saw gets more power, or the electro-speed control doodads are tweaked, kickback will continue to be a serious and costly problem.

Personally I'd fix it, wait for the standard Canadian price hike to make your asking price more appealing, then sell the thing.

 

[Jozsef Kozma]

I wish festool would give us some awnsers
Just the awnsers that they gave this individuals
I can hardly imagen that if it's a problem they would not have
corrected it
I am not an electrician but I was told by one to use a quality surge protector
Specially on battery chargers but anything that is more expensive than a surge
Protector
The only battery chargers that stopped working is the one my guys use always
Without a protector (but that is an other story)

When everything burns out in a short period ,chances are they are related to
a common source (it might not be the tool)
On the kick back issue
In my 37 years I never saw anybody clamp both side of the peace that is being
cut (I don't think it's neccesary for a fact I don't think it's safe)
I don't own a Kapex but I am using one a lot . The saw is 6 years old never had
an issue. It is very well maintained and yes protected ( the owner and myself look
at tools as investment ( they only pay divident if they keep working and don't have
to be replaced)
I read about the issues , but my next festool purchase will be the Kapex
Mid January

Jozsef

 

[ScoFF]

I only clamp the one end, not the offcut (I agree, that would not be safe). They reduced the charge to $165 USD total which I accepted.