New Mafell 18V track saw

[Svar]

Mafell introduced new cordless track sawhttp://mt55.mafell.de/en/

 

[blaszcsj]

curious it is only 18V vs all the competitors on the market being 36V or 60V saws.

 

[jeh]

curious it is only 18V vs all the competitors on the market being 36V or 60V saws.

Voltage is like processor speed on a computer. There are other variables in play so you just can't look at one single specification to make a determination as to good or bad.

 

[bobfog]

I have the 18v Milwaukee SDS that creates 4.3j of impact energy and performs better than most 36v SDS machines on the market.

 

[rizzoa13]

I have the 18v mafell tracksaw and it’s extremely powerful. I can’t compare it to the cordless ts55 but it has much more power than my older corded ts55.

The Metabo battery platform is also the best I’ve seen.

 

[blaszcsj]

curious it is only 18V vs all the competitors on the market being 36V or 60V saws.

Voltage is like processor speed on a computer. There are other variables in play so you just can't look at one single specification to make a determination as to good or bad.

I don't disagree. It's just interesting to see different methods at play. It would be cool to see runtime and power comparisons between the brands.

 

[Womble]

There is an article online somewhere (you should be able to find it with a bit of googling) comparing & explaining the differences between Dewalts 36v & 56v batteries & Milwaukee's 18v 9.0ah batteries.

 

[McNally Family]

curious it is only 18V vs all the competitors on the market being 36V or 60V saws.

Voltage is like processor speed on a computer. There are other variables in play so you just can't look at one single specification to make a determination as to good or bad.

I don't disagree. It's just interesting to see different methods at play. It would be cool to see runtime and power comparisons between the brands.

I for one, would love to see a comprehensive review of these newer battery powered tools.  Knowledge is power!  

 

[fshanno]

The first one to offer an AC adapter will have a leg up on the competition.

 

[antss]

DeWalt is already first out of the gate with their flexvolt system.  They just adapted their tracksaw to work on battery power.

That said, I don't think Festool or Mafell are quaking in their boots over the offering.

 

[jeh]

Agree that Festool and Mafell are working with an entirely different customer base with the exception of a few tools.

 

[antss]

Makita's new cordless tracksaw and kapex killer mitersaw (maybe  [unsure]) are now on the shelves just in time for Xmas.    It'll be interesting to see if they (or Milwaukee) come out with some sort of mains adapter to compete with DeWalt's system. 

 

[aloysius]

Makita's new cordless tracksaw and kapex killer mitersaw (maybe  [unsure]) are now on the shelves just in time for Xmas.    It'll be interesting to see if they (or Milwaukee) come out with some sort of mains adapter to compete with DeWalt's system.

I'm pretty sure Makita had a mains adapter about 20 years ago.  It obviously wasn't too successful (for reasons unknown) as it was relatively short-lived.  Another good idea obviously a few years too far ahead of its time.  Rothenberger also had one for their previous generation cordless plumbing tools too before they switched over to Metabo power.

 

[Steven Owen]

It’s not the best marketing blurb by any means. They really don’t tell you much about the battery system at all.  Details on the battery are vauge.

Aside from the battery power, I can’t see much differences between the existing model. 

 

[rylim]

I wonder if the Mafell saw will work on Festool rail? There's no mention of Festool rail in the brochure  [sad]

 

[antss]

Since Mafell is "borrowing" the battery platform from Metabo it makes sense not to put battery puffery out front in the marketing effort.  Besides, playing the "mine's bigger" game is not really their style.

The corded version works on a Festool rail , so I assume the battery version does too.

 

[Steven Owen]

Since Mafell is "borrowing" the battery platform from Metabo it makes sense not to put battery puffery out front in the marketing effort.  Besides, playing the "mine's bigger" game is not really their style.

The corded version works on a Festool rail , so I assume the battery version does too.

I’m not concerned with boasting about battery performance.  Minimally you want to know the number of board feet and working time to decide how many batteries are required to complete a tasks.

Makita has done the best job setting expectations for their cordless X2 platform.  You know what you’re going to get with an X2 system.  I can’t understand anyone not using 2 batteries on an 18 Volt system.  I can’t imagine getting much mileage from a single battery system. 

You’re also at more risk of having a more downtime due to batteries overheating on heavy tasks with all the power draw coming off a single battery.

 

[Svar]

The battery is 18V, 99Wh (says on the site). What else do you need? Its 5.5 Ah.
I don't think motor efficiency and other energy losses on this class of saws differ by more than few % from brand to brand.

 

[antss]

I’m not concerned with boasting about battery performance.  Minimally you want to know the number of board feet and working time to decide how many batteries are required to complete a tasks.

: talk about marketing boasting.  I can hear it now: "mine cuts longer than yours cuts "

You want it in board feet ?  ???  Who measures cut performance in those terms ?  A sawblade manuf. maybe.  Is that one board foot of yours 3/4 or 16/4 material ?  Are your sheetgoods Styrofoam or waterproof MDF ?  You'll get a lot more sheets cut with the former than latter.

Then there's where you'll be cutting this stuff.  Wintry Minnesota is going have much different performance than on the plains of Texas in the summer.  And Mafell isn't going to sell enough of them to warrant testing in either location.

Below is the link to makita's saw and I cannot find anyplace that says how many 2x4s or sheets of ply it'll cut.  Perhaps I missed it though.

https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XPS01Z

 

[Steven Owen]

I’m not concerned with boasting about battery performance.  Minimally you want to know the number of board feet and working time to decide how many batteries are required to complete a tasks.

: talk about marketing boasting.  I can hear it now: "mine cuts longer than yours cuts "

You want it in board feet ?  ???  Who measures cut performance in those terms ?  A sawblade manuf. maybe.  Is that one board foot of yours 3/4 or 16/4 material ?  Are your sheetgoods Styrofoam or waterproof MDF ?  You'll get a lot more sheets cut with the former than latter.

Then there's where you'll be cutting this stuff.  Wintry Minnesota is going have much different performance than on the plains of Texas in the summer.  And Mafell isn't going to sell enough of them to warrant testing in either location.

Below is the link to makita's saw and I cannot find anyplace that says how many 2x4s or sheets of ply it'll cut.  Perhaps I missed it though.

https://www.makitatools.com/products/details/XPS01Z

The testing was done in various reviews.  The major price difference means there will be more independent testing.  Mafell is only well known in certain markets.  Mafell is high end brand with a limited audience.

For Canadians, the decision is even more difficult.  Once you factor in the exchange rate and getting nailed by tariffs crossing the US boarder, it’s downright painful.  Mafell would have been smarter to have a Canadian dealer like Atlas Machinery or Elite Tools carrying their brand. 

The $1750 Canadian price tag with the MT55, 1 Track, 2 blades and minor accessories is a difficult pill to swallow vs a more powerful TS 75 at $995 CAD with a track.

The Mafell design is great, it’s not worth an extra $800 to purchase of the Festool saws.