News from the Festool gossip factory...

[Alan m]

yes there are 8 - 10 companies making these multi tools but as far as i know there is only one (fein) THAT IS UP TO THE GAME. the quality of the others is not there. i have a fein MM and love it. the reason most of us buy bestool is because of the quality. i only see a company of festools quality entering this market as a good thing. it should make more compitition for fein.
hopefully festool  will come up with some very cool uses and accesories for this type of tool. i for one cant wait.

we should stop bickering about whether festool should enter the market but start coming up with design ideas for them to put into it

 

[Brice Burrell]

I don't get this over saturated market nonsense. it's not like there's only two companies in the world that make drills or routers. id be interested to see what festool comes up with

The difference big between drills and oscillating tools.  Most people have multiple drills and they are used frequently as opposed to the occasionally used oscillating tool.  Furthermore, oscillating tools didn't become popular until the price dropped dramatically with all of the competition.  That tells me the masses didn't really want them when they came with the high end price tag.  Look at it this way, Festool would have to compete with the all the cheap oscillating tools and the well established Fein brand in the high end market.  That's a lot to overcome.  

Me, I don't get the whole craze about the oscillating tool.  I have a Fein MM but it is not used all that often.  I can't see the Super Cut making any difference to me.  I'd like to know what you guys that used these things all time are doing with yours.  I suspect any answers will be very vague and/or tasks that could easily be done with other tools......

......we should stop bickering about whether festool should enter the market but start coming up with design ideas for them to put into it

 

Oh Alan, you're probably right, I'll shut up now. [embarassed]    

 

[Alan m]

i only use my MM for cutting up against things or in tight spots where other tools wont fit. i try not to use it where other tools would work as the blades are dear. i use it for sanding in corners but the ro 90 (when i get one ) will stop that

 

[AlexThePalex]

[Look at it this way, Festool would have to compete with the all the cheap oscillating tools and the well established Fein brand in the high end market.  That's a lot to overcome.  

So ...... you're saying Festool is doing any different with the rest of their tools?

 

[Michael Kellough]

I don't get this over saturated market nonsense. it's not like there's only two companies in the world that make drills or routers. id be interested to see what festool comes up with

Completely agree. There's nothing saturated. Let the free market do it's work. About time Fein got some competition. Mind you, I'm not expecting anything, this is just gossip after all ........

Hard to believe how all the people here jump up and down like little kids in a candy store when Festool announces a new machine, for something as trivial as just another jigsaw or just another drill, but when it comes to a rare type like the multimaster there's objection this, objection that ........  [eek]

Agree.

There were lots of MP3 players on the market before the iPod came along.
But we're still talking about a saw, which is only as good as it's blade.
Curious what Festool might come up with.

 

[John Bates]

Even the cheap versions will cut better with a decent blade, the same is true with band saws and jigsaws. Festool would probably do a superb oscillating tool, I wonder what unique features they could add?

 

[jmbfestool]

I don't get this over saturated market nonsense. it's not like there's only two companies in the world that make drills or routers. id be interested to see what festool comes up with

The difference big between drills and oscillating tools.  Most people have multiple drills and they are used frequently as opposed to the occasionally used oscillating tool.  Furthermore, oscillating tools didn't become popular until the price dropped dramatically with all of the competition.  That tells me the masses didn't really want them when they came with the high end price tag.  Look at it this way, Festool would have to compete with the all the cheap oscillating tools and the well established Fein brand in the high end market.  That's a lot to overcome.  

Me, I don't get the whole craze about the oscillating tool.  I have a Fein MM but it is not used all that often.  I can't see the Super Cut making any difference to me.  I'd like to know what you guys that used these things all time are doing with yours.  I suspect any answers will be very vague and/or tasks that could easily be done with other tools......

......we should stop bickering about whether festool should enter the market but start coming up with design ideas for them to put into it

Oh Alan, you're probably right, I'll shut up now. [embarassed]    

I use my fein often enough to pay for it's self because the jobs where it comes in it saves so much time da it makes up for the days I don't use it.

Example.

It comes in a lot for
Cutting skirting board/base board

Cutting out floor boards as a circular saw is round and so leaves the corners and you cant always saw past so the fein comes in just to cut the corners!  Also if studding is sitting on the floor boards you can easily cut the boards flush with the stud with the fein ready for putting nice new chipboard down or plywood.

Ripping out stuff but you want to avoid causing damage to the surrounding area e fein easily cuts the nails and you can simply pull the timber out with out the need of banging and pulling about.

Cutting notches in kitchen units already installed for (plumbers mainly)

Friday just gone I had to rip down a 10"x7" oak beam about 4metres long  to make a door frame!   The client wanted it to look like the door frame had always been der so I used this old oak beam and then I had to scribe it against old oak posts it to me almost all day to do this!

  The  existing oak posts I had to scribe to where bent and out of level and I had to get my frame level of course!     Well the fein came in loads for notching around the beams and I did use chisels aswell don't worry you old joiners lol!

Also had to cut the ceiling out as the ceiling was at chest height where the frame was going so I had to slope the ceiling up like above stairs! Well the ceiling a had plaster board and oak t&g boards I used an old blade on the multimaster to cut the plaster and then a new blade to cut the t&g boards flush with the oak beams.   Other methods would of taken me a lot longer so the fein really helped me out Friday.

Many many more examples but I'm boring my self typing all this on the iPad lol

Oh the Protool sword really came in also for ripping down the oak beam brilliant!
Jmb

OH forgot to mention! I also used my ehl85 to help with the scribing unfortunalily it started smoking I think I burnt it out  [crying] [crying]

 

[jmbfestool]

Even the cheap versions will cut better with a decent blade, the same is true with band saws and jigsaws. Festool would probably do a superb oscillating tool, I wonder what unique features they could add?

I would like to see a veriable isolating angle!  I recon wider angle oscillating will give you a quicker cutting rate as the strokes are larger as it move side to side?  Or am I wrong?

Jmb

 

[John Bates]

I don't know if this would be practical as the tool may oscillate more than the blade if it was a bigger swing. Not sure here but I would think the degree of arc would have a limit beyond which it would be hard to control.
As JMB said it's the odd jobs where nothing else can get in, are the costly ones or you would have used your jig/circular/reciprocating/pad/hack saw.

 

[Michael Kellough]

My Fein Multi-tool (or whatever it was called, it's so old I can't find a picture of it on the Web) still works great and even though it requires an Allen wrench to tighten the blades I don't find that an issue. It was designed for blades with a simple holes. I rarely have an issue with slippage and it's likely because I cut into a load bearing post and the kerf has collapsed.

That said, I have some Milwaukee M12 stuff and I'm thinking of getting their cordless multi-tool because the power cord is a problem sometimes and usually the needed cut takes less time than getting the power sorted out. Which also means there isn't much need for a vacuum cleaner since the kerf is so small.

 

[Timtool]

why not a multi- festool using the CXS battery? i worked with a fein super cut when helping a friend doing repairs and installing a staircase, the annoying part was that you usually use it for little jobs here and there around the area and moving the powercord along was annoying.

the DX 93 delta sander already has the body and looks of a MM, with built in DC

i don't have a multi tool, but it's something i will probably get one day, if festool makes a comparable or even better one than fein then why would i not buy it for the sake of the "system"

 

[semenza]

I think a variable angle head would be a good feature , as JMB suggested.  Being able to get these tool sinto odd places would really add versatility.  Plus it would help with control / accuracy in some cutting positions.

A built in work light would be good too.

Seth

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Seth,

How about an oscillating light?  [wink]

 

[andy5405]

I love my Multimaster but only since I put a plug-it leads on it and store it in a systainer. The original lead didn't fit at all well in the Fein case and it was very often a reason for me not to get it out when I wanted to use it. It was a real pig to get back in the case. I'm not totally convinced about quality as mine burnt out within the first year and had to go back for a major repair (under warranty and as luck would have it I took it in for repair on the day the warranty ran out).

I'm sure Festool could improve it and I'm sure it would cost at least twice what the Fein does and the blades would be silly money. Let's wait and see.

 

[John Bates]

Just use the WSE blades, all bi-metal, long lasting, German made, not expensive. I may be biased here [wink]

 

[MadViking]

I use my Fein FMM mainly on plasterboard, it's realy quick to trim small bits off. Not to mention the "magic wand" effect of being able to just go right in anywhere in a wall - hopefully not into any pipes or cables  ;D

I've never seen DC as an issue when using the Fein since it's mostly small stuff, and it's quick to pick it up manually with the hose. One of the things I don't like about the Fein is that there are only a few basic blades available for the FMM while the Supercut has tons of different blades, and they won't fit the FMM. Would be so much better if I could use any of the blades for the FMM. There is an adapter to use the standard blades for the Supercut, but not the other way around.

In all honesty I can't see myself buying a new oscillating tool if Festool eventually comes out with one. Maybe if my Fein dies.

 

[AlexThePalex]

... I'm sure it would cost at least twice what the Fein does and the blades would be silly money. Let's wait and see.

If Festool made one it would be for the professional market only so it probably would be closer to the Supercut than to the Multimaster. The Supercut already costs more than double that of the Multimaster and all Fein blades are also silly money.

I could have gotten a Multimaster or a Supercut a couple of times for a really tempting price, but decided not to because of the cost of the blades, and how long (or better: how short) they last.

 

[peter halle]

Festool has a lot of patents in place I am sure.  Think about what they did with the RO90 and turning a rotating tool into one that uses the delta pad.  Think about the complexity of the domino where it moves in an arc (like the Fein Multimaster family) and also rotates.  Take the new impact where they take a drill and add the impact and then design a head to take out the impact.  Then take Festo and it's flying and swimming robots and other mind boggling things.  I would love to see something coming out of this rumor.  I guarantee that it would be unlike others.  My guess is that it has been in the design works for a while - I think that I read or heard that from design start to market is 6 to 7 years.

I have had a Fein Multimaster since 2002.  It has saved my bacon more than once and I honestly can saw that it has made me a bunch of money.  When I got my first Festool the local dealer warned me about the consumable prices.  I compared them to the Fein.  I find the Festool prices to be more reasonable for what you are buying although it is not possible to compare bananas to bananas.

Hope that the rumor is true.

Peter

 

[Ken Nagrod]

I use my Fein FMM mainly on plasterboard, it's realy quick to trim small bits off. Not to mention the "magic wand" effect of being able to just go right in anywhere in a wall - hopefully not into any pipes or cables  ;D

I've never seen DC as an issue when using the Fein since it's mostly small stuff, and it's quick to pick it up manually with the hose. One of the things I don't like about the Fein is that there are only a few basic blades available for the FMM while the Supercut has tons of different blades, and they won't fit the FMM. Would be so much better if I could use any of the blades for the FMM. There is an adapter to use the standard blades for the Supercut, but not the other way around.

In all honesty I can't see myself buying a new oscillating tool if Festool eventually comes out with one. Maybe if my Fein dies.

MadViking,

I've had Fein MultiMasters for around 11 years and I've had loads of different type of blades for them, even more since the revised model came out,  so I don't understand your remark.  There are even kits with multiple blade types for specific trades.  If you need personal pictures, I can show you the inside of my MultiMaster kit.

... I'm sure it would cost at least twice what the Fein does and the blades would be silly money. Let's wait and see.

If Festool made one it would be for the professional market only so it probably would be closer to the Supercut than to the Multimaster. The Supercut already costs more than double that of the Multimaster and all Fein blades are also silly money.

I could have gotten a Multimaster or a Supercut a couple of times for a really tempting price, but decided not to because of the cost of the blades, and how long (or better: how short) they last.

Alex,

It seems like you thought you needed the MultiMaster or SuperCut, so I'm guessing that these specialty tools were a necessity, yet you avoided purchasing one because of consumable cost?  How are you solving your job-related issues without those tools?

 

[fritter63]

Was it Shane a while back ago who said Festool doesn't like to make a tool unless they can improve on it? I know somebody here said it. The Fein multi is a great tool. Two things Festool could improve upon in a new version.
- The noise level, man that noise is rough after a while
- DC, I have the DC attachment for my MultiM; it's Ok at best; It definitely seems like an add on that Fein threw in to satisfy market needs.

Sure, maybe they'll mount it on a track.