Not impressed with Festool Carvex

[Sacapuntas]

I’ve been using a Dewalt jigsaw for years. I commonly use it for curved cuts to wrap custom pieces around trim in clients homes. I’ve found it plenty good for precision work with a sharp blade.

The downside is dust collection. The dewalt literally has a fan to blow the dust away so you can better see the blade. When working in a clients home this can mean blasting dust everywhere if I’m not holding a vacuum very close by. A challenge at times when I need both hands.

So I just tried upgrading to the Festool Carvex expecting premium dust collection, superior precision, and good ergonomics. Got none of that.

-Dust collection was ok, but the extended back and hose made it very clunky to work with for curved cuts. And the dust shield immediately clouded up making it impossible to see the blade. I still saw considerable dust escaping into the room

- even without the dust shield the strobing light doesn’t always sync up and it can be very distracting to see the blade.

-The way the blade goes into the guide also makes it hard to see the blade. I struggled to see the blade and keep on my line.

- the ergonomics hurt my hand quickly. Pressing the safety button prior to every cut was tedious and caused my hand to cramp up. Why isn’t there just a lock toggle switch?

Overall I’m really not impressed and plan to return it. But had to ask am I missing something, am I using it wrong? Tons of people swear by this jigsaw. But I’m seeing multiple faults. Anyone else felt the same?

 

[mino]

I’ve been using a Dewalt jigsaw for years. I commonly use it for curved cuts to wrap custom pieces around trim in clients homes. I’ve found it plenty good for precision work with a sharp blade.

The downside is dust collection. The dewalt literally has a fan to blow the dust away so you can better see the blade. When working in a clients home this can mean blasting dust everywhere if I’m not holding a vacuum very close by. A challenge at times when I need both hands.

So I just tried upgrading to the Festool Carvex expecting premium dust collection, superior precision, and good ergonomics. Got none of that.

-Dust collection was ok, but the extended back and hose made it very clunky to work with for curved cuts. And the dust shield immediately clouded up making it impossible to see the blade. I still saw considerable dust escaping into the room

- even without the dust shield the strobing light doesn’t always sync up and it can be very distracting to see the blade.

-The way the blade goes into the guide also makes it hard to see the blade. I struggled to see the blade and keep on my line.

- the ergonomics hurt my hand quickly. Pressing the safety button prior to every cut was tedious and caused my hand to cramp up. Why isn’t there just a lock toggle switch?

Overall I’m really not impressed and plan to return it. But had to ask am I missing something, am I using it wrong? Tons of people swear by this jigsaw. But I’m seeing multiple faults. Anyone else felt the same?

You may want to return it and look at a TRION. It is cheaper and is mostly better in corded use. Beyond that, there is only the P1cc from Mafell.

Also, look for a barrel grip model as that seems more fit for your use case. The iron grip version is more suited for ad-hoc cuts than fine work.

ADD:
The TRION is an "older" model but is NOT an old model of the CARVEX. It is heavier, more powerful, and more precise. A different tool. That is why both are made simultaneously.

 

[mino]

If you want dust collection, there is no way to keep blowing the chips away .. this is a trade-off indeed and is not Festool-specific.

Also there is a CARVEX successor planned later in the year, if you need cordless, so that may be the path.

Other than that, the cordless Mafell is the king.

 

[onocoffee]

The Trion is a solid jigsaw. I prefer it to the Carvex. The Trion has precision, control and good dust collection. However, due to its design age, it lacks a light, and when you want max dust collection, the shroud makes it difficult to see the cut line. Many times, i use The Force to make the cut.

Mino is right, the Mafell P1CC and its cordless variant are The Best. if you don't mind moving up to that level of spend, I'd return the Carvex and get that.

 

[derekcohen]

The Trion is a solid jigsaw. I prefer it to the Carvex. The Trion has precision, control and good dust collection. However, due to its design age, it lacks a light, and when you want max dust collection, the shroud makes it difficult to see the cut line. Many times, i use The Force to make the cut.

Mino is right, the Mafell P1CC and its cordless variant are The Best. if you don't mind moving up to that level of spend, I'd return the Carvex and get that.

There is an easy fix for a light on the Trion.

Epoxy on a small piece of steel plate to the toe ..



Then use a tiny magnetic LED light from Lee Valley ...





Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Vondawg]

Agree with onocoffee and mino…sadly mine rarely comes out of the sys, I grab the Bosche (but if I used one more regularly I’d
Go P1CC) but I think looking for a dust free jigsaw is going to be a hard one…get one that makes you happy and you know you can change-even turn off the light right?

 

[Cheese]

You may want to return it and look at a TRION. It is cheaper and is mostly better in corded use. Beyond that, there is only the P1cc from Mafell.

Unfortunately the Trion is no longer available in the US. There may be some existing stock left at Festool dealers that are off the beaten path. I also much prefer the Trion over the Carvex.

For your situation, one of the nice features of the P1cc is that there's a blower port that clears the cut path and across from that is a suction port...the best of all worlds.

Here's a quick sawdust comparison I did a few years ago...you can see the Carvex is the worst of the bunch.

Edit: Just in case you're having difficulty seeing the dust particles from the Mafell P1cc, I added the 4th photo to help out,

 

[jonnyrocket]

While I don’t disagree that there are better jigsaws out there (P1CC being the king), there are also a few tips that may help you with the Carvex.
1- using a dryer sheet to wipe the dust shroud prevents the dust particles from sticking to it.
2- the LED has different modes, strobed, fixed, or off.
3- if you want to visibly see the blade while cutting, look at the blade from the side, not from the front. And if you have a fresh splinter guard, using the kerf of that is sometimes easier to see.

There are a few helpful YouTube videos that go over most of this. Look on the festool live series as well as sedgetool and you’ll see what I’m referring to.

 

[onocoffee]

@derekcohen I'm gonna include that light when I finally get to ordering the Veritas shoulder plane I've been wanting.