operating manuals - does anyone read them?

[ged]

Am I alone in finding the operating manuals issued by Festool difficult to understand? To me they seem to have been written by a non-english speaking twelve year old with no technical knowledge whatsoever and using an on-line translator. I find I have to translate them into reasonable English to have a hope of understanding of what they mean - and then I worry that I am missing something. I suspect most users give up and work it out for themselves. Surely tools of this quality deserve something better?

 

[jmbfestool]

I dont know if they are difficult understand cus I never even opened a single festool manual.

Does anyone read them?   I dont!

JMB

Welcome by the way!
[welcome]

 

[skunkeye]

I read Rick Christopherson's.  Good stuff.

I watch Paul Marcel's videos and a bunch of the content on this site.

I read the factory manuals as well.

 

[DKurzweil]

On a similar note, the assembly instructions for accessories such as the boom arm and vac handle are also terrible.  I feel they are even worse than Ikea instructions, and I personally hate everything Ikea. 

The actual operating instructions aren't bad, they do give some good points that should not be overlooked.

Daniel

 

[andvari]

I read Rick Christopherson's.  Good stuff.

^^^ This.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I always read every manual of every thing I buy. For some of my music equipment this means I'm still reading them even though I got the items for years.  [tongue]

I've read many of the Festool manuals in English, and even though English is not my native language I never had a problem understanding them or got the feeling it was 'odd' English. Only thing they are guilty of, just like the manuals of many many other manufacturers, is of being incredibly basic. Never a word to much. And often you feel they say too little. But at least in the English language, Festool USA made a very good move remedying this with the supplemental manuals, which are very helpful.

 

[Kev]

Guides, manuals, documentation ... They all really need a practical application (of purpose) to give them real context.

I believe poor assembly instructions are a very different issue ! (the IKEA reference).

A good tool should explain itself ... A shovel, a hammer - they don't come with operating manuals - but technique, skill, etc they're another dimension.

In this day and age - rich media offers so much more than still diagrams and the written word. People have become more receptive to this form of learning. The trusty manual has become a necessary compliance delivery with the goods - but the usefulness of the manuals ??? Well, why put the effort in if you really don't believe is gets read, or if it makes a significant difference to customer satisfaction.

Who has read the booklet that comes with their car? Who reads the product disclosure statements for finance and insurance products.

You'll probably find the real use of the manuals delivered with tools, etc these days are more about legal covering of butt than training to use - making sure that if someone cuts their nose off with a power saw, that there's something documented to say its not a good idea to stick a running saw in your own face!

Remember the instructions for VHS recorders fro the 70's and 80's ... Those were the days.

 

[EWTHeckman]

Only thing they are guilty of, just like the manuals of many many other manufacturers, is of being incredibly basic. Never a word to much. And often you feel they say too little.

To borrow a response…  ^^^^ This

 

[EWTHeckman]

You'll probably find the real use of the manuals delivered with tools, etc these days are more about legal covering of butt than training to use - making sure that if someone cuts their nose off with a power saw, that there's something documented to say its not a good idea to stick a running saw in your own face!

I was browsing through the manual for my new TS 55 yesterday. This is definitely the impression I got. It seemed like there was far more about being safe than in actually using the saw. That could be inaccurate, but that's what I was thinking when I put it down.

 

[davee]

The supplemental manuals are much better.  I have to say that I missed many nuances until I attended the training in Lebanon, IN.  Brian and Steve provided little tricks that the manual never covered anywhere. 

 

[fritter63]

Read the manual? I just look at the pictures...  [cool]

Actually, my real gripe is the website/product descriptions. It seems like festoolusa and online dealers are pulling their content from the same location, so maybe it goes all the way back to Festool Germany.

But really, disk space is cheap guys, would it hurt to put a one paragraph description on each item explaining a little more detail? Sometimes it's not so obvious.

I looks like somebody has decided you're "just supposed to know".

 

[andvari]

The supplemental manuals are much better.  I have to say that I missed many nuances until I attended the training in Lebanon, IN.  Brian and Steve provided little tricks that the manual never covered anywhere.  

That's unfortunate. The nuances are a large part of what separates Festool from the rest.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Am I alone in finding the operating manuals issued by Festool difficult to understand? To me they seem to have been written by a non-english speaking twelve year old with no technical knowledge whatsoever and using an on-line translator. I find I have to translate them into reasonable English to have a hope of understanding of what they mean - and then I worry that I am missing something. I suspect most users give up and work it out for themselves. Surely tools of this quality deserve something better?

Once you spend some time on here reading JMB's posts, the owners manuals will seem quite easy to comprehend!  [big grin]

[welcome]

 

[Peter Durand]

I second that opinion!