Plug & Lock power cords

[ststrong]

In the past six months I have purchased 4 x RO 150 FEQ DS's, 1 x ETS EC150/3 EQ ds, 1 x DTS 400 EQ, 2 x CT36 EAc HD Vac's, 1 x DSC AG 230, 1 x DSC AG 125 Plus and 1 x GSU 200EB chain saw. I run a serious factory floor.
In this six months I have had to replace four Plug in power cords due to the loss of continuity in the power cord, plug and lock, end of the cord.
I attempted to claim warranty on the first one as it failed after 10 weeks use, to be informed that the power cord is a consumable item??????????? and not covered by warranty. One of these four failures occurred after 6 weeks use. The best lasted 3 months. There is no physical damage to the cords, just a crap connection in the plug in ends.
Is this a common problem in the States or do Festool just send their Garbage down under.
Hard wiring the power cord would solve the problem. Why use a plug in cord other than to rip the customer off through the sale of inferior quality consumable power cords
I for one have bought my last Festool. Just taken delivery of two Makita B06050J and one B06030 DS's

 

[Gregor]

Check that your guys actually lock the plug-it and not just push it in (without rotating it to be locked) to save on 'sorry, my fault'. Also the connectors should be kept clean (so no dunking the ends into sawdust piles or something similar).

I don't know how it's handled in Australia, but in Germany we have two years Gewährleistung (by law the) on everything for the item being free from defects the moment you buy it. In the first 6 months the dealer must actively prove that the defect wasn't in the item but created by the user if he wants to decline that procedure, after that the user needs to prove that the defect already existed when he bought the item. You're entitled to free repair, replacement (if repair is impossible) or money back (after 3 failed tries of repair/replacement). This is completely separate from any warranty by the manufacturer.

Check your local laws, possibly you have something like this - in case the first paragraph dosn't apply to you the issue sounds like a bad batch.

BTW: I think claiming the cords are free of warranty as they are accessories is a bullshit excuse and a bad move from Festool, as proven by your last paragraph.

 

[aloysius]

Consumable item be damned!  The local (Oz) law (Sale of Goods Act) is pretty clear on the matter:  purchases MUST be "of merchantable quality", must "perform as intended" & must be "fit for the purpose intended".  On all counts, there's a breach of the sales contract.

You are fully entitled (in law) to either repair, exchange or refund under the Act.

Festool, to be fair, aren't alone in this.  Apparently Mirka sanders have even more dodgy plug-in style power cords;  they're notorious for not honouring their warranty in this regard too.  It'll be interesting if Metabo (who are now marketing some of these Mirka DEROS sanders under their own name) will still extend their comprehensive 3 year warranty to these crap power cables too.

You sound like the type of customer most retailers would appreciate & try to "look after".  Try again, this time being more polite but insistent.  Failing that strategy then quote the relevant section of the Act.  Is still no joy, then insist on a full refund:  it's your right & the suppliers' (of faulty, defective or underperforming goods or services) responsibility to comply.

Don't be rude, stay calm but insistent.  Best of luck.

 

[Brice Burrell]

This is not an unheard of problem.  As Gregor mentioned the problem is likely to be the cords not being attached fully.  That is user error, not a defective cord. 

When the plug-it cords are new they can be hard to fully connect.  The cord must make a full quarter turn to be connected properly.  Once to cord is taken on/off a few times it becomes easier to connect. 

There is a (slight) chance your cords are attached correctly and the issue is the production use.  I believe Festool offers a hard wired connection retrofit for all of their tools.  You may want to look into this.  Also, I remember Festool Australia did offer most of the tools in both plug-it or hard wired versions.       

 

[Cheese]

As Brice & Gregor have already commented, carefully check to make sure the Plug-It is properly seated and engaged in the tool socket.
The older Milwaukee tools/cords had a nice solid interface and you could feel them click/lock into position. Festools' on the other hand, have a softer more rubbery feel to them and I seldom can feel the cord lock into position, rather I know it's locked when I just can't turn the cord any further.

Also check the sockets that are in the tool for damage. Those may also have to be replaced depending upon their condition, otherwise the new cords may fail prematurely. 

 

[AlexThePalex]

I like the comfort of the connectivity the plug-it cords offer, but the way it is executed could be A LOT better, because they do fail often with me too. But an endurance of only 6 to 10 weeks is really too short, so I suspect some user error too by not seating the plug properly in the socket.

But then again, if the design allows such errors, the design is simply faulty.

As others have said, it is deplorable Festool Aus would call these cords a consumable, that just bonkers, but knowing Festool's mentality, not surprising to me. Here in Europe they would not be able to pull that off due to consumer protection laws. I don't know your laws in Australia, but I would seriously check into that.

But just face it, the Plug-It cords need and can be made a lot better.

 

[Brice Burrell]

..But just face it, the Plug-It cords need and can be made a lot better.

Alex, cords are consumables.  They have a much longer service life than a piece of sandpaper or a drill bit, but they will wear out at some point.  We agree that the design of the plug-it could be improved.  With that said I still think attaching the cord improperly is user error and not something Festool is responsible for. 

There really should be better documentation on the importance of attaching the cord correctly. 

 

[Brice Burrell]

As Brice & Gregor have already commented, carefully check to make sure the Plug-It is properly seated and engaged in the tool socket.
The older Milwaukee tools/cords had a nice solid interface and you could feel them click/lock into position. Festools' on the other hand, have a softer more rubbery feel to them and I seldom can feel the cord lock into position, rather I know it's locked when I just can't turn the cord any further.....

The tool sockets have a line and the plug-it cord has an arrow that when aligned you know the cord is fully connected.  Some of the older tools don't have a line on the socket. 

...Also check the sockets that are in the tool for damage. Those may also have to be replaced depending upon their condition, otherwise the new cords may fail prematurely.

Yes, its very important to check both cord and tool for damage.  Think of the problem as a virus.  Once "infected" the problem can spread from infected cord to undamaged tools, and/or an infected tool to undamaged cord(s). 

 

[BJM9818]

A buddy borrowed my Rotex150 and didn't lock the cord properly. Some how it actually started burning and caught on fire. I don't use my tools every day but even my 10 year old cords still work.  I would look at your employees practices.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Alex, cords are consumables. They have a much longer service life than a piece of sandpaper or a drill bit, but they will wear out at some point.

I don't think so. They're an integral part of a tool. With most brands and tools they're firmly connected. Just because Festool decided to make it a part you can take off at will should not change the category from spare part to consumable.

I have a number of power tools that are around 20 years of age by now. All cords are still firmly connected and working just fine. Occasionally a wire breaks inside and you have to shorten the cable by a few inches, but that's it. But the Festool Plug-It cords fail after 1 to 2 years, and most of the time it is the plug itself. And if you're out of luck, you'll also have to replace the socket because of the burn infection.

If they were simply made better, they could last a lot longer.

 

[AlexThePalex]

A buddy borrowed my Rotex150 and didn't lock the cord properly. Some how it actually started burning and caught on fire. I don't use my tools every day but even my 10 year old cords still work.  I would look at your employees practices.

Nice example. If something is made so that by simply connecting it wrong you can make the tool burst in flames, the design is wrong.

 

[Cheese]

If they were simply made better, they could last a lot longer.

I have Milwaukee tools that use both 2-wire & 3-wire Quik-Lok cords. Some of the tools and cords are over 30 years old...I've NEVER replaced a Milwaukee cord or socket. Besides, the Milwaukee connection gives a lot more tactile feel than the "art gum eraser" feel when you connect Festools.

 

[BJM9818]

A buddy borrowed my Rotex150 and didn't lock the cord properly. Some how it actually started burning and caught on fire. I don't use my tools every day but even my 10 year old cords still work.  I would look at your employees practices.

Nice example. If something is made so that by simply connecting it wrong you can make the tool burst in flames, the design is wrong.

Trust me my friend is a complete idiot with no mechanical aptitude. Biggest mistake was lending him the sander l.

The sander started to heat up and emit a burning smell then started to smoke but he kept using it for another 3-5 minutes till the flames started. At that point he decided to put it down. User error 200%

 

[AlexThePalex]

A buddy borrowed my Rotex150 and didn't lock the cord properly. Some how it actually started burning and caught on fire. I don't use my tools every day but even my 10 year old cords still work.  I would look at your employees practices.

Nice example. If something is made so that by simply connecting it wrong you can make the tool burst in flames, the design is wrong.

Trust me my friend is a complete idiot with no mechanical aptitude. Biggest mistake was lending him the sander l.

The sander started to heat up and emit a burning smell then started to smoke but he kept using it for another 3-5 minutes till the flames started. At that point he decided to put it down. User error 200%

Nope, design error. The design should be foolproof. We're talking about deadly currents here. Let me emphasise that for you, deadly.

 

[Svar]

Besides, the Milwaukee connection gives a lot more tactile feel than the "art gum eraser" feel when you connect Festools.

Agreed. At first, when I started using Plug-it cords I was never sure whether it was properly connected. No definitive stop or click, just gummy squishy feel.

 

[mopo]

If they were simply made better, they could last a lot longer.

I have Milwaukee tools that use both 2-wire & 3-wire Quik-Lok cords. Some of the tools and cords are over 30 years old...I've NEVER replaced a Milwaukee cord or socket. Besides, the Milwaukee connection gives a lot more tactile feel than the "art gum eraser" feel when you connect Festools.

Not only that the Milwaukee cable itself seems to be higher quality. The Festool cords are stiffer, not as flexible, and replacements cost 500% more than Milwaukee.

 

[ststrong]

Thanks for the comments, ideas and suggestions guys. I didn't mention in my first post that I am an Electrical contractor by trade and well versed in machinery/tool service and repair. Prior to attempting to claim warranty all checks had been carried out to make sure that my guys weren't the cause of the problem with these cords. The cords are not interchanged or removed for any reason and were and are locked into position correctly.
To me it appears that the weight of the cord is hanging on the connection causing the female clip receptor in the cord to open resulting in a bad/poor connection. give the plug a wiggle and the connection will be remade and the tool will start again. let go of the cord and the connection is broken.
Bad design poorly manufactured.
Other than cut one of these open to see how they are put together, I have attempted everything I can think of on one of the old
cords, to crimp the female clip closed to make an acceptable connection, no luck so far.
My next step will be to attempt to replace the cable receptor with a cable gland and hard wire them. Also look more closely at our Consumer Laws.
Thanks again 

 

[Gregor]

My next step will be to attempt to replace the cable receptor with a cable gland and hard wire them. Also look more closely at our Consumer Laws.

I would suggest to do it the other way around, as consumer rights usually vanish into thin air the moment you modify the product.

Regarding your connection problem

To me it appears that the weight of the cord is hanging on the connection causing the female clip receptor in the cord to open resulting in a bad/poor connection. give the plug a wiggle and the connection will be remade and the tool will start again. let go of the cord and the connection is broken.

Could it be that this is the other way around, in the sense of your guys handling/hanging the tools by the cords? Because I can't imagine the weight of the cord (alone by itself) would be enough to pull apart the connection, unless you add quite some force to it...