Prices are changing soon...

[Trumpet]

I think what we are seeing isn't so much a price hike by Festool, but the direct effect of our currency being debased and inflated by government monetary policies.

Absolutely, we've had high inflation (way above the ability for some to raise their rates/wages for a very long time), only the availability of cheap junk has blindsighted many to as what has been going on.

 

[Rickfisher]

I have no problem with the price increases.  Premium product demands a premium price. I am also in the camp that wants to see Festool flourish. 

On the abrasives, I have to admit that I dont actually buy Festool paper any-more.  I think I bought  1 box in 2012 and it was an availability thing.  Not a huge issue for me.  If they come out with some new and improved abrasives, I would be happy to buy some, even with the increased pricing.

 

[fdengel]

Most of the price changes seem about right - certain abrasives look a bit much but it leads me to wonder what might be happening to the cost of the materials Festool uses to make them...

A few things seem a bit curious though.  For example the price of the charger and some of the batteries are going up a bit, but most of the drills (which include them) are the same... maybe something in the drill actually went down to compensate for whatever is making the charger/batteries cost more?  Some of the bits are cheaper, maybe that has something to do with it too...

100x packs of Granat are going up a bit, but the 50x packs are going down even more - though not enough to make two 50x not still cost more than one 100x...

50x packs of Granat in the D150 size are still less expensive than 50x packs of Mirka Abranet in the same size (is that the correct Festool abrasive to compare Abranet to?  not sure... but this is true for most of the others as well...)

 

[Sean7a]

I have no problem with the price increases.  Premium product demands a premium price. I am also in the camp that wants to see Festool flourish. 

On the abrasives, I have to admit that I dont actually buy Festool paper any-more.  I think I bought  1 box in 2012 and it was an availability thing.  Not a huge issue for me.   If they come out with some new and improved abrasives, I would be happy to buy some, even with the increased pricing.

Rick, have you tried Rubin2 or Granat?

 

[jonny round boy]

Most of the price changes seem about right - certain abrasives look a bit much but it leads me to wonder what might be happening to the cost of the materials Festool uses to make them...

Good point. I work for a company that makes glass products, and some of the machines use polishing wheels made from/impregnated with cerium? The price of these has gone through the roof in the last couple of years, from around £30 or £40 a wheel to iIRC around £180 at the moment. Demand for the raw material from China has pushed the price up to ridiculous levels (it went up over 600% in one 6month period!).

Even if you only use a small amount of something like that in a product or process, it can significantly up your costs...

 

[Kevin D.]

To Shane or any Canadian retailer, is the price changes happening in Canada as well on Feb 1st?

 

[JimB1]

Some of those increases are just crazy 50 - 100% is way out of line especially considering most if not all competitors are staying flat on their prices or minor increases. 5 - 10 % I can see but doubling the price on things has to hurt sales I don't care how good the product is...

On the flip side though there are some price drops too which are rare to see from any company recently so it's not all bad news and the TS55 (the only new Festool I am looking at this year) stayed the same, probably because the TS55R is coming soon and will probably carry the increase.

One thing I do notice is that the Trions are getting an increase, I suspect this means something in regard to the Carvex but I'm not sure exactly what. Maybe that they expect to keep the Trion in production for a while in parallel to the Carvex...
-Jim

 

[jimbo51]

Apologies if this has been posted before. The list of price increases can be copied into Excel and then manipulated to make seeing the changes for particular items easier. This site does not allow the attaching of Excel files. [embarassed]

I made a spreadhseet with the top row locked so I could scroll down and see the items. All the items can be sorted by which ever column you choose; item number, description, 2012 price etc.

My idea is to look at the price increases, % or absolute, to decide if there is an item or two (or 10) that I should buy now since the price increase will be significant. I can also check to see which items are going down in price. I think I will hold off buying those for a few days.

You can also use the Find function to look for a particular item, though I have to reference the Festool catalog since some item names are not quuite what I think they are.

If you have Excel, this should be a faster way to check rather than scrolling through a long list sorted by item number. I think.  [unsure]

 

[tbellemare]

This is rapidly approaching...

Tom

 

[jacko9]

What I appreciate about Festool is that they are willing to do the R&D to create many tools vital to me. They set a price that allows them to stay in business. I can afford Festool prices and my Festools have helped me earn a substantial income. When I encounter a Festool that I do not think will improve my work flow, I do not buy that tool. It makes no difference the price point.

Some tools, such as the Domino XL 700, do not obviously have a use in my own work. However, like the Domino 500, I bought one so all of us in my shop can get familiar with it. Clearly there are projects for which the Domino XL is the answer.

It is important to me that the manufacturer of the tools I need remains in business during my lifetime. To remain in business firms must make a profit.

I totally concur that if we want newly designed innovative tools that are both high quality and useful to our jobs, then we have to pay a reasonable price to keep that producer in business.  I have spent a lot of money only to find that the product was "junk" in my estimation.

 

[Kevin D.]

I never got a reply from my query a few weeks back about Canadian price changes.  Seeing as an email to LV customer service was replied back to me that they were not privy to what price adjustments are happening on Feb 1st, the use of the word adjustments is leading me to speculate that in fact we may be in for another decrease more or less since the Canadian dollar has been parked at par to the US $ for another year.  Fingers crossed on this guess on my part, and we should know what gives within hours now.  [unsure]

 

[zapdafish]

so when does the pirce change go into effect, I'm ready to buy, hehe

http://www.tool-home.com/products/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/8330

[big grin] [big grin]

 

[peter halle]

The price changes are now in effect.

 

[zapdafish]

yeah, the item I listed is one of the few that had a price reduction. Just not reflected in the shopping cart yet.  [tongue]