Here Goes. I recently spent about $4K on various items, and have had nothing but irksome problems to epic failure with almost all the Festool products. Since it has been around 30 days, I'm going to see if i can get my money back, and return Festool's high-priced junk. I have been a self-employed professional carpenter, cabinetmaker and furniture maker for over 30 years and have trailers, trucks and a shop full of tools of every pro brand, yet have never been so unimpressed with a company's over inflated, ridiculously priced products as I have with Festool. They all seem to be designed by an armchair engineer with no common sense who has never worked in the field or a production shop. I have never owned any Ryobi tools, but the performance of F'tool is what I always imagined Ryobi's to be: poorly designed, cheap, underpowered and cute to a hobbyist. Here is what I purchased and used:
TS75: This saw is dismal. With an additional brand new Panther rip blade, it bogs down in oak. When in use, it feels and sounds like it runs like a cheap Wal-Mart skil saw. The cut with either new blade out of the box, was a total joke- wavy, kerf marks through the entire cut, and tearout. The saw kicks back at the beginning of every cut if the operator is not standing directly behind it applying forward, downward pressure, which makes it awkward to have to then move to the side of the rail to finish the cut. The Makita track saw I've used does not do this. Perhaps the saw is defective- it seems like the arbor may have some runout because the saw has never produced a smooth finish. Or perhaps it's Festool's design to maintain rpms "electronically"-the constant torquing might be the reason it cuts miserably. The saw has already chewed off the splinter guard in various places along the rail, and soon looks like it'll be chewing into the aluminum edge. And who's idea was it to put depth control on the saw that does not include the rail thickness? Brilliant. And the swiveling dust collection port-really? It flops around in the way until the hose pulls off.
1400/55mm rails: Besides the non existent splinter guard, (what a joke- the only cut without a splintered edge was the first virgin cut to trim the splinter guard), the rails have worn spots in the aluminum where the saw has now begun to bind and squeak horribly. I have applied paste wax in desperation, which seems to help- until it wears off. The lime green strips of plastic don't seem to really reduce friction, as the saw rides on the rail in other spots. So should the plastic splinter guards be re-labeled "consumables"? After approx. 40 cuts, both rails don't have any splinter guards left, and i'm supposed to buy new ones? That would be a daily or every other day purchase in our shop.
Parallel guides and extensions: You've got to be kidding. These are actually considered useful? I found them to be absolute JUNK. I'll go farther- Epic FAIL on the design and implementation. The ends of the guides flop backwards constantly, pulling the front cut edge of the rail off the line. The set screws are soft brass and stripped the very first time they were snugged. The ends of the set screws actually dent the back of the rail when tightened. The bottom of the guides abraded the rubber pads on the bottom of the rail, the first time they were slid on the rail. The eccentric clamps are way too tight for what little pressure they need to exert and stretch the aluminum rabbet they ride in. The whole thing is impractical and unwieldy- it almost needs two people to use it without knocking one out of alignment. Really guys. Nobody could think of a better $400 back scratcher?
Domino DF500: OMG, another joke. I have cheap Porter Cable and Dewalt biscuit jointers that are better made than this, and don't even start to compare it to my Lamello. The very first 10mm tenons we cut with it in the shop were a fail- board edges misaligned, sloppy holes and tearout. No one in the shop could use it to produce accurate floating tenons. The fence edge has no teeth or grip and the machine constantly shifted slightly to one side. The depth setting on the flip down fence is junk and the tightening lever is now pushed all the way onto the fence, as tight as it will go. The little plastic levers look like they are about to break and they've only been tightened about 12 times. How long will this hold up? But the fence will not stay tight and constantly moves, thereby cutting slots at completely different heights. I had to restrain someone from throwing it across the shop into the garbage can. I think I got the flimsy plastic accessories that were made in China. The depth markings were damaged (dented) right out of the package, which makes it hard to read and set, although since it won't stay at a preset depth, it is a moot point. The motor is quite loud and gets surprisingly hot after only 20 min. or so of operation. It also vibrates heavily in the hand- my carpel tunnel would hate using this thing for any extended period.
Even the tenons didn't work well. When pushed into the mortise, the edges peel back slightly onto the face of the board, thereby preventing the two boards from coming together tightly in a glue joint. (So disassemble the whole thing, hoping you haven't spread the glue yet, get a razor knife to trim both sides of each tenon without taking off too much, whoops, that one split, "Hey, where's the pliers?"...)
OF1400: Again the "electronic" speed control seems to affect the rpm with a slight pulsing, which leaves less than a smooth finish even with brand new solid carbide bits. The little, very flimsy plastic dust collector is laughable and can only be used with smaller diameter bits. The plunge operation was very stiff and takes two hands to comfortably and safely utilize in a more delicate step plunge application. I meant to put a dial indicator on it but haven't had time to check shaft runout. Awkward visibility under power leaves me reaching for a Bosch, or trusty 20 year old Porter Cable. I have yet to try the 32mm system that I got with it- the next time some goes to the field and needs a quick panel fab, we might use it.
In short, save your money. I definitely feel ripped off. I guess I should've ordered the lime green glasses because with my rose colored ones, my other tools all look top notch. Hey, maybe I'll even go buy some Ryobi stuff. I'll call Festool as soon as I can find time.
EDIT> To restore OP's post.
