Protool to be absorbed by Festool?

[Holz-Her]

Look at 3:50

 

[Bob Marino]

Hey, I just can't wait until they start manufacturing Festool here in the US.

Peter

A lot of folks here would prefer it made in USA. Is that in the works?

I'm gonna bet it is.

Bob

 

[JoggleStick]

In Oz we have the big 'Warehouse' style hardware stores that are the closest to your 'Home Depot' stores. They basically sell everything gardening, hardware and handyman... It's all about 'price' and 'cheap prices' at that...

We also have specialist tool only retailers...

Over the years Festool has been available at specialist tool stores only... And even then I have been told Festool are extremely particular about which tool stores are 'allowed' to sell the tools. Festool also have their own merchandising setup- that you see in the vids and in many respects appears very similar.... Worldwide. Festool provide extensive and specialist training for those selected retailers...

There are perhaps one or two retailers that completely specialise in Festool and they set themselves up appropriately. One is in Melbourne which is 3000 Klm's from where I live. I have bought quite a few tools and accessories from there. I have also flown down for a 'hands on Festool' day. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

No, I can't see any way that Festool will sell through a 'cheap price' based retailer...
It goes against everything Festool has ever stood for....

 

[harry_]

Kev! I would be more than happy to use and abuse the tools and then give honest feedback  [big grin]

This protool/festool merging doesn't really affect me to be honest.  I use 240v tools so protool being 240v doesn't affect me.
 I can buy protool tools just as easy as festool tools so no problem there.  
My protool batteries fit my festool jigsaw and drill and my festool batteries fit my protools. 

So to me if they where to change over it would only cosmetic to me.

That's the million dollar question.  Will this turn out to be a cosmetic change only or will it have a bigger impact?  Who knows, it might be a change that pushes the Festool brand to new markets, more so here in the States.  That could be great for Festool and in turn all of us with an even broader range of tools in the future. 

Maybe we can get the reciprocating saw after all?  [poke]

 

[Scott B.]

I wish I could tell you guys that the ProTool Prototype 54v LI battery powers a CT Midi for 6 hours. But I can't.  [sad]

 

[Bob Marino]

In Oz we have the big 'Warehouse' style hardware stores that are the closest to your 'Home Depot' stores. They basically sell everything gardening, hardware and handyman... It's all about 'price' and 'cheap prices' at that...

We also have specialist tool only retailers...

Over the years Festool has been available at specialist tool stores only... And even then I have been told Festool are extremely particular about which tool stores are 'allowed' to sell the tools. Festool also have their own merchandising setup- that you see in the vids and in many respects appears very similar.... Worldwide. Festool provide extensive and specialist training for those selected retailers...

There are perhaps one or two retailers that completely specialise in Festool and they set themselves up appropriately. One is in Melbourne which is 3000 Klm's from where I live. I have bought quite a few tools and accessories from there. I have also flown down for a 'hands on Festool' day. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

No, I can't see any way that Festool will sell through a 'cheap price' based retailer...
It goes against everything Festool has ever stood for....

Who knows for sure? No  one. But I am betting that we see Protools in HD in the next few years.

Bobc

 

[skids]

In Oz we have the big 'Warehouse' style hardware stores that are the closest to your 'Home Depot' stores. They basically sell everything gardening, hardware and handyman... It's all about 'price' and 'cheap prices' at that...

We also have specialist tool only retailers...

Over the years Festool has been available at specialist tool stores only... And even then I have been told Festool are extremely particular about which tool stores are 'allowed' to sell the tools. Festool also have their own merchandising setup- that you see in the vids and in many respects appears very similar.... Worldwide. Festool provide extensive and specialist training for those selected retailers...

There are perhaps one or two retailers that completely specialise in Festool and they set themselves up appropriately. One is in Melbourne which is 3000 Klm's from where I live. I have bought quite a few tools and accessories from there. I have also flown down for a 'hands on Festool' day. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

No, I can't see any way that Festool will sell through a 'cheap price' based retailer...
It goes against everything Festool has ever stood for....

Who knows for sure? No  one. But I am betting that we see Protools in HD in the next few years.

Bobc

I thought Protool was going away and being rebranded Festool? What am I missing.

 

[Bob Marino]

[/quote]

I thought Protool was going away and being rebranded Festool? What am I missing.
[/quote]

Nothing, it's just my 2 cents, nothing  more.

B

 

[Timtool]

On those Narex videos you can still see Protool, so maybe the brand isn't disappearing, and Festool is just rebadging and taking their tools under it's name to introduce them with a bigger boom on foreign markets.
It could also be that Festool created Protool as an intermediary brand based on Narex technology until they had reached a hight enough quality/system integration level to be able to absorb them into Festool. And the time seems right.

I don't think it is likely to see Festool/protool in BORG, it would have to be a Festool USA choice if they have that power which i think they don't, because the mothership strategy has always been to only sell them in authorized shops that specialize in professional tools. In Europe you cannot find professional quality grade tools in big box stores, only cheap DIY made in china stuff for the big public. I have to drive 25 km to find a Festool shop in shop store,(actually i have 4 Festool dealers within that range but only one that carries the whole range) may seem close on USA scale but that's an expedition on a Belgian scale!  [tongue]

 

[Holz-Her]

The Protool brand will be discontinued as of 12/31/2013.
The new Festool labeled former Protool tools will be on display on the Festool Roadshow which will travel throughout Europe in 2013.

 

[skids]

The Protool brand will be discontinued as of 12/31/2013.
The new Festool labeled former Protool tools will be on display on the Festool Roadshow which will travel throughout Europe in 2013.

So US arrival in 2014 then?

 

[ccarrolladams]

The Protool brand will be discontinued as of 12/31/2013.
The new Festool labeled former Protool tools will be on display on the Festool Roadshow which will travel throughout Europe in 2013.

Is this an authorized statement from TTS or the opinion of a person not authorized to make TTS statements?

 

[Holz-Her]

The Protool brand will be discontinued as of 12/31/2013.
The new Festool labeled former Protool tools will be on display on the Festool Roadshow which will travel throughout Europe in 2013.

So US arrival in 2014 then?

I don´t know about the plans for the US

The Protool brand will be discontinued as of 12/31/2013.
The new Festool labeled former Protool tools will be on display on the Festool Roadshow which will travel throughout Europe in 2013.

Is this an authorized statement from TTS or the opinion of a person not authorized to make TTS statements?

the latter 
There is a press release in Germany which states that Protool will be discontinued. The date and the info that not all Tools will be continued by Festool as well as the info that the truck/Roadshow will travel through Germany in August and Show the new Tools is from my dealer who got the info from his Festool rep.

 

[jonathan-m]

ccarrolladams, in Europe Festool has apparantly started giving presentations to their dealer network shedding some more light on merger.

Basically, the Festool image is very strong and the Protool image isn't. Research has shown people are hesitant to buy something labeled Protool, but would buy it if it was labeled Festool.
TTS isn't willing to invest the funds into Protool marketing to improve that image. Instead Protool is being discontinued and about half of the line-up will be absorbed by Festool.
Just off the top of my head, from what I can remember, everything where TTS thinks Festool & Protool overlap & most of the general contracting equipment is being discontinued.

Roughly it boils down to the following:
Just about all the circular saws will be discontinued.
The jigsaws will be discontinued.
The concrete grinders will be rebranded.
The chainsaws will most likely be rebranded.
The vaccuums will be discontinued, with the exception of VCP 360 & VCP 170. Those will be rebranded.
The drills are a bit of a mixed bag. The compact line gets discontinued. The PDC and screw gun will be rebranded.
The angle grinders will be discontinued.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Aye, if they're going to discontinue a lot of tools it's not so good news. Was hoping to score a Festool 230 mm angle grinder.

 

[jonathan-m]

Aye, if they're going to discontinue a lot of tools it's not so good news. Was hoping to score a Festool 230 mm angle grinder.

Yeah I too hope they'll come back on some of those decisions
Anyway,  ??? so just buy the Protool then...

 

[Kev]

Aye, if they're going to discontinue a lot of tools it's not so good news. Was hoping to score a Festool 230 mm angle grinder.

Yeah I too hope they'll come back on some of those decisions
Anyway,  ??? so just buy the Protool then...

I'm toying with buying a Protool 230mm angle grinder right now. There's a modest discount I can grab one for at the moment. Urghhh.

 

[GPowers]

I'm toying with buying a Protool 230mm angle grinder right now. There's a modest discount I can grab one for at the moment. Urghhh.

Wonder if Festool will cover the warranty after Protool is gone?

 

[Kev]

I'm toying with buying a Protool 230mm angle grinder right now. There's a modest discount I can grab one for at the moment. Urghhh.

Wonder if Festool will cover the warranty after Protool is gone?

They will.

Went in with grinder intent ... walked out with a CHP 26

[attachimg=#1]

I can't resist Festool or Protool specials [embarassed]

 

[optimistisch]

this is made by Kress, a small company from Germany.