Question about motor in Mafell track saw

jcrowe1950

Festool Dealer
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Sep 10, 2014
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Hi Folks,

    I've been trying to research this track saw, the MT55cc and looking at the specs. The tool uses something called the CUprex motor. This saw draws 13.5 amps....even more that the TS75, and uses a blade kerf of 1.8mm. My question relating to the Cuprex motor is "does this motor use a brushless design?". There are a couple of observations as to why this saw might perform better in some situations than the Festool TS 55. First, the greater power (13.5 amps vs 10 amps) is pretty significant. Second, the use of the 1.8mm kerf blades vs the 2.2 ones on the TS55 makes a significant difference. Anybody have any thoughts on this? FWIW, getting to use the newer TSC 55 K has been an interesting experience. Its performance is a significant improvement over the previous TSC 55 and I'd probably conjecture that it even beats out the corded TS55. The brushless motor instantly stopping the blade when the trigger is released takes some getting used to, but that's really a good thing.
 
jcrowe1950 said:
Hi Folks,
My question relating to the Cuprex motor is "does this motor use a brushless design?".

The MT 55 cc is corded WITH brushes while the MT 55 18M is cordless & BRUSHLESS.
 
jcrowe1950 said:
This saw draws 13.5 amps....even more that the TS75
Are you sure? My MT55cc is 10 amps. You are talking about corded 110-120V, right?
No, it's not as powerful as TS75.
 
Many years ago i bought the TS75. Loved it..and continue to love it till date. But its big.. heavy and unwieldy. I still have it and bring it out only when i need the extra cutting depth. I did buy the MT55 (wired) 2 yrs ago..and abbbsolutely love it. Its just such a brilliant saw. Its got plenty of power.. nothing it can't handle (would not say the same of TS55 or even the MT55 18M). Dust collection is so amazing that when i switch to the TS75, i get the feeling that my vac (CT36) is not working enough. MT 55 is just a superior design. Im so sold on the Mafell saws that i might switch out of the TS75 to the K85 Ec.
So in a nutshell MT55 has more power than TS75. Much easier to handle. Hands down the best saw in its class except that TS75 has more depth of cut. If you are into the cordless world the equations change.. even there MT55 18M rules.
 
Cordless  saws  are OK  if  you are  not  doing  a lot  of sawing.
The  thin  blades  flex  all over  the place  when driven to  the  extreme producing  wavy  cuts.
That  is  my experience  anyway.
 
Svar said:
jcrowe1950 said:
This saw draws 13.5 amps....even more that the TS75
Are you sure? My MT55cc is 10 amps. You are talking about corded 110-120V, right?
No, it's not as powerful as TS75.
  My data is based on technical details from the Timberwolf website. I hope Festool will come up with an answer to this in the 55 corded line. I'd love to get my hands on a Mafell saw just to play with. For my purposes, as a hobbyist, I can't justify the cost of another track saw.
 
Blues said:
Im so sold on the Mafell saws that i might switch out of the TS75 to the K85 Ec.
So in a nutshell MT55 has more power than TS75. Much easier to handle. Hands down the best saw in its class except that TS75 has more depth of cut. If you are into the cordless world the equations change.. even there MT55 18M rules.

  Interesting observations. Thanks for sharing your experience. The K85 does look very interesting. My question on that tool relates to dust extraction....since it pulls significant amperage(17amps @ 120V), would it be capable of using Festool dust extractors plugged in directly?
 
jcrowe1950 said:
My data is based on technical details from the Timberwolf website.

And my data is based on a Mafell label... [big grin]

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Other than cost, I’m not sure that it’s worth it to buy a corded track saw anymore.  Having used both MT saws, the cordless feels more powerful and the battery last a really long time.  I’m talking like maybe one battery swap in a full day of cutting cabinet parts.  I’ve had the same experience with my smaller Mafell crosscut saw.  They have some impressive battery tech.
 
jcrowe1950 said:
Blues said:
  Interesting observations. Thanks for sharing your experience. The K85 does look very interesting. My question on that tool relates to dust extraction....since it pulls significant amperage(17amps @ 120V), would it be capable of using Festool dust extractors plugged in directly?

Yeah the 85Ec is like a beast. The cool thing is it does 60°  cuts. Now imagine you are building a table with a steep bevel undercut.. just place your rail on the line and off u go. That's one hellava saw.
As you rightly pointed out you will have to run it via a separate outlet since your vac can't handle that load plus the power draw from the vac. You would have to trigger the vac using bt.
 
I have the KSS80 ( same as the K85, but with the cross cut track). It is a beast...heavy compared to the TS75, but does not break a sweat, even ripping 12/4 stock. I always plug into a dedicated 20 amp outlet. DC is ok given the open guard, but not as good as a tracks saw. The MT55 got an upgraded motor a few years ago. It cuts very well. Festool does sell a thin kerf track saw on the other side of the pond. It has a thinner diving knife, but same 10 amp motor. I have not had an issue with any of my track saws if I use the right blade and adjust speed. The Mafell has the best DC of any I have used and easiest/fastest blade changes.
 
Can you or anyone else comment on difference between K85 and KSS80, mainly as to why one might choose one over the other all other things being equal (basically, don't necessarily need a dedicated cross cut saw).

ScotF said:
I have the KSS80 ( same as the K85, but with the cross cut track). It is a beast...heavy compared to the TS75, but does not break a sweat, even ripping 12/4 stock. I always plug into a dedicated 20 amp outlet. DC is ok given the open guard, but not as good as a tracks saw. The MT55 got an upgraded motor a few years ago. It cuts very well. Festool does sell a thin kerf track saw on the other side of the pond. It has a thinner diving knife, but same 10 amp motor. I have not had an issue with any of my track saws if I use the right blade and adjust speed. The Mafell has the best DC of any I have used and easiest/fastest blade changes.
 
ear3 said:
Can you or anyone else comment on difference between K85 and KSS80, mainly as to why one might choose one over the other all other things being equal (basically, don't necessarily need a dedicated cross cut saw).

ScotF said:
I have the KSS80 ( same as the K85, but with the cross cut track). It is a beast...heavy compared to the TS75, but does not break a sweat, even ripping 12/4 stock. I always plug into a dedicated 20 amp outlet. DC is ok given the open guard, but not as good as a tracks saw. The MT55 got an upgraded motor a few years ago. It cuts very well. Festool does sell a thin kerf track saw on the other side of the pond. It has a thinner diving knife, but same 10 amp motor. I have not had an issue with any of my track saws if I use the right blade and adjust speed. The Mafell has the best DC of any I have used and easiest/fastest blade changes.

Different base design, which is not compatible with the crosscut track but can be used on the standard F track and as a standard circular saw. I have the K55, which is the 'normal' circular saw version of the KSS50 crosscut saw. Same saw, different base.
 
Decided to go with the K85.  Just took on a commission where I have to do some precision bevel cuts that are just out of reach of the TS75, so decided to pull the trigger.

Lincoln said:
ear3 said:
Can you or anyone else comment on difference between K85 and KSS80, mainly as to why one might choose one over the other all other things being equal (basically, don't necessarily need a dedicated cross cut saw).

ScotF said:
I have the KSS80 ( same as the K85, but with the cross cut track). It is a beast...heavy compared to the TS75, but does not break a sweat, even ripping 12/4 stock. I always plug into a dedicated 20 amp outlet. DC is ok given the open guard, but not as good as a tracks saw. The MT55 got an upgraded motor a few years ago. It cuts very well. Festool does sell a thin kerf track saw on the other side of the pond. It has a thinner diving knife, but same 10 amp motor. I have not had an issue with any of my track saws if I use the right blade and adjust speed. The Mafell has the best DC of any I have used and easiest/fastest blade changes.

Different base design, which is not compatible with the crosscut track but can be used on the standard F track and as a standard circular saw. I have the K55, which is the 'normal' circular saw version of the KSS50 crosscut saw. Same saw, different base.
 
Are there any issues with running the 17A K85 saw through a Festool CT?  In normal use in my shop I would probably just operate the saw on a separate circuit to avoid tripping the breaker, but I'm just curious if the saw can be run through the vac at all.
 
ear3 said:
Are there any issues with running the 17A K85 saw through a Festool CT?  In normal use in my shop I would probably just operate the saw on a separate circuit to avoid tripping the breaker, but I'm just curious if the saw can be run through the vac at all.

Well just doing the math, the OF 2200 will draw 18.3A so I guess the question is, who on the FOG uses the OF 2200 hooked up to their CT vac?
 
Ah, got it.  Thx.

Cheese said:
ear3 said:
Are there any issues with running the 17A K85 saw through a Festool CT?  In normal use in my shop I would probably just operate the saw on a separate circuit to avoid tripping the breaker, but I'm just curious if the saw can be run through the vac at all.

Well just doing the math, the OF 2200 will draw 18.3A so I guess the question is, who on the FOG uses the OF 2200 hooked up to their CT vac?
 
I guess I am a dummy. My OF 2200 is dedicated to my CMS-VL , which is plugged into my CT36, which is plugged into  a 20 amp circuit. Never really had a problem, unless while I was using router I had another CT36 left on manual.
And the other CT is on manual because that is how I run my Kapex,  and I don't plug my Kapex into the CT. I plug it in to its own outlet.
 
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