Table Saw

[MEF888]

I just got a recon Table Saw, no batteries included. Suggestions on which batteries to get ??

Thanks for your advise

 

[Coen]

Sell, get something with a cord.

 

[ChuckS]

Not a fan of cordless table saws/dust extractors either.

 

[Frnk]

I just got a recon Table Saw, no batteries included. Suggestions on which batteries to get ??

Thanks for your advise

I currently use a few BP 18 Li 4.0 HPC-ASI batteries with the CSC SYS. I originally bought them for the TSC 55, so they weren’t really intended for the CSC SYS. The SCA 16 charger does a good job keeping charging times short.

I’m thinking about upgrading to the BP 18 TBX 8 ASI once they're available.

Power-wise, the 4.0 Ah HighPower packs are perfectly fine for the saw, and runtime’s been great so far—it obviously depends on what you’re cutting. The bigger question for me is which other Festool tools I’ll be using with these batteries. Weight’s not an issue with the CSC SYS, but it definitely matters on the TSC, HKC, or other cordless tools like the new routers, cordless Domino or the planer. I’d only want to run those with the 4.0 Ah type. If I’m switching batteries between tools a lot, I’d rather grab a couple more 4.0 Ah packs instead of moving up to the heavier ones just for the CSC SYS.

 

[catchy_username]

I don't understand these forums. Cordless saws have a use for some people and not others. just because it doesn't work for you guys doesn't mean that your advice is helpful imo. OP is not asking on your opinion on whether the saw is good or not, he is asking for battery recommendations.

In more seriousness. If you can wait for the new tabless cells, get those. In the meantime something like 5ah and 8ah will be good for the saw. 4ah's are nice and light but the failure rate on them is too high for me to recommend. Personally I'd just get the 5ahs, because I suspect the 8ahs use the same cells as the 4ah. In my experience (6 of the 4's and the 10+ 5's), the 5's are way more reliable than the 4's. I have had 2 failures on the 4ahs, zero on the 5ah batteries. Right now they cost the exact same in north america, so other than the weight/bulkiness (which doesn't matter for the CSC), they have a better capacity per dollar ratio, so if you plan on only using the batteries for the csc, i'd get the 5ahs.

 

[luvmytoolz]

+1 for the above, you definitely need the 8ah's for the SYS 50, they last so much better than the 5's which become pretty annoying to use.

I have one set of 8's I use currently, and I'm hanging out for the new 8ah's to be released and I'll then get a couple sets of them.

 

[Coen]

OP is not asking on your opinion on whether the saw is good or not, he is asking for battery recommendations.

That is the beauty of a forum. Sometimes you get what you actually need instead of what you ask for.
Like last week someone was asking if anyone had an old PS300 dust extractor adapter for sale. I blatantly ignored his question and pointed him to the revised part (different part number) that he promptly got from Festool

+1 for the above, you definitely need the 8ah's for the SYS 50, they last so much better than the 5's which become pretty annoying to use.

10 cells of 21700 vs 10 cells of 18650 tends to do that

 

[ChuckS]

That is the beauty of a forum. Sometimes you get what you actually need instead of what you ask for.

If forum discussions didn't go the way they do, I suspect the amount of discussions may have been halved or reduced to whatever %.

Almost every thread of discussion (in any forum that I visit) goes sideways or off the track as the discussion progresses.

That's the nature of forum discussions, in a way, mirroring real human conversations.

 

[ChuckS]

I don't understand these forums.

AI:
Forum discussions frequently go off-topic or "sideways" due to a combination of human psychology, the lack of nonverbal cues in text-based communication, and the inherent, informal nature of online communities. While designed for specific topics, forums act as social spaces where tangents are natural, similar to real-life conversations that meander.

 

[ReneS]

That is the beauty of a forum. Sometimes you get what you actually need instead of what you ask for.

That is a big assumption, and here I thought woodworkers were all about facts, math, and science LOL.

No way to know what MEF888 needs or doesn't need. Reminds me of all the times some one has asked about buying a particular router table, bench, etc. and they are told that they should build one from scratch. Yeah, if that was what they wanted to do, they would have asked about that.

Just adding my .02 USD since forum discussions are supposed to go off topic, or so I have heard.

 

[grmaxx]

I’ve been fine using two 5Ah batteries on my table saw for the past twelve months.

 

[luvmytoolz]

I’ve been fine using two 5Ah batteries on my table saw for the past twelve months.

The 5's work fine on the saw, they just don't last long, especially if doing a lot of ripping.

 

[mino]

No way to know what MEF888 needs or doesn't need. Reminds me of all the times some one has asked about buying a particular router table, bench, etc. and they are told that they should build one from scratch. Yeah, if that was what they wanted to do, they would have asked about that.

And that is fine. OP can absolutely ignore Coen's tongue-in-cheek commentary.

We are not in a military camp and Coen is not the Serge here.

--
As mentioned, get the TBX8 packs. Eventually.

If you do not have other Festool packs yet, get two of the 5.0 ASI packs and the SCA 16 charger.

Once the TBX8 packs come along later in the year, get a pair of those, or stick to 5.0 packs if you found the runtime adequate. Add a second SCA 16 if convenience calls for it.