Thinking about Purchasing CONTURO KA 65

[Biped]

Hello group I am new here.

I have been thinking about purchasing the CONTURO KA 65 but I was only able to find one review outside of Festool.

Needless to say, I'm a Festool owner and have always found their tools dependable but on a larger ticket item like the  CONTURO KA 65 I still want a dependable outside of any Festool salesman's or any other Associates in that regard.  I would just like to hear the pros and cons from regular cabinet makers like myself.

So what are your pros and cons of the CONTURO KA 65 and how long have you owned this edge bander approximately?

Thank you!

 

[Brian Livingstone]

Hi,

I have had my Conturo for one year.  It has worked flawlessly.  Highly recommended.  The only con I can think of is that it takes a lot of glue when changing from a dark to a lighter colour. 

I have been able to achieve near perfect results when edge banding.

Brian

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The advantage is the portability and the ability to do much larger parts than would be comfortable on a small (entry level) fixed base machine. Plus the huge advantage of running on curved parts, which those machines can't do at all.
The only disadvantage (other than purging, like Brian said) id that it's not nearly as "automatic" as a free- standing machine can be. This puts you into a two-step process, as the Conturo only applies the edgebanding. Trimming the excess is another step, all of which makes it slower.
For many people, the versatility is worth the loss of speed. Ultimately it comes down to what you need the unit to do for you......and of course price-point. A dedicated fixed base unit can cost significantly more.
You mentioned "cabinet makers", so I would assume at least some of the use would be for doors/drawer fronts? These are relatively small parts, so workholding is a thing. This is a perfect use-case for a vacuum clamping system. It keeps your parts accessible from all sides.

 

[woodferret]

Wouldn't it be easier to just get the MFT table for the small rectangular parts?

 

[Peter Kelly]

Seems to me the Conturo with the MFT table would be the way to go but you're up to almost $4,500 plus consumables to get started with. For $1,200 less you can get the base model Maksiwa bander which uses generic glue pellets instead of the proprietary Festool pucks. Virutex also has a table top bander for just over $3,000 too.https://www.virutextools.com/hot-melt-edgebanders/hot-melt-edgebander-peb250trc-pid292

There's also the Comatic version of the same thing with a table for $2,500. Lots of choices out there in this category.

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

I've had my Conturo for more than 7 years now and shortly afterwards,  bought the MFT Conturo table insert.......The smaller components are much quicker to edge on it than taking the machine to the component. On the whole, it has worked really well, although I did have to send it in to Festool UK about 4 months ago when a drive chain became disconnected ( apparently! ). It was collected, repaired and returned to me within 3 days...

As some of the others have said, the only negative point I had found was the waste of glue when needing to change colours of puck,....but I found a way around that and it works a treat!
I bought a high temperature Silicone Mould that has the same size holes in it as the glue pucks......When I need to change colour, I just purge out the old colour into the moulds, ( it takes about 3 to 4 pucks to completely purge) wait until the moulds have cooled down and just pop them out and they can be reused.....It has no detrimental effect on the glue when I've reused the purged pucks as far as I can tell?

I also buy my adhesive pucks in bulk rather than specifically Festool pucks.....It works out substantially cheaper,  but they are much longer in length and wont fit straight into the Conturo hopper, so do have to be cut down on a bandsaw after a night in the Freezer....

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Seems to me the Conturo with the MFT table would be the way to go but you're up to almost $4,500 plus consumables to get started with. For $1,200 less you can get the base model Maksiwa bander which uses generic glue pellets instead of the proprietary Festool pucks. Virutex also has a table top bander for just over $3,000 too.https://www.virutextools.com/hot-melt-edgebanders/hot-melt-edgebander-peb250trc-pid292

There's also the Comatic version of the same thing with a table for $2,500. Lots of choices out there in this category.

The Comatic is the one that I have experience with. The company where I work, bought it in 2019, for the portability factor, mostly the curved edges, which a machine that costs 50 times more, still can't do.
It works with the same pellets as the big machine, so that issue doesn't exist.

Wouldn't it be easier to just get the MFT table for the small rectangular parts?

Maybe, but it's another expense. At some point the cost vs time thing has to steer you toward a more sophisticated unit that also removes the excess at the same time.
The Comatic unit has an optional second table for the router, allowing you to slide the parts over it, but it still requires two passes, as can't cut both sides at the same time.
The real problem with this is that you can only do the parallel sides at once. Then those edges need to be trimmed off before you can even apply the edgebanding to the adjacent sides.
Of course, this all depends on the volume of parts.
I'm certainly not against the handhelds, you just need to be aware of the strengths/weaknesses versus your needs/expectations.

 

[woodferret]

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] have you ever felt the need for >1mm banding?  From all the options listed, I think the makisawa CBC.FLEX is limited to 1mm (your fav IRRC).  CBC.E is 2mm, and Comatic BR600 is 3mm, Conturo 3mm.

Dunno if that will make a difference for [member=81695]Biped[/member] but might as well point it out if it does.

 

[lunkerj]

i waited a long time before pulling the trigger, but after about six months of use can say it is up there with the best Festool purchases i have made. I have an MKT 700 that is dedicated to trimming so that cuts down on the set up time for trimming. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=72072]woodferret[/member]  I never have a choice in it. That kind of thing is spec'd by someone else.
2mm is almost unheard of in my circle. We use 1mm on cabinet carcass parts, shelves, etc. Doors/drawer fronts can be either 1mm or 3mm, depending on the job requirements.
There is a good percentage of veneer too.
Some counter tops get 3mm too. The Cometic is capable of that, though usually only on curved fronts.
As long as it's not thinner than 1mm, ok. I can't stand that .5mm junk.

 

[Laminator]

I got the MFT with my Conturo several years ago.  I was not able to get the kind of results I was hoping for with it and it is now just another (expensive) work table. I still have all the parts but never plan to use it again.  The Conturo works hand in hand with the sys vacuum clamps and has worked very well with laminate and vinyl edge bandings I have used.

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

.......I was not able to get the kind of results I was hoping for with it and it is now just another (expensive) work table.....

What was the problem you had....?

I use my Conturo MFT insert when edging panels up to about 800mm square (32' x 32').
Larger than that, and I take the Conturo to the panel.
Small pieces, such as 100mm x 600mm (4' x 24') are far easier on the Conturo insert.

One modification I made to mine is, I have fitted a full width 2'x1' alloy box section on the underside of the top, as close to the Conturo as possible, as there was a bit of sag/flex in the MDF coated chipboard top that was causing me a few issues initially.....This seems to have solved the problem

 

[DeejayK]

So I have a Conturo with the accessories and also the mfk trimmer. The trimmer is invaluable when doing wooden edging and is so precise! Yes, glue colour change is a faff, but how else to edge a laminated Formica panel either purchased or vac pressed. Having recently made built in wardrobes, edging all the shaker style door components was much easier and quicker with the conturo rather than iron-on and it validated the mft table top. At least you can be (reasonably) confident of the accuracy of the machine, the availability of spare parts and residual value should you decide to sell it. Great idea on the recycling of the purge cycle, particularly if using it for paintable edging!

 

[Laminator]

  Distinctive Interiors,  It was several years ago so memory is a little vague but mainly it was hard to get precision at the very start and the very end.  Also didn't like the space between the plastic pads causing a bumpy feeling as the panel edge make contact.
  I run a lot of 4" laminated backsplash with lengths up to 12' and end splash pieces are usually 26".  The end splash pieces were problematic and the longer pieces were out of the question without long infeed and outfeed support.
I use a friction matted work bench with the vac sys mounted level with the top to hold the splash and run the conturo hand held which works well.  I have always wished for a fully automated edge bander but don't have the shop space or 3 phase electricity...