woodbutcherbower
Member
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2021
- Messages
- 1,217
Just thought I’d throw this out there.
Although I was a very early adopter of the original saw, my ‘latest’ TS55REBQ was purchased in early 2017. I do this for a living and it’s my most-used saw, doing around 20 hours of actual cutting every week;
20 hours x 50 weeks per year = 1000 hours per year.
1000 hours per year x 5 years = 5000 hours.
Now imagine 5000 hours on an automobile doing (say) 40mph average;
40 mph x 5000 hours = 200,000 miles.
The saw’s never missed a beat and never failed once, it cuts as well and as accurately as when it was brand-new, nothing is worn or loose, the motor brushes are original, the Systainer hasn’t cracked or broken, the rails are maybe 10 years old and are all original apart from replacement grub screws and periodic splinter strip replacements - everything is just as usable as it ever was. I have maybe 20 blades for it, in a constant cycle of being used/being resharpened. I added an aftermarket rigid dust extractor port as the floppy one drove me crazy, and a 3D-printed cover for the rectangular blade-change hole which further improves extraction quality by a considerable margin. Apart from that = it’s out-of-the-box identical. It’s virtually become an extension of my arm, a super-comfortable pair of old, beat-up sneakers which just become your go-to.
It’s often said “You buy cheap, you buy twice”. The above represents the perfect illustration of why quality actually costs way less over the long haul. Anything inferior would have been replaced 2-3 times already. The initial ‘gulp’ prices of my Festool equipment - along with my Hiltis, my Mafells, my Feins, my Lamello, my Mirka and so on, all hurt when I bought them. But years later, they’re all still working and earning their keep. My Hilti equipment especially, which gets tortured doing heavy-duty drilling, coring, breaking and similar arduous, abusive tasks.
You soon come to realise that it’s an investment. Not a price.
Although I was a very early adopter of the original saw, my ‘latest’ TS55REBQ was purchased in early 2017. I do this for a living and it’s my most-used saw, doing around 20 hours of actual cutting every week;
20 hours x 50 weeks per year = 1000 hours per year.
1000 hours per year x 5 years = 5000 hours.
Now imagine 5000 hours on an automobile doing (say) 40mph average;
40 mph x 5000 hours = 200,000 miles.
The saw’s never missed a beat and never failed once, it cuts as well and as accurately as when it was brand-new, nothing is worn or loose, the motor brushes are original, the Systainer hasn’t cracked or broken, the rails are maybe 10 years old and are all original apart from replacement grub screws and periodic splinter strip replacements - everything is just as usable as it ever was. I have maybe 20 blades for it, in a constant cycle of being used/being resharpened. I added an aftermarket rigid dust extractor port as the floppy one drove me crazy, and a 3D-printed cover for the rectangular blade-change hole which further improves extraction quality by a considerable margin. Apart from that = it’s out-of-the-box identical. It’s virtually become an extension of my arm, a super-comfortable pair of old, beat-up sneakers which just become your go-to.
It’s often said “You buy cheap, you buy twice”. The above represents the perfect illustration of why quality actually costs way less over the long haul. Anything inferior would have been replaced 2-3 times already. The initial ‘gulp’ prices of my Festool equipment - along with my Hiltis, my Mafells, my Feins, my Lamello, my Mirka and so on, all hurt when I bought them. But years later, they’re all still working and earning their keep. My Hilti equipment especially, which gets tortured doing heavy-duty drilling, coring, breaking and similar arduous, abusive tasks.
You soon come to realise that it’s an investment. Not a price.
