TSO GRS-16 Guide Rail Square or Festool Parallel Guide and Extension Set
- Thread starter NeoTerror
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usernumber1
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literally both, but the square gets more miles for sure. it really depends how you personally work with your sheet goods and your available space
Jiggy Joiner
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NeoTerror said:
Get the TSO GRS-16 or even the PE, swerve the festool parallel guides and save for the TSO guides.
Obviously this is just my opinion, although Festool make fine tools, there are many other better parallel guide options though, and the TSO are superb.
usernumber1
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NeoTerror said:
lol - square. if you're cutting multiple pieces of same dimensions then get the rails later. they are more for automation and repetition
Michael Kellough
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Jiggy Joiner said:
DITTO
rmwarren
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Get the TSO GRS-16.
I originated the Rip Guides aftermarket parallel guides years ago & while I have long since stopped dabbling in aftermarket items I have more than my fair share of guides laying around. They almost never get used, the GRS is my go-to for sheet goods.
The only limitation it has is cutting narrow material where there isn't enough of an edge (length) to act as a reference for the square. Anything over 8-10" wide (to the left of the cutting line) I have found the result to be acceptable.
One of the reasons I got started with the Rip Guides in the first place was frustration with the Festool version. Even if you decide the GRS isn't for you I'd recommend the aftermarket PG's over them.
As always, just my 2 pesos.
RMW
I originated the Rip Guides aftermarket parallel guides years ago & while I have long since stopped dabbling in aftermarket items I have more than my fair share of guides laying around. They almost never get used, the GRS is my go-to for sheet goods.
The only limitation it has is cutting narrow material where there isn't enough of an edge (length) to act as a reference for the square. Anything over 8-10" wide (to the left of the cutting line) I have found the result to be acceptable.
One of the reasons I got started with the Rip Guides in the first place was frustration with the Festool version. Even if you decide the GRS isn't for you I'd recommend the aftermarket PG's over them.
As always, just my 2 pesos.
RMW
Cheese
Member
Get the TSO square now and you can spring for the TSO parallel guides later. They’re better and easier to use than the Festool or the Woodpeckers guides. [big grin]
nclemmons
Member
I have both plus the Seneca guides. I'm long on parallel guides!
I use the TSO guiderail square and parallel guides the most. Occasional use would be the Seneca guides for longer cuts. I hardly use the Festool guides now. The others are far better in my opinion for fast, repetitive cuts and easy handling.
I use the TSO guiderail square and parallel guides the most. Occasional use would be the Seneca guides for longer cuts. I hardly use the Festool guides now. The others are far better in my opinion for fast, repetitive cuts and easy handling.
sancho57
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What Tom said.
I got the GRS w their PGs . They ae the first aftermarket non festool accessories I have bought and love them.
Just got back from Oregon and used them to build a small built in for a friend of mine on site there ( I live in Calif).
I got the GRS w their PGs . They ae the first aftermarket non festool accessories I have bought and love them.
Just got back from Oregon and used them to build a small built in for a friend of mine on site there ( I live in Calif).
Without a doubt get the GRS-16 first. It is superb. I had the Festool parallel guide and extension set and sold it. It was one of the few Festool products I didn't like. I recently bought the TSO parallel guide. It's far superior to the Festool.
If you have to choose, go with the GRS-16. You can still break down sheet goods and have the advantage of making square cuts easily.
If you have to choose, go with the GRS-16. You can still break down sheet goods and have the advantage of making square cuts easily.
I highly recommend that all Festool users get the Festool parrallel guides. They will save any user an absolute fortune.
However it won't be in the way you might anticipate. Looking back, up until that point I was effectively part of a cult and couldn't get enough of Festool. The parrallel guides were so badly designed and made me open my eyes to what was really happening to me.
Nowadays I buy all tools on merit and not on the perceived kudos/utility associated with the badge. I still highly rate Festool but there are many viable cheaper alternatives for all users when considering any tool purchase. Festool are undoubtedly still top of my list for many tool purchases but not all.
I don't however regret any Festool purchase. It introduced me to whole new way of working from both an organisational and dust free perspective and no other tool manufacturer has contributed more to that idea than Festool.
Festool's parrallel guides aren't a bad purchasing decision but as many users have already said there are lots of viable alternatives.
I recently upgraded my CT26 dust extractor and got the new Midi. I couldn't see anything else out there that even got close and I'm absolutely thrilled with my decision. The R&D that has gone into the new Midi is beyond awesome and it's Festool at it's very best in my opinion. It's a shame that their whole 18v platform belongs in the Stone Age. They have really dropped the ball in that department and it's equivalent to Bill Gates denying the importance of the internet in his early editions of The Road Ahead.
However it won't be in the way you might anticipate. Looking back, up until that point I was effectively part of a cult and couldn't get enough of Festool. The parrallel guides were so badly designed and made me open my eyes to what was really happening to me.
Nowadays I buy all tools on merit and not on the perceived kudos/utility associated with the badge. I still highly rate Festool but there are many viable cheaper alternatives for all users when considering any tool purchase. Festool are undoubtedly still top of my list for many tool purchases but not all.
I don't however regret any Festool purchase. It introduced me to whole new way of working from both an organisational and dust free perspective and no other tool manufacturer has contributed more to that idea than Festool.
Festool's parrallel guides aren't a bad purchasing decision but as many users have already said there are lots of viable alternatives.
I recently upgraded my CT26 dust extractor and got the new Midi. I couldn't see anything else out there that even got close and I'm absolutely thrilled with my decision. The R&D that has gone into the new Midi is beyond awesome and it's Festool at it's very best in my opinion. It's a shame that their whole 18v platform belongs in the Stone Age. They have really dropped the ball in that department and it's equivalent to Bill Gates denying the importance of the internet in his early editions of The Road Ahead.
Michael Kellough
Member
Years ago before the Festool parallel guides arrived people where devising homemade ways to get repeatable parallel cuts. Some of the solutions were pretty good but a durable manufactured system from the Mothership was the overwhelming preference. The rumor that Festool engineers were working on it really stifled creativity for a couple of years. When the actual product arrived the reaction was mixed. Here is the first comprehensive review (by Brice Burrell) posted a bit over 10 years ago.
The ratio of negatives to positives for the Festool parallel guides was a lot higher than expected. It wasn’t long before the DIY solutions ramped up again but the unique feature of the Festool version (the ability to cut narrow strips [outboard with the extensions] unspoiled by the non-flat underside of the guide rail) still hasn’t been accomplished by anything else. Or have I missed something?
The ratio of negatives to positives for the Festool parallel guides was a lot higher than expected. It wasn’t long before the DIY solutions ramped up again but the unique feature of the Festool version (the ability to cut narrow strips [outboard with the extensions] unspoiled by the non-flat underside of the guide rail) still hasn’t been accomplished by anything else. Or have I missed something?
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