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[COBill]

I went to a Festool event today and was told a few things by the company reps there:

• TBX batteries will be released in the US in mid-June at the same price point as existing batteries of the same capacity. The current unavailability of batteries isn't because of this, it's fallout from the new software disaster that has kept them and Festool Europe from shipping product to retailers for the last few months.

• From now on, tools will only be available in the "Basic" configuration - no more "Plus" kits with batteries and a charger, though the Systainer trays will still have cutouts for them. Instead, they will offer battery "starter kits" of a battery or batteries and charger (like other tool vendors) if you don't want to get a whole Energy Set. They are purposefully keeping battery and charger prices significantly lower than other tool companies like DᴇWALT and Milwaukee.

• The HKC 55 KEB will be coming to the US in mid to late Fall, 2026.

• The reason they laid off Sedge and other marketing folks is they want to downplay the homeowner/hobbyist market and target the pro carpentry/contractor/installer market. Think custom kitchens and custom homes, not D.R Horton/Lennar/Pulte. They pivoted to home owners/hobbyists during COVID but want to return to more a pro craftsman focus.

• The new undercutting of prices at the US Systainer Store is deliberate, Festool wants to be the source for Systainers in the US unless you need the custom colors or configurations the Systainer Store offers.

If you have other questions I can try to answer them if I didn't cover it above.

 

[luvmytoolz]

That's some really interesting points there!

The Sedge one is somewhat surprising to me.

I do really like the idea of "Basic" only kits if the battery sets are kept too a low cost.

 

[grmaxx]

Thank you for this info!

 

[SoonerFan]

Thanks for sharing. I want an HKC but plan to wait for the new version and the new batteries.

Like @luvmytoolz, I was surprised Sedge was let go. I do expect Sedge to still be all over social media on his own since he has built a following.

 

[peter halle]

Thanks for sharing. I want an HKC but plan to wait for the new version and the new batteries.

Like @luvmytoolz, I was surprised Sedge was let go. I do expect Sedge to still be all over social media on his own since he has built a following.

He's still around. Working with Rubio Monocoat now.

Peter

 

[rmhinden]

He's still around. Working with Rubio Monocoat now.

Peter

I actually like his current youtube videos better than when he was sponsored by Festool.

Bob

 

[COBill]

I actually like his current youtube videos better than when he was sponsored by Festool.

Bob

His caffeine level seems a bit more normal.

 

[ReneS]

His caffeine level seems a bit more normal.

Hilarious!!

And I like him a lot.

 

[NewWoodWorkerVA]

• The new undercutting of prices at the US Systainer Store is deliberate, Festool wants to be the source for Systainers in the US unless you need the custom colors or configurations the Systainer Store offers.

I thought Tanos and Festool had the same parent company (Tool Technic) and Systainer Store is owned by them. They have the same address in Indiana.

But yeah I just checked and Festool-branded Systainers look to be cheaper than Systainer store. Strange.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I just checked and Festool-branded Systainers look to be cheaper than Systainer store.

That was actually true when I bought a few about a year ago to replace some old "Classic" Systainers. The Festool branded ones got the nod, which was fine given I was transfering Festool inserts and tools into them

 

[Cheese]

I went to a Festool event today and was told a few things by the company reps there:

• From now on, tools will only be available in the "Basic" configuration - no more "Plus" kits with batteries and a charger, though the Systainer trays will still have cutouts for them. Instead, they will offer battery "starter kits" of a battery or batteries and charger (like other tool vendors) if you don't want to get a whole Energy Set. They are purposefully keeping battery and charger prices significantly lower than other tool companies like DᴇWALT and Milwaukee.

• The reason they laid off Sedge and other marketing folks is they want to downplay the homeowner/hobbyist market and target the pro carpentry/contractor/installer market. Think custom kitchens and custom homes, not D.R Horton/Lennar/Pulte. They pivoted to home owners/hobbyists during COVID but want to return to more a pro craftsman focus.

• The new undercutting of prices at the US Systainer Store is deliberate, Festool wants to be the source for Systainers in the US unless you need the custom colors or configurations the Systainer Store offers.

It's always nice to hear the latest scuttlebutt and I understand that you're just relaying what you were told by the factory reps but certain things those reps are saying don't seem to ring true.

IF Festool wants to focus more on the contractor business then:
Why are they pushing the "starter kits"? The typical DIYer would want the "starter kit" as all they need is a couple of batteries and a charger to operate the tools they have, one at a time. The contractor on the other hand, would purchase a half-dozen tools and a half-dozen Energy Sets because most of their tools will probably be used at the same time.

IF Festool wants to focus more on the contractor business then:
Why does Festool want to assume control of the Systainer Store which is already owned by their sister company Tanos? What would being the source for Systainers add to their professional contractor tool market? Tanos has been designing & manufacturing Systainers since 1993. Festool has simply been an end-user of the product.

 

[onocoffee]

I think there’s some sense to the combo kits. They came out just after the big axe fell at Festool. That kit had most likely been in the works prior to that. And we’ve seen nothing since - not even clarity on when the DFC is actually being released other than “summer”

And I had the opportunity to see the DFC recently. I’m now very tempted to get it.

 

[ChuckS]

I'm with you @Cheese.

Anyone who has ever worked for a big business knows the front-line staff or even junior managment only knows so much and can misinterpret company directives or intentions as well. I've heard many things from different retail and industrial front-line representatives that turned out to be either false or half-true over the years.

Not saying what the OP related from the Festool reps might not be true, but I'm scratching my head why Festool needs to sacrifice one segment of its business to promote the other segment.

 

[Coen]

• From now on, tools will only be available in the "Basic" configuration - no more "Plus" kits with batteries and a charger, though the Systainer trays will still have cutouts for them. Instead, they will offer battery "starter kits" of a battery or batteries and charger (like other tool vendors) if you don't want to get a whole Energy Set. They are purposefully keeping battery and charger prices significantly lower than other tool companies like DᴇWALT and Milwaukee.

Good! That would cut down the number of SKU's significantly. It also means it's easier to compare prices for consumers because not every tiny battery update will result in a new SKU for the tool. It also means that even with smaller dealers with low volume of sales you won't get 3 year old batteries that sat in unconditioned warehouse if you buy a tool that sat on the shelf for longer.

But on the battery prices... if I compare the 8Ah packs I see Festool is about 65% more expensive than Bosch, 5% cheaper than Milwaukee and 35% more expensive than DeWalt... so euh? Is it maybe a US only thing?

 

[mino]

It's always nice to hear the latest scuttlebutt and I understand that you're just relaying what you were told by the factory reps but certain things those reps are saying don't seem to ring true.

IF Festool wants to focus more on the contractor business then:
Why are they pushing the "starter kits"? The typical DIYer would want the "starter kit" as all they need is a couple of batteries and a charger to operate the tools they have, one at a time. The contractor on the other hand, would purchase a half-dozen tools and a half-dozen Energy Sets because most of their tools will probably be used at the same time.

IF Festool wants to focus more on the contractor business then:
Why does Festool want to assume control of the Systainer Store which is already owned by their sister company Tanos? What would being the source for Systainers add to their professional contractor tool market? Tanos has been designing & manufacturing Systainers since 1993. Festool has simply been an end-user of the product.

Contractors will have custom setups .. they generally purchase basic + chargers and packs as needed. The Plus sets were a hobby market thing .. so it makes sense they be dropped while the charger discount is transferred into the starter packs. This covers both sides of the market while halving the SKU count .. thus saving $ on stocking.

TTS may be a holding of multiple companies, but they always operated as a single business. I worked a decade for IBM. My Employer was a Czech LTD company. Yet my manager was sitting in London employed by a UK LTD company.. You are looking at this too literally. In US Festool has the mass distribution network thus it makes sense for them to handle the majority of the volume for Systainers - it also makes sense to spread Festool brand name as much as possible that way. That Systainer Store was cheaper than Festool was more of an anomaly .. which they addressed in the best possible way: lowering Festool systainer prices.