Man I wish I had a company with absolutely no authority at all that could shape other companies selling practices. What if some day we find UL has been getting kickbacks to certify certain products? They have no legal standing and are not backed by the government, only OSHA approved, which has been found to take kickback here and there. I am not commenting on Festool at all, just that UL has a hell of a business plan and power that may or may not be deserved. They have a lot of control and are totally trusted, I wonder who looks over UL's shoulder to make sure their processes of certification are correct?
The UL Mark indicates compliance with certain Standards only. Compliance with Standards is not a legal requirement nor an indication that legal requirements have been met. So really why they carry so much weight is beyond me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwriters_Laboratories
To bad, that Vac Sys is one product I always wanted.