Went to the roadshow today...
- Thread starter HowardH
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HowardH
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IIRC there was a pretty good mix of working age folks and retirees. It 's from 10 until 2 so I would think most who attend who live in the area where the show happens to be could maybe adjust their lunch hour to attend without taking the day off. Just an idea.
HarveyWildes
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Woohoo! Coming to beautiful Fort Collins, Colorado this Tuesday (May 17), home of lightning, hail, floods, wild fires, and mountain lions. It'll be 50 degrees and raining, but it won't keep me away. Looks like they can shut it down and set it back up in a day, because it's Fort Collins on Tuesday, Boulder on Wednesday, and Denver on Thursday. Mesa at 106 will be a shock after that.
ccarrolladams
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In the Dealer section Aldo of In-Touch Tools started a conversation about the Roadshow happening there on Tuesday, 7 June. Although Palm Desert, CA is a significant drive from Burbank, I will be attending that event.
To be sure, the Festool Roadshow will be happening at many other Southern California locations. I might even have the chance to attend some of those. I picked the In-Touch Tools event because it is a fine excuse for a road trip and it does not conflict with anything else on my schedule.
Sure, sometimes we need to make an effort to participate in opportunities to add information to our life experiences. Over the past ten years every Festool event or class has been worth it to me. Think of it this way: Festools are an investment, so it makes sense to pay attention to what Festool experts have to say about effectively using each tool. Then I can better approach the use of those tools. Understanding the thinking of the tool makers reduces frustration.
To be sure, the Festool Roadshow will be happening at many other Southern California locations. I might even have the chance to attend some of those. I picked the In-Touch Tools event because it is a fine excuse for a road trip and it does not conflict with anything else on my schedule.
Sure, sometimes we need to make an effort to participate in opportunities to add information to our life experiences. Over the past ten years every Festool event or class has been worth it to me. Think of it this way: Festools are an investment, so it makes sense to pay attention to what Festool experts have to say about effectively using each tool. Then I can better approach the use of those tools. Understanding the thinking of the tool makers reduces frustration.
I attended the roadshow recently as well. The people supporting the event were very helpful. I spent a good bit of time listening and testing out the tools. I left with a few main thoughts:
1. Domino is still the game changer tool for me. I have one and it's great.
2. VAC SYS is terrific. Never thought I'd want one but the demos showed me versatility I did not imagine. Suction on it is terrific and it's quite.
3. I see a new ETS sander in my near future.
First class show. For those of you on the fence, find a way to make it work in your schedule.
1. Domino is still the game changer tool for me. I have one and it's great.
2. VAC SYS is terrific. Never thought I'd want one but the demos showed me versatility I did not imagine. Suction on it is terrific and it's quite.
3. I see a new ETS sander in my near future.
First class show. For those of you on the fence, find a way to make it work in your schedule.
Went to the event in KC on Saturday, the cool temps reminded me of fall. First I want to thank Schutte Lumber for holding this with Festool. It was about a 25 minute drive for me but worth it. Schutte had donuts, and pizza and some drinks. As mentioned before, got some swag. It was nice to see all the new stuff. I joked with one of the local reps about the bad thing with Festool is the stuff last, so though I would love to justify some upgrades as long as the stuff I have works I can't do it. So for now i have a nice new Li iOn battery and no drill to use it on. I was hoping maybe they'd have a few old style batteries to swap, but hey beggers can't be choosey. I'll hold on to it for now, maybe some day soon i can justify the purchase of a new drill.
On top of the Festool swag, Schutte gave out shirts to commemorate the day. Wife has already called dibs on that shirt.
There were a few things I was going to pick up that I'd been on the fence about but it was going to have to be ordered. I figured I can do that at anytime, so held off for now. Really do like the new hose/plug-in sleeve. I must have missed the conversations on it. I want one that is designed to work with the MIDI and have the angle connector (which may be coming out I hear). Quite pricey little devil though. For a hobbyist, it is a little hard to swallow. May have to have the wife just make me something to slide over my current hose. Sew some velcro to some heavier material. I agree the Sys-vac is sweet, that is on the short list for sure.
On top of the Festool swag, Schutte gave out shirts to commemorate the day. Wife has already called dibs on that shirt.
There were a few things I was going to pick up that I'd been on the fence about but it was going to have to be ordered. I figured I can do that at anytime, so held off for now. Really do like the new hose/plug-in sleeve. I must have missed the conversations on it. I want one that is designed to work with the MIDI and have the angle connector (which may be coming out I hear). Quite pricey little devil though. For a hobbyist, it is a little hard to swallow. May have to have the wife just make me something to slide over my current hose. Sew some velcro to some heavier material. I agree the Sys-vac is sweet, that is on the short list for sure.
HarveyWildes
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scoffelt said:On top of the Festool swag, Schutte gave out shirts to commemorate the day. Wife has already called dibs on that shirt.
I can hear it now. "My wife got a cool shirt, and all I got was a sleeve."
What kind of material are you thinking might work? I'm thinking the heavy nylon they use on backpacks, or maybe a heavy canvas?
Cheese
Member
scoffelt said:
Just put the 90 degree connector from the MIDI on the sleeved hose. [smile]
Not sure on material yet, honestly haven't given it must thought and it is a low priority for now. As for just adding a 90 connector, that would work. Right now I am trying to justify spending 4 bones for a something that is just a nice add-on but not a need.
Cheese
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HarveyWildes
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Trip Report...
Went to the Festool road show at Sears Trostel lumber in Fort Collins. It was rainy and in the 40's, but there was no rain, lightning, hail, wild fire, or mountain lions. Or bears. There was the big Festool truck sitting in the parking lot. I got there around 11, and there were already a fair number of people wandering around.
If you registered, you got a goodie bag. It included two can wrappers, a catalog, and a 14.4V 4.2Ah battery. No T-shirt. But if you bought stuff, you got a T-shirt, so things worked out in the end.
I spent a fair amount of time at the sander table, and played some with every sander there. Here are some observations.
The DTS 400 is very hoppy at low speed. The higher the speed, the more stable it gets. The right amount of vacuum seemed to be about 1/3 of the way between the low and high settings.
The 150/3 ETS EC was silky smooth. If I concentrated real hard, I could feel a little vibration, but when I quit concentrating, it just felt smooth. It just floated over the board one-handed.
The 150/3 ETS was awkward by comparison. It wanted to be held with two hands, although you could use it with one hand if you were paying attention. The grips felt wrong to me. The vibration was better than my yellow and black sanders, but still more pronounced than the EC.
The RO 90 is a little beast. I could see it ruining a woodworking project due to lack of control. All it would take is a little distraction. Maybe I would like it once I got good at it, but not worth the risk.
After the sander table, I wandered around the other tables. A few things caught my attention, but nothing else really grabbed me. I liked the work table, and played a bit there, but I've got a nice bench in my shop that does the job for me. I did buy a couple of clamps to see if I could adapt them to my bench.
After that, I walked into Sears Trostel and browsed through the wood bins, lusting after some shedua and nice piece of bubinga. Then I wandered through the displays of Festool accessories and got a hands on feel for the different kinds of abrasives.
And then, after just a little over an hour, I was ready to buy my sander - the 150/3 ETS EC. But they had sold out of that model! Dang! They got rid of five of them in less than two hours. So I had to order it. As it turns out, the Festool guys thought that the attendance at this show was particularly good - on a par with the last two shows combined. I think Sears Trostel was pretty happy about that. Maybe they just say that to all of the stores.
Got it ordered, got the T-shirt, and then ate a light lunch of bar-b-que, snacks and Coke, and was on my way. Overall a delightful way to spend an hour and a half.
Went to the Festool road show at Sears Trostel lumber in Fort Collins. It was rainy and in the 40's, but there was no rain, lightning, hail, wild fire, or mountain lions. Or bears. There was the big Festool truck sitting in the parking lot. I got there around 11, and there were already a fair number of people wandering around.
If you registered, you got a goodie bag. It included two can wrappers, a catalog, and a 14.4V 4.2Ah battery. No T-shirt. But if you bought stuff, you got a T-shirt, so things worked out in the end.
I spent a fair amount of time at the sander table, and played some with every sander there. Here are some observations.
The DTS 400 is very hoppy at low speed. The higher the speed, the more stable it gets. The right amount of vacuum seemed to be about 1/3 of the way between the low and high settings.
The 150/3 ETS EC was silky smooth. If I concentrated real hard, I could feel a little vibration, but when I quit concentrating, it just felt smooth. It just floated over the board one-handed.
The 150/3 ETS was awkward by comparison. It wanted to be held with two hands, although you could use it with one hand if you were paying attention. The grips felt wrong to me. The vibration was better than my yellow and black sanders, but still more pronounced than the EC.
The RO 90 is a little beast. I could see it ruining a woodworking project due to lack of control. All it would take is a little distraction. Maybe I would like it once I got good at it, but not worth the risk.
After the sander table, I wandered around the other tables. A few things caught my attention, but nothing else really grabbed me. I liked the work table, and played a bit there, but I've got a nice bench in my shop that does the job for me. I did buy a couple of clamps to see if I could adapt them to my bench.
After that, I walked into Sears Trostel and browsed through the wood bins, lusting after some shedua and nice piece of bubinga. Then I wandered through the displays of Festool accessories and got a hands on feel for the different kinds of abrasives.
And then, after just a little over an hour, I was ready to buy my sander - the 150/3 ETS EC. But they had sold out of that model! Dang! They got rid of five of them in less than two hours. So I had to order it. As it turns out, the Festool guys thought that the attendance at this show was particularly good - on a par with the last two shows combined. I think Sears Trostel was pretty happy about that. Maybe they just say that to all of the stores.
Got it ordered, got the T-shirt, and then ate a light lunch of bar-b-que, snacks and Coke, and was on my way. Overall a delightful way to spend an hour and a half.
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