What disappoints me in Festool

[mirock]

Hello colleagues.

I hope moderators won't remove this my thread as it sometimes happens.
I have enough Festool tools to see some small but general problems of this tool trademark.

The most significant of such points for me is absence of tilted base for Carvex, I even tried to make my own variant.

Second - absence of "Plug it" on Festool HL 850. I very quickly have been accustomed to this cool feature but each time I am stumbling of its absence on HL planer. Of course I can buy cable set but there difficult to install "Plug it" socket inside. Outside it is not convenient cause it may not be attached by one hand.

I can recall many of them. I will write them here when it'll come to my mind.)
Need to notice that nothing perfect in this world and all these small lacks are just small lacks but no more.

 

[Llap Goch]

Yep, that Carvex base issue is why I bought the Metabo 18v jigsaw after a back to back test with the Carvex. Its a better jigsaw too in so many ways.

I fitted the pigtail lead to my HL 65 planer as it too had the built-in lead. Inconvenient for one handed use perhaps but makes using my hose/lead combination so much easier. Mind you it looks awful but the connection 'bulge' hasn't got in the way.....yet.

Pat

 

[peterboy]

Same here with the PD20/4 E love the drill, hate the cord.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

Maybe someone will start selling an aftermarket tilt base for the Carvex. Collins already sells a coping foot made for it, and a number of other companies manufacture aftermarket accessories for tools like thr MFT and Dominoe. 

 

[Xoncention]

Second - absence of "Plug it" on Festool HL 850.

Was it you who put the LED in Festool router?  If it was, cool design.  If not, still cool design.

They don't put the plug-it in the OF2200 either.  It is because of current draw and safety.  That is the reason given to me by Festool when I asked after a plug-it version of the corded only tools.

 

[joiner1970]

Second - absence of "Plug it" on Festool HL 850.

Was it you who put the LED in Festool router?  If it was, cool design.  If not, still cool design.

They don't put the plug-it in the OF2200 either.  It is because of current draw and safety.  That is the reason given to me by Festool when I asked after a plug-it version of the corded only tools.

Yep that was him, he's a clever fella.

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Paul G]

The most significant of such points for me is absence of tilted base for Carvex...

I'd be very interested in a regular type tilt base for my Carvex

 

[semenza]

  Though this is almost more of a Wish List topic it is a bit of a gray area as to where it should be posted.

  In any case there is no reason ( at this point) to remove it. Some topics and posts  (yes, a couple of mirock's) get removed due to safety /  liability concerns with modifications to tools. Even if the set up is actually safe and or very well constructed.

    Over the years I have had to remove a good number of things that I thought were excellent.

  That is just the way it is ..................

Seth

 

[Luzzy]

Single biggest issue for me is the rail system specifically the joining of multiples of different sizes. It's the reason I switched to Mafell track saws in all variations ( mt55,kss400,kss40).

 

[Steve-Rice]

This is really a small thing, but when you spend $500 or $600 for a sander, it would be nice if Festool included the same kind of sample pack of abrasives that's included with the $99 Pro 5.  The single sheet of abrasive paper included with their sanders is almost an insult, especially considering the price of the tool.

Just my two cents....

 

[Holmz]

This is really a small thing, but when you spend $500 or $600 for a sander, it would be nice if Festool included the same kind of sample pack of abrasives that's included with the $99 Pro 5.  The single sheet of abrasive paper included with their sanders is almost an insult, especially considering the price of the tool.

Just my two cents....

Some say it just rubs them the wrong way...  [wink]

 

[live4ever]

No plug-it on the RAS either.  I hate cramming cords into systainers.

 

[Kev]

I really read this as a "glass half full" perspective. When it comes to Plug-it leads, I'm pleased that a large number of my Festools have it. I fully understand why some of the bigger machines don't .. as for the others, running updates to the range may sort this out. It's unlikely that Festool would look to update the casing of a machine to simply incorporate Plug-it .. they'd look to incorporate other beneficial updates at the same time.

[member=7589]mirock[/member] .. please start a wish list entry for CARVEX "traditional" tilting base, I'd certainly like one. If Festool doesn't make one, Seneca, TSO or other may jump in with something cool.

 

[Cheese]

The single sheet of abrasive paper included with their sanders is almost an insult, especially considering the price of the tool.

Agree 100%...kind of like visiting your dentist and after you pay your bill in full, they peel off one piece of dental floss and put it in a plastic bag for you to take home and use later.  [eek]

One piece of sandpaper does nothing for corporate goodwill. The idea of sampling various grits of sandpaper is not about getting "free stuff", it's about finding out what grit/grits level you may need to use with that particular sander to get your task completed. 40 grit with an RO will yield different results than 40 with an ETC/3 or 40 with an ETC/5. Either include a selection of grits or forget about it.

I've railed about the ineptness of the Festool marketing group in the past, and unfortunately, nothing has changed, the latest Pro 5 fiasco is just another example along with this whole silly imperial/metric discussion. I'll have some more to add on that Pro 5 deal later. 

 

[Cochese]

I think if you are going to have a no questions asked return period, you either need to also apply that proportionally to related consumables or put enough in the package to do a fair evaluation. The ten sheets I clicked in the Pro5 are just right, IMO. Enough to take you through all the grits on a small project. I think the Domino should include about 10-20 tenons as well. Not even an assortment, the same size would work. Enough to join up a couple of boards is all you need.

That isnt quite as important as the sandpaper, though, because you can spend so much more buying at even the minimum packs to get a range to sand. And then you are stuclk with the remaining paper.

Keep in mind here I'm talking about a customer that might not know that some dealers can put together an assortment!sent or know that you can get some money for that paper here. $70 sanders may not include any either, but then again they are $70.

There's a ton of other things I could add, but that line of thinking mentioned above really spoke to me. There are some other tools like the routers that are in desperate need of features found on tools 1/5 the price.

 

[Stephen B]

This is really a small thing, but when you spend $500 or $600 for a sander, it would be nice if Festool included the same kind of sample pack of abrasives that's included with the $99 Pro 5.  The single sheet of abrasive paper included with their sanders is almost an insult, especially considering the price of the tool.

Just my two cents....

[size=13pt]Most other sander brands sold down under also only include one or two sheets of paper or none at all. So I do not expect Festool to be any different.

What disappoints me about Festool, is the differentiation of 'Service all Inclusive' between Festool Aust., and that offered in the UK and NA [See 'One for the Aussies']! Although I must say that the registration process provided with my most recent  purchase two weeks ago was a vast improvement over past experiences.

 

[Kev]

This is really a small thing, but when you spend $500 or $600 for a sander, it would be nice if Festool included the same kind of sample pack of abrasives that's included with the $99 Pro 5.  The single sheet of abrasive paper included with their sanders is almost an insult, especially considering the price of the tool.

Just my two cents....

[size=13pt]Most other sander brands sold down under also only include one or two sheets of paper or none at all. So I do not expect Festool to be any different.

What disappoints me about Festool, is the differentiation of 'Service all Inclusive' between Festool Aust., and that offered in the UK and NA [See 'One for the Aussies']! Although I must say that the registration process provided with my most recent  purchase two weeks ago was a vast improvement over past experiences.

Truthfully the rest of the world probably see the US as not only expecting an item to come with a lifetime on consumables, also a labourer to do the work free for the first 6 months!

When it comes to buying a sander that potentially has 5 different types of abrasive and 10 different grits for each, I see the inclusion of 1 piece of abrasive as a means to ensure the equipment works ... anything further and you're paying for it, whether you believe it or not.

I want, I think I should get, I deserve, I should have ... other people give me, so therefore ...

If this isn't the expectation of privilege I don't know what is. I bet that if Festool US introduced a 50 abrasive sample pack with all sanders and increased prices by $30~50 there'd be civil revolution [eek] [big grin]

 

[Holmz]

...
If this isn't the expectation of privilege I don't know what is. I bet that if Festool US introduced a 50 abrasive sample pack with all sanders and increased prices by $30~50 there'd be civil revolution [eek] [big grin]

Actually just the assorted pack, for people to try them, would sell like hotcake... or vegemite-sangas .

Yes... a few good places repackage them into assortment packs... but as it always comes up in the forum, this seems like a no brainer marketing move.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

This is really a small thing, but when you spend $500 or $600 for a sander, it would be nice if Festool included the same kind of sample pack of abrasives that's included with the $99 Pro 5.  The single sheet of abrasive paper included with their sanders is almost an insult, especially considering the price of the tool.

Just my two cents....

[size=13pt]Most other sander brands sold down under also only include one or two sheets of paper or none at all. So I do not expect Festool to be any different.

What disappoints me about Festool, is the differentiation of 'Service all Inclusive' between Festool Aust., and that offered in the UK and NA [See 'One for the Aussies']! Although I must say that the registration process provided with my most recent  purchase two weeks ago was a vast improvement over past experiences.

Truthfully the rest of the world probably see the US as not only expecting an item to come with a lifetime on consumables, also a labourer to do the work free for the first 6 months!

When it comes to buying a sander that potentially has 5 different types of abrasive and 10 different grits for each, I see the inclusion of 1 piece of abrasive as a means to ensure the equipment works ... anything further and you're paying for it, whether you believe it or not.

I want, I think I should get, I deserve, I should have ... other people give me, so therefore ...

If this isn't the expectation of privilege I don't know what is. I bet that if Festool US introduced a 50 abrasive sample pack with all sanders and increased prices by $30~50 there'd be civil revolution [eek] [big grin]

I hope you're joking about the American entitlement bit. Unlike the UK and Europe?, people in the USA don't get a replacement festool tool if theirs is under warranty and stolen. Festool customers in the USA don't get a huge number of the Festool and Former Protool tools that were sold in Europe and!! Australia. I understand with the tools there are voltage issues, but the availability issue also includes accessories for tools that are sold in the USA, and includes things like collets, batteries, and certain abrasive types. The prices, especially for accessories, are sometimes significantly higher in the USA, than they are in Europe, and I recall this as being the case even before the €&£ dropped in value in relation to the $. Europe also gets Plugit cords in different lengths and materials, which has only been sort of corrected in the USA. Makita doesn't even sell some of their tools in the USA, even if they're selling the tools in Canada.

Including a sample pack of abrasives, with a sheet or two of several different grits, and maybe a few sheets of the different types of abrasives would give customers a better chance if testing the tools right after purchase. The Festool round pad sanders use a different hole pattern than other sanders, so you can't simply purchase a smsll pack of paper from a local hardware store to properly test the sanders. Some of the other Festool sanders also use non standard paper sizes for the USA. Bosch and a number of other professional brands include a few free jigsaw blades when you buy a saw, and Fein includes a few blades and/or abrasives when you buy a multimaster, and did even back when they were mostly only seen in the industrial market.

 

[aterren]

I fitted the pigtail lead to my HL 65 planer as it too had the built-in lead.

Are female pigtails avialable?    If so, how would I order one?