What don't you like about Festool...

[Lou Miller]

Terry,

I agree about a better Combination Angle Unit!!!  The idea of the angle is spot on, but very un-Festool in it's function.  Festool need to look no farther Incra's miter gauges on how to set up positive stop & lock to any degree in between.

jim

Jim, you talking about this or this ?

If its the second one, what festool calls the angle unit (I get really confused with some of the names of these things), I have no problems with it at all. The first one (what I call the MFT fence), I agree could be made much better. There's some type of upgraded fence for that though. It was discussed quite a bit at the old FOG, I just can't remember what it was called.

 

[mysterium]

Hi Lou,

I guess the term "Combination Angle Unit" could have several interpretations...  oops!!!  I can see how what I wrote in retrospect was confusing. 

When I made the post I was referring to the 2nd link you provided, or the catalog's description "Angle Unit FS-KS #491 588".  Because it can move even if it's locked, mine sits in it's Systainer.  I instead use a Starrett Builders Combination Tool, a spendy layout tool, now $370 at Woodcraft..... , fortunately I didn't pay that much as I've had it for years.  The guide rail, AFT 55 or 65 & the Builder's Combo Tool are used for square & angle cuts in sheet stock.

Although I have 2 of the 1st link you provided, or the Angle Stop MFT-WA #488 563 which is used with the MFT.  They really have seen little use as I usually have a miter saw available for trim/smaller stock cross cuts.  The "new/old" replacement is a LA650 Angle Unit for the MFT.  I don't have one of these, so I can't comment on if this is better than the MFT-WA that's supplied with the MFT Table.

Reading back over the last two paragraphs trying to clarify "what's what" with all the alpha-numeric catalog descriptors is also confusing!!! 

Come to think of it there is one more thing from Festool I'd like to see....  that's a Festool De-Coder Ring... in Black & Green of course!!!  ;D

jim

 

[richard.selwyn]

1.  Why make blades?  Maybe because they know how to design and make great blades and therefore make more money using the same equipment and processes used to make jigsaw blades

As far as understood from this forum last year, Festool don't actually make the blades themselves.  But what the heck - I have a French made "sawzall" for "wood butchery" and they work fine in it!

 

[James Biddle]

Sounds trivial, but I'd like the sytainers to come with a picture of how all the accessories fit into the little nooks and crannies. Or at least a pic on the website.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Sounds trivial, but I'd like the sytainers to come with a picture of how all the accessories fit into the little nooks and crannies. Or at least a pic on the website.

This reminds me of a complaint I have about the Festool web site (not the tools). The photos are awful, too small. The option to "enlarge" the photo is a cruel joke. Making one pixel occupy the space of four pixels doesn't help me determine if the MFS extension bars have increments for example.

Maybe if the description had that information I wouldn't need a bigger photo but if you offer to enlarge the photo, offer a photo that is actually bigger rather than stretch an inadequate one.

Rant over.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Sounds trivial, but I'd like the sytainers to come with a picture of how all the accessories fit into the little nooks and crannies. Or at least a pic on the website.

Me, too.  I'd also like more variety of inserts for the Sortainers and Systainers.  Make them adequately sturdy so several insert trays could be stacked within a larger Sortainer/Systainer.  Often I find myself needing to use the entire long side of my 1080 MFT to clamp and support a passage door standing on its long edge, and soon thereafter wanting to lay that door flat on top of the MFT.  So I remove all of the hardware and clamp components from the MFT, and look for a place to store them - preferably in a Sortainer or Systainer.  But none of the Sortainers excepting the 4-drawer model will hold these parts and the clamping elements because the black hand screw knobs are too large to fit the depth of the drawers in all of the other units.  (Thanks, Bob Marino, for sparing me more aggravation from buying a systainer that would not hold those knobs!)  But even the 4-drawer Sortaine cannot accomodate many of these components in an organized manner - many will only fit in the single large bottom drawer.  Absent an alternative from Festool, I think the best solution (assuming I want to store these items in a Systainer) may be to fabricate my own set of stackable compartmented trays to fit in one of the larger Systainers.

Also, why are Sortainers dimensioned differently from Systainers such that when coupled together in a stack, the Sortainers are not as well secured and can slide around a bit?

 

[Lou Miller]

Sounds trivial, but I'd like the sytainers to come with a picture of how all the accessories fit into the little nooks and crannies. Or at least a pic on the website.

I don't think that's trivial at all. We were just talking about that the other day at work when putting away the OF1400. I can never figure out where everything is supposed to go in that systainer (the rest of my syatainers are fairly self explanatory). I usually just toss everything in and just make sure I can close the lid. A picture of how things are intended to fit in the systainers would be an awesome addition. Preferably one that goes on the inside of the lid.

 

[Mike_Chrest]

OK,
  Here is a design issue. I use the "Fast Action Clamp"
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=489790&ID=8

on my guide rails when cutting down doors. Sometimes I don't want to drag sawhorses around so I will set the door on a piece of foam on the floor and tighten up the clamps with the handle folded to the side. Unfortunately the handle folds toward the blade side of the guide rail. I can just barely plunge the saw between the handle and the edge of the door, but it would be really nice if the handle folded away from the blade.

By the way, I think a good designer would love to hear real-world testing/feedback on their designs. The company would love it as well, they can incorporate the changes in the new model and sell us the same tool all over again  ;D

Mike

 

[Ned]

OK,
  Here is a design issue. I use the "Fast Action Clamp"
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=489790&ID=8

on my guide rails when cutting down doors. ... Unfortunately the handle folds toward the blade side of the guide rail. I can just barely plunge the saw between the handle and the edge of the door, but it would be really nice if the handle folded away from the blade.

Mike, I see your point., but until the factory makes "other-handed" FS-Rapid clamps, just reverse them.  That is, put the half of the clamp with the squeeze handle at the far end of the rail, and the tail piece nearest the operator.  Then the clamp handle swings out of the way.

Providing the link to the product page is a great idea, especially when talking about the many smaller and confusingly named pieces.

 

[Bob]

Comeon tell the truth ....how many of you have chopped of that stupid cord end and threw out the pigtail?  What's with that thing anyway? :-\

My axe is poised after digging out the pigtail one more time.

 

[Mirko]

Comeon tell the truth ....how many of you have chopped of that stupid cord end and threw out the pigtail?  What's with that thing anyway? :-\

My axe is poised after digging out the pigtail one more time.

When cleaning up I always put the pig tail in the trap door on the CT33. There has been several times (usualy early morning) when I go to plug it to start my day, I get that feeling that I forgot somthing, ohhh nooo I forgot the stupid end at the shop!! Or I'm puzzled by the strange end that just won't go in holes in the wall!  I like the little trap door, but I hate forgetting its there!!

 

[Michael Kellough]

OK,
   Here is a design issue. I use the "Fast Action Clamp"
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=489790&ID=8

on my guide rails when cutting down doors. Sometimes I don't want to drag sawhorses around so I will set the door on a piece of foam on the floor and tighten up the clamps with the handle folded to the side. Unfortunately the handle folds toward the blade side of the guide rail. I can just barely plunge the saw between the handle and the edge of the door, but it would be really nice if the handle folded away from the blade.

By the way, I think a good designer would love to hear real-world testing/feedback on their designs. The company would love it as well, they can incorporate the changes in the new model and sell us the same tool all over again  ;D

Mike

I don't like to use this clamp with the guide rail. When I tried it the guide rail tended to lift up near the clamp as it was tightened. I prefer the regular clamps for securing the guide rail.
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=8&prodid=489570

On the other hand, I've gotten used to not using clamps or just using one spring clamp to pull up an area of warped ply. Just keep the foam pads and the work piece surface clear of dust and the guide rails stays put.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Comeon tell the truth ....how many of you have chopped of that stupid cord end and threw out the pigtail?  What's with that thing anyway? :-\

My axe is poised after digging out the pigtail one more time.

When cleaning up I always put the pig tail in the trap door on the CT33. There has been several times (usualy early morning) when I go to plug it to start my day, I get that feeling that I forgot somthing, ohhh nooo I forgot the stupid end at the shop!! Or I'm puzzled by the strange end that just won't go in holes in the wall!  I like the little trap door, but I hate forgetting its there!!

This will fix that problemhttp://www.gorillatape.com/home.htm
kicks duck tapes butt.

 

[Ned]

Comeon tell the truth ....how many of you have chopped of that stupid cord end and threw out the pigtail?  What's with that thing anyway? :-\

My axe is poised after digging out the pigtail one more time.

When cleaning up I always put the pig tail in the trap door on the CT33. There has been several times (usualy early morning) when I go to plug it to start my day, I get that feeling that I forgot somthing, ohhh nooo I forgot the stupid end at the shop!! Or I'm puzzled by the strange end that just won't go in holes in the wall!  I like the little trap door, but I hate forgetting its there!!

This will fix that problemhttp://www.gorillatape.com/home.htm
kicks duck tapes butt.

Huh?

 

[mysterium]

Ned,

The "pig tail" they are refering to is the cord male end on the vacuums.  It does not fit the standard 15 amp 110 volt receptical witout an adapter. 

jim

 

[Ned]

Ned,

The "pig tail" they are refering to is the cord male end on the vacuums.  It does not fit the standard 15 amp 110 volt receptical witout an adapter. 

jim

That I understand.  How does duct tape, even great duct tape, help?

 

[Michael Kellough]

Hi Ned,

Tape the 20 to 15 amp adaptor to the 20 amp cord and you won't accidentally leave the adaptor behind.

Any tape will do but it seemed a good chance to plug the Gorilla tape which is very similar to gaffer's tape and highly recommended. It's also a nice shade of black so it doesn't look out of place on Festool power cords, though some of the adaptors are green and would spoil the effect.

I was also being punny with the name, playing on the fact that duct tape is often misidentified as duck tape and gorilla tape is to duck tape as...

 

[stvrowe]

Having spent the past 3 weeks in Switzerland, what I don't like about Festool in the US is that we don't have all the Festool offerings available.  I am also impressed by the number of retail outlets available on the other side of the pond.  I would estimate that number of dealers in a country the size of New Jersey exceeds that of the entire US.  Unfortunately, I couldn't visit an open store as business and travel plans dictated otherwise.

What I like about Festool in the US is the lower prices.

Steve

 

[Lou Miller]

Having spent the past 3 weeks in Switzerland, what I don't like about Festool in the US is that we don't have all the Festool offerings available.  I am also impressed by the number of retail outlets available on the other side of the pond.  I would estimate that number of dealers in a country the size of New Jersey exceeds that of the entire US.  Unfortunately, I couldn't visit an open store as business and travel plans dictated otherwise.

What I like about Festool in the US is the lower prices.

Steve

I was in Europe this past fall and took note of some things. Europeans typically don't buy crap like Americans do. Americans are always looking for the best deal on things. More often than not, Americans will give up a tremendous amount of quality in a product just to get it at a lower price. Obviously, Festool doesn't fall into that category. Having more retail places here wouldn't do them all that good, IMO.

I could just see them in Home Depot right next to the Ryobi garbage, that would work really well. Or Walmart could sit them right next to the cheapo Skil and Black and Decker crap. I see them now in quite a few places that cater to serious woodworkers and professional tradesmen. IMO, that's where they belong. At least you'll get someone with some knowledge on them to talk to instead of a pimply faced teenager making minnimum wage. Can you tell that I don't like HD

I don't mind having to order them one bit.

 

[stvrowe]

I was in Europe this past fall and took note of some things. Europeans typically don't buy crap like Americans do. Americans are always looking for the best deal on things. More often than not, Americans will give up a tremendous amount of quality in a product just to get it at a lower price. Obviously, Festool doesn't fall into that category. Having more retail places here wouldn't do them all that good, IMO.

I could just see them in Home Depot right next to the Ryobi garbage, that would work really well. Or Walmart could sit them right next to the cheapo Skil and Black and Decker crap. I see them now in quite a few places that cater to serious woodworkers and professional tradesmen. IMO, that's where they belong. At least you'll get someone with some knowledge on them to talk to instead of a pimply faced teenager making minnimum wage. Can you tell that I don't like HD

I don't mind having to order them one bit.

There isn't a HD in my town but, we do have a Lowes and I don't really care for it either.  I also don't shop at Walmart.  I was really impressed with the overall quality and selection of tools available.  It seems like Festool, Metabo, and Bosch were the prominent handheld power tools available.  There was a brand I saw in a coffee shop (imagine that) that was obviously cheap, the jigsaw price was 19.95 CHF (about $16 US). 

I don't mind ordering as power tools purchases are something I plan well in advance of the need.  The big advantage I see to having Festool retail outlets is availability of consumables and accessories - requires less planning on my part. 
Steve