What Festool Dealers Do You Like? Dislike?

[Tinker]

My very first introduction (hands on) to Festo (as it was known then) was at my local WoodCraft store in Norwalk, CT.  The owner there was very knowledgeable about the entire line and was more than helpful. I have bought many tools and consumables from his store simply because he wants to be helpful and is willing to go the extra yard to be sure of satisfaction, not only for his customer, but his own. Apparently, he is the exception when it comes to the larger chains who are now selling Festool toys.  I have no complaints there. 

I later, somewhere along the line, ran into Bob Marino.  I have bought many tools from him since. What Bob has especially to offer is enthusiasm. (That's why he talks so fast :)  I don't say he is after my money, but he has that quality that lets you know he is both knowledgeable and enthusistic in the sale of his product.  He wants his customer to be satisfied, and after talking with him that very first time no more than five minutes, he conveyed the confidence that let me know he was going to be very successful with his chosen product. He has not lost that enthusism in the last 4 or 5 years that I have known him.

Those are the type people I enjoy doing business with.  I don't shop for the cheapest price.  If I need a tool, and they have it, I get it from either man.  There are the tools that i can get only from places like LeeValley and, or, Hartsville, but I always check first with Bob or John.  I have not looked for best price, but best service and enthusiasm for what they are doing. That, you will not find in the big stores.

Tinker

 

[poto]

I was by my local San Diego Rockler just to pick up plastic drawer runners(Rockler = misc. cabinet stuff) and was amazed to see the complete Festool line-up. I started talking to some of the staff and they seemed very annoyed by the very presence the Festool tools taking up precious floor space that could have been better occupied by a Jet bandsaw or something. I laughed and walked out.

Hi Eiji,

I'm also in San Diego, and I had a similar experience. They're nice guys at Rockler, but it's clear that they don't really get how much better the Festools are than other brands. I spent some time once showing them (the Rockler guys) some of the capabilities of the MFT, saws, routers and sanders, but I don't think it really resonated. On the other hand, I purchased my Festools at TH&H (off Miramar Rd). This was before Rockler carried them. Tom Drinnan (I think that's his name) knows more about Festools than the Rockler guys, and will help you figure out what you need. I'm happy to keep giving them my business (several thousand $$ so far). Too bad about Rockler - they're missing an opportunity to build a client base, and Festool is missing a lot of potential customers. I think that Rockler needs to sell the "system" aspect of Festools more... Why buy just one..?

Poto

 

[Daviddubya]

Why would Festool place their products in the hands of retailers?  I'm confident one answer is added exposure.  In addition, perhaps the fact that Rockler and Woodcraft have catalogs that are distributed to a large audience has something to do with the Festool affiliation?

Would we expect the sales staff at Rockler or Woodcraft to be any better at what they do than the folks selling tools at Home Depot, Lowe's or Sears?  I think not, and am not surprised at the reaction of many folks about the lack of Festool product knowledge and expertise at the retail stores.

I'll stick with the good guys that know the products and provide excellent customer service.

 

[joraft]

For a good dealer, my vote must go to Eagle Tools in Los Angeles. They have a room dedicated to Festool products, and I don't believe there's a single item that's not on display. Their inventory also seems to be pretty large. While Raul Dena is the only guy I've worked with there so far, I find him to be extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Festool products, and very willing to take the time to answer questions and give advice on every purchase.

The first Festool demo I attended was given by Allen Kensley (Sales Manager Southwest) and I was really impressed with this guy. I hung around for quite a while and watched him answer the same questions and go step by step through the same procedures over and over without the slightest loss of patience. And apparently there is very little that he doesn't know about the products and how to use them. A very good sales rep, that sure has cost me a lot of money.

John

 

[Ned]

For a good dealer, my vote must go to Eagle Tools in Los Angeles. They have a room dedicated to Festool products, and I don't believe there's a single item that's not on display. Their inventory also seems to be pretty large. While Raul Dena is the only guy I've worked with there so far, I find him to be extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Festool products, and very willing to take the time to answer questions and give advice on every purchase.

Thanks for reminding me about Eagle Tools, John.  I'll second that opinion.  Not their fault they're too far away from me to be practical.

Ned

 

[Brice Burrell]

  I'm curious to see how many of the bigger retailers will stick with Festool, if they don't get a good return on their investment in floor space, and advertising, how can they? Also, I think Festool is going to have a new batch of customers that don't know they should have received good customers service when buying these tools. People may go to the big store to buy Festool's well known products like the TS saws and the Domino but... These new customers, because of poor service and lack of knowledgeable sales staff at the big stores, may not be will to spend more money on Festool products.... Time will tell.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

For a good dealer, my vote must go to Eagle Tools in Los Angeles. They have a room dedicated to Festool products, and I don't believe there's a single item that's not on display. Their inventory also seems to be pretty large. While Raul Dena is the only guy I've worked with there so far, I find him to be extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Festool products, and very willing to take the time to answer questions and give advice on every purchase.

John

I live in Ohio and have bought from Bob M. and Hartville Tool (one of the first stocking dealers), and plan to continue to do business with them, although I buy other tools and some supplies from Rockler's and Woodcraft.  My local (Cleveland, OH) Rockler's staff overall are very knowledgeable and helpful, but not so regarding their nice Festool display!  I'm considering another sander, and wanted to compare and play with 3 different models, which they had on display but securely locked with a steel cable.  They did not offer to unbind one for me, let alone let me try it.  The best they could do is look in the catalogue, and invite me to come back in a couple of week during a weekday when a Festool factory representative was scheduled to be there.  (I'm not retired, and its a 70 mile round trip.)  Through FOG I learned of another small forum focused on Inca tools and that Eagle Tools might have the parts I needed for my vintage ?1983? jointer/planer.  That FOG member was correct and Raul of Eagle Tools helped me get the correct parts.  I am very thankful to them.

Dave R.

 

[Bru]

Dave I'm glad this thread helped someone. I hope it helped others. Thanks to all! Bru

 

[Bob Marino]

  I'm curious to see how many of the bigger retailers will stick with Festool, if they don't get a good return on their investment in floor space, and advertising, how can they? Also, I think Festool is going to have a new batch of customers that don't know they should have received good customers service when buying these tools. People may go to the big store to buy Festool's well known products like the TS saws and the Domino but... These new customers, because of poor service and lack of knowledgeable sales staff at the big stores, may not be will to spend more money on Festool products.... Time will tell.

Brice,

I am guessing, but I would bet that as Festool grows, the demand will remain high enough for all the big retailers to keep the line on board. IMHO, what would probably push many dealers out (anyone selling Festool is now referred to as a dealer, there is no such thing as an "ISA" anymoe) particularly the smaller dealers, is if an operation such as Amazon started selling the tools.

Bob

 

[Bob Marino]

I was amazed when Festool signed up Woodcraft and Rockler.  I buy from both and like them, but I didn't and don't see how their business models are compatible with Festool.

In North America Festool products are unusual and require real selling knowledge to be presented effectively.  Festool is a real opportunity for the dedicated one-man show.  For a larger (but single location) operation, one or several Festool specialists can be trained and the result can be satisfactory.

I don't see how a large chain can fit the requirement for in-depth product knowledge into their business model, which necessarily looks more like Radio Shack's than Tiffany's.  Chains simply don't put the money into training, in part because they have (and expect) significant employee turnover.

My impression is that the large chains also expect and depend on a high percentage of their employees being older and part-time.  It's how they get guys that know something about woodworking.  Some of them know a great deal, but what they know is unlikely to include Festool.  And a part-time employee is unlikely to be extensively trained.

A chain of franchises is even worse, since the franchisor must convince the owners of individual stores to commit to significant and unexpected investment in both training and inventory for these unusual products.

One of the symptoms of inadequate selling is the question we get on FOG, all too often, about the funny noise a free-running TS55 or TS75 makes.  This seems like something that should be explained to the buyer when they get the saw--I certainly would.  Imagine how many TS55s would be returned if the big orange box sold them...

Ned

[/quote]

Ned and others,

I agree with your assessments, but I think Festool is working hard to get the larger retailers up to snuff with the tools, though admittedly is way more difficult to accomplish that goal for your stated reasons.

Bob

 

[Mahogany Man]

Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking here, and on Yahoo for years!! By the time I get to read posts, the answers, or comments, that I would have stated, have already been posted.
I can't see taking up bandwith for repeat answers!
Anyhow....
I started buying Festo in Germany years ago, I then bought from Festool USA.
Then about 5 years ago, I stumbled on to this ISA  online, who was from Jersey of all places! Every purchase since then, has been from Bob Marino.
I have two other dealers of Festool in my area as well. About a year ago I needed a saw blade fast, called one of these dealers, he had no idea what Festool was!
I told him the Festool catalog listed him as a dealer, I got put on hold, another guy answered the phone, and said they hadn't unpacked any of that stuff yet, and it had been
in the warehouse for a few months. I said thanks, hung up, never called back.
I live outside Buffalo NY, I am lucky to have a Rockler about 30 minutes away, and a Woodcraft about 90 minutes away. 
I can't believe how little the sales staff know about these tools! I have heard comments from other customers about ridiculous prices on that Festool stuff!
Being not able to keep my mouth shut (as my wife says)......I then explain the "system" to these people. Most are impressed, some actually have made purchases afterwards,
others mumble and walk away.
I don't remember the point I was trying to make here...
Took me an hour to type this out, with all the interruptions from the wife and kids!
I guess the point is... Bob Marino is, to me, the best dealer out there
                            I hope to **** the Big Box stores don't sell Festool
                            In this day and age of cheap, throw away products, Festool keeps up the good work.

Hope this helps or confuses the **** out of someone, I know I am!!
But after all this typing, I figured, oh well post it!!
Thanks
John
 

 

[Steveo48]

I bought my first Festool from my local Woodcraft Store (Forest Park, Ohio).  They were EXCELLENT, (Kudos really to Dusty) spent a lot of time with me showing me how it all worked together, gave me a chance to try the sanders out in their classroom (I bought one then) and gave me a lot of extra literature to go with it.  They made my purchase a lot easier.

Santa bought my TS 55 at Rockler in Springdale, Ohio.  I found their staff to be pretty knowledgable, but when Santa went to make the purchase, she didn't know the fence came with it and she got the one guy who didn't know the tools either. When I went to collect my fence and I showed them the receipt I got the fence and an apology.  It was no big deal.

I'd buy tools from either dealer.

Steve

 

[Corwin]

The dealers that I am most impressed with are those who spend the time to post here on the FOG.  Seems to me that any dealer that not only knows enough, but cares enough to spend this time is someone worthy of your business. 

Many posts here have given a great deal of credit to dealers for their quick service.  One thing to note here is that this would not be possible in many cases if Festool USA was not also very prompt in processing your order -- it takes both parties to get the job done well.  Festool USA certainly does their best at this.  And so do the dealers I have worked with.

 

[Bob Marino]

Many posts here have given a great deal of credit to dealers for their quick service.  One thing to note here is that this would not be possible in many cases if Festool USA was not also very prompt in processing your order -- it takes both parties to get the job done well.  Festool USA certainly does their best at this. 

Corwin,

Absolutey correct. Festool does a great job getting em' shipped.

Bob

 

[Corwin]

...  And so do the dealers I have worked with.

Cannot have you forget the pertentant part  ;D ;D ;D

 

[alg]

Bill and Darcy from FestoolSupply were one of the original Festool dealers in USA. I cannot recommend them highly enough especially if you are in the West coast.

What is most impressive, is Bill speaks from experience. He is too humble to "toot his own horn". Yet, Festool engineers have flown out to his shop to study his creative ideas. This speaks well for Festool that they listen to the PROs and incorporate what works into future releases.

I can also speak well of Eli at Woodcraft Seattle. He was the one pushing me to go with Festool. However, it was visiting Bill's shop that got me believing.

PS. I have not dealt with Bob (I do visit his website regularly). It's too convenient for me to visit FestoolSupply since they're on my commute home.
PS2. I dislike buying Festool from Rockler since most all the reps have not been trained. I also heard they have to pay for their own training, only the manager gets Festool training.
PS3. Bill also has said that having Rockler and Woodcraft selling has increased his business since he carries most everything and people need help-training to use the tools.

 

[HARLEY]

ANOTHER PLUS FOR BILL

 

[ericbuggeln]

Timmy c is "a freak of nature" when it comes to customer service and knowledge, not just Festool either.  When you ask him a question he answers with a confidence that gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside and you know you are on the right path.  Don't tell big brother but Tim will tell you what you don't need based on your work style or current set up.  The guy has his own t shirts for crying out loud.  Oh yeah and Tim is a wicked cool dude to which is nice these days.  Junkie for life.

 

[mntbighker]

So far I have fantastic luck with craigslist.  ;D  I am only partially joking. I have bought 4 Festools on craigslist in the past few months. All have been in condition practically indistinguishable from new. Yes, I have been lucky. A CT vac has been the hardest to find used. I paid between 20% and 30% under retail and the recent Festool warranty policy change is great for used buyers. I bought my plunge saw and MFT bundle from The Sawdust Shop. They are not as cool as Woodcraft but very nice to deal with. I feel if I mix some used with some new I get after sales support on everything from my local dealers. It's a pretty fair deal all round. The upcoming price increase will increase the value of the tools I already own. My latest acquisition is a 6 mo. old Domino arriving in a week or so.

 

[Frank Pellow]

In the good old days  when Festool USA would still ship to Canada, I purchased Festool tools and supplies from:

1) Claude Ouellette who was a Festool ISA located near Ottawa.  When Hafele took over, Claude was dropped by Festool and I regard this as a shameful move on Festool's part.  Claude did know the product line and he helped my both on the phone and via email to make my very first Festool purchases.

2) McFeely?s.  This was simple purchase of a jig saw that I had researched in advance, so required no expertise on their part. 

3) Bob Marino.  I met Bob on the internet shortly after making my initial Festool purchases and most subsequent Festool purchases were through him  (a few were through Claude).   All my dealings with Bob have been great  and I can't add anything to the nice things that folks have said about him.

Since the Festool USA ban on sales shipped to Canada  , I have purchased Festool tools and supplies from:

1) Bob Marino.  I have had tools and supplies shipped to friends in the USA.  From there, they eventually find their way to me.  By the way, one of my friends subsequently bought a couple of Festool tools after seeing mine.

2) Marc St Pierre of Hafele Canada.  Marc is the refreshing exception  to the abysmal  job that Hafele is doing in Canada.  Marc does know the Festool product line.  Last April we had an "event" in my shop where Marc spent about four hours demonstrating the complete Festool line to about 20 fellow woodworkers.  Through Marc, I upgraded from a AFT55 circular saw to a TS75 and I purchased a second (smaller) multi-function table.