Bob Marino said:
Those pig-tails like the ones shown by IDEAL TOOLS were brought here by Festool but were nixed by UL. So at this point in time and probably forever, they won't be available from Festool.
Another example of Festool's stupidity with UL. At the price Festool charges for their products, why should they even care? They come up with a good, useful idea, then they don't put it
all their tools, and then refuse to provide
their own retrofit kit it because of
UL. UL is nothing. UL is marketing and not required to sell in the US.
OK, maybe UL is something, but Festool's consistently thwarts their own innovation with their paranoia over being UL certified. UL certification appeals to the masses: those buying toasters, and microwaves, at "made in China" prices. Festool does NOT manufacture mass market products and, as demonstrated by the people on this board, Festool users don't care. How many of us would NOT buy a Festool product simply because it was not UL certified?
The question is, "Why would the plug-it adaptor not be certified?" a better question is, "Why does it matter." The installation of the adaptor voids the warranty, does it not? We aren't supposed to open up our tools and rewire them. Ironically, in my usage the plug-it connector (built into the tools) has made tool use safer. Instead of having to inconveniently unplug a tool (sometimes forgot), I quickly "sweeeept" the plug-it connector off at the tool--a very nice safety feature.
So, thank you all for this opportunity to whine about Festool and it's love for UL again. In the mean time, should I ever need or want a plug-it adaptor, (I don't need one right now) I know that I'll be looking to the gray market for my solution.
Fred