Why Do You Go To Your Dealer

Havwoods Accessories Ltd said:
uh oh i thought this would come.. [blink]....straight out no we dont have it...  [embarassed] [embarassed] [crying]
I could give you a million and one reasons..festool not specifying it as part of the display etc..
normally would keep the individual bits though!

but ultimately we find we dont sell a lot of Centrotec bits...be glad of feedback here as its often puzzled me.
(we are primarily serving wood flooring customers but do have a wide variety of local chippys etc)

Did you feel every key stroke while I was typing? lol :) Just kidding! :)

It's interesting to hear the "other side" - especially on stuff like this. So the drill bit set in question is not part of what Festool requires to be on display/in stock? This for example is an answer I understand - if you have to have a gazillion accessories - and then decide not to stock some of the stuff you're not required to.

That said, I would have been happy with the loose drill bits - don't necessarily need the box. :) The dealer in question by the way had exactly two, yes t-w-o Centrotec accessories/products in stock: the Centrotec chuck (WH-CE CENTROTEC) and the bit holder (BHS 65 CE)

In regards to the slow selling and generally not much demand for the Centrotec stuff - I think it's the price tag. Talking about list prices the drill bit set is 53,67 Euro or 42,27 GBP. Now I know how great the Festool drill bits are and I like the much faster drill bit exchange compared to the "normal" chuck. But if I was on a budget I can see how many standard (for example Hawera) wood drill bits 53,67 Euro would buy me. And equal comparisons can be made for the complete line of Centrotec accessories. Maybe except for the Zobo stuff - they are a league of their own in my opinion.

But then again, there's guys like me that want the Centrotec stuff - all of it - and we can only buy it if it's available ;)

Kind regards,
Oliver
 
I bought my initial Festool kit from the local Woodcraft store.  Reasoning was simple.  I wanted to upgrade tools.  I went there after loads of Internet searching on tools in general.  The salesperson there listened to my needs, showed me the tools, explained the system, answered my questioned and then told me to check out FOG while continuing my research.  No pressure at all.  I think he could tell the prices caught me a little off guard.

Anyway I went back a couple more times, read lots here, watched Peter and Eric on YouTube and then decided to make my first purchase.  They earned that purchase so I happily bought from them.
 
six-point socket said:
Havwoods Accessories Ltd said:
uh oh i thought this would come.. [blink]....straight out no we dont have it...  [embarassed] [embarassed] [crying]
I could give you a million and one reasons..festool not specifying it as part of the display etc..
normally would keep the individual bits though!

but ultimately we find we dont sell a lot of Centrotec bits...be glad of feedback here as its often puzzled me.
(we are primarily serving wood flooring customers but do have a wide variety of local chippys etc)

Did you feel every key stroke while I was typing? lol :) Just kidding! :)

It's interesting to hear the "other side" - especially on stuff like this. So the drill bit set in question is not part of what Festool requires to be on display/in stock? This for example is an answer I understand - if you have to have a gazillion accessories - and then decide not to stock some of the stuff you're not required to.

That said, I would have been happy with the loose drill bits - don't necessarily need the box. :) The dealer in question by the way had exactly two, yes t-w-o Centrotec accessories/products in stock: the Centrotec chuck (WH-CE CENTROTEC) and the bit holder (BHS 65 CE)

In regards to the slow selling and generally not much demand for the Centrotec stuff - I think it's the price tag. Talking about list prices the drill bit set is 53,67 Euro or 42,27 GBP. Now I know how great the Festool drill bits are and I like the much faster drill bit exchange compared to the "normal" chuck. But if I was on a budget I can see how many standard (for example Hawera) wood drill bits 53,67 Euro would buy me. And equal comparisons can be made for the complete line of Centrotec accessories. Maybe except for the Zobo stuff - they are a league of their own in my opinion.

But then again, there's guys like me that want the Centrotec stuff - all of it - and we can only buy it if it's available ;)

Kind regards,
Oliver

Thanks Oliver all useful comments and a great reminder for me to look through our Centrotec stock  [smile] . !
Ultimately i still get a kick out of ordering great tools into stock  [big grin] [big grin]
The set you ask about will be in stock next week now LOL.. we do have some Limited Edition SYS CENTROTEC HD/15 sets in stock though... [cool] [cool]
 
I have three places I buy from mostly.  Two are about 40 minutes drive in opposite directions. I get good service.  If they (either one) don't have, they will order for me.  They both have good display areas and do not care if I browse thru the store.  One store, Woodcraft in Norwalk, seems to have more of interest for cabinetry and hobiests, and I can find a much wider range of non electric hand tools. I can find a whole lot of small hand tools as well as a few larger power tools.  They seem to have fewer power tools for display, but that is more the nature of the chain.  If I have an idea of what I want, and they don't have it, they will gladly order for me. AND, they call me when it comes in.  They always seem to have knowledgeable personel and always atleast one who is knowledgeable about Festoys at any time.  I full line of Festoys with a table set up for trial runs. 

The other store is Tool-Nut. They are more setup for building tradesmen.  I get great service and can browse as long as I want.  Always a full lineup of powertools all brands and knowledegeable and friendly people un duty.

And then there is "Uncle" Bob. He has been a most helpful saesman for almost as long as I have known about Festoys. If it is Festool and I know what I want, I will order from him.  I ave never had packaging like his packaging. I think if there ever is damage to a tool I order from Bob, the damage would have to have been intentional. Way back when I first became aware of Festoy, and became aquainted with Bob, I had a lot of very informative discussions with him.  He had a lot of very good advice and I learned a lot via phone calls and E-mails thru my discussion.  He was the one who steered my to he FOG way back sometime in the '90's.

I try to balance my purchases between the three dealers mentioned.  I don't do a lot of shopping.  If I know what I want, or need, I will do some research and either take a drive east or west and come home with goodies; or i will order from bob Marino. I try to balance my purchases between the three.  If I just need a screw driver or something that does not cost a lot and needs no special skill or knowledge to operate, I go the any of the box stores close by in the area. I get most of my tools, tho, from the three mentioned above.
Tinker
 
Holzhacker said:
I'm very fortunate. While we only have one Festool dealer in Chicago they are great. I try to buy as little as possible of anything online; prefer bricks and mortar. In terms of why I go to my dealer.
- great, knowledgeable people
- ability to actually check out the tools
- shoot the breeze
- find and buy crap I didn't know I needed :)

What dealer would that be? The national chain, The paint dealer, or The "house of tools"?
 
I typically stay with a couple of choices.

If I need something today, I'll go to Highland. It's a bit of a faff getting there, but they have a good selection and people who mostly know what they are talking about. Woodcraft is my other local choice, but I often find they don't stock things in any great quantity, nor do they have the best advice available, as helpful as their associates try to be. Another one recently opened, I may give them a try.

Ordering, I'll usually go with Bob Marino. One of the best experiences you will get having a product shipped. I have no complaints with a couple of the others I tried, but Bob made a good impression. If I need something on a more immediate need and don't have the cash, I'll use Amazon's 0% financing. I might pay taxes on it, but sometimes that makes more sense.

I haven't had a bad experience yet, and hope I never do.
 
Hello All

I go to my local dealer to me. There is one salesman who I get on well with, he knows me by name, and we chat about anything and everything. He also knows I love Festool but doesn't do the hard sell. He told me once that the Festool nuts always come back as they are a special breed.

My wife knows him as "The Festool Guy". I'm lucky as my wife has accepted my addiction, but has also seen the tools at work (and used one of them already)  [big grin]
 
I've bought online from Amazon, Bob, Toolnut, and Hartville.  I've had good luck with all, although MFS sets I got from Amazon Warehouse both came damaged but repairable.  They discounted the first set but would only offer a return on the second.  I kept and repaired it as it was still a good price.  I do buy from Hermance Machine in Williamsport, PA as they are only 45 minutes from me and I often work in that region.  They actually have a very comprehensive selection and are also a Rockler store.
 
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