How good are Festool products?

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The recent thread regarding tool supply companies led me to order some items from Axminster. This company now has a store in Nuneaton which features Festool products.

I'm not familiar with this make. Does anyone have experience of Festool kit?
 
festool

They are the best tools on the market in my opinion... Their stacking/transport boxes are very practical too, as are their cutting guides for circular-jig saws...
highly recommend them but this quality comes at a price........
 
I'm less impressed.
I have a Festool Rotex 150.
I have had the Velcro type base come apart. I've also had them melt on to the discs. These bases are about £30 to replace.
When polishing worktops you need to apply a watered down cutting compound.
The water has caused some of the pads to separate from their Velcro type backing.
The manual states that these tools are not suitable for water applications yet they are sold as worktop finishing tools which means you apply water ipso facto.
I would not bother buying another. I have had just as good results with the very much cheaper Silverline type polisher.
 
Over priced in my opinion and break like any other electrical tool made nowadays . I buy Hilti myself , they dont just sell drills you know .
 
I used to work for a major boat building company (Sealine).
The majority of tools used were Festool.
We used them for years, and i found them far superior to any other brand.
I personally cant warrant paying the money for private use, so, i find that Makita and Bosch to be better value for money.
I,me not sure if that is a contradiction, but Festool are worth every penny if you can afford them !
 
Gelmaster said:
I personally cant warrant paying the money for private use, so, i find that Makita and Bosch to be better value for money.
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Ditto. The jigsaw is 4x the price of my skilsaw but it is not 4x better. not even twice as good.
Besides, if I buy better tools I have one less excuse for the quality of my work.
Their systainer system could be a nice piece of kit, but it is apparently not meant for banging around in the back of an uninsulated van in a Canadian winter. I bought a rolling systainer box two years ago and it lasted until mid january before becoming cracked beyond use.
 
Ha!

Yes, they are expensive but this is probably why they last so much longer... I tend to treat them much better than other tools I've had before, making sure I do not drop them, clean them after each use, keep them in their boxes etc...etc... and it works for me because I just can't afford to buy new ones at the same rate I used to buy Makies or Dewies. They are a pleasure to work with and I find them more precise, guides for the plunging circular saw is so good and gliding over plywood like a dream, saves a lot of time in finishing and so far I have never been disappointed...
 
Power tools vary enormously, I have a Bosch Jigsaw that i purchased in 1983 & its still going strong. Hitachi used to make great battery drills but the batteries are now ****. Makita arent bad tho the switches on their grinders used to pack up with alarming frequency.
AEG stuff is pretty good & Metabo excellent. Best sander i have is a Sealey ER150 Random orbital sander, that is 25 years old & has been absolutely hammered. It is still going strong though it is on its second switch & brushes set. I doubt festool would last any longer.
 
Festool is the tool

My shed is full of Festool products. Can't go past them for reliability, quality of build and warranty. You'll pay a premium over other brands but is well worth it. Just register your purchase and you get the free extended warranty of 3 years. And if if you ever want to sell them, resale value is excellent.

DISCLAIMER:
I have no affiliation with Festool AG other than as a very satisfied user.

Cheers
Mike

PS: If you do a lot of mortise and tenon joinery the Festool Domino is the ducks guts. Its NOT a biscuit joiner.
 
Fabulous circular plunge saws and guides, good jigsaws, I dont have any, but the pros around here swear by them.
I personally use de walt, bosch, fein, AEG, makita and for sanders, the best IMHO, Rupes!
 
john_morris_uk said:
I have been changing to Makita - are you telling me that I've got it wrong again Jason?
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I've switched a lot of my tools to the Makita 18v Lithium range.
I've not tried many brands but these are way above anything else I've used.They just feel right. The advantage of Lithium batteries is the power only tails off towards the end. Well worth the extra.
 
Talulah said:
I've switched a lot of my tools to the Makita 18v Lithium range.
I've not tried many brands but these are way above anything else I've used.They just feel right. The advantage of Lithium batteries is the power only tails off towards the end. Well worth the extra.
Click to expand...
The Makita tools I have at the moment are both mains powered; a jig saw and a SDS+ Drill.

The only battery tool I have is a Dewalt drill. Its a reversing two speed with clutch etc so I use it as a powered screw driver as well. Its the second one I have had and I have no complaints. I might consider another make next time, but this one aint broke...
 
john_morris_uk said:
The Makita tools I have at the moment are both mains powered; a jig saw and a SDS+ Drill.

The only battery tool I have is a Dewalt drill. Its a reversing two speed with clutch etc so I use it as a powered screw driver as well. Its the second one I have had and I have no complaints. I might consider another make next time, but this one aint broke...
Click to expand...

Not tried Makita mains powered at all. The cordless range are just so useful on the boat.
 
Trion Jigsaw

bljones said:
Ditto. The jigsaw is 4x the price of my skilsaw but it is not 4x better. not even twice as good.
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Sorry BJ. I have to beg to differ! I've had Metabo, De Walt, Makita and Skil jigsaws over the years and none of them come within a bulls roar of the quality of the Festool Trion Jigsaw. I'd put it up against anything for accuracy. control and cutting finish. On a 45 degree end grain mitre joint, the cut is of a such a finish (with the Festool blades) that sanding isn't necessary. Its the best of the lot when cutting benchtops for sinks and appliances. And they don't overheat or stray from a line across the grain or with the grain. Yes, they are 3 times more expensive but they are worth it for durability and accuracy. And the dust extraction is brilliant.
Cheers
Mike
 
I don't know what the price spread is like over there, but here a Festool trion jigsaw is $290. My father just bought one and I got the chance to test drive it over the holiday. It IS a MUCH quieter saw and it IS 10x better than my old $29 made-in-the-cheap-part-of-china off-brand saw... but my soft- start -variable speed- bevel plate -dust collection Skil saw is not quite as quiet, makes cuts as clean and as straight, requiring as little sanding as dad's festool (with the same blades) and was only $49.

Now, mind you, if I was using the saw every day for two to three hours a day, I might see a big difference in durability, and less user fatigue might make the difference.
I still have a hell of a time justifying $32 for an edge guide.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/festool/page.aspx?p=67933&cat=5,105,68331
 
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