Giving up on trying to buy a used Domino

[Mike DeHart]

So,I've decided to buy new, so the next question.. the 500 or the 700? I've always been inclined to go big or go home,but when I bought my festool track saw I bought the 75. It works great but I find it a little large and clunky so I only use it when it's a must. By the same token I hate not being able to do something because the tool is undersized. I also hate not being able to do something because the tool is oversized. Quite a conundrum.

If you do sell it in the future we expect a nice discount from new!

[Bill Adamsen]

So,I've decided to buy new, so the next question.. the 500 or the 700?

I bought the 700 with the Seneca RTS-500 cutter adapter. To date I have only cut mortises larger than 8mm twice since I typically use the domino for face frames. I have gone through hundreds of 6mm and 8mm dominos. That adapter works very well. I don't have a good comparison frame of reference for the two machines, likely others here will. The 700 has worked fine for me. The width, especially with the end knobs, is limiting though acceptable for the inside of carcasses. I register off the inside if for instance the cabinet (less face frame) has been installed, or the reveal is the critical measure. I believe the cutter on the 500 may be closer to the base which would be nice for base reference cuts.

[Bill McNiel]

Hi Rick

Here is my scenario. Other's will offer their thoughts. You need to find one that meets your needs.

I purchased the 500 about a year ago as I had a kitchen of doors to build. The doors were Shaker style, that is, frame-and-panel, about 25 in all. My preferred joint is a mortice-and-tenon, which I cut with a mix of hand and power tools. As a weekend warrior, albeit serious one, I just did not see how I could get this done in a reasonable time period. Using dominos made sense.

I chose the 500 since it sizes dominos up to 10mm, and it is unlikely that I would use this method for more than quick carcase frames or cabinet doors. Shortly after completing the kitchen I was back to building furniture, and the table and table legs that followed were built with traditional M&T joinery, because that is what I prefer. If you see tables in your future, in particular large leg joints, then you are probably better off with the 700. I reasoned that, if I did need to do the occasional one, I could simply double up large dominos. In the mean time, the medium-sized pieces I concentrate on are catered for by the 500.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Ditto- I just love it when someone else does all the typing and expresses my experience/thoughts exactly. I have had my 500 for about 6 years and have actually used it a lot more than I thought I would. I do wish the 4 mm bit was a couple of mm longer.

[Randy Heinemann]

<p>
Well, I've come to the conclusion that people are crazy. I've been bidding on used Dominos on eBay for a few years. It seems people are willing to bid up used dominos to approximately 5-10 percent less than brand new. Doesn't make much sense to buy something used to save 100 bucks, so.. time to pull the trigger and just buy a new one. Oh well,lol</p>

I would argue you are much better off with a new Domino regardless of which one you buy. The Domino is one of those tools, while seemingly easy to use, extremely flexible, and allows you to do so many innovative things with wood, it is also a tool which quite a number of people seem to have problems using. Don't know why that is, but it is a tool that gets a large number of questions and problems on the Festool forum (FOG). Because of that, I wouldn't take a chance on a used one with the chance that it wasn't used correctly or there was something wrong with it to begin with. I have both Dominos and love them both; each for its own purpose. I personally wouldn't use the larger one (700XL) on smaller projects. It's just too cumbersome and the 500 is much easier to use and be precise with on small projects. Each tool has its place, but there are a lot of people who have gone the route of getting only the 700 with the Seneca adapters. I would also agree that, for almost all projects I have done with the Domino, the 500 has been sufficient.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I'm also thinking of pulling the trigger on a Domino, and these comments re: 500 vs 700 are very helpful. Seems like last time I read about it, the consensus was leaning towards the 700, but this time, it seems like the 500 is winning...

The price difference is substantial...

[Eric Chase]

Might be easier to buy PM 719. A lot easier to find a used one too. Seems like a lot more capability for the money

[Randy Heinemann]

Unless you plan to build very large projects, like entry doors, large tables, beds, outdoor arbors or pergolas, etc. I would recommend the 500. Most of us woodworkers envision building the larger projects and, therefore, believe it's best to plan for that when buying the tool. In reality, most project aren't that large.

I do now own both the 500 and 700 and, for the most part, feel the 700 was an unnecessary tool for me. I will build larger projects and, I'm sure, because I have the 700, will use it. However, there are ways to use multiple Dominos, placed correctly, that negate the need for much larger Dominos in all but the extreme projects. If you are making cabinets, small to medium pieces of furniture, joining solid wood panels, and a variety of other home and finer woodworking pieces, the 500 will serve all of your needs.

As for buying the 700 with the adapter kit to use 500 size bits . . . I have always felt that the 700 and 500 are very different tools, made for very different sized projects. I personally wouldn't want to try to use the 700 on some of the smaller projects I've made and plan in the future. It's just too big for those projects. Maybe it works OK for cabinet doors but, even for those, I'd say the 500 is a much more usable tool. The 700 is a great tool and, in some ways, has a little better design than the 500. Still, it's too big for some projects (just like the TS75 is overkill and cumbersome for the vast majority of cuts, especially if used on the MFT).

If you feel that the 700 with bit adapters is the way you want to go, find a way to try them both at a store. Just lifting them and putting them in place to cut a Domino slot on a small piece of wood should verify what I've said.

The Domino is an amazing tool and allows the user to easily cut joints for a wide variety of pieces and projects.

[Prashun Patel]

"Most of us woodworkers envision building the larger projects and, therefore, believe it's best to plan for that when buying the tool. In reality, most project aren't that large"

I beg to differ with the majority here.

I don't find the DF700 too big even on smaller things. I will admit that the DF500 has 3 variable slot positions, which is nice, while the DF700 only has 2. That's easily surmountable.

The DF700 has a greater offset from the fence, and greater plunge depth than the DF500. I also always found the 500 harder to plunge. To increase control, I used to grip mine around the pigtail cord. The 700 has a D handle, which allows very controlled plunging. I find the greater mass a good thing when plunging say in the center of a large panel. It goes straight down with almost no tendency to jerk. This was marginally harder with the 500 - but to it's credit, I still found it remarkably stable.

At the end of the day, you won't go wrong. People seem to love whichever one we own. I think we have to justify the coin we dropped!

[Rick Peek]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. After weighing it out I&#39;m leaning towards the 500. I feel that for the few large pieces I plan on building I&#39;ll use traditional M & T.

[Josh Kocher]

I've had my Domino 500 about 4 years now, it was shortly after the 700 came out that I bought it and I was torn on which one to get too.

I had used loose tenon joinery on several larger projects and thought, esp. with the seneca adaptor giving you the full range, the 700 was the one I should get. But then I realised that cutting the mortises with my router and making my own tenons - bigger than dominos in many cases - was equally as accurate, worked very well, and speed wasn't as much a concern. So I decided to get the 500 based on that, since it's capacity is still respectable, and figured I'd appreciate the speed & lighter/easier handling more on the smaller projects and projects where I'm cutting lots of mortises.

I've been happy with the my choice... I use it mostly on cabinetry type furniture projects.

I still have no problem cutting big mortises with my router when required...

[Dan Friedrichs]

This thread pushed me over the edge. Bought the 500 and the domino assortment kit (which, if you buy from Amazon.de, is ~50% cheaper)

[Mike Henderson]

This thread pushed me over the edge. Bought the 500 and the domino assortment kit (which, if you buy from Amazon.de, is ~50% cheaper)

You'll like it, Dan.

Mike

[Dan Friedrichs]

You'll like it, Dan.

Oh, I'm sure you're right! My doubt was more about whether I'll like it more than $1k worth of food or whatever

[peter Joseph]

Two tools that never hit the used market; Dominos and drum sanders lol