Festool Router - Worth It?

[Mike Phillips]

I won a $500 gift certificate to a woodworking store that sells Festool tools. The one tool that is intriguing me other than the Kapex is the Model 1400EQ router. At $555, that's a lot of money for a router. Is it worth its purchase price?

[Phil Thien]

I've looked at their routers and they are, indeed, very nice.

But if I had to pick one Festool tool to get, it would be the Domino.

[Andrew Hughes]

Hi, Mike I have a Festool router,No problems with it at all I does all I ask of it.Before I bought it I was Useing Porter cable.The Porter cable router just rattled them selves apart.I really hate router but festool makes good stuff.

[Jim Dwight]

I don't know how much Andrew uses his PC routers (or used them) but my two PC 690s work great. One needed a new power switch after 10 years intermittent use. I don't see any need to "upgrade". In addition to the PCs, I have an old Ryobi R-500 motor in the router table and a Colt for small stuff.

If I were to buy a Festool, I am pretty sure it would be the Domino. I can do mortises other ways but this tool seems to make them much simpler and quicker.


The best I could say for a Festool router is the people who have them seem to like them. You might try looking at the Festool owners group for feedback. You don't have to own Festools to participate.

[Bruce Page]

I don't know how much you use a router but for my money the Festool ETS 150/3 EQ is a more practical buy - smooth, strong, excellent dc, I love mine.

[Allan Speers]

I don't know how much you use a router but for my money the Festool ETS 150/3 EQ is a more practical buy - smooth, strong, excellent dc, I love mine.


I agree strongly ! Or the smaller RO 90 DX. All Festool products are worth the money if you're a contractor, but some stand out more than others. Their sanders are insanely good. You should consider getting one in a package, with a CT36, as you'd save another $100 or so.

Another KILLER Festool product is their new oscillating cutter. (The deluxe kit) I use the Bosch MX30 E, and I love it, but I would love to have the guides, depth stop, and plunge base that the Festool offers. It will in fact likely be my next Festool purchase.

Of all the Festool products I wish I had, their routers don't even make my list.

[Matt Krusen]

I love all of my Festool equipment. The prices are steep but they are worth every penny. I have the 1400 and 1010 routers and love them both. I agree with others have said however, if you are getting your first Festool, I'd suggest the Domino.

[John Sincerbeaux]

I own a lot of festool tools and am a huge fan, but if the woodworking store sells Mirka, I would highly recommend a Mirka Ceros sander. I have the 5" and a 3".

[Chris Padilla]

I have fully immersed myself into the green kool-aid but I don't own a single router by Festool. I guess I had too many when I started drinking and I've never needed more than what I have. The routers and the Kapex are two lines of tools that I really don't see myself ever picking up. The Domino is a game-changer, however. That is one of the most used tools other than their sanders in my shop. The only problem with the Domino is now you have two to choose from! There was only one when I bought mine and it has and continues to serve me extremely well. My biscuit cutter and mortiser gather dust....

[Mike Cutler]

Mke

The OF 1400 is a great router! Is it worth the price? Only you can determine that.
When I can get into the shop, I gravitate towards the Arts andCrafts, Art Nouveau, Greene and Greene, etc. styles of projects. Lots of curves, and edge profiling. I also do "one off", custom work on boat interior and exterior restoration, and have fabricated ultralight aircraft parts. It's not uncommon for me to have 3, 4, or all, of my routers setup simultaneously.
I have the OF 2200 and the OF 1400. I also have 2 PC 8529's, one PC 890, a Milwaukee 5615, and some others that were given too me. (B&D and a Craftsman.) The two Festools are the best of the ones I have. Believe me when I say that I really like my PC8529's. They've been workhorses for me for well over a decade now. If they both crapped out tomorrow, I couldn't badmouth them. The 890 is "so-so",a nd I've never really liked the Milwaukee all that much. I find it clumsy in my hands. Others will be different.

The Festool's are ergonomically, very balanced. For routers that appear to be as big as they are, especially the OF 2200, they are smooth, very smooth, easy to operate and just kind of glide along. I always think the plunge isn't working properly because it is so smooth. They definitely cost some $$$$, but part of what you are buying into is a "system" concept that integrates across their product line for cross compatibility.

If someone were to set a half dozen routers on a table,and allowed you to pick just one for free based on ease of use and "feel", I'd be willing to bet you'd pick a Festool, even if you didn't know it was the most expensive on the table. The DeWalt 621 would be my next choice for strictly handheld.

I won't comment on their other products because you specifically asked about the router. The only other Festool product I have is a TS 75, which is a saw you need to have a reason in mind for.

[Chris Padilla]

Mike,

I think I can guess the answer to this but one thing that might sway me into picking up an F router one of these days is the dust collection. Festool pretty much rules on dust collection and I assume their routers maintain that stance?

[Mike Cutler]

Mike,

I think I can guess the answer to this but one thing that might sway me into picking up an F router one of these days is the dust collection. Festool pretty much rules on dust collection and I assume their routers maintain that stance?


Chris
Yes, the routers are setup pretty well for dust collection. The edge shroud is okay, but unfortunately there is only so much suction you can get through that small of a port, so when the edge shroud is in use with the vacuum, you're still going to get some debris, but the bit area is clear and you can see your progress through the built in shroud. The built in shroud is spring loaded, which is very nice.

[Matt Krusen]

The dust collection is the best I've ever experienced with a router.

[Victor Robinson]

For the record the dust collection is significantly better on the 1010 compared to the 1400, but the 1400 still has better dust collection than anything else out there.

[glenn bradley]

Check some of the router reviews that include the routers you're interested in. Festool doesn't always review that well but, those that have them love them. It is interesting to see the areas where some excel and others fall short . dust collection is Festool's forte and routers are a challenge for collecting.

[Peter Kuhlman]

I have the 1010, 1400 and 2200 for handheld use along with several other brands. If I kept only one it would be the 1010. Simply perfect for me. So smooth, so balanced, never causes any anxious moments, so easy to control. Yes it only takes 1/4" and 8mm bits but I find for my handheld uses that is no problem when using quality bits. I still would need my big PC 7518 in my table.

[David Ragan]

I have the smaller Domino and the 5" sander and th CT33.

All wonderful machines. Great DC.

the Domino is hard to learn properly, but it really is great.

Not sure what next purchase might be.

[Lou Ortiz]

i have the 1400, a couple of biog/small porter cables and a bosch. The Festool is easily the best, but i really like that all of the accessories (edge guides, tracks, stops, etc) - and the dust collection - are very well thought out and work well. I can do many things with the festool, like cutting mortises, with precision that i would otherwise need a jig for. Solid build and ergonomic.

[ken masoumi]

If it were me I would first decide which tool I would use more often ,in my case I would buy either the tracksaw or Domino.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I won a $500 gift certificate to a woodworking store that sells Festool tools. The one tool that is intriguing me other than the Kapex is the Model 1400EQ router. At $555, that's a lot of money for a router. Is it worth its purchase price?

You won a $500 gift certificate - - so my math says the router is $55.

Sounds cheap from here............;)

[Ruperto Mendiones]

I have the 0f1400 and I used to question why I got it. But when I cut four 1 3/4" deep 1 1/2 x 19" mortises in beech, I had no dust, great chip collection and much easier time to plunge and set depth than the PC routers I had used. Pass the green kool-aide

[Joe Samorodin]

festool router, yes!!

[Philip Johnson]

The smartest thing you could do is rip up that 500 dollars throw it away and step away from the festools, as soon as you buy one you will be lusting over which one to buy next. My wife wanted a sander for refinishing furniture. Took her to the store and she latched on to the RO 90 and would not let go. I must admit I love that sander, I haven't totally gotten over paying 450 for a sander and another 450 for a systainer full of assorted sand papers. So I have 900 dollars in a sander that I have ask permission and beg to use and promise to clean and polish it before returning it. I'm just about over it and trying to decide if I need a router, jig saw, new drill, miter saw.

i think the real value in Festool is how all the tools work together as a system. A router weather it's a 69 dollar one or 500 dollar one doesn't do much more the spin a bit at a high speed. Now if you look at all the Festool router assories it becomes a much more useful and vesitile tool. Check out the LF 32 holy rail assories and edge guides now you can route dados, drill perfectly spaced holes for cabinet shelves or mtf tables or trim laminates. So that 500 dollar router now needs a 500 dollar assory kit, a 500 dollar vacuum, a 650 dollar multi function table to work on, and an extra systainer with the foam insert for router bit storage. So this 500 dollar router suddenly grows to a 2000 dollar routing system. I do like my festools, I think the real value is in the assories that will make that router more useful.

[Erik Christensen]

what phil said - the routers are great but what makes them really shine is when they are combined with the rest of the accessories - for example when used with the rail and micro-adjust adaptor you can increase dado with in 0.1mm increments - for example I had some scrap 3/4 ply that I want to use as dividers for big box to keep my fry pans from banging around, but as the dividers were scrap every one came from a different sheet - I had a dozen to do and no 2 were the same thickness. No problem - used the 1010 for the dados, picked a 1/2" bit, made one pass, adjusted the rail adapter to just shy of 3/4, made a small test cut (inch or so), checked the fit & re-adjusted as necessary. it was dead easy to make a dozen perfectly fitting dados with no 2 the same width and done quickly and safely. or to make tapered sliding dovetails - make a pass, unclamp one end of the rail & move the distance of the taper, second pass & done

[Robert Engel]

No no no

....get a Domino!!

[James Zhu]

Buy Domino (700 or 500).

For the router, Micro Fence has edge guide, plunge base, circle/ellipse jigs to improve your existing router's precision and usage, their edge guide with its interface can be used on any track saw rail. The plunge base and edge guide can dial in 0.001 inch, better than Festool's. It is not cheap, good stuff is never cheap anyway.

Check videos on their website, http://microfence.com/videos-i-37.html

[Jim Becker]

The OF1400 was my first Festool router...I had the opportunity to play with one pre-release and bought my own as soon as "Uncle Bob" (Marino) could get them a number of years ago. It's outstanding. I liked it so much, I also bought the smaller OF1010. Whether it's worth it for you or not is a question that only you can answer.

[Rick Fisher]

I have 4 Festool routers. 2200, 1400, 1010 and 700 .. The 1400 is a really outstanding router.. All of them excel when used with a vacuum ..

I also have 4 x Porter Cable Routers and a Milwaukee. They all spin bits .. but that is where the similarities end. If you need a router, sure.. if you need a sander.. get the ETS ..

[Rich Engelhardt]

i think the real value in Festool is how all the tools work together as a system.Exactly......

[pat warner]

A strange plunging handle. Made for their accessories and made well.
Tho dear, the rest of the plungers, working within such tight margins (PC,DW, Bosch, The Sumos, + Milwaukee etc) are not without QC and component problems. Compromises, to be sure, but cheap.
The Festool is well thought out, a bit clumsy for this operator, cared for in production, well finished, has one of the best collets, collects it messes and works every time it's tried. Over priced but that's what it takes. Would rather have the big plunger but that's not what you asked about.

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a 1400, and I think it is worth the cost. I used to use DW621 routers, but the short lifetime bothered me. In my shop, one would last maybe 18 months. I finally bought a 1400. It is now eight years old, and still going strong.

[guy knight]

got mine off craigslist for 250 like new use it everyday love it but would i pay the full price for it only if i had money to spare