Festool Jig Saws -Is the Trion PS 300 EQ worth $150 more than the PS 2 E

[Frank Pellow]

Right now there is a close out sale on the older PS 2 E and the list price in the Festool catalogue is $91 less than the newer Trion. By the time I pay increased duty and taxes in Canada the difference becomes more like $150 (US). The only real advantages that I can see for the Trion are:
(1) the quick blade change (I can change a lot of blades the old way before I will pay $150)
(2) the fact that the newer saw can make deeper cuts.

Is there something that I am missing that would make me pay the extra money?

[Christian Aufreiter]

Right now there is a close out sale on the older PS 2 E and the list price in the Festool catalogue is $91 less than the newer Trion. By the time I pay increased duty and taxes in Canada the difference becomes more like $150 (US). The only real advantages that I can see for the Trion are:
(1) the quick blade change (I can change a lot of blades the old way before I will pay $150)
(2) the fact that the newer saw can make deeper cuts.

Is there something that I am missing that would make me pay the extra money?

Hi Frank,

in fact the new Trion offers some nice feature: plug it power cord, quick blade change, more power but I don't think that these are must-haves. Both, the Trion and the PS 2, have the Festool CP blade guard which helps to ensure precise angles. This system works quite well (I'm using the Trion) and makes the Festool saws so outstanding. The quick blade change is certainly nice but how often do you change saw blades?!
Personally, I'd go for the PS 2E, the price is tempting.

Regards,

Christian

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks Christian, I have taken your advise and ordered the PS 2. You mention that the detachable cord is another thing different about the Trion but, for me, that would be a bad thing because I would be sure to missplace the cord sometime.

I looked at the thread about your workplace and was quite impressed with the way you have optimized the use of space. It appears that the Festool "system" has been a real help to you. The jig saw will be my third Festool purchase (I have the vacuum/circular saw combo now) and, over time, I plan to acquire many more of their tools. It looks like you are an expert user of their stuff and I will prpbably be asking you more questions in the future.

[Christian Aufreiter]

Thanks Christian, I have taken your advise and ordered the PS 2. You mention that the detachable cord is another thing different about the Trion but, for me, that would be a bad thing because I would be sure to missplace the cord sometime.

I looked at the thread about your workplace and was quite impressed with the way you have optimized the use of space. It appears that the Festool "system" has been a real help to you. The jig saw will be my third Festool purchase (I have the vacuum/circular saw combo now) and, over time, I plan to acquire many more of their tools. It looks like you are an expert user of their stuff and I will prpbably be asking you more questions in the future.

Hi Frank,

thanks for your update. I hope you'll like the saw. BTW, where did you order it? I emailed Bob Marino (Festool ISA, hobby woodworker and SMC member) a couple of times and was quite impressed with his customer service. The detachable cord is an advantage if you have more tools with this feature. Festool offered a special suction hose/power cord combination in Austria. This hose used the plug it cord. I think the hose is no longer available.
The pic below shows the special hose.

Please, let me know how you like the PS 2.

Regards,

Christian

[Frank Pellow]

Christian, you are correct that even I would be unlikely to lose the cord in the picture.

You ask where I obtained my Festool stuff. Unfortunately there is no Festool Canada. Rather, we have to order tools to be shipped from one of the two US warehouses. This is annoying and expensive (for instance, there is already US duty on the tools from Germany, then I have to pay Canadian duty on top of that) but it is the way that several German companies seem to operate. Canada is just an afterthought and if they can pick up a few sales via the USA then it is a bonus for them.

There is a Festool USA sales rep in Canada. That's right one sales rep for the whole country as far as I can figure out. His name is Claude Ouellette (claudeo@primus.ca) and he is helpful but sometimes hard to get in touch with.

[Chris Padilla]

I like that hose/cord combo! Very nice. My Festool ROS needs something like that to deal with the cord/vacuum hose tangle I often find myself in! :)

[Frank Pellow]

I was astounded at the quick service. Not only did it have to be shipped, it had to go through a Canadian Customs broker at the border. In the end, with shipping and duty, and Canadian taxes, the jig saw cost me about $240 (US).

Is the saw worth that? As I recall, my old Black and Decker that this saw is replacing cost me about $45 (again US with taxes included). So this saw is more than 5 times as expensive. I have already convinced myself that the PS2 was worth its price (and more) because:

(1) I tried the test that others have mentioned of cutting a pattern in 3 inch oak. It was easy to cut, the angle of the cut is exactly 90 degrees, and it is very smooth.

(2) I am disassembling an old deck to make work for my workshop and was thinking of purchasing a reciprocating saw. Instead, I experimented with the S105/4 FSG coarse cut blade on the PS2. It worked like a charm. I have not yet tried a blade that is longer than 105 mm but will do so soon. I am quite sure that I will have no need for a reciprocating saw now. So, there is a saving.

(3) There is a section of some permanent maple furniture that I installed in our living room a few years ago and that I wanted to modify. This involved cutting about 20 inches of 1.5 inch maple in an area with permanent deep pile carpet. A perfect use for a hook up to my Festool vacuum! And, it worked like a charm with very little clean-up needed after (I must admit that there was some). This very much impressed my wife and, on this use alone, she is likely to be amenable to other Festool purchases in the future.

(4) Love those systainers, and now I have another one.

[Bob Marino]

I like that hose/cord combo! Very nice. My Festool ROS needs something like that to deal with the cord/vacuum hose tangle I often find myself in! :)

Chris,

As silly as it sounds, there's a hold-up getting that cord/hose allowed over here...if memory serves, it might be a UL type snag (no pun). :confused: In the meantime, I just kind of wind the cord around the hose a bit.

Bob

[Christian Aufreiter]

I like that hose/cord combo! Very nice. My Festool ROS needs something like that to deal with the cord/vacuum hose tangle I often find myself in! :)

Hi Chris,

the hose/cord combo is a nice thing but not really necessary. BTW, it was pretty expensive, I think about EUR 120. As Bob suggested, I'd wind the cord around the hose and fix it with duct tape.

Regards,

Christian