hi. i just rec'd a cd from festool....nice stuff!!
it comes essentually with a $25 per tool discount. if any of you were thinking of treating yourself for christmas, i can email you the rebate form. contact me
regards
mike
[OP]
Member
hi. i just rec'd a cd from festool....nice stuff!!
it comes essentually with a $25 per tool discount. if any of you were thinking of treating yourself for christmas, i can email you the rebate form. contact me
regards
mike
Moderator
Been there...already done that. As a matter of fact, there should be a package from "Uncle Bob" on my doorstop when I return home from Chicago tomorrow...
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
Jim,
I got mine today
Jay
Jay St. Peter
Member
Go to www.festoolusa.com/testdrive for the special offer
Somebody help me... Their stuff looks good, but it appears that you have to be a complete convert to get the advantage... For example,
I might spring for the extra cost to get a special tool, but I am far less inclined to when I have to change all the infrastructure as well. Is this really the case?
- to use their sanders, you need to use their shop vac (it may be good but I already have a couple in addition to a dust collector). You also have to use their proprietary sandpaper.
- To use the special chucks on their drills, it appears that you have to use their drills. The lack of mention of supporting the standard driver bits makes me fear that you have to use their proprietary drivers as well.
- To use their saw, you have to use their proprietary blade, or a blade custom made for their non-standard diameter, and non-standard arbor. And of course, to get the full advantage, you need to use their proprietary guide rail.
Member
First, please understand that Festool is a system, not just a bunch of independent tools. Second, please understand that none of the tools demand that you use the entire system. Now, to answer your questions specifically:Originally Posted by Charlie Plesums
You could use any vacuum with the sanders, as long as the hose will connect to the sander(s). The Festool vacuum does have some nice features, like auto start, anti-static hose and variable speed. Any vacuum could be connected to any Festool sander with the right hose. The sandpaper is a unique configuration with a center hole, but it is not "propietary". The pricing of sandpaper from Festool is quite reasonable, and the paper is also available from at least one other supplier, Klingspor.
The drill chucks will interface with most quick change drill accessories. Some of those accessories might not lock into the quick change chucks, if the detent is in the wrong place on the accessory. It is not mandatory to use the Centrotec drill bits and drivers with the Festool cordless drills.
The Festool circular saw, like any saw, requires a blade that fits the saw. Festool sells those blades at pricing that is as good as or less expensive than other blades of similar quality. I believe you can also buy blades from other sources, but I have not had a reason to do so. The Festool blades are reasonably priced and of excellent quality. The circular saw works wonderfully with the Festool guide rail. It also will interface with the EZ Smart guide system. And, of course, you could use it with any other guide where the saw simply slides on the edge of the guide rail. Using the saw without the guide rail does not make a whole lot of sense, however, since the saw and guide rail are intended to be used as a system.
Finally, the $25 rebate offer applies to any Festool tool purchased until the end of the year, including discounted clearance tools. The coupon can be used for up to 5 tools. The coupon can be obtained from the Festool web site, from the Test Drive CD/DVD or from the promotional mailing - I got one in the mail today.
Last edited by Dave Falkenstein; 10-12-2005 at 1:07 AM.
Member
Charlie, I recently bought the Festool circular saw which came with one guide rail. I also purchased a Festool hose to connect to my Fein Vac with the auto on feature. The price of the blades are very good for what you get and they certainly last a long time... For us poor folk that do not have the Euro sliders it is the next best thing. As far as proprietary I would say that it is no more proprietary than purchasing the correct nails for a nailer or a 5 or 6 hole pattern for a ROS. The price of the consumables are pretty good. IMO
I can pay retail anywhere, so how's your service?
Grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory one project at a time
Maker of precision cut firewood
Member
Charlie
Like the other guys have said - you don't have to buy all Festool to get the advantage.
I use the 150/5 ROS attached to a shop vac with an autostart feature. The sander is special but the vac was less than 1/2 the price of the festool and I didn't see enough advantage to the Festool vac. I use a stepped rubber connector piece to transition between the vac hose and the sander connection.
The paper for the sander is a different configuration but costs me no more than for the same size discs for a Metabo.
I have found that where the consumables in the Festool system are proprietary they are still reasonably priced and I always work on the assumption that the consumables carry the same quality advantage as the tools. That way they always seem even better value.
Member
This is no time to clam up on us, what in the package?Been there...already done that. As a matter of fact, there should be a package from "Uncle Bob" on my doorstop when I return home from Chicago tomorrow...
Rich
ALASKANS FOR GLOBAL WARMING
Eagle River Alaska
Member
Charlie,
I have my festool tools running on a Fein Mini vac. Works just great. I bought these little rubber step adapters that i cut to fit each Festool product I buy. The mini does not have auto start, so I have it wired into X10 and remote. I started with their sander (150/3) and slowly have built my collection. The sanders are by far the most superior product on the market today. Sand paper, the sandpaper lasts much longer than any others I have tried (including Mirka and Klingspor). I find them to be close when comparing per disk price, and then factor in the long life it is actually cheaper. The only compliant I had, has been partially fixed. I did not need 50 or 100 of every grit, they now offer some grits in 5 packs (a little more pricey per unit, but you have to keep in mind packaging costs and this is typical with all brands) From what I have seen with everything else, my other standard products work (blades, bits, etc.) they except is the ATF blade, but the quality of cut is equal to the Forrest I have. So, I don't see it an issue to spend $50 on a great blade. I still have my old trusty Dewalt CS for working with 2x and 4x material outside.
Scott C. in KC
Befco Designs
Contributor
Decided to take the plunge and had placed an order with the Woodworking Shop store in Raleigh, NC on Monday. Should receive the ATF55 saw with the guide rail later this week. Got tired of turning expensive oak plywood into scraps with the accompanying tear-out. Decided to get the saw/rail combo to get my over the hump until I can save up for a slider w/scoring in the future. Have heard nothing but positive comments about the system from various web sites.
Member
My package came last week... Trion PS, DS400 with conversion kit to make RS400 and the Angle Kit for the ATF.
Oh yeah, a nice surprise from Uncle Bob showed up yesterday, thanks UB.
Scott C. in KC
Befco Designs
Contributor
I got my CD from the most recent copy of CabinetMaker magazine. My 19- month old daughter enjoys the U2 like background music playing during the demos. In what now is almost a nightly occurance, she dances while I try and explain to her the benefits associated with the Festool system. I'm pretty sure she is "sold".
I placed my first Festool order with Bob earlier this week. Given my daughter's enthusiam I can only imagine this is the first on many.
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