Festool track saw failure / repair cost

[Tim M Tuttle]

So my TS 55 festool track stopped working. went to use it and it just did not turn on. i checked and it was getting power but no joy. So i sent it to the festool repair center and received a repair estimate of $278!! basically replacing the entire innards of the saw, and this is on top of the $80 to ship it to the repairs center.
I do wood working hobby and this saw although 4 or 5 years old ( not sure when i purchased it) has only seen light use breaking down plywood. i cannot understand how such and expensive tool could need a complete motor replacement with such little use!! the repair estimate includes replacement of the armature, field assembly, ball bearing, brush and motor housing.
This is tool that has never left my shop, which by the way is my basement and heated & cooled.

it has got me thinking of looking elsewhere for a new track saw and selling off my MFT table, tracks etc

i have no problem paying for good tools but see no value in paying for 60% of the cost of the tool every 5 years to keep it working. Thought is was going to be able to use this for many years before replacement.

Guess i am just belly aching but was wondering if others have had similar experiences and what you guys might do in my situation?
should i look to dewalt or makita ? will they last any longer?

I've only been in the woodworking hobby for a few years but I voracious reader on the powertool subject and yours seems a fairly common complaint in regards to Festool products. The only Festool product I own is the Domino 500 and it works well but I haven't had it long or used it very much to this point. I liken Festool to Apple; very innovative in some regards, outrageously expensive for what you get, incredibly proprietary, prone to breaking, and underpowered compared to other similar products. I say this as both an Apple and Festool user. However, it's really quite aggravating to spend that kind of money and not get what should be the expected full, useful life out of a product without having a drop a considerable amount on repairs.

If you go with another brand, Makita sounds like the winner because it can work with all (I think) of the Festool accessories including the Woodpeckers squaring jig. I have a DeWalt and really wish I could use that squaring jig with mine.

[Brian Holcombe]

The pricing is moderate for tools in a similar class but 'expensive' by comparison the Big box stool stools. When you look at drills, as example, if you compare to Hilti and Metabo than Festool doesn't stand out as being particularly expensive.

Same goes for track saws when you add Mafell into the mix, that is the direction I'm leaning. According to my research the arbor on the Mafell 55 is also 20mm, so at least I'd be able to repurpose some blades, which are Tenryuu not Festool.

[Edwin Santos]

A broken (non-operating) Festool TS55 with systainer sold recently on eBay for $218, presumably for parts. The rail and blade were not included. So that might be an option for you. If you could get a similar price, you might be in a position to buy the Makita and not be out as much as you originally thought.

In fact, by my estimate if you sold the track and blade also, either as a bundle or separately, if your're lucky you might be able to get a new Makita or DeWalt kit as a replacement and come out completely whole.

[Richard Coers]

All
Thanks for the replies i will be getting rid of my festool accessories and start a search for a new track saw. So is it worth the $20 for them to ship it back to me???hmm maybe...
i will be looking at hard at Makita and perhaps keep my MFT and Festool tracks.

Thanks

I'd take a few breaths if I were you. Sure you are angry. If this decision is purely a financial one, loosing money on the saw and all the accessories and then spending more for a replacement brand will certainly cost more than $285. Like others have said, take it to a power tool repair shop first. I thought I bent a blade on my Kapex after a kickback. I was upset to spend $40 for a special washer that had bent instead, but the anger went away. Anything on youtube? There was a guy who video taped a Kapex rebuild. Made my doing the repair really easy. It would really be a shame to loose all that money over a set of worn brushes!!!! One last money justification, I spent $50 a year on a lot of useless crap, maybe not so bad for tools.

[David Gutierrez]

i requested Festool return the saw and upon reading the repair form i now know that they are going to return the saw disassembled? So i guess i will only have to figure out how to put it back together!! i will take a shot at repairing it.

Brian it is not the expense i am complaining about, i can afford that. i want to buy quality tools and included in that definition is a tool that functions well for years, especially when lightly used and not abused. really this saw probably has less time on it then a month of use by a full time professional. i still have my first skill saw purchased 25 years ago and a mag 77 that is at least 20 years old.

Ed that is a crazy price for non-working tools but I would take it in a heartbeat. I am getting mine back in piece!! So I have nothing lose trying to repair it or sell it.

Can anyone confirm that both the Dewalt and the Makita saws will work on the festool track? I have two 52” festool tracks, the track joiner kit and alignment bar that I hope to keep using. Perhaps I will get out to Berlands house of tools this week end and take a look at all the other track saws. Does anyone have experience with Bosch?

[Brian Holcombe]

I feel we're in complete agreement there, I am the same way in that I dont mind paying upfront for implied quality but I prefer the product to live up to a moderate expectation of use. I'm pretty easy on tools so, as example, it was very disappointing when my Kapex died. Festool repaired it at no cost to myself, but I felt that the machine was not robust if it could not live, in my shop, of all places where at least I felt I was being careful not to over-exert the machine.

I sold it because I felt it would die again eventually and would be no longer under warranty at that time.

The experience caused me to move away from the 'mobil cabinet shop' type tool to more stationary tools that can be repaired in a more normal fashion and are made to serve a lifetime in a factory. I like my tools to be quality and produce a quality result every single time I use them, not 60% of the time, or whatever.

I would rather apply a line and bandsaw cut most parts than spend time sawing them on the floor.

I still like their routers, no complaints there.

[Jerome Stanek]

The pricing is moderate for tools in a similar class but 'expensive' by comparison the Big box stool stools. When you look at drills, as example, if you compare to Hilti and Metabo than Festool doesn't stand out as being particularly expensive.

Same goes for track saws when you add Mafell into the mix, that is the direction I'm leaning. According to my research the arbor on the Mafell 55 is also 20mm, so at least I'd be able to repurpose some blades, which are Tenryuu not Festool.

The difference is a Hilti or Metabo will last you a life time with abuse. I have some Hilti and Metabo tools that are 35 plus years old and they traveled the country with me being used about 3 time a week every week that still work like new. Will a Festool do that.

[Rob Charles]

The Festool line has always "felt" a bit fragile to me, especially for the price. Jerome mentioned Metabo (Hitachi). My experience with the the Hitachi line was been excellent. I have & still use a Hitachi hand drill that I was given to me when I was a teenager when in Japan over 50 years ago. It was well used in a commercial Japanese shop prior to being gifted to me. It is well travelled, been abused, neglected but still works reliably.

[Robert Engel]

Also a TS55 owner, every time I use the saw I wonder "should it be making that noise" - doesn't sound like my other circ saws.

So now you got me wondering.......

If you trust Popular Woodworking, here is a quote from an article, available on line:

"But here’s what is attention grabbing: All three plunge-cut saws ride and operate on a Festool guide rail."

[Tim M Tuttle]

i requested Festool return the saw and upon reading the repair form i now know that they are going to return the saw disassembled? So i guess i will only have to figure out how to put it back together!! i will take a shot at repairing it.

Brian it is not the expense i am complaining about, i can afford that. i want to buy quality tools and included in that definition is a tool that functions well for years, especially when lightly used and not abused. really this saw probably has less time on it then a month of use by a full time professional. i still have my first skill saw purchased 25 years ago and a mag 77 that is at least 20 years old.

Ed that is a crazy price for non-working tools but I would take it in a heartbeat. I am getting mine back in piece!! So I have nothing lose trying to repair it or sell it.

Can anyone confirm that both the Dewalt and the Makita saws will work on the festool track? I have two 52” festool tracks, the track joiner kit and alignment bar that I hope to keep using. Perhaps I will get out to Berlands house of tools this week end and take a look at all the other track saws. Does anyone have experience with Bosch?

Pretty sure the DeWalt will not work with the Festool track. The extrusion on the DeWalt runs down the middle of the track while it runs closer to the side on the Festool/Makita.

[Tim M Tuttle]

Pretty sure the DeWalt will not work with the Festool track. The extrusion on the DeWalt runs down the middle of the track while it runs closer to the side on the Festool/Makita.

Actually, the DeWalt looks to have a slot offset to one side and I just read on another forum that it works with the Festool track. If that's the case I will probably be changing out my tracks to Festool. Sweet.

[Brian Holcombe]

The difference is a Hilti or Metabo will last you a life time with abuse. I have some Hilti and Metabo tools that are 35 plus years old and they traveled the country with me being used about 3 time a week every week that still work like new. Will a Festool do that.

A question I ponder as well. I have been using the OF1400 router pretty routinely for about 9 years, track saw is probably 6-7 years old. Kapex didn't make it a 2 years.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I own the Makita (cordless) track saw, have used both a TS55 and TS75 as well as the Mafell MT55 track saw. For an appropriately outfitted Mafell track saw setup comparable to my Makita setup (variety of tracks, clamps, etc) it would be around $1300-1500, and I have about half of that into my Makita setup (and it's cordless.) The Mafell track saw is the best track saw out there, but for what I do it's not a justifiable expense. I strongly considered buying one at the beginning of this year, but went Makita instead and am very happy with it. The tracks with the Mafell / Bosch are superior in design and how they hook together. I'd like to have a Mafell and Bosch side by side to really compare and contrast in person, but...

I'm a full-time, pro woodworker and finish carpenter and still find the Makita to be best suited to my work. I've never been impressed with the Festool track saws in comparison with the others. The motors just don't have any guts and sound like they are dying a slow death when cutting.

I really like Festool sanders, and the Domino is obviously a special tool that changes the game for a lot of folks (don't own one) but most of Festool's other tools don't have much of a use in my work that can't be filled with something else cheaper, more durable and able to achieve the same level of precision with ease. Just my opinion

[John TenEyck]

No dog in this fight, but my perspective on handheld power tools, miter saws, and the like are that none of them are lifetime tools. Some are better than others, but none are likely to stand up to years of use and abuse like stationary tools are designed to do. With that in mind I just see no point in paying 2X for any of them compared with the majority of the those in the "second tier". I've been perfectly happy with "second tier" portable tools with a long history of good value and durability. None have been perfect, but when something went wrong I either fixed it or bought another w/o losing sleep over feeling cheated. FWIW, some are over 25 years old and still going strong in the hands of a pretty serious hobbiest.

John

[Jeff Bartley]

i requested Festool return the saw and upon reading the repair form i now know that they are going to return the saw disassembled? So i guess i will only have to figure out how to put it back together!! i will take a shot at repairing it.

They're going to return it disassembled? That's certainly not a stumbling block for repairing it yourself, but are they leaving it disassembled just to save their shop time? Doesn't seem like they're trying to help the customer in any way!