Festool insight Anybody????

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JAZNCARR

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Joined
Nov 16, 2010
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214
Location
portsmouth, va
Hello I was wondering If anybody had or used the festool routers and sanders??? They are pretty steeply priced but everybody says the germans have quality figured out and you get what you pay for.. any thoughts???? or alternatives???
 
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I have two of the Festool sanders. Worth every single penny. Would love to get the routers, but just haven't spent the money for them.

Domino on my list someday too.
 
I own three Festool sanders the 6" random orbital is way better than the 5" They let me try them in the store. the best part of the system is how well it works with the dust extraction systems. I have a 1/3 sheet sander and a vacume and have sanded drywall in a house and didn't have to clean up any dust after sanding. I think the sanders and dust extractors are worth the price I also have a rail saw and love it for breaking down plywood. I don't have any of their routers so I can't offer any opinion on them. I have the 6" random orbital, a 1/3 sheet finishing sander and a grinder for rough sanding or removing old paint. Hope this helps.
 
I have a router and I love it. I also have the CT26 dust extractor and I use it ALOT! I use several different sanders, none of them Festool, when making rocking chairs and the CT26 REALLY makes a BIG difference. I have a whole shop dust collection system and the CT26 is MUCH more effective for hand tools. The whole shop collection system is nice for the stationary machines but the CT26 is designed for hand tools and does a much better job.
EDIT.......
If you decide to get a Festool dust extractor, see if they will substitute one of the gray hoses for the green "no static" hoses that comes with it. The green ones are WAAAAAAY too stiff and it makes it hard to move around. The gray ones are nice and I don't have any static problems.
 
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I do not have the router or sander, but do have a Domino. I don't use it a ton but when I do it saves me time and mess. Well built and runs like a champ. Price is steep but I think it will last longer than I will. :biggrin:
 
A guy I know makes guitars (think ebony and rosewood) in his home. He uses Festool and has white carpet in the room where he works. It is spotless. No joke.

Mike
 
As with any product, you need to weigh the features, cost and durability against your needs.

If you're only going to use a tool occasionally, then its not worth it to dish out big bucks for higher quality. It's for this reason I have a lot of Milwaukee, Craftsman and Black and Decker power tools in my shop. But if I were doing a lot of production work, there would be higher appearance of Delta, Powermatic, Dewalt, Festool, etc in their places.
 
Thank you dave, I'm slowly getting ready to do solid surface countertop work to hopefully offset my tool addiction. Thank you all for the insight and as soon as I get up the gall to go rob a bank I'll be marching down to woodcraft and loading up!
 
I was very critical of Festool prices at first. I won't load up on all their products, but the sanders are well worth the money. They are very aggressive and have very little vibration. It also contains most of the dust within the bag if you don't opt for the dust extractor.
 
JAZNCARR said:
Hello I was wondering If anybody had or used the festool routers and sanders??? They are pretty steeply priced but everybody says the germans have quality figured out and you get what you pay for.. any thoughts???? or alternatives???
Click to expand...

I'm of the philosophy at this stage of my life that I really want to own the best. My next sander would be a Festool. I used one at a trade show, and was amazed at how well it worked. That being said, I bought a Rikon mini lathe, since it was on sale at Woodcraft, and I wasn't too sure how much I'd get into turning. Now I'm eyeing OneWays. :biggrin:

I do not think you would be sorry investing in Festool.

I do own one Harbor Freight power tool. It is an angle grinder, and I loan it to my neighbor more than I use it myself. :smile:
 
Heck Jason!! If I had your money I would just call Bill at woodcraft and tell him to just bring me one of each piece of festool and place it in my shop for me.Ha!Ha!
 
Dang jim... you have all of mine! Hahahahahaha. Business. Seems to hve picked bback up a little... ill have the router and the sander/dust collector soon enough..... then ill be poor again =)
 
Festool is definitely a positive move toward excellent tools. I have been using their orbital sander at the lathe for about five years - never looked back. I also have the bigger Multi-function table and a TS-55 saw with their DC-33 vacuum attached. No dust to speak of when using it to cut different woods. The accuracy of the tables straight edge and track is dead on the money. No more setting up the manual straight edge to off-set a blade being set back. I just make two marks on the wood, lower the track and align the marks, and make the cut in seconds ... not minutes. I couldn't be happier with the tools myself.

Pricey yes, but then again I have yet to change the blade in the saw, nor replace any of the tools. I guess one gets what they pay for in the case of Festool. I don't believe much can compare to the quality of their products if one were to go item for item in size and abilities. Then again, folks can spend more and get less for their dollar.

BTW, I see the pricing structure has come down a bit in the last few months. This is an even better reason to go for some of the best products available.
 
Don't knock those HF grinders. We used one last summer and it out lasted 3 dewalts, and a milwaukee. We aren't talking light use either. We worked the crap out of it. I did not replace the dewalts or others. At 15 dollars a pop I bought 4 HF grinders. My propeller guy did the same for his shop. Still using the one from last summer and it is going strong.
 
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Run and run fast away from festool
because once you sip that green and gray koolaide there is no turning back

Amazing tools simply amazing in regards to dust control in that there is no dust to speak of none. You get a discount when getting the dust collection unit with a tool it is a must have unit

the tools combine control with precision and stability no vibration during cutting or sanding and no dust

I am still amazed every rime I sand or use my Domino very solid built and designed similar to how that country builds it's cars which I love too
 
Buy the best tools you can afford

I've saved money on tools a number of times....I've always been sorry.

I have a $400 table saw and use $100 blades. I have had 3 others that cost a combined $500 more...I should have sprung for a $3000 Delta Unisaw with a Biesemeyer Fence System. So when I set it for 2" it would be 2" not 1 63/64 or 2 1/64. Actually when I got my first table saw a Unisaw would only have cost about $1500.

Good tools last a long time and give you a lot of satisfaction. And, having the tool you need when you need it is priceless.
 
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