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The FHB Podcast crew takes a closer look at an interesting roof.
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"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
not for 1300 bucks!
Festools are V E R Y pricey... $800 for a router... Yikes!
are the curtains included???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Thats over twice what I paid for my slider. (Bosch)
for that kind of money ya'd think 3 other brands could bee had... maybe 4???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Sliders have come down since I bought mine 15 years ago. So me thinks at that price you could buy 3 or 4 others. Plus maybe a good $65 saw blade for each.
And we all know that you can get a name brand 5" ra sander for $40 while the festool sander's run $250...Never talked to anyone who bought a Festool sander that regretted it.Only diff here is the scale of the pricing.When the new Dewalt 12" slider 1st came out, they were $679. Plus, an additional $69 for the laser. Lot of complaining about that too.How many threads do we need here with people talking about how many other saws they could buy for the money?Good tools save money every time you use em. With miter saws, the precision and ease of use may not really be that necessary, but Festool's are not for everyone - they'll be the first to admit to that.Only tool hounds or perfectionists or specialists will see the value - other's never will. Good dust collection, light weight, accurate bevel adjustments, small footprint, accurate lasers - Yea, I could see that being worth the Festool premium. Not going out to get one, but I bet if I see one in person, I'll be tempted...So go spend $110 on a Harbor Freight 10" slider saw and spend the rest on girls and booze. Delight in the fact that your Ryobi batteries only cost $20 each new!JT
I am in the UK and have had a Kapex for about a year.
Yes, the kapex is expensive, but the dust extraction when connected to a Festool extractor is amazing, i can cut all day long and only end up with a hand full of dust around the saw table, no fine dust in the air, this has to be said for most festool machines including the amazing domino which has to be their finest machine, after all what price do you put on your lungs?
The saw guide that is included with the saw is superb and has made trim into a really simple process, the cuts are accurate every time, accurate trench cuts can be be cut every time thanks to the brilliant blade adjustment.
All i can say is, dont knock it until you try it.
Oh I am not knocking the tool.. Just the price. They make fantastic tools.
Edited 6/24/2008 5:02 pm ET by larryscabnuts
Look at the smirk on that guys face.
He's thinkin:the boss shelled out 1300 clams for this baby and I get paid to use it!!!.
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
And then...
"Look ma! No fingers!"Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"We strive for conversion,we get lost in conversation, and wallow in consternation. "Me.
You should see my face... It has envy written all over it.
So, while we are talking price...
Are we comparing the price of a piece of equipment made in a country with environmental responsiblility, a reasonable wage scale and workplace safety to a piece of equipment made in a country with no regard for the environment, wages and workplace safety?
Just wondering, because it makes a difference.
And a price comparison given the above conditions isn't fair.
thats a great point.
Yeah I won't buy American made either...GD+R.
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"After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
.
.
.
If Pasta and Antipasta meet is it the end of the Universe???
It's kinda like "Do I want the Stanley chisel or the Barr?"
I love my Barr. Love it!
I'd consider a saw at this price,,, bet it isn't going to let you down,, ever! Probably machined so well,, you'd never say,, don't push too far right or left or your mitre isn't going to be accurate! You get what you pay for,, and it looks pretty sweet! I'd like an old porsche 911,, can't afford it,, but a nice slider,, well,, it's a right off! I'd consider forking out the cash for sure. And I LOVE my barr! Can't wait for the next one!
But on the other hand, my father in law made more money with the cheapest #### tools! I prefer to have nice things. Like my starret combination square. And a barr chisel. And my lee valley low angle block plane. But he did his thing, and did it well and made more money than you can shake a stick at! Mind you, he did commercial work,, pharmacutical plants. I prefer custom renos. IF you're doing paint grade, you can slap caulk around,, but if it's stain grade,, That saw might just pay for itself!
I've yet to buy a slider,,, on the list,,,,, do all my work with a 10" rigid,, but like I say, on the list! Bosch looks good,, but that looks better! It's like the experience I had this weekend paddling a buddy's carbon fibre canoe. Perfect. Nice object. Do I need one? No. Do I want one? Well,, I suppose it might make my life better. Easily make my co-workers envious !
d
Right now I'm torn about getting a Barr. I have a ton of great chisels, especially old ones like Witherby, Douglass, Sorby and Winchester, but a guy I occasionally work with brought in his Barr to show me & demonstrate. Yikes! Maybe after the kids are outa school & I'm doing more shop time.If all I did was high high end finish work and installations, museum quality stuff, damned right I would lay out for a saw like that if it really was that good.
It's so good that it turned that geek into a carpenter. Must be some saw.
In all seriousness, I wouldn't rule it out but I'd have to try one first. It's either worth $1300 bucks to me or it isn't. And until I get to try one out I really can't whether it is or isn't. Not something I'd buy without spending a little time with first.
It would be kool to try one out.
I wouldn't buy one now. Unless I won the powerball. I too old and too retired.
If the Kapex is clean enough that I can cut closer to where I'm working or not have to worry about cleaning up every day then the extra initial cost is recouped really quickly. Some tools I'll happily pay more for just because they are less annoying to use than their cheaper brethren (ie. quieter, faster and easier to adjust, smoother, lighter more precise etc.). It remains to be seen whether the Kapex is that or not.
You got a point. Many times I made several trips outside to cut trim and to worry in a piece of trim. If that machine makes very little mess then it may be worth every penny. Especially when its below freezing.
Larry, I have the Domino and the sanding system. Until I got the sander (6" orbital) I was using my Mikita and DeWalts in the garage and had to wear a dust mask, run the overhead air cleaner and occasionally hook up the big 220v 6" dust collector. What a pain plus there was still dust on most everything in there, including my lungs.
I bought the Festool ETS 150 plus the CT-22 with the overhead boom and now can enjoy an almost totally dust free, fairly quiet shop (I have to wear ear muffs when the big vac is running). The difference in sanding quality is unbelievable, the ETS 150 is supposed to be a finish sander but with 40g paper it will strip wood faster than any of the other three sanders I have. Using their paper (and the CT-22) the sander will provide an almost totally dust free environment. They have a huge selection of paper for their sanders, from 40 to 2000g in about 4 or 5 different types. Granted the paper is not cheap but will last much longer than the stuff you get at the box stores. I did a bulk buy from "Bob Marino's online Festool store" great dealer. I usually support my local dealer on tool purchases (same place I get my hard woods) but they were not stocking the selection's I wanted.
I also have the smaller plunge saw and the folding work table. The saw and track system are extremely accurate, I can now rip down 4x8 sheet goods with cabinet ready edges. Before I was using my old sidewinder and trying to follow a 2x4 clamped to the sheets then running the smaller sections through the table saw, what a pita plus a lot of waste.
My recommendation before anyone knocks the price, go and find a place to try them out and then put a price on quality, reliability, your lungs and how much you need to clean your work area in a clients home or your shop.
Are there any American made power hand tools left? Almost all power tools sold in the US at the big box stores are commodity tools made in China. Granted some are better than others but the majority fall far short of the quality of Festool.
It all boils down to the pride of owning a quality tool that does the job well. If all you do is rough carpentry then the bb tools are fine. If a person puts their reputation on the line with their work then the best tools are a cheap investment, at least in my opinion.
Lie Nelson tools are some of the finest hand tools made ( http://www.lie-nielsen.com/ ) and one of the few "American" tools left and again you have to willing to pay for the quality. Unfortinatly at this point I don't own any, but some day I will.
I do use my Starrett rules a lot and that is another fine tool company (even they manuf. some tools in China but the ones I have are USA made).
Jim
PS the Kapex is on my wish list, I can't wait to delegate my Milwaukee SCMS to rough cut work, it is a pos for trim.
this goes perfect with the do we need miter saws tread...
Yes, my best friend is a hammer.
I wonder how my dad did such good work as a carp with out power tools? He had a back saw and made his own miter box. Then he would have to make another one when that one wore out. His specialty was setting door and windows. Window sash all had to be cut. Nothing pre hung or made. I worked with an old carp who only had a 1/4 inch power drill. He did have a Stanley Miter Box.
I started out with a Miller Falls cast iron miter box. Cost me 90 bucks in about 1960. A Stanley would have been 110 bucks.
Sorry I was just thinking out loud.
"I started out with a Miller Falls cast iron miter box"Hey, I have that same saw! I bought it new back in the 70's. Still have it and 2 back saws to fit. Somewhat obsolete now but I can't give it up. It was one of my first big tool purchases.
I gave mine to an old friend to trim out his basement.
At a certain point you just don't want to let
every ruff neck on the job use your fancy toy.
I'm all for getting the tool that gets the job done, but
not if I have to worry about it getting broke all day.
I think I'll pass on this one (for now). But hopefully it
will set the bar a little higher for the rest of the companies.