What are your opinions on the new Bosch and Festool Trion jigsaws? What would hold up better over the long haul?
Edited 7/2/2005 9:27 pm ET by rover1
What are your opinions on the new Bosch and Festool Trion jigsaws? What would hold up better over the long haul?
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Replies
I've been using the Festool for over a year. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have bought it sooner. I cut some wet PT 4x4's last week, 5 1/2" festool blade went through 'em like butta.
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
I can say I have the bosch and its predecessor, the new version is an improvement and I do like it quite well. I also own a handfull of Festool products . . . if its a relevant assumption to think their jigsaws are anything like their other products, I also wish I'd have bought the Festo.
"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." - Mark Twain
I've had the Festool for about a year, actually a little over. I went through two Bosch barrel grips throughout my career. I only bought the Festool because I was in a Festool buying mode and so impressed with the quality of their other tools that I felt justified in spending the extra. I was using it for a long time thinking there is really no difference until one day I had to cut some pretty tight radiuses in some 5/4 stock and the Festool showed its superiority. It wasn't that the final product was much different, but it was the ease in which the cut was made. It held its line and held no lateral blade sway, whereas the Bosch would have had more problem with blade sway. I was happy I went the extra dollars.
Another vote for the Festool.
I had the Bosch previously, but needed a saw that made a true 90 on curves for a job I was doing. Bought the Trion and have had no regrets.
I like the quick-connect cord on the Festool. I like the fact that the Festool does not have the rubber insert grip, since this may wear over time. But I am more familiar with the reliability of the Bosch saws. The new Bosch 1591 appears to be every bit as good as the Festool. Does the Festool have soft-start? What are the advantages for the Festool over the Bosch? How durabel does the exterior seem on the Festool compared with the Bosch?
Edited 7/4/2005 12:12 pm ET by rover1
The new Bosch 1591 appears to be every bit as good as the Festool. Does the Festool have soft-start? What are the advantages for the Festool over the Bosch?
Festool has soft start and dial controled variable speed. http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=3&prodid=561097
The major advantage for me is it cuts dead nuts perpendicular no matter if it's 3/8 ply or a 4x4.
The question you gotta ask yourself is, "If I buy the Bosch, in 2 months will I wish I bought the Festool?" I doubt you would ever ask the question the other way around. You need to decide if $100 is worth the doubt <wink>
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.- Fyodor Dostoyevski
I have never seen a festool.
I always thought keeping a perpendicular cut was a function of blade quality and tecnique. What makes the festool so different that the cut is so much better?
Basically, the blade is supported on three sides. I'm not certain how it works beyond that, but it does.
It's hard to believe that there's a "better" jigsaw. All I can suggest is find a dealer and test drive one, all the dealers have demo tools.
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.- Fyodor Dostoyevski
Check out there website. They mark some darn fine finish carpentry tools.
I don't know exactly how it works either. But I've had both and with the same blade in the Bosch and the Festool, the Festool will come out on top. But as far as setting themselves (Festool) apart, I think their other tools and accesories do a better job of it than the jigsaw. The Bosch jigsaw is a great tool, the Festool's just better. Festool is just something that has to be experienced. I see Hilti has a jigsaw now too. I wonder what its like. And the EZ, or the new Hilti 267 with rail, Festool no longer has the market cornered but sadly only the EZ and I'm not even positive of that is American. A lot of American's want top notch progressively engineered tools and we can't even get one of our manufacturers to produce something real quality. I think with Walmart and HD the state of manufacturing is pretty bleak. Wait what am I saying HD carries Hilti. I would much rather buy American but what am I going to do buy PC or Milwaukee. I want something better. Maybe I'm wrong but to me when I started using the Festool stuff for finishing the bar raised the minute I opened the box.PS: I was just down town here in Washington DC to watch the fireworks and was talking to a friend of mine who works for the Department of Labor and he was telling me about the incentive programs they're working on to try to get more youth involved in the trades. It really sounded good. Lets hope so. I need a couple of committed youngsters. He also told me that GW is trying to make it so the illegals can stay here for three years, sort of temporary amnesty, and work as legal taxpayers before they have to go home and start a legitimate process of immigration. Before any body gets their panties twisted do you know how much of the work force doesn't pay taxes because they have no way to pay them even if they wanted to. We lose out on a lot of tax dollars because of this. Send 'em back you say. We have been for a long time. But they're still here. My crew right now is 3 American, 8 Latino. If I could hire Americans I would but I can't find them. I love all my guys and I want them to be able to work here legally. They are a credit to us. I got a couple of kids work 40 hrs for me, 25 hrs cleaning at night, and will work on Saturday if I ask. Never bitch and work hard the whole time. Ask your kids to work that hard. These are good people and I hope something happens for them.
I just read in the June 2005 edition of Woodworkers Journal that the Bosch 1591 had the least chipouts in melamine, even over the Festool. Sounds like a nice saw. Plus, the Bosch at $100 less would give me a chunk of cash towards a needed hammerdrill, which will probably be a Bosch too. From my point of view here are the pros and cons of the Bosch and Festool: FESTOOL: PROS: - Quick connect power cord - No rubber grip to wear over time. CONS: - Price - Parts can't be purchased online from parts specialist, like the Bosch. BOSCH: PROS: - Price - Proven and notable reliabilty and performance - Parts can be purchased from online parts specialists CONS: - No quick connect cord - Grip may wear over time, but I doubt it
Metabo
Witty tagline...
Just wanted to follow up on your comments about making high quality stuff here. I am in the sales end of tool manufacturing. Ever since the 50's the general idea has been to make it cheaper and increase market share. Your needs and desires have changed the dynamic somewhat. Take coffee, we used to fuss about a $2 cup of coffee. Someone came along, improved the quality, and $6 became justifiable.
I wonder what it was like for Starbucks in the very beginnnig?
In woodworking, everybody has the creative juices of an inventor. Some are bucking the trend of going offshore, and actually inventing and manufacturing stuff here. Craig Sommerfeld has made it over the hurdles and the Kreg Jig is a good example of what can be done here. Dino Makropoulos is another inventer making something new, the EZ smart guide, in this country.
I guess the trend may be to make accessory type products. The cost and liability of getting into the power tool game is daunting. It's a catch-22. If you have that kind of money, why get into the cut-throat tool game. It's not as much tool inventing as it is tool marketing.
I can see where companies like festool and starbucks have found out that people do like quality and for the most part are willing to pay for it.
The paradigm of tool buying in this country is changing. You're part of the change on the customer end, and Dino and Craig are part of it on the manufacturing end.
I agree with your frustration. Our hopes ride with those willing to invent something new and follow the dream.
I bought the new bosch,and I think it's the best saw in it's price range.It's a dream to use, especially compared to my old craftsmen,that thing had more in common with a jack hammer than a jigsaw.The only problem I have is alot of blade drift when I try to cut anything thicker than 1 in.--If anyone has any advice about this issue please let me know.
Cut slow
turn off orbiting stroke
use the right blade
don't try to recover, if you come off line you have to back out and come in again ever so gracefully
Is the blade guide jaws on the Bosch 1590 and 1591 adjustable like the Festool? When I looked at the Bosch recently, I didn't see a way this could be adjusted. It appeared that somehow the guide on the Bosch is spring loaded.
chalk up another vote for the 1591, it's one of the best jigsaws I've laid hands on. Though I've tried other Festool's, I don't know if I have used the one you all are speaking of. Justin Fink - FHB Editorial