Earlier this week, I sent our collected comments re systainers (which can be found in the thread entitled "Draft of note to be sent to Festool re Systainers" http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=10208 ) to Christian Oltzscher, the President of Festool USA (which seems to include Canada in their way of thinking). Christian and I talked a long time but I will try to make this report short. The main topics that we covered are listed below:
Flimsy Systainer Inserts:
Christian has sent our comments to Festool Germany and is waiting for a reply. He did say that, in his personal opinion, that this is an area where Festool is able to save some money in a very competitive industry without compromising the quality of the working tools. However, in spite of the fragile appearance of the inserts, the only place that Christian is aware of any problems is under very cold conditions in Russia.
Option of Getting Tools at a Slightly Reduced Price without Systainers:
A couple of years ago, Festool USA, determined that the number of people who did not want systainers was likely to be very low. However, based on our feedback, Festool USA will run a survey (he did not say how) to determine if this option is desirable to sufficient people. Of course, if they decide to do this, it complicates their ordering and shipping. As Scott Coffelt observed "Gotta start with a limited SKU, then move up; standard business practice."
Problems with the Sys-port 1000 Design reported by Manny Hernandez:
Christian says that, as a result of this posting, Festool has been in contact with Manny, has determined that hehas a faulty unit and that they will fix the problem. He also said that they located 2 of the older units that Manny prefers. Manny, please tell us your side of the story.
Festool User's Group:
Christian says that he, among others at Festool, spends considerable time reviewing comments on forums. And, he says that our forum, is one of those that he reviews. This gives Festool the feedback that they think they require and Christian does not see the need for a "user's group". He says that submitting collective issues the way that we at Saw Mill Creek have just done is a better way to go.