Some of you have been waiting for my review of Festool's ATF55 E-Plus Circular Saw....so here it is.
Note: The views here are my own and the eval was done by me and Joe Meazle who may even post his own thoughts and concerns later on.
This eval was done on my own time and is my own opinion of this Saw as I see it. Your mileage may vary, but I do have a $150 DeWalt Circular saw to compare it too....and I will when it comes to the cuts made on the Guiderail system.
The ATF55 was packed very well and was contined inside it's own Systainer. The use of the Systainer is pretty neat as it will "lock" to the top of the Festool Vac's for compact carrying as an entire unit for easier portability.
First things noticed upon removal from the Systainer:
1. It has a "stamped steel" sawplate. First appearance kinda gives one the feeling that it's cheap. Maybe I was just too used to my DeWalt circular saw that has a nice aluminum plate as the saw plate.
2. The fit and finish is very well done and up to the normal standards for Festool.
3. It's lighter in weight than my DeWalt circular saw.
4. It is variable speed.
5. It's a "Plunge Type" saw.
Now....let's see and go over some of the features of this saw.
The first pic is of the saw asleep in it's Systainer.
In the next pic you'll see the business side of the saw. The blade and riving knife is completely covered by the side housing of the saw. This is a big plus in my opinion as it protects you and the saw blade from injury. The default position for the saw is in the "non-plunged" sitting position.
The next pic is a good look at the "Variable Speed Control" (round star knob on the left of the saw handle) so you can dial in the speed you want from 1 to 6. The Green LED says when the saw is at full speed and the Red LED comes on when the saw reaches 70% of the overload rating of the saw. If the saw reaches an "overload" state, the saw simply shuts itsself off.
The Green button on the rear of the trigger is the "trigger lock" and is operated via you righ-hand thumb. Pushing this up releases the lock to allow you to turn on and plunge the saw with one easy motion. Honestly, it's not as bad as you think. Once you try it more than once, it becomes a simple thing to do.
The next photo shows the sawblade / riving knife extended beyond the saw guard and to access the screws to remove the blade or riving knife is exposed in the "windows" cut into the saw guard.
The next photo gives us a good view from the top side of the saw.
The Round Green knob closest to the sawblade and slightly in front of the saw handle is the "Spindle Lock" for locking the saw spindle so you don't have to hold the sawblade while removing or puting on a new sawblade.
The On/Off switch for the saw is the usual "trigger" type switch located opposite side of the Trigger Lock on the handle.