Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Festool Service Experience

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Kutztown PA
    Posts
    1,255

    Festool Service Experience

    Good morning all

    Recently I became the proud owner of two Festool tools, the saw and rail system, and the ES-150 sander. As good a reputation as these things have, not all is always perfect, and that is what I want to talk about today.

    The sander got the first workout, and was working well for a while. However, it started to run rougher and rougher, and all of a sudden it started shaking like it was going to come apart, and that is exactly what happened. To be specific, the sanding pad foam delaminated itself from the plastic backer disk, and I was out of business. As things like this happen, it was a Friday, and the Friday before a big show for me.

    I quick got on the internet to look up Bob Marino's number to see what he could do for me. When I called him, I discovered he was in the middle of a woodworking show, and surrounded by bigshots to boot. Despite that, and the fact that this was my first real contact with him other than email, Bob took care of the problem lots faster and more efficiently than I had dared to hope. Like I said, it was Friday. Monday morning in the mail I had a brand new pad for the sander!

    Once again I was back in business with the sander, and it is one sweet tool to use. But beyond that is the exemplary service I received from Festool, and particularly from Bob Marino. Nothing is ever perfect, and things break. It is an indication of the overall quality of a company as to how they take care of things that go wrong. Bob and Festool went a long way towards insuring I will be adding more Festool tools to my arsenal in the future.

    Now on to the saw. The day after I ordered it, I got a job for a plywood platform of irregular shape. I had sweet talked SWMBO into letting me buy the thing reasoning that she would not have to help me schlep big sheets of plywood through the tablesaw anymore. No sooner was the saw on its way than I got to put my promise into action.

    I had to cut this piece of ply into a lopsided trapezoid, and make a cutout for it to go around a fireplace hearth as well. The specs called for birch ply with solid birch trim. I had drawn the shape using Autosketch, and so had some very precise measurements with which to work. Not only did I come to within 1/64" of each of those measurements, each cut with the grain, across the grain, and diagonal across the grain was good enough for a glue joint!

    I'm a convert. Performance, service, and joy of use have combined to make me a very happy customer. Oh yeah, Bob even made a followup call to me to ask if I had gotten my part and if it had solved the problem. If you are in the market for a quality tool, check out Festool, and then call Bob.

    Bill

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Ipswich, Ma
    Posts
    681
    Bill,

    Glad to hear the service exceeded your expectations. I got the saw during the 20% sale, and have been using it a lot. Did some very nice clean trimming on a tabletop I laminated for a kitchen island just last night. Great tool.

    - Ed

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Plano, TX
    Posts
    265
    I had a similar experience with Bob's service. One of the parts that came with my saw was the wrong one (through no fault of Bob's), and he went far beyond the call of duty to get me what I needed.

    Bob's one of the good ones, it seems.

    Dave

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Sunny California
    Posts
    422
    Bill[/QUOTE]


    I own the Festool plunge saw as well, I am addicted to it. It is one of the most useful tools I own. I even use it for ripping a straight edge on rough lumber instead of trying to straighten it in the table saw. Another Festool item that is really getting a lot of use is my Festool router. I was skeptical at first because of its diminutive size, but, put that tool on the track and go. Dead accurate for dadoing etc. I tried it a couple of times and now, for out of the table work it seems to be the first one I grab.

    Gene

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,675
    I concur with the "Festool convert" idea as well as the "call Bob" idea, too. What shall I buy next...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •