Festool

[Chris Foley]

I got the opportunity to drop by my local Rockler shop yesterday. Not that I really went to buy anything in particular...just wanted to drool! I met Bill H. and Bill showed the entire store. However, Bill was so excited about the Festools in the store is was almost embarassing.

I spent this morning looking at Festool's website and all the videos. In short, I am very impressed. I have one major issue in that I do not have a shop. I need to be mobile so that I can set up in different places. Festool's system seems to fit what I need.

What I would like to know is what DISADVANTAGES do you see with the product lines. Examples are how parts wear &/or parts only available from Festool. I am currently interested in the TS75, MFT1080, OF 2000 and the CT33. Is there any other mfg out there with like products?

Thanks!

[Emmanuel Weber]

Any particular reason you favor the OF2000 over the OF1400?

[Chris Foley]

Power and fine tuning adjustments...however, I am just getting my list together and no final decisions have been made! lol

[Jason White]

Price, but you'll get over it.

Worth every penny, though.

I agree with the other poster -- the OF2000 is a monster production router that won't work well in a table. You're probably better off with the OF1010 or 1400.

JW

I got the opportunity to drop by my local Rockler shop yesterday. Not that I really went to buy anything in particular...just wanted to drool! I met Bill H. and Bill showed the entire store. However, Bill was so excited about the Festools in the store is was almost embarassing.

I spent this morning looking at Festool's website and all the videos. In short, I am very impressed. I have one major issue in that I do not have a shop. I need to be mobile so that I can set up in different places. Festool's system seems to fit what I need.

What I would like to know is what DISADVANTAGES do you see with the product lines. Examples are how parts wear &/or parts only available from Festool. I am currently interested in the TS75, MFT1080, OF 2000 and the CT33. Is there any other mfg out there with like products?

Thanks!

[Chris Foley]

The router/table issue is just the type of info I am looking for.

Thanks!

[Don Taylor]

After I got the OF1400 I talked to the guys on the Festool Forum about using it for the router table. At the time, he was going to try it out but suggested I use a router more adaptable to a table.
This is the only process I have run across that I don't reach for my Festools first.

DT

[Dave Lehnert]

Working in retail myself, I can make a very educated guess that all woodworking stores are putting in displays and getting so excited about the product line not only because it is a great product . But they have to make a huge profit on Festool. I have never seen stores or mail-order catalogs jump on a product line so fast.

As a hobbyist woodworker I will never see the need to purchase such high end tools but do hope that Festool will show other manufactures that us woodworkers are willing to spend a little extra for a quality tool.

[Dan Clark]

Chris,

Festool makes excellent tools. (I have a few. ) That said, they aren't necessarily the best in every category.

I have one major issue in that I do not have a shop. I need to be mobile so that I can set up in different places. Festool's system seems to fit what I need.

Two key design centers for Festool are portability and dust collection. I'm in the process of designing a "Euro shop" in my garage where all of the tools can be wheeled out quickly and the put to use, and then be stored away just as quickly. And, when I need to, I want to pick up the whole thing and transport it to a different worksite. Festool is a bit unique in that regard.

What I would like to know is what DISADVANTAGES do you see with the product lines.

Disadvantages? They are pricey. Consumables and accessories aren't too bad, but the tools themselves are very expensive. And, they don't import tools in some categories. I.e., the Festool belt sander and CMS system aren't available in the US. Also, we get some tools later than the rest of the world, like the Kapex (yumm!).

And then there would be... Uhhh... I think that would be about it.

Overall, the tools are very high quality and very reliable. Service and support is very good. And there's a very active user community. Check out Festool Owners Group (delete the spaces and add the usual ending).

What's a little unique about Festool is that their tools work as a system and interoperate with each other nicely. They come in Systainers that stack and snap together.

If you're looking for the "best" tool in every category, Festool will be at the top or close to it. But there are other fine tools out there too like Bosch and Makita. The Festool sanders and circular saws are tops. Their routers are very fine, but other people make equally good routers too. The Festool jig saw is very good, but reviews indicate that some Bosch jig saws are a bit better.

And, you mentioned the OF2000. It's a nice router. However, for hand-held use, I'd recommend the OF1010 or the OF1400 (the more flexible fo the two). For router table use, a Hitachi M12V (if you can find one) or one of the new Triton routers would be a better option.

Fein makes a "fine" vacuum, but the CT series has won some review by a nose. If you have a Fein vac, there's no reason to buy a CT. When used with Festool system, the CT's are tops. Likewise for the MFT when used with the Festool system.

Good luck with your decision.

Dan.

[Greg Pavlov]

Working in retail myself, I can make a very educated guess that all woodworking stores are putting in displays and getting so excited about the product line not only because it is a great product . But they have to make a huge profit on Festool. I have never seen stores or mail-order catalogs jump on a product line so fast.

I would guess that it is the price protection/fixing is also a major attraction, especially for smaller retailers.

[Greg Pavlov]

........What I would like to know is what DISADVANTAGES do you see with the product lines. Examples are how parts wear &/or parts only available from Festool. I am currently interested in the TS75, MFT1080, OF 2000 and the CT33. Is there any other mfg out there with like products?

No one else has tried to integrate their tools.

What I appreciate the least is the pricing on some of the accessories and supplies, such as $5.70 for a disposable CT 22 filter bag, for instance.

[Richard Link]

I would second (or third) most of the comments here about the Festool line. These are expensive tools but I have yet to buy one and regret the investment. They are also great for a mobile station situation.

I'm not sure that you necessarily need to "go big or go home" though with some of your choices. Notably, the TS75 may perhaps be overkill unless you really need to make tremendous plunge cuts. Ditto with the OF2000 which is a real monster to handle. The smaller routers might be more user friendly and easier to adapt to the guide rail system on the MFT 1080. As the others said, putting festool router into a table seems silly to me when you can get a large and powerful Porter Cable, Triton, etc. for a significantly lower cost. The CT33 is also somewhat of a strange beast. As far as I can tell (and correct me if I am wrong), the CT22 and CT33 have the same motor system but the 33 just has a larger storage capacity. When I was deciding between the two, it seemed like the 22 gave all I needed in a smaller footprint. Several posters have noted that the MFT800 is quite a bit more portable than the 1080 and weighs half as much....

Enjoy your exploration. Great tools.

Rick

[Dan Clark]

I second Rick's points...

For shop-only use, the CT33 is great. If portability with power is important, the CT22 is a better option for most people.

If you are cutting a lot of 8/4, then the TS75 would be a good option. However, for breaking down sheet goods, the TS55 is better option. The TS55 is lighter, smaller, and far more portable. There have a fair number of people who got the TS75 and returned it for a TS55, or subsequently purchased a TS55 too. The opposite is rare.

Dan.

[Jim Becker]

None of the Festool routers are well suited to be a table mounted router...but the OF1010 and OF1400 are incredible hand-held and rail-guided machines. I wouldn't give them up at this point. But my table router is the venerable PC7518 in a BenchDog lift and I do prefer my DW618 in the fixed base for dovetails due to the lower center of gravity. (But I could easily use either Festool router for dovetails if I didn't have the other machine.

I agree with Rick's comments about the CT33. The CT22 is every bit as capable outside of total capacity (I've only used two bags in my CT22 in two years...so cost really isn't an issue for me on the disposables) and I think the CT33 has some accommodation for pneumatics for the industrial sanders.

However, I think that the MFT1080 is the better setup for a truly portable workshop. The extra surface area is good to have. And unless you're likely to be cutting a lot of material thicker than 2", the smaller saw is quite adequate and is more comfortable to use.

The sanders are wonderful...my 150/3 stays hooked up to the CT 90% of the time. And I love the flexibility with the multiple heads for the drills.

[Greg Pavlov]

....The CT33 is also somewhat of a strange beast. As far as I can tell (and correct me if I am wrong), the CT22 and CT33 have the same motor system but the 33 just has a larger storage capacity. When I was deciding between the two, it seemed like the 22 gave all I needed in a smaller footprint. ....
Rick

I believe that the only difference between the two is that the CT33 is effectively a CT22 with an extra 5" high white plastic section inserted
below the CT22's white plastic section, giving it additional room for a larger bag.

[Chris Foley]

Jim's comments about the CT33 having the additional air tool operation was the only reason that I listed that instead of the CT22. I know that I want the HEPA filtration as I do have some allergy issues to contend with.

As for the TS75, I did notice that the weight difference is significant. Still thinking out loud of course...