lonestarwood Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Well, I took the plunge. I went a little nuts for my upcoming birthday and bought a few Festool items I couldn't live without any longer. After many months of dreading the amount in $$$, I bought the CT26 with a DF500 Domino (BEST. TOOL. EVER!) and the TS55EQ (The older one). If you are currently where I was about buying a festool, all i can say is until you own one, you won't understand. I should have done this from the start. This is going to more than double my efficiency and help lower my costs on building projects. I went back and forth at my local Rockler on Friday trying to decide between the TS75 and the 55. I went with the 55 because I don't really care about the extra little thickness that the 75 can cut vs the 55 and 20" more track doesn't make a difference either. The blades on the 55 are cheaper, it will cut any and all wood I need to cut and if not, I have a table saw. I'll tell you though, I got that thing home and once I calibrated it to the track, I made my first cut and it was SWEEEEEEEET! Just to be funny, I cut a board down that was somewhat twisted and then took the domino and put it back together and brought it in to show my wife. At first she couldn't see what I was talking about until i pulled the board apart and explained what i did, then she freaked. It was fun and it made my point. Scott Bulkley Lone Star Woodworks http://www.lonestarwoodworks.com 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Welcome to the club. It takes a leap of faith to drink the "Green Kool Aid" They have great dust collection and some really great accuracy. I use my Domino for all sorts of strange projects. I am amazed by the minuscule adjustments possible on my trim router. Haven't tried the saws yet. The ETS 150 sander has outlasted 3 Bosch sanders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Slack Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Welcome to the Festoolian club. Your woodworking life will never be the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestarwood Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 The only issue i have to deal with now is that since I spent so much on Friday to get the tools, I need to look through my scrap pile and find some projects until more cash comes in to get my next projects going. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 I started with the TS55, then bought a ETS150/5, and lastly a CT midi. The only other tool I could see me ever buying of theirs is the Domino. The dust extraction is superb, and the tool quality is top notch. I'm not HEAD OVER HEELS with the Festool brand, but these are darn good tools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 My ts75 gets all of its use on jobsites right now, i only used it in the shop for one project. For the jobsite, you cant beat the quick setup and accuracy. It really shines out of the shop for me because its very portable, making easy work of something more complicated with another setup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmaichel Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Congrats on the new tools! I hate to say welcome to the club because I think that its sends the wrong message when it comes to buying tools. Festool is a slippery sloe and don't get my wrong I have my fair share of Festools but I like to think they all serve a purpose in my shop. I am probably the only person who was not in love with the Domino and ended up getting rid of it. I went with the 75 vs. the 55 because there is a significant power and performance difference when ripping hardwoods. I have ripped hardwoods with both the 75 and 55, and there where several instances where the 55 bogged down. You might not care about the difference now but there is a good chance you will say to yourself " I wonder if I should have just gotten the 75." Just something to think about before your 30 days is up. I only bring this up because you were on the fence between the two saws. Again congrats on the new tools!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneRider Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Funny, I have the older Domino with the pins, and absolutely freeking love it. I don't think I could count all the time it has saved me. As for the TS55, got one of those as well. I use sheet goods for a number of things, and frankly it does a great job, where I would be unsafe on the table saw. The 2 tools do completement each other well. As well, I do not have a jointer, and have taken to use the TS55 and a poorman's jointer, and love. When I am putting 2 boards together, I put them side by side and run the TS55 down the center, perfectly clean and straight joint. Now, with that said, I would love a Festool plunge router, but the budget does has gone as "green" as it can get on tools right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestarwood Posted July 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I really don't want to second guess myself on the 55 vs the 75. I drove my buddy's nuts at Rockler pummeling them with questions about each one before I made my decision. The bummer part is I don't have any stock right now that I need to cut to put the 55 to the test. I did ask the guys if the 55 would handle cutting throgh the woods I am used to using on my projects and since 2" + hardly ever comes into play, I didn't see the need to go with the 75. The weight difference alone was a significant difference. Now the 55 I got was the EQ NOT the REQ. No one in town has the REQ in stock because of that recall which after I heard about what it was and that it happened one time to one saw, I thought it was a bit over cautios on Festools part to recall them all. I still have 25 days to decide. I will see if I can run a series of tests and see how it performs. If it doesn't live up, I guess I'll spend the extra $100 and get the 75. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Woodguy Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Something to keep in mind is that the blade that is on the TS55 is 50-tooth or so for plywood cutting, if you encounter a situation with ripping tougher hardwoods you can simply swap it out for a 28-tooth blade and it will chew right through it. (Likewise, swap the lower tooth blade on the TS75 for something higher if you want optimal plywood cutting.) So performance power of both saws aside, the only main consideration is depth, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joraft Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 "... I still have 25 days to decide. I will see if I can run a series of tests and see how it performs. If it doesn't live up, I guess I'll spend the extra $100 and get the 75." I got my TS 55 back in 2007 (my first Festool) and added the TS 75 a few years later. I wouldn't want to be without either one. The 75 is great when you need extra depth and/or power, but it can get a little heavy after a few hours. That's when it's nice to have the lighter 55. Welcome to the slippery slope of Festool, Scott, sounds like it's gonna be a good birthday. I'm pretty far down the slope by now and I don't regret a single Festool purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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