Festool Track saw review, AvE


xxdabroxx

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I subscribe to his channel.  Despite the profanity I do like seeing the tools torn apart and studied.  I can't afford Festool, but at the same time I could not justify the diminishing returns I would get from a $1000 (CDN) saw.  In my case I could not see it being twice the saw that a $500 saw would be (pick your favourite brand).  If it is different in your case so be it, but it is always good to be an informed consumer and if someone can illustrate design and manufacturing shortcomings, that is good.  Yes he is a bit harsh, and I have heard him take back some doubts after further investigation and as he goes along, and he explains why things shouldn't be as they are using sound engineering knowledge. 

Edited by Jim DaddyO
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Overall quite interesting and there are some nice design features. His slagging off of the removable power cord is unwarranted. I think he misses the point to be honest.

He does have a point about people trying to justify such a large purchase price. It can lead to fault blindness. However it is interesting that a LOT of tradies do stick with Festool because they consider it good value for money.

I have been into electronics both as a hobby and professionally for nearly 50 years and I have seen a lot of dodgy and a lot of good and despite his negative comments the saw is in my opinion on the good side. Compared to your cheap Chinese stuff this is certainly quality.

The base being a Magnesium alloy is indeed interesting. That would make it extremely hard wearing.

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I will watch it out of curiosity, but in all honesty I really don't care what is inside.  As long as accurate and works better than the next best thing, I am a buyer.  So far that has been the case with all of my festool purchases.   But then again I am a mac guy.  I know, I know their CPU speeds are overstated and everything is locked down and they use old technology... but my Mac products have given my 3x the useful life of PC products.  I don't have the patience to rebuild computers and I don't have the desire to take apart my saws and count the number of plastic parts.  Results trump process every time and the sum can be greater than the parts.  

 

 

You know, I'm a massive computer nerd. In 2009 I got sick of burning through a new laptop every 12-18 months and dropped $3100 on a macbook pro. It's 6 years later and I'm typing this on that laptop. It runs a little slower now with the latest OS, but otherwise it's great.  

My opinion - if I want to be a woodworker (still don't consider myself to be one) then I will trust woodworkers opinions over that guy. I don't know who he is and don't care. Any idiot can tear apart a saw on youtube. 

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I agree ^^^.  The truth is somewhere in the middle.

The guy is clearly not an idiot, at least judging from his vocabulary and his discernable understanding of materials and mechanicals.  But he admitted he doesn't like woodworking...which I would assume means he doesn't do much of it, and therefore wouldn't understand the appeal of a Festool to die-hard woodworkers and why we fork over big money for them without flinching even if it's not built like a tank.  No question they're overpriced.  So is beef and gasoline and I'm not going without those, either.

Mike nailed it earlier...who cares, really?  They're innovative tools and high quality compared to other hobbyist kit.  I've had very few mechanical issues with my Festools, and I've had exactly zero issues that their customer service didn't resolve with a quickness.

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I'll say this, I dropped my TS75 Tracksaw, and the base hit the floor, even though it was decelerated by my boom arm holding the vac hose and power cord, but not a scratch dent, ding or bend. While yes, I'm a "fanboy" I do see quality in the tools themselves and their performance speaks for itself. Some things may be a bit much, however there's very little to be desired in most of the tools. Yes the cost is high, but you pay for what you get. I've owned things from Ryobi, Craftsman, Porter Cable, Milwaukee, Skil, Dewalt, Hilti, Dremel. Of all those tools I prefer the ease of connecting everything with a plug it cord. My CT sits under the end of my Roubo bench and the boom arm hangs over the bench allowing me to grab the tool I want and not have to fiddle with extension cords, or drag hoses and wires all over. That's the biggest perk to me is the convenience of the integration into the entire system. The outcome is what I want. Does this mean I don't use my Ryobi Oscillating spindle sander, or any of my porter cable routers, and dremel for various jobs, no. Adding Festool to my shop has been very much a changing factor in my woodworking. I'm much more confident that I have the right tool for each job, and that it's going to do what I need it to do without having to futz around with it for hours to get the right end result. 

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Nope. I mostly buy new, but I'm happy paying premium prices for high quality hand tools because I know they will become part of my legacy.

But when it comes to routers, drills, skilsaws, etc, I don't see it that way.

I believe you're referring to the tools as heirlooms. It depends really on whether the person that receives them after your passing. Most hand planes and chisels get pulled out of a tool cabinet and thrown in a box and sold at a garage sale for 5-20 bucks. 

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His review really seemed to ruffle some feathers around here.  It's not like he said it doesn't do the task that it claims to, cut a straight line.  If you're looking for a dust collection/ wood cutting review his is not for you, and I think he stated that in the beginning.  All he does is point out that some of the build quality is not up to snuff with some of the contractor grade tools that he has torn apart.  (which these tools are built to withstand a high use, low care environment)  That's not to say that the build tolerances aren't to a higher standard as far as the cutting a straight line goes.  Some of the internals were impressive while others where unimpressive to say the least.  The balancing on the rotor is cool, I'll bet it's a smooth running machine.  Their bearing design does seem a bit odd with the way the gears are configured, I wonder if they don't get some run-out after a lot of use.  I'll probably never know because the closest I'll get to one is some strips of mdf glued together to use with my circular saw.  But taking things apart and seeing how they work interests me.  I've torn stuff apart since I was a little kid. 

I'm sure they cut great, and like AvE points out, they (FT) probably don't expect them to get treated like a contractor tool would so some of the build concerns may not be concerns at all.  I'm sure most get placed gingerly in their tuperware boxes when they are done being used, not thrown in the back of a contractors truck.  I don't own any FT stuff, but then again my woodworking tool catalog is pretty limited still. 

Edited by xxdabroxx
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Here is a review for you:

"I don't like sports cars.  I don't understand people who do.  I mostly go off-roading in my jeep.  So lets take a look at this new Corvette z06 and see what you get for $80,000..... Well after tearing the thing apart I can say for certain it will not last one day off-roading and the sand dunes will rip it to shreds.  You must be dumb if you spend $80,000 on this thing"

 

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I believe you're referring to the tools as heirlooms. It depends really on whether the person that receives them after your passing. Most hand planes and chisels get pulled out of a tool cabinet and thrown in a box and sold at a garage sale for 5-20 bucks. 

I hope I didn't raise a bunch of morons then B) Sent from my GT-I9060L using Tapatalk
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I can see your points, but you can't argue with the fact that the speed control knob should go to 11. 

Meh, all their tools go to 6. the only time I would lower saw speed is if I was cutting aluminum or plastics. Think about it, can you alter the speed on your table saw? The number is completely relative. If it went to 11, do you still have any idea the RPM? No because the speed is relative to the RPM chart. Hell, it could go from A to Potato as long as the chart is clear on the speed you are looking to achieve. 

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Meh, all their tools go to 6. the only time I would lower saw speed is if I was cutting aluminum or plastics. Think about it, can you alter the speed on your table saw? The number is completely relative. If it went to 11, do you still have any idea the RPM? No because the speed is relative to the RPM chart. Hell, it could go from A to Potato as long as the chart is clear on the speed you are looking to achieve. 

If Singer can do it, so can Festool.

2011_singer_porsche_911_257_1024x768.jpg

 

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Meh, all their tools go to 6. the only time I would lower saw speed is if I was cutting aluminum or plastics. Think about it, can you alter the speed on your table saw? The number is completely relative. If it went to 11, do you still have any idea the RPM? No because the speed is relative to the RPM chart. Hell, it could go from A to Potato as long as the chart is clear on the speed you are looking to achieve. 

Someone obviously is not a Spinal Tap fan. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xgx4k83zzc

Edited by xxdabroxx
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