Any Festool owners?

[dvddvd]

Still trying to get my head round about buying a Festool Kapex 60 mitre saw.

I'm torn between a Makita LS1019lL 10 inch saw or a Kapex 60, 8 inch saw.

On paper the Makita wins, heavier (its going to be used in a workshop) Bigger motor, bigger blade.

Better way to unlock the bevel lock (makita, unlock from front, Festool at back)

So why does everybody say the Festool is better? Is it just Festool fan boys who paid £350 more for a inferior spec machine?

 

[Spectric]

So why does everybody say the Festool is better

It has better dust extraction apparently so if you are in a workshop and not someones house then it is way less of a deciding factor. The Makita does deliver more bang for the buck but when I replace my Bosch mitre saw it will be with another Bosch. Biggest gripe with my current bosch are the two rails that stick out the back, solution is to buy the Bosch axial glide & fit shadow light.

Bosch GCM12GDL 110V 110v 12in Double Bevel Gliding Mitre Saw

but the Makita solves the issue with putting the rails out to the front.

Have you actually handled the Festool, some people dislike the vertical handle which with my wrist is an instant No as the natural movement is like a motorbike throttle with a rotating movement and not all on the wrist.

 

[Daniel2]

Do you drive a Ford or a Lexus ?
They both do the same thing, but difficult to go back once
you've experienced the other.

 

[dvddvd]

My Bosch GCM 8 has the same handle rotation as the Festool, I'm trying to justify the extra £350..more accurate? is a Makita not accurate?

 

[dvddvd]

Am I paying a premium for the Festool because its 8kg lighter than a Makita? i always thought if your not going to lift it and move it about a lot, heavy is good?
it's going to be fixed in a workshop, so no problem...are they targeted at a joiner who's always on the move?
I see a lot of their tools going battery, even the table saw is going battery.

 

[rob1693]

A saws a saw they all cut wood my other half spent £170 quid on a pax dovetail saw personally I prefer a tenon saw I purchased off carboot for £2 mitre saws I use an old elu does everthing I want it to do

 

[TRITON]

More targeted towards shopfitters and cabinetmakers. It is larger in real life than the pics make out.

I recently bought the kapex60 and im more than happy with it. Extraction is better than anything I've used before - dewalt,makita and even before I'd connected it to a hose I did take note that the stream of dust coming off the blade was mostly directed up the slot.

The Festool will hold its price better than dewalt,makita or bosch. Obviously depending on which big saw, festool prices on ebay sold listings makes it a worthwhile investment.

 

[dvddvd]

ok, i think ive read to much about how festool tools are the holy grail..Comparring the specs of the Makita and the Festool, the Festool seems like the poorer brother, even if they were the same price. Which in reality the Festool is £350 more

.I had a Freud biscuit jointer, cost £120 new and on a facebook group people kept telling me to buy a Lamello biscuit jointer £650.00.

I eventually did.....havent a clue what the £530 price difference went on?

 

[TRITON]

havent a clue what the £530 price difference went on?

Didnt it come with a free Swiss army knife ?. Well there you are

 

[dvddvd]

No.....but It cuts biscuits...ermm same as the Freud

 

[Doug71]

Is Festool worth the extra money? To some people it is to others it isn't.

This will sound like a real fanboy thing but I love the design of Festool tools, they just look cleaner, less clunky and more ergonomic than most other brands. Take for example the Makita saw you mention, look at the little button you press with your thumb (I'm guessing to lower the guard), it just looks like an afterthought that will snap off or pop out if it gets knocked, Festool never have parts like that on their tools.

Festool do have the best dust extraction, to me this is important whenever working indoors be it a house or a workshop.

Regarding the handle orientation I make a lot of cuts left handed stood to the right of the saw, looking at the Makita that wouldn't be easy.

Once you get to professional level tools you won't go far wrong with any of them but for me there is something about Festool that generally gives it the edge. If you use a tool everyday the slightest niggle becomes a major issue and for me Festool tend to be really well designed and just work efficiently.

 

[macca]

I have the makita, its a decent saw, have no real complaints, I have gone wayyy off heavy miter saws on site but mine sits on a
bench and yours shall too by the sound of it.

The makita has the bevel adjustment at the front which is awesome in my opininon and yes the rails are front mounted, IN THEORY this means it can be pushed back aginst the wall, in reality the dust extraction is on the rear and is a nice design (catches from both rear of and above blade into one port) but actually keeps you off the wall to fit a hose in.

the kapex 120 has a nifty feature of not only front release for bevels but also adjusting the angle via turning a front mounted knob which looks good, 60 doesnt seem to have this so i feel its a bit lacking for the money/ riding on its brothers coat tails a bit.

With most other miter saw you are fighting the weight of the motor etc whilst moving it and locking it off, not the end of the world but it is noteably easier with the makita.

personally I'd go for makita and add an aftermarket shadow line via a LED lamp kit, the dewalt system wins in this regard but I find hard use renders dewalts fairly innacurrate (picture stick framing a few houses and then some)

worth noting most saws are designed to be used right handed and this is true with makita, the 2 stage trigger has a button on the left side of handle for your thumb, the kapex looks more ambi dextrous all beit at a very uncomfortable (to me) angle for your wrist to be operated

I dont particularly like the fence on makita, it consists of a lower section circa 40mm high (permanent) and an extension that needs to be removed completely for certain cuts, other saws do similair but slide on the fence to make clearance where as these need to be lifted off and stored somewhere and once removed there isnt alot of support for tall pieces

 

[dvddvd]

I did notice the Festool Kapex 60 had a big knob on the rear to unlock for bevel moment which seemed a bit backwards in design, even my Bosch GCM 8 has a lever on the side that you just flip

 

[Ollie78]

I say get the bigger 120 version. I have used both and they are both really nice but the 60 is more for chucking in the van and doesn`t have such a nice mechanism for the tilt.

I think you must try out any mitre saw in real life, I was going to buy the Bosch with axial glide and I liked a lot of things about it, but when I tested it I hated the way the handle is horizontal and it has a slightly annoying way to operate the safety switch which would have driven me crazy so I bought a Kapex.
However, just as many will say the opposite about the Festool, its personal preference and ergonomics.

ps. I also still have a smaller 110v Makita mitre saw that is probably 20 years old, still works fine so there is a vote for Makita quality.

Ollie

 

[dvddvd]

Thanks im having heart murmours about the price of buying a Kapex 60, I think a Kapex 120 would kill me....

 

[fezman]

I started out with a real cheapo £50 chop saw. It was junk
I then moved onto a an Evolution saw with stand. I thought this was great.
I then bought the Kapex 60, built a workstation for it. It will be the last tool I sell when I get too old for this hobby. It was night and day difference. It is always square when I return to it. The DE is the best I've seen, not perfect, but nothing else I've seen touches it. It requires no rear clearance - this was a massive plus in my limited workspace. The cut finish was superb.

Because of the crazy economic times we have been in, I've had this saw for 4+ years, and it is worth more now S/H than what I paid for it. It was a large amount of money for me at the time, but I have appreciated the tool every single time i have used it since.

Oh and I do drive a Lexus (RX) . Currently planning to spend an eye watering amount on my next one. But then I only buy one every 8-10 years.

 

[johnnyb]

I'm no fan boy but.... the 120 bridges the gap between heavy workshop radial arm saws and chop saws. Its a bit more accurate than others but that bit makes all the difference. Shake the head on the 120 then shake it on every other saw. The saw has stunning accuracy and settability. Even the trenching is superb.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Do you drive a Ford or a Lexus ?
They both do the same thing, but difficult to go back once
you've experienced the other.

Which way around? I have a Festool jigsaw that is nowhere near as good as as the Bosch I sold on to justify its purchase. It's a bloody awful tool.

 

[Spectric]

The easy way to look at it is that Festool is like the Apple brand in phones, Apple launches a new phone and everyone wants one and Festool is just the same with dedicated followers who just buy there products. If the Festool was way ahead of the competition and not just in dust extraction then everyone would be buying them and not Bosch or Makita which is not the case. For me the weight of a tool is an indication of quality, lightweight means less material and you are getting less material for your money and something heavier remains where you put it.

 

[Noel]

There's a very simple solution to your problem. Buy the Makita.