Buying a used domino df500

[Wilson joinery]

Hi everyone

Hoping to collect a used domino df500 on Wednesday, has anyone got any recommendations on things I should be checking, other than it turns on and makes a hole!

Cheers
Pete

 

[Bingy man]

Given the cost of these machines and the fact that they are high on the crooks shopping lists I’d be checking that it’s not been reported as stolen ( depending on where your buying it from ..you just never know these days ..

 

[Wilson joinery]

Thanks bingy man. The lady selling it seems genuine. It’s a really good price though £500, with a systainer pretty much full of dominoes and all 5 cutters.

 

[Jake]

I'd check no play in the linear bearings and they slide smoothly, check the fence slides and tightens ok, maybe check with a square that it's 90 to the faceplate (where the cutter comes out of) when on 90 setting (in case dropped). Check the stops on the faceplate, check the depth stop slides ok, width selectors works. Don't expect it to purr (usual festool metal gearing thing).

That's all just going off first principles thinking about what might go wrong on one rather than known faults. Have a read up about how to plunge them before testing. Loads of people whack the cutter in too fast like you could get away with on a biscuit jointer, but that causes a twist in the mortice which then gets blamed on tool inaccuracy.

If well used the plug it connectors at the tool end can break so make sure it's fully engaged and wiggle it around while its on.

 

[Bingy man]

Thanks bingy man. The lady selling it seems genuine. It’s a really good price though £500, with a systainer pretty much full of dominoes and all 5 cutters.

Sounds like a good buy , hope it works out for you ,, just seen one o eBay almost £700 ..

 

[Spectric]

The lady selling it seems genuine. It’s a really good price though £500

Can you not check the serial number ?

 

[Sideways]

Ask the age. Festool warranty is 3 years if it is registered and they will transfer the balance if there is any left.
The process is clearly documented on Festool's website. Check what evidence they require and ask for it if the tool is young enough have warranty left. Make sure to get everything so you don't have to go back to the seller after the event.
The Festool UK girl I dealt with to do this once didn't actually know their own process and asked me to have the seller email them to confirm the sale. That's not the process as they have the original owner's email from when the warranty was registered and can contact them directly, but to make it easy, ask for your seller's email address and for them please to send you a simple email confirming the sale that you can forward to Festool. Be confident that when a company has a published process for something, employees don't get to make up additional requirements to suit themselves.

No doubt they want to prevent the injury of tool theft turning into the insult of someone claiming warranty on a stolen tool.

And. The fence assembly unclips and slides off to give acess for changing the cutter. I'd read the manual in advance so you can do this and just get a look at that part of the mechanism. You can't reasonably open the body of the machine proper.

 

[Spectric]

Ask the age. Festool warranty is 3 years if it is registered and they will transfer the balance if there is any left.

A good suggestion to just check directly with Festool because then if the tool has been stolen they might have been informed by the owner, is the original owner not protected from theft anyway ? Now you will know if the little old lady selling Festool gear is genuine or just a fence.

 

[petermillard]

In additional to all the above - careful checks for general wear and tear, signs of damage from impact etc.. etc.. the year of manufacture is actually on the label alongside the serial number so it’s easy to see if it’s still under warranty. Festool offer 3-year theft protection to all new tools registered with them, but AFAIK they don’t offer a ‘stolen tools serial no database’ or at least, not one that’s available to the public.

£500 for the tool and the Domino Systainer set seems like a very low price - I’m sorry to say, suspiciously so; I’d check carefully. Have a UV light with you to check for ownership marks or ‘smart water’ markings. If they aren’t the original owner ask how long have they had it, reason for sale etc.. etc..

Tell them in advance that you’ll want to check it over with a UV light and if they start making excuses, steer clear.

Feels like this is starting to turn into a video script…

Be sure to post back, as to how it went.

 

[Wilson joinery]

Thanks for all of the detailed feedback everyone, that’s really helpful. And thanks for the hint about the year of manufacture being on the label Peter, I can see it’s a 2013 model so is fairly old but looks like it’s had an easy life - at least from the photos it does!!

 

[Wilson joinery]

Well after all that I got a message from the seller today asking for a £250 PayPal deposit so I promptly deleted the messages and blocked them. Did seem too good to be true!

 

[Sideways]

Feel free to name and shame the seller. Or at least say what neighbourhood this is in.
A warning to other members and help prevent someone else being caught out.

 

[Wilson joinery]

I wasn’t 100% sure it was a scam so I won’t name the seller but she was supposedly based in Northallerton/bedale.

 

[Spectric]

the seller but she was supposedly based in Northallerton/bedale

Yes she was a fence to sell dodgy gear for someone you would not buy from and in return gets a few quid. As times get harder people will do anything for a few extra bob so we all need to be extra vigilent and something that is to good to be true probably is.