Festool Domino DF 500 best prices (survey)

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I’m no Festool fanboy, and I’m not desperate for a Domino so in no major rush, but I can see it being incredibly useful and time saving for certain applications. Just like most people I love a bargain, so to help justify the (not so small) purchase i’d like to quietly keep an eye out for the best prices around before taking the plunge for a DF 500 Domino.

With the above in mind i’m really interested in knowing how much you bought yours for, where from and what time of year (i.e. bank holiday deal etc). I’d like to know if you bought it on its own, or with a sustainer of dominos. The frugal side of me is just looking for the best value possible.

Also, I know I just missed the recent Black Friday deal for a Domino at FFX... it’s what got me wondering whether it actually was a real bargain, or whether there are better deals that have been had by other. (I’m a little distrusting of the US commercial holiday that’s been adopted by the UK retailers in recent years with many ‘so-called’ deals actually being cheaper at other times of the year).

Any input would be appreciated

 

[bushwhaker]

For example Toucan Tools Online: FESTOOL DOMINO DF 500 Q-PLUS JOINING MACHINE
and Festool 498899 one case domino dowels from isaaclord.

 

[Spectric]

Hi

I think I am in the same position as yourself, as I have already mentioned in another post I am not loyal to any brand and always buy the best quality tool for the job and todate Festool has always been in second place at best. This is one of my dilema's when looking at the domino, because there is no competitor you have no options and you either accept whats on offer or walk away. Unfortunately Festool knows they have the market for this tool and us by the balls, so I am not looking at buying a tool but buying the functionality that it delivers. So what it delivers is an easy, strong means of joining wood without the need to be a highly skilled woodworker and for me that is something hard to put a price on. Ok I can make equally strong joints using my Dowelmax but on larger jobs drilling so many holes becomes a bit tedious and then glueup is messy with all them dowels. At this point you think ok so can't beat them so join them and now do you buy a 500 or the 700 considering only £164 difference in price. There are strong arguments for both, but the 500 only plunges to 28mm so if you like to do bigger things then it may fall short unless of course you buy both. The 700 is heavier and more bulky but there is a person on these forums using one with a 4mm cutter in an adaptor, so if you can handle the larger machine then it is even more versatile and easy to justify. I am right on the edge at the moment deciding whether to just go for it, FFX has the 700 for £893 and the 8/10 dowel box for £112 which is cheaper than DM's offer.

 

[Melroseg]

I’m no Festool fanboy, and I’m not desperate for a Domino so in no major rush, but I can see it being incredibly useful and time saving for certain applications. Just like most people I love a bargain, so to help justify the (not so small) purchase i’d like to quietly keep an eye out for the best prices around before taking the plunge for a DF 500 Domino.

With the above in mind i’m really interested in knowing how much you bought yours for, where from and what time of year (i.e. bank holiday deal etc). I’d like to know if you bought it on its own, or with a sustainer of dominos. The frugal side of me is just looking for the best value possible.

Also, I know I just missed the recent Black Friday deal for a Domino at FFX... it’s what got me wondering whether it actually was a real bargain, or whether there are better deals that have been had by other. (I’m a little distrusting of the US commercial holiday that’s been adopted by the UK retailers in recent years with many ‘so-called’ deals actually being cheaper at other times of the year).

Any input would be appreciated

I did the same since just pre-COVID where it was around £700…until I eventually bit the bullet when it was bypassing £1000 and not showing signs of dropping any time soon…sigh. Best price was Kelvin Power Tools by about £50, but they were out of stock, so went for the best prices for the combo at circa £1050 retail.

 

[Sideways]

(Old thread ...)
I try to buy good used tools when I can but in terms of the big spends - mirka deros, mafell tracksaw when I bought new, I think the best prices each year are the two summer sales when ebay does 15% off (they did 20% off once a couple of years ago) and this applies to pretty much everything in the FFX shop.
FFX's own web store is cheaper than their ebay one, but on the summer sales, I think their ebay shop offers about the best prices in the year. They sell hundreds of Festool tracksaws during those.
I'm not a FFX fanboy. People like Kelvin, Campbell Miller, etc definately beat them for some things, but I've never had a lemon from them.
Watch out for another sale in August. There usually is.

 

[niemeyjt]

I'm not a FFX fanboy. People like Kelvin, Campbell Miller, etc definately beat them for some things, but I've never had a lemon from them.
Watch out for another sale in August. There usually is.

I avoid FFX like the plague now having been badly bitten on what was my last ever purchase from them. Their prices are seldom the best, but their website is misleading at best and their customer service not good.

As others have said - Kelvin, Campbell Miller and Touchan are my go to sellers now - sometimes Axminster and D&M can just edge things.

 

[Sideways]

How did you get bitten ?
It's more important to avoid the companies who mess up and don't put it right than to save a few pennies on the price, so your story would be helpful to others.
I read the 1 star reviews on trustpilot, not the 5 stars.

 

[niemeyjt]

Their search engine returns items that aren't quite what you asked for - and unless you spot the trap (I didn't) you end up with the wrong item.

Lesson (if you must use FFX) - don't trust the website search function.

Agree about reading 1 star reviews - but don't companies have the option to display them or not?

 

[Sideways]

The first and only time I bought from an electrical appliance outfit called Marks electrical, I had a very poor experience and searching for a way to push them into actioning my return / refund I left a succinct 1* review on trustpilot.
They weren't able to block it, but they must have damage limitation rights because when my review went live 2 hours later, it already had an apology attached from their social marketing person.
I finally got the goods collected a week later just as I was looking for another review site to leave a further 1* review.

 

[Spectric]

It looks like we all get good and bad from here and there, I don't believe anyone is 100% but some get very very close and for me the good ones have been Campbell Miller, West Country for wood, Kelvin, Touchan and lets not forget Benchdogs and the Woodworkers workshop along with both FFX and D&M tools. I do not mind if something goes wrong occasionally providing the company shows willing to put it right asap without kicking up a fuss or making excuses so customer service is key. @Sideways what went wrong with Marks, I have spent a lot with them this year as everything seemed to break at the same time from washing machine to fridge freezer.

I read the 1 star reviews on trustpilot, not the 5 stars.

To many five stars do raise suspicions, I rarely give five stars because no one is perfect and I like to leave them room to improve.

 

[Spectric]

I should also have mentioned Toolden, also had great service from them .

 

[Mrs C]

2nd hand? They pop up on here occasionally.

Frstool repair service is excellent if you are unlucky enough to encounter a problem.

 

[Sideways]

@Sideways what went wrong with Marks, I have spent a lot with them this year as everything seemed to break at the same time from washing machine to fridge freezer.

I needed to reroute the ducting from our cooker hood. The existing one is a 20 yr old Smeg that is starting to show it's age. I decided to replace it with a new one by NEFF to match the oven (wife and daughters all bake, so the oven is used a lot and we indulged in one of the neat ones like you see on the "Bake Off".
Marks had these in stock, took the money and delivered quickly. So far so good.
It turns out the new hood had a badly made motor and created a horrid drumming noise. A design / manufacturing QA failure. It was noisier than the 20yr old one, rather cheaply made and the same as a Bosch just with slightly different control so I requested a return.
Marks were slow to respond and awkward about it. They insisted that I first get the manufacturer to send out a service engineer - they have no right to do this this at all which I made them very aware of, but I agreed because I got an independent inspection out of it that they couldn't contest. They want to push everything back onto the manufacturers : warranty repair if possible, and if not have the mfr collect the faulty goods from you and deliver a replacement.
A week after I sent them the service engineers report I still hadn't heard so figured their policy was just to sit on my money as long as possible and they needed a sharp poke - hence trustpilot...

 

[Spectric]

This is becoming an issue for all in that manufacturers seem to push goods out the door to quickly without doing enough quality checks. If we get issues with the likes of Neff then imagine the issues down the other end.

 

[Sean33]

The first and only time I bought from an electrical appliance outfit called Marks electrical, I had a very poor experience and searching for a way to push them into actioning my return / refund I left a succinct 1* review on trustpilot.
They weren't able to block it, but they must have damage limitation rights because when my review went live 2 hours later, it already had an apology attached from their social marketing person.
I finally got the goods collected a week later just as I was looking for another review site to leave a further 1* review.

I am still in dispute with them, delivered a new fridge freezer back in February, freezer door had dents in it. Contacted them and they said new appliance or new door, like a fool I said everything else is fine just 2 dents so if you can replace the door do that... they have admitted they forgot to contact the manufacturer to get a replacement, said manufacturer won't issue a new door this was about 1 month after the event. We will give you a discount of 15% on the original item, nice of them! but no, new door, freezer or refund. Couple of weeks ago they said they had a new door, turns up with a couple of scratches and water still in the tube and ice compartment... called, emailed no response...

 

[Spectric]

I have had a new Bosch washing machine and a fridge freezer from them and in both cases the delivery was really good, took the old appliances away with all packaging from the new and put them where I wanted them. They even took photo's after I had checked them out as proof they were delivered without damage which I then signed as delivered. I would say why did you accept the goods, you could refuse and they take them back and with any delivery if the goods are not upto scratch just write delivered with damage on the invoice that you sign, I did this for three sinks from a company until they got it right.

 

[Sideways]

called, emailed no response...

Register on trustpilot and leave a 1* review. Tell this story in 2 sentences, it's damning.

 

[Sean33]

Register on trustpilot and leave a 1* review. Tell this story in 2 sentences, it's damning.

Did not know you could do that, I most definitely will

 

[Ollie78]

Not checked prices but have bought a few Festool items from Nuts and Bolts in the past, they were often cheapest.