Festool TS55/75

[wcndave]

Axminster have prices at the moment where the 55 is only £30 less than the 75... i was wondering if anyone had any experience of the 75, as i hear lots about the 55, and nothing about the 75.

is the 75 simply bigger, and exactly the same in all other ways?

would be good to know anyone experience, as with the price of them, to get a (possibly) better one for an extra £30 seems worth it...

 

[Waka]

I've not had the 75 in my hands, but looking at it in the shop it appears that the only difference is the size of the blade housing, although don't take my word for it.

What I think is very strange here is that they are discounting a Festool product quite substantially, could it be that the 75 has not caught on like the 55. As for buying the 75 over the 55 you need to ask yourself wether you're likely to need a depth cut of the 75. I've used the 55 since it came out and have never felt that I need the extra depth.

Sorry I can't be more specific on the differences.

 

[CNC Paul]

Dave,

Axminster have the 75 with £120 off ...Be very quick

 

[wcndave]

Thanks, Waka, that's what i was thinking, that i see no reviews, no discussion, no talk about the 75, is it either bad, or unnecessary? if the later, for £30 i can live with it, if it's bad, for £500 total i cannot! I just don't know if it's not sold well because no one needs one that big, or there's something not as good about it.

Paul, I am posting the question here because i want to be quick! (if i want it)

 

[houtslager]

I've had both and the 75 is a beefier and bigger machine, so if you ever have to cut big timbers, the extra depth comes in very useful.

hth,

k

 

[highlander]

I have the 75 and it's great for cutting/ripping doors but if it's mostly sheet materials that you're cutting I'd recommend the 55 as it's a lot lighter and easier to handle(my mate has the 55),
I think that along with the rails that it's the best bit of kit I've bought though and I'm sure you'll be delighted with either,
I paid £350 inc vat for saw,systainer case and 1.4m rail,the toolstore in inverness that I use couldn't shift them for £550 so had 4 going cheap,they were finding the 55 was proving more popular and weren't discounting the 55 at all,that was a year ago and i've not seen the 75 back since,they soon sold the 4 at the discounted price!
Slainte mhath

 

[wcndave]

Thanks!

Do dheagh shlàinte!

 

[Eric The Viking]

At risk of throwing cold water: I've done a bit of comparison between the TS55 and the Makita 6000. Generally the Festool wins by a short neck (although I bought the Makita!). Both are brilliant. There's one reason I'd be a little nervous of the bigger Festool: The Makita has a very slightly different track (they're interchangeable, with limitations), BUT it has an anti-tip groove at the back for when you're making mitred (tilted over) cuts. I used it that way for the first time last week, in an awkward location, and was grateful for it. The TS75 being that much bigger, I'd be less happy about mitred cuts being 'over the edge' so-to-speak. I guess that 99% of the cuts will be square to the board though.

That said, the Festool slidey travel limiters would be nice, but they don't fit on the Makita rails!

Does anyone know if the Festool 'fence' accessories (so the rail is square to the board edge) will fit on Makita rails?

Cheers,

E.

 

[geertswaans]

Hi Erik,
I've often wondered what the difference between those two is. Does the Makita also have the power lead that you can disconnect? And does it also cut out when there is too much load on it?
Thanx
G

 

[Eric The Viking]

The power lead cannot be disconnected from the saw (but that isn't a problem for me). It has a Systainer with plenty of space in it.

There is nothing in the instructions about it cutting-out when overloaded, but the motor control inside is a complex circuit board.

I've never overloaded it very much, but I did notice a loss of power recently, when I was cutting 16mm chipboard. I think it was for two other reasons:

• I have the 110V version, and it was at the end of a long 110V extension cable
• the transformer had been left on overnight and had got quite hot.

These two things together would have reduced the voltage at the saw significantly. It would not have been a problem with a 240/220V version. I don't think the saw was to blame, and it cut fine afterwards.

Here's some of the features:

• It has no riving knife.
• It has a 2mm 'scoring cut' feature for veneered/laminated boards (sets the depth automatically to 2mm, and you make a reverse direction cut).
• It can run on Festool rails and vice-versa.
• You can get a basic fence for using it without the rail (but I've never seen one).
• There is a 3m rail available.
• The Makita rails take slide-on G-clamps just like Festool (I actually have the Festool ones as they were slightly cheaper!).
• It can do a 43-degree cut, and has stops for 22.5 and 45 degrees.
• It has varispeed.
• It's pretty quiet, considering (depends what you're cutting!).
• It's a comfortable weight - has some mass but not too heavy.
• The cable is good-quality, heavy duty rubber-covered, I think 3m or 4m long - there's plenty, it doesn't tangle and should last for a long time.

It's very similar to the Festool really, but no distance stops for the rail and no anti-tear foot for the 'waste' side of the cut. The Festool has these (disposable accessory), but I've no idea how well they work.

I have one annoyance with it: I have arthritic hands, and I find the interlock (have to unlock plunge before you can start the motor) is awkward and uncomfortable -- the button isn't in the right place. I may even mechanically disable it (haven't decided).

Hope that sums it up!

 

[Allylearm]

As a side note the cheapest way I found buying festool was to get a demo from the area sales rep. He usually gives a discount not much but better than paying top dollar.

 

[geertswaans]

I found with the festool that when you really use it, it starts to cut out, or go slow with starting up. But that is mostly only when you are cutting solid worktops lengthwise and the blade is getting old. But for a machine which costs that much, I wasn't expecting that.

 

[Allylearm]

I found with the festool that when you really use it, it starts to cut out, or go slow with starting up. But that is mostly only when you are cutting solid worktops lengthwise and the blade is getting old. But for a machine which costs that much, I wasn't expecting that.

Never had that issue but ours mostly cuts 12/18mm all day.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I found with the festool that when you really use it, it starts to cut out, or go slow with starting up. But that is mostly only when you are cutting solid worktops lengthwise and the blade is getting old. But for a machine which costs that much, I wasn't expecting that.

Well if you use a cross-cutting blade (the one that comes as standard) for ripping solid timber workstops, it isn't very surprising. You should be using a rip blade. I know it is a pain to have to swap over, but at least it's quite quick to do so.

S

 

[petermillard]

Well if you use a cross-cutting blade (the one that comes as standard) for ripping solid timber workstops, it isn't very surprising. You should be using a rip blade. I know it is a pain to have to swap over, but at least it's quite quick to do so.

True. Trouble is that the stock blade is so good at most things, it always comes as a surprise that it won't do everything. Actually, I think when the blade's new or pretty recent, it can do pretty much everything - certainly everything I've throw at it.

Incidentally, the saw 'cutting out' or 'starting slowly' is just the saw's electronics protecting the motor from overload - and Festool's way of telling you it's time to change blades

Cheers, Pete

 

[markturner]

The only thing I can add ( I have both models ) is that while great for heavier cuts such as solid timber tops and rip cutting doors down, the 75 is a bit of a beast. Hell of a powerful motor, so be very careful of kickback and starting plunge cuts. If the 55 ever verges on kickback, you can just about hold it, but the 75.....forget it! using on the bench or properly set up, its fine, but sometimes its difficult to get the piece well supported and properly set up on site, and that's when you need to be careful.

I guess its a luxury and depends on what you use it for. I would say the 55 will handle most things, I only got the 75 4 months ago and managed with the 55 for many years with only a few occasion when I wished i had the bigger one as well.

Cheers, Mark