Is Festool the King of Dust?

[seanf]

I am slowly (very slowly) upgrading my tools and have mostly chosen Makita and been very happy. I am now looking at things that are more likely to create dust and really want to minimise my exposure by catching as much at source as possible before looking at air filtration, etc. For things like plunge saws and routers that are likely to create a lot of fine dust are Festool a significant improvement over cheaper but still decent quality brands such as Makita? I like the idea of the Festool CTL/CTM dust extractor plus plunge saw, being able to use the same power cable with a router, track mounting the router and a lot of the other little niceties that Festool offers, but can’t ignore the fact that they are a lot more expensive (I am only a hobbyist after all). Festool are not out of budget, but it will be a much slower upgrade process if I was to choose them. I have been to a local dealer to put my hands on some kit, but would appreciate any thoughts from more experienced people please

Many thanks

Sean

 

[Sideways]

The real dust monsters are 1. router 2. sander 3. tracksaw
If you DON'T go Festool, I think your options are
1. look at the Bosch GOF1250 - not as good but cheaper
2. lots of choice here as many sanders have a decent hose connection. Look at the Mirka Deros - personally think it's dust extraction and ergonomics are better than Festool, but they don't have a model that competes with the Rotex - or at the cheaper end, a Metabo SXE450
3. look at the Mafell tracksaw - better than the Festool REBQ55

There are dust extraction options that are directly comparable with Festool. The Nilfisk Attix 33 and 44 for example are excellent machines but Nilfisk's priority is direct sales to large professional customers, they really aren't interested in the consumer and small businesses segment.

So you can mix and match ( I did), save some money and get some individually better tools, but if you are chasing efficient extraction I bet you'll still end up with some pieces of Festool gear

 

[Kayen]

Have you considered the DeWalt 622K Router - it's a rare find, but a beautiful router with integrated dust extraction.
You can often find second-hand ones in excellent condition for £200-£300 on eBay.

 

[Doug71]

I'm all Festool in my workshop, it is nice stuff.

I love the plug it cords and the bluetooth switch for the vac hose is really handy.

It is expensive but joinery is my living so feel I can justify the cost as it does make things more efficient.

Festool used to be streets ahead of the other brands but now the gap isn't so big.

Only you can decide if it's worth the extra but be warned, once you start buying in to the Festool system it's hard to stop

 

[seanf]

Thank you for the thoughts so far all

You can often find second-hand ones in excellent condition for £200-£300 on eBay

I'd prefer to buy things new really. I like having a warranty and if I do go for Festool then I would hope they should retain a good bit of value

Sean

 

[seanf]

… be warned, once you start buying in to the Festool system it's hard to stop

It's bad enough looking through their website and reviews on YouTube! Once you start seeing how nicely things seem to work together it puts lots of ideas in your head

Sean

 

[Spectric]

it's a rare find, but a beautiful router

Rare is an under statement, they are like hens teeth or rocking horse shieete and I would love one.

 

[thetyreman]

the only problem with festool is need all the extras that go with it, don't get me wrong it is VERY good quality and designed for professional use, but you'll end up buying into the system, a bit like apple really, the extraction on them is apparently far superior to others, you do get what you pay for but it's expensive.

 

[Kayen]

Rare is an under statement, they are like hens teeth or rocking horse shieete and I would love one.

There's one here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/40345035...rentrq:5fcfd23217f0aaf458490218fff90244|iid:1
I would have bought it myself but my wife has promised to leave me if I buy another one - I already have three!

 

[Hornbeam]

I have one of the Dewalt 622s. Excellent dust collection. I dont know why Elu/Dewalt didnt go down this line for all their routers as the Dw 625 and the MOF96 are awful for dust collection (but excellent routers)

 

[johnnyb]

isn't that a elu mof97 in a yellow dress. my dear departed mum brought me one to encourage my woodworking.

 

[bryan267]

Have you considered the DeWalt 622K Router - it's a rare find, but a beautiful router with integrated dust extraction.
You can often find second-hand ones in excellent condition for £200-£300 on eBay.

They arent cheap, but i think the two new trend routers have the same dust extraction system? T12/T14

 

[DBC]

Makita shot themselves in the foot with me. Their gear is so good they have never got much money out of me. For example, I have a 1/4” router and a 9” circular saw that I bought in 1987 still going strong: and I got the saw second hand in a pawn shop. That 9” saw was used and abused daily - I’m talking hundreds of cuts per day - from 87 til 2010 in which time we built 18 timber framed houses and did loads of renovations and smaller jobs together in New Zealand. During this time this makita 9” saw and my estwing hammer were seldom more than a few feet away from me. Me, that saw and that hammer and a lot of other handtools and makita corded gear predate battery operated gear, paslode guns and the internet and I seem to be the only one showing my age.

I am not some blind makita loyalist however. For example, I always preferred Bosch hand held electric planners for house building and stihl chainsaws for milliing and planking.

In 2010 - by now in the UK - I started a small joinery shop. While most of my gear is still makita I have the larger Festool domino machine which sees heavy use. In my opinion this machine is one of only a few genuine revolutions in woodworking I’ve seen during my lifetime.

In short, I’ve built an entire career around makita gear. I can’t say enough good things about this company.

 

[Spectric]

They arent cheap, but i think the two new trend routers have the same dust extraction system? T12/T14

It is along similar lines but they use an add on wheras the 622 was integral to one of the colombs 12mm (1/2 but be interesting to see a side by side review.

 

[seanf]

Interesting thoughts thank you all. Would be good for anyone who had a Makita plunge saw and “upgraded” to the Festool to comment on dust extraction differences specifically, as it seems both are very capable tools and would certainly have all the features I need

Sean

 

[DBC]

i have a makita track saw that I use with a trend router extractor. While I can’t comment on the festool for a comparison I can say that very little dust is in evidence after cuts.

As a side note if you are going to be breaking down a lot of sheets - I make a lot of caninetry out of 8x4 furniture board sheets or veneered ply - I think it is worth getting a long track to compliment the shorter one that comes with the saw.

 

[Kayen]

isn't that a elu mof97 in a yellow dress. my dear departed mum brought me one to encourage my woodworking.

It is, I've got one of them too!

 

[Kayen]

They arent cheap, but i think the two new trend routers have the same dust extraction system? T12/T14

I saw that Peter did a review on the T12 - it looks nice but ginormous!

 

[Spectric]

You can see the T12 definately has the same square spindle lock button as the Dewalt 625 and I would say it is manufactured by Dewalt. It is very large and even larger than the 625 so not ideal for handheld. The Dewalt 622 was a nice intermediate size for handheld and I think @JobandKnock mentioned it as well.

Looking at Petes video, he is like our cat with a new toy because he seems more interested in the box than it's contents. There does seem to be some fascination for these storage cases whereas all my cordless makita boxes and corded Bosch boxes went down the tip, they get to much use to be shut away out of sight.

As for the need to have some sort of NVR switch, would it not be easier just to state "Keep out of reach of children" or " This is not a toy" or "For use only by inteligent adults".

If that is being applied to routers then it will spread to everything including cordless to keep the cotton wool brigade happy.

As for use in a router table, I think those days where you fixed a plunge router in a table are fading away, the T14 is £550 with no insert plate, the T12 is £450 again with no insert plate. The big old orange beast(Triton Tra001) is just £270 and even with a Jessem prestige lift would come out at £580 so the Trend offerings are to expensive. I think the future for router tables will be router motors like the old AEG or the newer AUK which are designed for table use.

As for handheld, I would buy the Dewalt 625 at £270 any day compared to £550 for the Trend, infact if you are not a fan of orange and don't need 2400 watts then the Dewalt is also a table option, just lacks the raise mechanism of the Triton.

 

[niemeyjt]

1. look at the Bosch GOF1250 - not as good but cheaper

I would put a massive "avoid" on Bosch - I am still waiting after 16 months for spares for my 18v Bosch vacuum (and their Bluetooth is rubbish also).

I would go Festool - who seem to have thought out Bluetooth - as well as dust extraction.