I'm switching to Festool, and here's why (5 reasons)

[@christofix]

NOTE: While recording the video I made a mistake about the warranty, it is not 10 but 3 years. There is a guarantee that spare parts will be available for at least 10 years after the machine has been taken out of production. Unfortunately, I can't edit the video anymore, so I'd like to correct this. 📖 Check this blog post for more information: www.christofix.com/is-festool-worth-it/ 🎁 Get yourself a cool item & support me: christofix.etsy.com Become a KZbin member: kzbin.infojoin …and get access to special membership benefits. Greetings, Christofix

[@skigglystars9525]

I agree with all 5 reasons. There's a lot of good engineering behind every tool. R&D is never inexpensive and those costs are always passed along to the consumer.

[@christofix]

Yes indeed! Many people don't buy them because of the high price, but if you look long term they are worth it. Thank you for leaving me a comment, my friend.

[@731Woodworks]

I agree with you on all reasons. In the US the warranty is 3 years though and they guarantee parts availability for 10 years.

[@christofix]

Thank you for sharing this, my friend. That is much appreciated. Greetings, Christophe

[@LDBecker]

DIYer here - I have limited time to mess with junk. Spare time for projects is so scarce - Festool products help me make better use of that time. Another reason to add to your list - they actually pay people a decent wage to make the products. That means a lot these days. That also means their products will cost more. The ability to get products repaired is another factor - I have had my Festool Domino 500 repaired after I managed to mess up a gear in it. I took it to my dealer, who sent it in for me, and I had it back in a week, repaired and adjusted - and at no charge. Not saying they will always do that for free - but for me they did - and it was over 3 years old and out of warranty. Just being able to get something repaired is amazing. Tools from many other brands are largely disposable and unrepairable. I have had my Kapex for about 5 years and never had an issue with it (I am aware of motor issues that some report). If a motor goes, I will have it repaired. I have no trouble recommending Festool products. I haven't had a bad product from them. I do own some Milwaukee, Bosch and DeWalt products that Festool doesn't make, and they are ok, too - but I dread having to get one repaired.

[@christofix]

Thank you for writing me this helpful comment, Lawrence. That is much appreciated. Festool has great customer support, and that is indeed an extra reason to choose for them. Thank you for watching my video. Greetings, Christophe

[@HeadBroski]

I recently purchased the OF 1400 router, this is my first Festool, and when I opened the package and systainer everything felt and looked premium. My only goal was to get the full LR32 system but I was blown away with how precise the router was that I made the decision to upgrade some of my other corded tools. Their power cable is extremely handy, and I can now leave it attached to my vacuum hose. I wish I could go back in time and better invested my money.

[@christofix]

I completely agree with you! Festool is known for producing high-quality tools that are built to last. The OF 1400 router is an excellent example of this, I have it myself and I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying it too. The precision and build quality of Festool tools are second to none, and I can understand how it would inspire you to upgrade other tools in your arsenal. It's great to hear that you feel like you've made a good investment with your purchase. Thank you for watching my video and I hope to see you in the next one. Greetings, Christophe

[@paulhopkins1905]

I absolutely hate that router, the asymetrical handle design is terrible

[@HeadBroski]

@@paulhopkins1905 Before Festool I came from the Bosch 1617 that had some of the heaviest springs and the dumbest setup to engage the plunge action. Compared to the 1617, I would take the OF 1400 with its handle any day.

[@paulhopkins1905]

@@HeadBroski you must do no freehand routing at all.

[@dsdragoon]

If you are a professional wood worker or a serious amateur that makes furniture for family and friends the Festool is great. I use mainly Festool and I do still shop at Harbor Freight, too.

[@christofix]

Thank you for watching my video and leaving me this comment, my friend. That is much appreciated. Here in Belgium, we don't have Harbor Freight, but I understand what you mean. Greetings, Christophe

Festool is a very good brand. Users are generally satisfied. I see the reasons for passing. It's a little pricey, but it produces really good products. Keep up the great work with Festool products. see you buddy. I wish a nice Sunday.

[@christofix]

Hi, thank you for leaving me a comment. It is indeed pricey, but with the reasons I mentioned, that price can be lowered in the long term. What would be the biggest reason for you to buy Festool?

@@christofix To be of good quality.

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

Good luck to you on your purchases. Please don't compare a circular saw to a dedicated track saw. Also only a three year warranty in the uk with parts availability for 10years, well my makitas came with 3 year warranties. I have a dewalt SDS 24v from '97 (made in Germany) drill still works flawlessly but nicads have capped out. ELU mof177e router from '96 absolute beast that has never let me down. I have a makita drill from 40yrs ago which only died because it got rusted up and seized up when garage flooded, my makita mitre saw from '96 is still going strong and accurate, never had to adjust from out of the box. So many tools will look last a long time when not recklessly abused. There are people out there who just cannot afford festool, maffel or hilti. I'm trying to get my workshop up and running again and the cost of living hikes are killing me, so I'm having to look elsewhere other than makita. The way I see it is that a three year warranty on a tool keeps you in business until the profit margin allows for higher grade tool investment.

[@christofix]

Thank you for sharing all of this, my friend. In this video, I just wanted to share why I choose Festool. This video is also an introduction to the further construction of my workshop. The brand used in workshops will be different for everyone, and the reasons for selecting it are very diverse.

[@JeffreyMoon1974]

There's an expression that I believe is British in origin: "penny wise, pound foolish." In other words, buying the least expensive option doesn't always make sense in the long run. Now that I've been woodworking for some time, it makes sense to spend a few hundred more in some instances for a tool that will last far longer and give me less headaches. So your advice makes total sense, and I look forward to your reviews.

[@christofix]

In Belgium, we have a saying similar to this. It goes like, "goedkoop is niet altijd een goede koop," meaning: cheap isn't always a good buy, but it's difficult to translate it right. Thanks for watching my video, my friend. Greetings, Christophe

[@thewholetruth-lz2hx]

Christophe, I have a Festool Vacuum. But it works way better if you use the Oneida ultimate dust deputy with it. I can send you the photo of it if you wish. It is a box that sits on top of my CT-26E and has a cyclone on top of it and that separates the dust which goes into the box and very little goes into the vacuum bag. This is the ultimate for shop tools vacuum system.

[@christofix]

Thank you for sharing that. I will check it out for sure!

[@dimensionswoodworks]

I’ve added Festool to my shop and I’ll never go back!

[@christofix]

Festool makes a big difference, isn't it? What was your biggest reason to switch to Festool?

[@dimensionswoodworks]

@@christofix the same reasons you mentioned but the dust extraction is the biggest plus from all other tool brands.

[@mrupholsteryman]

At the moment...I'm still very budget oriented and have been working much more and still not doing any woodworking due to bills and inflation etc. I agree that sometimes I have spent more money on buying multiple cheap tools that don't last as long. But I've not been producing enough where the benefit of a much nicer and more expensive tool would be affordable at the moment. They are a nice quality tool for sure!

[@christofix]

Sometimes lower priced tools are the best option. When I need a tool 2 or 3 times in a year, I have a hard time spending my budget on that. So I completely understand what you mean, Jeffrey.

[@EngineerMikeF]

I did not know their power tools came with a 10yr warranty. That's impressive.

[@christofix]

Thank you for watching, Mike

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

Not in the UK! 3yr warranty and 10yr parts availability. 🤔

[@sapelesteve]

No doubt that Festool makes good products. However, as you noted, they WAY overpriced. I own moderately priced tools made by De Walt, Porter Cable, Black & Decker & Makita. Never had a problem with any of them and I have been woodworking a long time!

[@christofix]

Those are good brands as well, Steve. I know a lot of professionals who use these tools too. Thank you for watching, buddy. Greetings

[@NWGR]

"Overpriced" is subjective. For some of their tools the value isn't there (drills), but for others, for the performance I get out of them, I honestly feel like I ripped festool off.

[@regisfourcade7145]

Je suis arrivé à EXACTEMENT la même conclusion que toi il y a 1 an chris ! Festool est beaucoup trop cher (!) pour faire le même travail que peuvent faire les autres machines mais ... travail plus rapide, plus précis, plus longtemps, plus durable, plus garanti . my choices : makita bandsaw, MLT100 and router trimmer RT0700 and festool tracksaw TS55, router OF1400, sander rotex150, cleaner CTM midi, domino DF500 and i dream about the kapex ...😁

[@christofix]

Bon de l'entendre. Je suis prêt à payer le surcoût pour festool car j'ai vu, après calculs, que le surcoût me conduirait effectivement à un prix plus bas sur le long terme. Ce domino est également sur ma liste de souhaits, cela semble être une belle machine à avoir. Salutations, Christophe

[@overtinker.projects]

Crazy how well and engaging your video is edited. Definitely inspiring for a new KZbinr like me!

[@christofix]

That is awesome to hear. Thank you so much for that

[@jason-hh6lu]

I had a Festool Trion for over 11 years. Cut through 40mm chipboard worktops,MDF and Ply most of its life. Cut perfectly until the day it died. Worth every single penny. Now I have 18 different Festool tools. People moan about price but if you are a serious carpenter/woodworker/joiner it’s not just a tool, it’s an investment into your buisness.

[@christofix]

Hi Jason, thank you for your comment. That is exactly how I think about it. I'm pretty sure Festool will make me money in the long run instead of cost me money. Thank you for watching my video. Greetings, Christophe

[@jason-hh6lu]

@@christofix you’re welcome. Enjoy your Festool journey and how accurate and comfortable every tool feels. 😊👍🏻

[@paulhopkins1905]

#6 They shadow sponsored your channel and are sending you a ton of free tools in exchange that you always say that every other brand is inferior, and you have the festool brand in every shot

[@christofix]

I can only hope this would be true! However, I don't think a global company like Festool would ever think of sponsoring a small youtube channel like mine, let alone know about my existence. But hey, we can keep hoping, then I save a lot of money on being able to travel. Who knows, maybe I'll take you with me, hahahaha. regards

[@eliasklein9174]

You need to clean your saw blades after work every day. you'll keep your saw baldes running sharp a lot longer.

[@christofix]

Thanks for that advice. Greetings, Christophe

[@apsmith1635]

I have same history but finally switched to Festool. Never been happier. It's a joy to use the tools every time and the results are also better. NEVER BUY TOOLS FROM CHINA is my conclusion.

[@christofix]

That's great to hear, my friend. I am convinced that Festool is the right choice and that these tools will significantly help me. Thank you for watching my video and taking the time to write me a comment. See you soon in one of my other videos. Greetings, Christophe

[@gedreillyhomestead6926]

There is no doubt that Festool is a quality product but for some of us diy occasional tool users it is way OTT. I've always purchased competitively priced tools which feel robust and usually change out the consumables like circular saw blades to a higher quality and get good results, I also look after my tools. Put a crap blade on your pricey Festool you'll get crap results.

[@christofix]

You are totally right about the quality of the blades. And I understand if you use the tools occasionally, the high price is not worth it. If you take care of your tools well, they will live as long as the higher-priced tools. It is good to see that you can make the best choice according to your workshop. There is no one-sided answer to the question of what the best tool is, you always have to look at a few things and calculate what suits you. Thank you for taking the time to write me a positive and educational comment, I appreciate this, and we can all learn from each other. Greetings, Christophe

[@Jroth-kl9gd]

Which saw was the flip-flops

[@christofix]

That was an old AEG circle saw. Thank you for watching my video. Greetings

[@sheilbwright7649]

Festool engages in retail price maintenance in Australia. Consequently Australia pays more proportionally than elsewhere. They would be heavily fined if they tried this in Europe. Unfortunately this is legal in Australia but just because it is legal doesn't make it moral.

[@christofix]

That's really a setback for you there in Australia. Too bad it has to be that way. I hope this arrangement expires soon for you. What tools do you use as an alternative? Thanks for watching my video, my friend. Greetings, Christophe

[@sheilbwright7649]

Thanks. Legally it expires in a year. However the relevant regulator is under resourced so I am not certain that the expiry will make much practical difference. I have a Maffel track saw and accessories. I had it shipped from UK to Australia and it ended up costing about 75 to 80% of the marginally inferior Festool version. Don't have a mitre saw since space is at a premium. For a router I have a top of the range Makita that I picked up second hand and whilst the Festool is better it is not 400% better.

[@bluewanderer9903]

I agree with buying quality, so I stay away from festool 😁. There are only 2 festool tools worth spending on: Domino - very unique in its operation, quick and easy usage in joinery. For cabinetry mafell duo doweller and lamello zeta p2 are far better choice. Second, festool edge bander, nice to use and 3 times cheaper than a superior mafell edge bander. For everything else festool, there is cheaper alternative that will do exactly the same from bosch, makita, metabo and dewalt and I am not talking about cheapest worthless crap here but very decent tools. Tool storage, if mobile system is needed then they all have fundamental flaw, top access. Drawers! Festool dust extractors, never again. If money is no object, Starmix. I can eat my scrambled egg off the melamine or mdf sheet after cutting it with mt55cc connected to starmix extractor. Point being, for every festool tool there is cheaper high quality alternative, except domino and conturo.

[@christofix]

I appreciate your honest comment. Thank you for taking the time to write all of this down for us. Maybe this information will be helpful for some people. Greetings, Christophe

[@TheAsrgrant]

Buy cheaper tools. Here in UK there is so much theft , on site , in vans etc. Broke my heart first time my expensive kit was stolen. Now im using much cheaper tools. A lot of it is in the mind. Im a carpenter.

[@christofix]

That is indeed a shame when those expensive tools are stolen. Thanks for sharing your opinion. Regards Christophe.

[@rollovaughan]

Festool also are one of the only company’s to employ European workers, in Europe. Just think about that for a moment.

[@christofix]

Thank you for sharing this. Greetings

[@XxMalabooo]

Hate to break it to you, festool breaks too :)

[@christofix]

Thank you for watching my video. greetings

[@ianmoss20102010]

bosch 18v bi-turbo no cable

[@christofix]

Thanks for sharing this, maybe someone will be helped with this tip

[@CementRoots]

oh festard, the youtubers favourite, next to sawstop..... i've used a festard track saw, and I own a "reasonable" priced track saw.... I seen NO difference, between the two.... just the festard is way more money.... I know someone that owns the festard miter saw.... he even admits , the dust collection is better, but the saw is NO different than any cheaper good saw.... I also have friends in the cabinet and finishing profesion and they use their tools everyday, all day.... NONE of then use festard.... so there are good tool and stupid expensive tools... expensive doesnt make them better

[@christofix]

I'm glad to see that you shared your opinion on Festool here. Thank you for taking the time to write this in a comment, my friend. Greetings, Christophe

[@NicoSmets]

Wel, het werd tijd :0)

[@christofix]

Hahaha, ja vind ik ook. Ik ben niet echt een "snellen" he hahaha. Bedankt om te kijken maatje!

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

I had to add another comment.... Funny how festool owners love swapping out power cords on their tools each time they change a tool, but NOBODY likes swapping out batteries each time they change a tool, they tend to buy batteries so they can just pick a tool up without having to change battery every time.

[@christofix]

I have not yet checked whether there are indeed people who complain about this, but changing a battery seems to me to be a very simple job. So, I do understand your reaction. Changing batteries, or the cord as in this video, seems like a similar job in terms of time and not immediately something to raise a problem about. What I find more important is that I don't have a lot of cables lying all over the floor. Sometimes it's just like black spaghetti on my floor, Hahaha.

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

@@christofix yes I understand, but I know people who complained that they had to swap out batteries because the didn't have enough to keep one in each tool, but when they moved to festool they praised the one cord for all tools, it is a good idea but no different to swapping batteries. It's almost as if they are no longer "inconvenienced" now they're in the festool owners club😂😉

[@christofix]

@@Sly_Wolf_1 Hahaha, that is indeed a strange phenomenon.

[@remigiuszsentkowski5562]

@@Sly_Wolf_1 There is a big difference, usually a vacuum cleaner is connected, which is not always at hand and going to the vacuum cleaner every time is a nuisance. With one cable, no spaghetti on the floor either. There is also a problem with batteries that you fire up the tool and it turns out that it is discharged and this knocks you out of the rhythm of work.

[@Sly_Wolf_1]

@@remigiuszsentkowski5562 you don't understand what I am saying. If you are using a vacuum makes no difference. The point I'm making is that swapping out a battery is neither more difficult or easier than swapping cables yet people dislike swapping batteries but praise swapping cables, swapping a cable also interrupts work flow, and if you have battery power there also is not spaghetti on the floor, so i just don't see the big fuss about interchangeable cables.

[@jordi_ss]

By some reason there's no Festool in Brazil...

[@christofix]

I did not know there were countries you can't buy Festool. In the comments, there was this other guy from Paraguay who wrote the exact same thing. Maybe you can find a great alternative in other brands that will work fine for you. I have tools from Makite that work fine as well. I hope this can help you. Greetings, Christophe.

[@jordi_ss]

​@@christofix I guess they didn't reach South America, or don't have plans to! Here we can find Bosch, Makita and DeWalt (most of the times pricey) being the most known professional and industrial brands. Milwaukee now have official representation and is VERY expensive for us. About cheaper brands there are Black & Decker and a lot of other brands. But no Festool. The TS55 looks well built and safe to use. I know Makita has similar saw (SP6000J). Thanks for the reply, man!

[@RichardRecupero]

Ok im the same. Buy once cry once

[@christofix]

That is great to hear, Richard. Thanks for watching my video and taking the time to write me a comment, that is much appreciated. Greetings Christophe

[@garethgordon9141]

You are preaching to the choir. They do last. Bought a De Walt screw gun in the States in 2008 for around $100. 6 months later the batteries died. New battery $125! Decided to invest $400 in a Festool system in sustainer with offset chuck, right angle chuck, centric chuck and keyless chuck, two batteries and charger. Now 2024 and STILL going strong on the original batteries. QED. I recently bought a very expensive Danish (Barron) forced action cement mixer and in their regular contact emails the CEO asked me this question "Are you rich enough to buy cheap?" A very clever if not somewhat back to front question that also made me laugh. Festool is not cheap but you only buy it once and that is what will keep me rich (well, in my dreams anyway 😂) These are wise words in this video; white man does not speak with forked tongue.

[@christofix]

Thank you for sharing all of this, my friend. Greetings, Christophe

[@siriosstar4789]

Delusional . Festool is a prestige tool that got created through slick marketing . they are generally two to three times more expensive for tools that are better than them . Makita ,dewalt , bosch etc are all superior in materials , and longevity . The festool kapex slide compound saws have a history of motor failure and excessive use of plastic parts . There is not one thing about festool that can justify the outrages prices . a total scam .

[@christofix]

I respect your opinion on this. Other brands do indeed have good tools. It's a good thing we don't all invest in the same brand, the other brand employees have to feed their kids too, isn't it? Thanks for leaving a comment, I appreciate that. Greetings, Christophe

[@dougveganparadisebuilder5808]

There is no Festool for sale where I live and imports would make them double the already high price, so I am staying a Makita fanboy.

[@christofix]

Oh damn, I'm sorry to hear this. Can I ask where you live? Makita is pretty good too. I have a few makita tools, and they do well.

[@dougveganparadisebuilder5808]

@@christofix Paraguay, in the middle of South America. Couldn't stand the Dutch climate anymore.

[@christofix]

@@dougveganparadisebuilder5808 Oh so you are from Belgium or the Netherlands?

[@dougveganparadisebuilder5808]

@@christofix NL

[@troyqueen9503]

If you’re not cursing, you know you got quality.👍📐🇨🇦

[@christofix]

haha, funny but true. Since I started using Festool, I curse less indeed.