Thread: Festool Price Maintenance...or not?

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

Yes to all this - at the time I grabbed a DTS 400 and the LR32 system. I wish I had the cash at the time to buy more, but didn't. A check on pricing several months later and lo and behold, all the savings had evaporated and it was just as cost effective to buy locally.

Yes, that period of time really took a toll on my savings! I recalled the period when the AU dollar was above parity with the USD and didn't want to have the same regrets this time around haha so went a little deep. Aside from some Festool stuff, I bought a heap of Veritas, Lie Nielsen and similar hand tools. Good times. Over now, but somehow it's so much less stressful when you can pay a similar price locally and not have the temptation just because something seems like a bargain! I'm such a sucker for a good deal... a marketers dream customer no doubt!

Cheers,

Dom

It's still well worth the time and effort to do an international price check when buying fe$tools (or anything else for that matter) - prices don't always seem to reflect exchange rates.
And it is still possible to get Fe$tools from eg the UK shipped to Aus - it sometimes just takes a little cloak & dagger.
Of course, we generally need to stay below the $1000 threshold as the import duties and the processing fees will quickly eliminate any savings.

I recently bought an extra clamp for my Kapex from the UK for $73. They're $130 here. It was sent as part of a larger order of goodies, so no additional postage, but even if I had paid postage, it would have been significantly cheaper.
My router, bought last year before the annual price rise, was around $150 cheaper from the UK (and that includes all the shipping and tax).
There are also parts available overseas that aren't always available here - like the 8mm spiral upcut bit I also bought (possibly because an 8mm collet isn't common here in Aus?). $33.
Other items were similar prices, or more expensive than Aus - so I bought them here.
The world is a small place now.

I've had no problem registering UK tools here in Aus (I do have the fallback of being a dual citizen, so could always justify my purchases as an International Man Of Mystery if the company queried, but I don't think it would come up - I just registered for warranty, and received the registration certificate a few days later).

You need to way up the pros and cons of buying from a long way away, and what would happen if things went wrong with the tool. I've bought most of my tools locally, and try to maintain a good relationship with my local dealer and the Festool rep, so I hope that things will be dealt with relatively easily.

Originally Posted by Bernmc

sometimes just takes a little cloak & dagger.

Originally Posted by Bernmc

I recently bought an extra clamp for my Kapex from the UK for $73.

Yes, this makes life a lot faster. Although if you use both to hold a job you have to watch out for binding.

Originally Posted by Lignum

With the 480mm fsk thats essential, it's a total saving of around $100.

Should add, I bought the total package 6 weeks ago for $1133. It's a brilliant saw worth every cent, but takes a while to get your brain into gear after years of TS use.

Yeah, except the kit with the track has the older non-airstream batteries and older/cheaper tcl-6 charger and I already have an FSK420 track I got with my HK85 so for me it was a $250 saving.

Originally Posted by DomAU

For example, you could get a Domino 500 kit along with the cutter and domino systainer kit, and shipping for under $1100 aud vs $1800 ? here. .

Cheers, Dom

Sorry, it's actually $2123- for the equivalent here in Aus!!!

Originally Posted by DomAU

Yeah, except the kit with the track has the older non-airstream batteries and older/cheaper tcl-6 charger and I already have an FSK420 track I got with my HK85 so for me it was a $250 saving.

Mine had the new airstream batteries and charger & rail for 1133 (full price, not discounted) and if the deal (carbatec I'm assuming) has the older batteries and charger thats probably why it's discounted.
In the submissions to the ACCC, Carbatec was one of the main supporters of RPM so I doubt they'd go rogue all of a sudden

Originally Posted by Lignum

Mine had the new airstream batteries and charger & rail for 1133, and if the deal (carbatec I'm assuming) has the older batteries and charger thats probably why it's discounted.
In the submissions to the ACCC, Carbatec was one of the main supporters of RPM so I doubt they'd go rogue all of a sudden

Ok great. My kit has the new air stream stuff so that's not the reason for the discount. The undiscounted kits with rails etc have the older style batteries and chargers, and this seems to be the case for other retailers. Maybe they all just haven't updated the details. Still doesn't provide any explanation for the large discount they are running at the moment.

Cheers, Dom

What pisses me off, I'm ok with RPM, but a few weeks ago I grabbed the full HKC Package from Total Tools (never again, terrible festool based service) for 1133, today they have it at 1168 with a free 1400mm rail and bag. I don't think it's fair missing out because I didn't wait for a promotion. Maybe they should have a policy that within a set period of time if you were good and loyal enough to purchase at full price you can have access to the spoils of the current promotion.

(I do understand that defeats the purpose of a promotion, but it sucks)

Originally Posted by Lignum

What pisses me off, I'm ok with RPM, but a few weeks ago I grabbed the full HKC Package from Total Tools (never again, terrible festool based service) for 1133, today they have it at 1168 with a free 1400mm rail and bag. I don't think it's fair missing out because I didn't wait for a promotion. Maybe they should have a policy that within a set period of time if you were good and loyal enough to purchase at full price you can have access to the spoils of the current promotion.

(I do understand that defeats the purpose of a promotion, but it sucks)

Yeah I saw that offer and that would suck. Sorry mate. Maybe email Festool Australia and see if they are willing to do anything for you. You never know, maybe they'll suprise you!

Cheers, Dom

Back when Protool got closed down and the Drills were being sold for $250 each down from something like $700 I noticed two drill still available in a store I knew at full RRP. I explained to the staff what Festool had done and asked them to see what Festool said about lowering the price. From memory the store did not want to know about it and I doubt they even put the question to Festool.

Originally Posted by DomAU

Yeah I saw that offer and that would suck. Sorry mate. Maybe email Festool Australia and see if they are willing to do anything for you. You never know, maybe they'll suprise you!

Cheers, Dom

Actually, why not return the saw under the 30 day no questions asked return policy. Then grab the new deal. Seems a little cheeky, but you are dissatisfied...

I just got my saw yesterday and realise that with the narrower blade on the hkc and with the inner blade edge not being the datum, the HKC55 blade is offset from the hk85 blade edge/track edge. So my 420 track from the hk85 isn't really ideal for use with both saws (the plastic edge will be off the cut line for the hkc55). Seems like a silly design decision. I will need to check but i assume this will be the same for the TS55 tracks. You would think that they would have the inner blade edge as the reference datum for all their saws so the tracks can be used interchangeably between them and still have tbe plastic edge on the cut line. I suppose you need seperate tracks for all of them. I may need to take up the bundle offer and free track/bag myself after all.

Cheers, Dom

Cheers, Dom

Originally Posted by DomAU

I just got my saw yesterday and realise that with the narrower blade on the hkc and with the inner blade edge not being the datum, the HKC55 blade is offset from the hk85 blade edge/track edge. So my 420 track from the hk85 isn't really ideal for use with both saws (the plastic edge will be off the cut line for the hkc55). Seems like a silly design decision. I will need to check but i assume this will be the same for the TS55 tracks. You would think that they would have the inner blade edge as the reference datum for all their saws so the tracks can be used interchangeably between them and still have tbe plastic edge on the cut line. I suppose you need seperate tracks for all of them. I may need to take up the bundle offer and free track/bag myself after all.

Dom, you'll find that the splinter guard on the rail will be re-cut to a new "setting" even when you change a blade in the same saw. It's minuscule, but it does happen, and it's more prevalent if the kerf of the blade is different than the last.

To some, that won't matter, but it depends on what you're cutting. Ways "around" this are to buy the really long Festool splinter guards and cut them to length (the 6m one is proportionally cheaper per metre than the shorter ones). I also heard tell that the Makita splinter guard works perfectly, and many will say their adhesive is better than the Festool one.

A hint for anyone using Festool tracks is to put a bit of painters tape lengthwise over the front and back of each end of the splinterguard, and then pop a small bulldog clip over each end, as it prevents the adhesive delaminating. You don't need to remove the painters tape to make a cut (unless you're joining rails). Just take off, and pop back on the bulldog clip each time.

Originally Posted by Midnight Man

Dom, you'll find that the splinter guard on the rail will be re-cut to a new "setting" even when you change a blade in the same saw. It's minuscule, but it does happen, and it's more prevalent if the kerf of the blade is different than the last.

To some, that won't matter, but it depends on what you're cutting. Ways "around" this are to buy the really long Festool splinter guards and cut them to length (the 6m one is proportionally cheaper per metre than the shorter ones). I also head tell that the Makita splinter guard works perfectly, and many will say their adhesive is better than the Festool one.

A hint for anyone using Festool tracks is to put a bit of painters tape lengthwise over the front and back of each end of the splinterguard, and then pop a small bulldog clip over each end, as it prevents the adhesive delaminating. You don't need to remove the painters tape to make a cut (unless you're joining rails). Just take off, and pop back on the bulldog clip each time.

Thanks mate, not sure I understand the whole painters tape and bulldog clip tho. Is it purely to stop the spinterguard plastic coming off the track? I haven't really had that issue - the spinterguards stay adhered ok on mine. Also, are you suggesting to replace the spinterguard each time I switch from the HK85 to the HKC55? Seems wasteful, annoying and expensive I think.

The gap between the inner edge of the spinterguard on the FSK420 track used with the HK85 is about 1mm when I put the HKC55 on - so I guess I could just offset 1mm from the marked cut line (on cuts where precise length matters), but not sure if the 1mm gap will make a difference to the quality of cut / amount of tearout / splintering. I may pick up a FSK250 track to use with the HKC55 but would rather not spend the $260- at the moment - and then it raises the question of whether buying it as a full kit instead and getting the "free" 1400mm track and bag is worthwhile (already have a couple of the 1400mm tracks for my TS55 but could always sell one I guess and another track bag could be handy).

Cheers,

Dom

That's 1mm gap is annoying for measuring in general and cutting with ply (haven't used melamine or veneer yet) it does leave slight tearout with the 1400mm rail. A dedicated 1400 would be ideal. Maybe thats Festools feedback and it's the reason for the freebie rail.