Thread: Festool Purchased Overseas

Sounds fine to me. There are people who bring in Festools and sell them on to other people. Just how much of a bargain is it if it fails, or hurts someone. Responsible adults would not have to worry about the children, they would be safely at a distance from the power tools. Purchasing power tools from overseas is IMHO for mugs.

...just do what a lot of folk do... buy the basic power tool in Oz, and all accessories are purrrrchased OS

Well, that's what I did. I purchased the bulk in Aus for warranty and voltage compatibility, but the extras, like the sliding table and mitre, were a stupid price with the gouging we get here so I bought in UK. And I got international warranty cover. We in Aus should not have to pay through the nose for the same gear. When I buy bags for the vac it will be from os. No need to pay twice as much.


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I bought my CT36 some years ago from C&L Tools, and purchased some extra bags from Lee Valley when my wish list was getting huge
I also purchased some of these which does save a few dollars.
After the first emptying, outside of course, cut the bottom of the bag and fold once or twice and reseal wit da seal a bag doohickey

I made some enquiries from a local Festool distributor some months ago regarding a Kapex, and the topic of buying overseas was discussed. I was effectively warned not to buy the imported product.

The response that I got was that the electronics were set differently for the different world voltages and when converted to Australian 240V, by a switch on the power tool, would not last much more than 6-12 months.

Personally, I think that this was a furphy to entrench the buying of the Australian product over the cheaper import.

hmmmmmm.... interesting. Will await responses from the learned.

Originally Posted by cava

I made some enquiries from a local Festool distributor some months ago regarding a Kapex, and the topic of buying overseas was discussed. I was effectively warned not to buy the imported product.

The response that I got was that the electronics were set differently for the different world voltages and when converted to Australian 240V, by a switch on the power tool, would not last much more than 6-12 months.

Personally, I think that this was a furphy to entrench the buying of the Australian product over the cheaper import.

I have 3 Kapex and all 3 have had replacement motors fitted. Festool Australia must be ordering the dud ones for the Australian market.

Mains electricity in Oz is typically now rated at 230v 50 hz. There are often fluctuations in voltage available, however, with tolerances of +/- 10% typical: i.e. from 220v-250v approx. Fluctuations beyond these parameters are occasionally measured, and are a product of poor utility supply.

All quality appliances are designed with these tolerances in mind, and you will find no actual discernable difference in performance at either end of the tolerance range. The only time it's an issue will be if a high current draw appliance (say a 3-4hp induction motor) at heavy load was operating at the end of a long distance of overhead cabling, where the additional current draw would cause excessive heating.

I'm totally confident that any appliance manufacturer of quality tools designed for operation at 220v will still be operating perfectly reliably at a nominal voltage of 250v. I doubt that there's a single manufacturer who makes any change other than the connecting plugs when marketing their tools globally to their 220-240v clients.