Thread: Honest TS 55 tear-down/review

Thanks for the heads-up. I found it by Googling "festool TS55 tear down".

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

He pulls the whole thing apart and shows you exactly what's good and bad about the build quality and why.

I dunno about that- he offers his OPINION on what is good and bad. I think he might be out of his depth on some the finer engineering details. For example, I suspect he's talking bollocks about the bearing being unsuitable for use with a helical gear. I doubt Festool's engineers would have screwed up something that fundamental given how much TLC they put into the gear itself.

He is right about one thing though- it's hard to see $1000 in that saw. Still, I'm happy with mine.

Although he does appreciate some of the engineering, he fundamentally does not understand the objective of the saw/system nor many of it's features, so either misunderstands or misrepresents much about this saw, and of the skills of the designers and engineers. Many, many of his negative observations about potential longevity or reliability do not play out in the real world.... which sees this saw as one of Festool's most reliable work horse tools.

Keeping in mind this saw has been in production and undergoing improvements and upgrades for about thirty years now and Festool engineers are not likely to make what is in the presenters opinion are 'rookie mistakes'. This is one guys opinion rather than the experience of many Festool designers and engineers over many years of continual product improvement. I think he should also read the user manual or have a chat with some owners and/or Festool to understand the product before making comment on what he believes is in the designers and engineers mind. A bit of understanding before leaping into a tear down review might benefit him and viewers.

He also makes many assumptions of the use of this saw and of owners, and this is also very presumptuous and not necessarily accurate. Also a bit insulting and ignorant.

I also think he should use real terminology and real words rather than constant intentional mispronunciations if he expects to accurately convey information - but I expect entertainment is a priority over accuracy and enlightenment.

Some specifics...

• Plug-it cables are all about convenience and rapid replacement in case of failure - he does not know this.
• I've not seen a soft grip deteriorate on this or other Festool tools, many of which come into contact with various workshop substances.
• The speed dial numbers correspond to materials and blades being used - there is an easily understandable matrix explaining this on the side of the tool.
• Related to the above sped setting and the magnetic ring, hall effect sensor, electronics, etc, he does not seem to be aware of the MMC (Multi-material control) electronics and what is there for and then most of the the electronics and components would be easier to understand accurately.
• Regarding the gears, bush, etc. I expect the team of engineers at Festool and experience has resulted in this being being highly suitable and superior to whatever the presenter think the design and components should be. Again, there are not many failures of this saw in the real world compared to what he things there should be based on how he interprets the design.
• I can't recall having seen an motor housing end cap break under regular normal use. Nor melt.
• Brushes don't melt out of their housings in the casing.
• I think the complexity of the base plate shows just how much effort and improvement has gone into this saw over the years, I doubt the designers would design something so complex without every part of it being considered to improve strength and longevity, or be entirely fit for purpose.
• As for his summary about seeing a $1000 of value within the saw, not sure what he expected to see exactly, gold plating or something.

Now I'm not an engineer, but I know what the saw is about and how it performs and how reliable they have been in reality, and understand Festool designers and engineers are far from idiots and have implement this saw very well to the satisfaction of a vast number of users over many years.

Agree with the previous posts.

I am an electronics professional and I have seen a lot of rubbish over my life and a lot of quality. Although It seems to be that Festool has made some compromises for the sake of ease of manufacture and cost you are certainly getting a quality tool. Interestingly they seem to put the money at the coal face where the rubber hits the road. The drive bearing and the base plate for instance are way above average in terms of construction which does give me a level of comfort that my money was well spent.

I was squaring up 50+mm jarrah on the weekend and it did labour but I did not have the feeling that it would burn out as I was cutting the wood. It was a nice feeling.

John

The biggest problem I have is that the guy is a dick. His presentation, vernacular etc, leaves much to be desired. I'm sure there are those that appreciate his style, but I'm not counted amongst them.

He has very little respect, and seems to only look for faults, and when he comes across something good it usually only gets passing praise at best (although he did seem to like the bearing).

I didn't watch it all as I have better things to do. I don't remember contemplating my naval in the last day or so.

EDIT: thought I might just check - he's totally out of order with his "thousand buck saw". Bob Marino sells them for USD640. Now if he had an Aussie accent it might be different....well he'd be much closer to the mark at AUD900, but I doubt he knows where or what Australia is.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

EDIT: thought I might just check - he's totally out of order with his "thousand buck saw". Bob Marino sells them for USD640. Now if he had an Aussie accent it might be different....well he'd be much closer to the mark at AUD900, but I doubt he knows where or what Australia is.

Of course he does. It is right beside Switzerland !

Part 2 is up for anyone interested.

I want to comment on the tear down guy's negative view of the blade lock and offer some accurate clarification.

Yes the blade is indeed locked with a pin on the armature fan.... but. Unlike most saw blade locks, the blade lock is part of a more complex mechanism that combines all the elements of the Fast-Fix mechanism, to access the blade bolt the saw uses the half plunge which positions the blade bolt opposite the access window, at the same time it must lock the blade to allow its removal, the major parts of this mechanism are located within the Fast-Fix switch handle and cooling fan area, it is a unique design which could not have been made possible unless a spindle lock was introduced in this way.

In regards to the usage of the fan as a lock, unlike many other saws, this lock is on the armature side of the gearbox, not the blade side as a result torque transfer from the spindle to the armature fan is minimal, as the user applies torque through the hex-spanner onto the blade bolt the gearbox reduction dramatically reduces the applied torque to the armature and therefore the amount of torque at the locking pin is negligible and the pin into the fan is sufficient. If it was possible the armature could in some cases be held by hand to assist with blade bolt removal.

From the users perspective the Fast-Fix system makes for an easy operation. On many saws with a spring loaded locking pin on the blade side of the gearbox, you really have to press down on the pin and fight the torque you are applying to the spindle with the spanner, and often the locking pin slips out if you don’t apply sufficient pressure. Festool’s TS-55 locking design is more complex and provide a much better blade lock than the standard used on many other saws.

This is actually very clever design and not a failure on the part of Festool engineers like the reviewer claims.
If you understand how it works the basic principles its easier to understand, striping down a tools is a good way to see components and basic design, but being able to understand the design operation and benefits is a completely other matter.

It’s also worth noting this is also a very reliable design and failure is unheard of as far as I know.

Originally Posted by nt900

It’s also worth noting this is also a very reliable design and failure is unheard of as far as I know.

That's what this bloke doesn't seem to grasp. If it works and is reliable then, by definition, it is a good design. The fact that it's different to every other saw he has pulled apart is irrelevant.

Originally Posted by jack620

That's what this bloke doesn't seem to grasp. If it works and is reliable then, by definition, it is a good design. The fact that it's different to every other saw he has pulled apart is irrelevant.

Nice summation.