Used to think Festool was all hype... until I borrowed a friend's track saw

For years I figured their gear was just overpriced for guys with more money than sense. Then last month I had to cut 12 sheets of birch ply for a built-in bookcase job over in Maplewood. My buddy let me borrow his TS 55 and I swear I made cleaner cuts in half the time with zero tearout. Has anyone else had that moment where you just have to eat your words about a tool?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_martinez10d agoMost Upvoted

Yeesh, I feel this one deep in my bones. I was the same way with their sanders - swore up and down it was just fancy marketing until I borrowed one for a kitchen refinish in Oak Park. The dust collection alone was worth the price of admission, not to mention how smooth the finish came out. It's like you can finally enjoy the job instead of fighting the tool the whole time, you know?

carter.gavin11d ago

My buddy swore his Festool sander was a game changer and now I can't unsee cheap tools.

wadem8910d ago

oh man, that's exactly it. the sander is the one that got me too. i was a die-hard "my 15 year old dewalt is fine" guy until i tried my buddy's rotex at a cabinet shop i was subbing at in medford. it felt like i was cheating or something, like the tool was doing all the thinking and i was just along for the ride. since then i've sold off half my old stuff and switched over piece by piece. did the quality of your work actually change enough to justify the cost, or is it more about the experience being just way less annoying?