Now I did it. Huge sip of the green kool aid

[jussi]

I mentioned earlier about making my biggest festool purchase early next year. Well I made it a little earlier than I thought. A Kapex Ks120 miter saw. When this saw was first released I thought what kind of nut would pay that much for a mitersaw. Then I actually got to use it and changed to, well it's a really nice saw with alot of nice, unique features, but still out of my price range. Plus there were still other green tools I wanted. My list got smaller over the last few years but still couldn't pull the trigger on a nearly $1400 saw. Earlier this year when Festool had their recon sale. My friend who is also a Festool nut calls me and says they have one that's 30% off retail. Plus certain dealers were offering free shipping. Unfortunately I had other things that were higher on my priority at that moment. It killed me but I had to pass. My friend on the other hand, did end up getting the saw. Fast forward to november when I talked to the same friend and he mentions how he was kind of bummed that he missed out on Lee Valley's black friday sale because he wanted a Low Angle Jointer. I mention that I have the same plane and the fence. I asked him if he wanted to do a partial trade for the kapex and he agreed. He also took a woodpecker table I decided not to use. In the end (minus the trades) I paid a little less than half of retail. Still more expensive that most miter saws but hey I finally got to scratch my itch.

I just picked it up today, unboxed it, and made a few test cuts. Haven't really put it through it's paces but so far so good. The dual lasers are really nice and it cuts dead square right out of the box. The dust collection is good (much better than my dewalt) but not as good as some of their other tools, like the sanders. There were still some chips on the table. see pic. I guess it's probably as good as you can get considering there is no way to completely enclose the unit.

It's temporarily on my assembly table but hope to finish my cabinets soon and put it there.

I think I've crossed off everything on my Festool wish list except maybe for the Domino XL. But what kind of nut pays $1200 for an over sized biscuit joiner.

[LCHIEN]

looked at the video on the Festool site and it does have a lot of neat features. Still, I could buy 6 or 7 of my Hitachi 12" miter saw for that money...

http://www.festoolproducts.com/Festo...FW0V7Aodb2YAYQ

[Denco]

Doesn't matter how much he paid. If he likes it and is happy with it, it was worth it. Great buy, Jussi! Enjoy the saw for many years to come!

[Cochese]

The Kapex is one of the ones I probably wouldn't buy for myself, as the only benefit I've seen is the better dust collection. I'd like to figure out how they did it so I can too.

Nice machine, though. You got a good deal too I think.

[Cochese]

looked at the video on the Festool site and it does have a lot of neat features. Still, I could buy 6 or 7 of my Hitachi 12" miter saw for that money...

http://www.festoolproducts.com/Festo...FW0V7Aodb2YAYQ

That video made me physically ill.

[LCHIEN]

That video made me physically ill.

Jealousy or motion?

[Cochese]

Jealousy or motion?

Motion and the focus.

[jussi]

The Kapex is one of the ones I probably wouldn't buy for myself, as the only benefit I've seen is the better dust collection. I'd like to figure out how they did it so I can too.

Nice machine, though. You got a good deal too I think.

I agree it's probably not the tool that would get the most value award in a magazine test and is the main reason why it was last on my list. But for the price I got it for I'm very satisfied with it so far. I've always been unhappy with the results I got from my dewalt mitersaw and the amount of dust it spewed out. I would always have to go to the TS for a final cross cuts. Initially the dust didn't bother me as much since other tools kicked up way more. But as I got better tools (with better dc), it was one of the few tools that had not really improved in that department. I was planning on putting it up on craigslist but decided to keep it for breaking down or rough cutting really large or wide material.

The dc on the kapex basically boils down to that rubber scoop (technical term I'm sure) right behind the blade. It's alot larger (at least compared to my dewalt) than others I've seen and therefore pulls more cfm. I have the 36mm hose connected to it. And when paired with some sort of vac works very well. Again though, not quite as dust free as their other machines.

2 other benefits I've gleemed so far are the tilt adjustment and slide mechanism. On my old one (and many others I've seen) you have to loosen the knob in the back, lower the head to the desired angle, and then tighten the knob. Making sure the pointer doesn't move when you reach around to lock the knob. On the Kapex the adjustment is on the front and much easier to adjust. The slide mechanism also precluded me from putting it against the wall. Not a huge deal for me initially since I have it on a ridgid msuv. But over the years I've wished I in a stationary place and could use it without having to constantly open and close the msuv. Having it on the msuv probably didn't help keeping it settings properly and led to the poor cut quality. As I said I've had very good results with the Kapex so far and hope it will be a permanent replacement for the tablesaw for doing smaller crosscuts.

Thanks for listening. For some reason everyone in my family and most of my friends magically disappear when I start talking about woodworking tools.

[Ruben]

All those features are really cool, for a professional i'm sure is a timesaver, but i'm wondering if this saw and the other green tools are really workhorses that can stand abuse on a daily basis... I see a lot of plastic in their designs.

[jussi]

All those features are really cool, for a professional i'm sure is a timesaver, but i'm wondering if this saw and the other green tools are really workhorses that can stand abuse on a daily basis... I see a lot of plastic in their designs.

From what I understand they were initially built for the professionals to be used daily. And alot of the guys fog forum are pros who swear by them. But then again it is a festool owners group so I assume there is a bit of bias there.

[dbhost]

The Rockler I go to in Houston uses one of those to cut stock for customers... That is one sweet saw. WAY out of my price range though... Enjoy it!

[JimD]

The setup of storage boxes that are all the same cross section and fasten together is something Pros would want, I think. It makes it easier to pack up and move them from place to place. It would also be useful in a home shop, perhaps, but most of us at least hope to leave things out and more accessable. I have a relatively large collection of cases for my hand tools that rarely get used.

The other thing that seems consistent with professional use is the smooth operation and good dust collection. If your tools save you a few minutes a day and you use them every day, the time savings can pay for the cost of the tools.

I'm glad Festools exist. I think they encourage other tool makers to also improve. Their metric dimensioning combined with their price premium make it unlikely I will buy one but I enjoy my DeWalt track saw and I think it may have been available because Festool showed the way.

Jim

[lrr]

jussi,

Congratulations on your Kapex purchase. Quite a deal you got. I took my first sip of the green elixir in November. I bought the a TS 55 REQ track saw. I have the addiction bad.

Next up is a Domino, a RO 90 sander, and then possibly the Kapex.

Once you try a Festool, everything else just pales in comparison..

[jussi]

jussi,
I have the addiction bad.

Next up is a Domino, a RO 90 sander, and then possibly the Kapex.

Yah I can certainly relate.

The Dominio is great and probably their most innovative tool. I've used it in ways I had not thought about it when I first bought it. Be sure to check out the aftermarket add-ons. My favorite is the domi-plate. Makes working with plywood even easier.

You may also want to check out the mft to accompany your track saw. Fantastic for doing large (and accurate) crosscuts. I like it so much I'm planning to use the top as a template and make the same hole pattern on my assembly table.

The RO90 is one of the few sanders I don't have. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it if you get one.