Why the %*#&^!*? should I spend 500 bucks on a circular saw?

by Lester Gammon, Contractor Sales

In This Article: Festool Circular Saws

• Festool, “Faster. Easier. Smarter.”

That’s what I thought you’d say. I said the same thing. Back in 2006 the boss brought in a new line of tools I had never heard of and told me to sell them. “OK, no big deal” I reasoned, we are always getting new products to sell here, but I was curious why we needed yet another line of power-tools. Instead of being red, blue, green or yellow the new ones were plain old black, manufactured in Germany by Festool. I then saw what these new tools cost. “Oh-oh”. How was I supposed to sell a circular saw that cost twice as much as the best one on the shelf already? My customers are pretty set in their ways about tools, and real careful about how they spend their cash. This Festool looked like it was going to be a …uh...problem. So, I had to check this Festool line out and see what made it so special.

First of all, I found out that just because the saw looked like a circular saw, it was actually something altogether new and different. The saw slid and/or plunged on a track that stayed put where it was placed. The finished cuts were smooth enough to not require sanding. This saw (with the snazzy name TS 55 EQ) could take the place of several others: table, radial arm or panel. Instead of being complicated and tricky to use, the tool was pretty simple to figure out and left almost no sawdust behind. After checking out the TS 55 I looked around at the whole range of Festools and discovered that even though they all looked like normal tools, they all did something above and beyond their counterparts. All of the different Festools had special design features that made them superior to everything else I sell. I think the best thing I can tell you about the line is this: Festools make your day simpler and eliminate many of the time eating annoyances you have to deal with in woodworking and carpentry. Really.

Festool employs the tag line, “Faster. Easier. Smarter.” It’s true. Their whole system is anchored by their dust extractors, which keep everything on the job site cleaner. For example, this season Festool introduced a new hold-with-one-hand planer (EHL 65 E) that does not leave a mess when hooked up to the dust extractor. It’s a small planer that cuts like a big one. I demonstrate the EHL 65 in the showroom, something I would never do with any other planer because customers would be sliding all over the place on shavings and I would have to clean up a mess. It’s not only the planers that perform so strongly. The sanders (there are several varieties), really do work clean and efficiently. Drywall dust, paint chips, MDF dust, whatever, it all goes in a bag. The pendulum jigsaw cuts straight and smooth unlike any other. When I use the Domino tenon joiner it makes me look like a highfalutin cabinet maker, and I assure you, I am no such thing. I could go on and on, because if you use these tools, like I do, you get into them. Ask any of the other folks that have bought them, they will tell you the same thing.

So, I will try to keep it simple here. These tools will more than pay for themselves because they save you time. The extra money spent up-front will give you a good return on your investment. They are built to last and be used in the field, not some protected shop environment. They have a solid 3 year warranty. They come in nifty cases (where everything actually fits) that stack together and keep you organized. Walk onto a job with this kit and your customers will be impressed with your clever skills of organization and attention to detail. Finally, when the other guy is still cleaning up and looking for all the lost stuff, you can be enjoying yourself otherwise.

Here’s the link to their American Festool Website: www.festoolusa.com

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