FesCool Giveaway Reminder
Hey folks. Sorry for the late reminder, but make sure you get your entries in for the latest FesCool Giveaway. This month we are giving away a 12-Drawer Sortainer. So get your butt on over to the FesCool Giveaway Page, answer the challenge question, and soon you could be experiencing organizational bliss…….
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What do you think of the Festool 400 FlatIron Sander? I am interested in a new palm sander and the pad configuration looks like it would be useful, however the price is almost 3x others (with square or round pads).
Hey Fred. Excellent question. To be honest man, I haven’t had much time on those sanders. But I can guess that they would be up to the same quality standards as any Festool product. That said, I find that some Festool tools are giant leaps above the competition (Rotex and the Domino come to mind). But these tools contain certain functionality that makes their increased cost easier to justify. In the case of a simple orbital sander, it becomes a little more difficult to use functionality as justification (although the dust collection may be reason enough for many people).
Now let me give you my perspective as a custom furniture shop owner. In my first few years of business, I went through several sanders. Unfortunately, I wasn’t making smart business decisions. When time is money, you need to buy tools that are going to stand up to the abuse. Had I purchased a Festool sander from the beginning, I would have been covered by a three year warranty that probably wouldn’t have had to use. So as a business, if I were buying a new orbital sander, I would invest in the Festool simply because its a sensible business decision and I don’t want to be burned again.
If you are a hobbyist, your usage and priorities are different. So in many cases it makes more sense to go with a less expensive sander. But I know some hobbyists who put just as much strain on their equipment as some pros, lol. Hope that gives you some food for thought.
Hey Fred,
Last November I bought a Festool RTS 400 sander, which I believe is pretty much the same as the DTS Flatiron except for the shape of the pad. I’m sure the Flatiron shape will be useful. This was the first Festool product I bought, along with a CT-22 dust extractor, and I’ve loved it ever since. I’m a trim carpenter/remodeler, so most of my work is done on site and the dust collection is a huge advantage for me… It’s virtually dustless; better than any other system I’ve tried. Aside from that, the sander is of very high quality. I was a bit skeptical when I first bought the tools, but after hours of prolonged use I am a true believer… These are well worth the money. Whenever I go back to one of my old sanders (which doesn’t happen very often anymore) I’m struck by just how much better the Festool is. I recently got a Rotex (talk about expensive) and my life is changed for good.
Be forewarned though, that to take full advantage of the sander you definitely need to hook it up to a dust extractor. I’m totally sold on the Festool vac’s, as I’ve gone through a bunch of Shop Vacs from many different brands, but that’s a whole ‘nother story. If you don’t plan on using a vacuum, I wouldn’t bother with the expense of the Festool.
I sometimes wonder if I could still justify the expense of these tools if I didn’t make a living using them… Obviously only you can answer that for yourself, but I consider it a sound investment if you need to do a lot of sanding.
I use to hate sanding…(I still dislike it very much), but I can tell you that the Festool approach with the vac, the quality and design of the entire system has made sanding a lot less of a pain for me. The dust extraction is amazing.
Only one warning: If you open pandora’s box by buying one Festool you will be forever hooked! The guy at Woodcraft gave me this warning and I just laughed and brushed it off. I Now have the TS 55 saw, two MFT’s a CT MIDI, Router, Jig Saw, Sander, Domino, and the Drill!!
I have not been disappointed yet with a Festool tool. They deliver on their promise of quality and performance. With all the crap out there today at the big box stores, there seems to be no “middle of the road” tools today, you either get junk or “high end”.
Even though I’m only a hobbyist, and its not easy for me to get past the cost, (I have a “regular guy” job and don’t earn a lot of money) I still am comfortable making the investment in Festool because of the complete satisfaction I get from using them.
Craig
Springfield, Ohio
My experience with Festool has certainly raised the bar on the true standard of excellence. Their tools (design, and high quality construction) customer service (got a question, just make one call) warranty (2+1years) and my distributor (Bob Marino) have all been top-notch. When you invest in Festool, you don’t just get a great tool - you get a great system, and the team behind them. I recently met Franck Tetreau, Festool Regional Sales Manager (also, he is Tanos) and during our conversation I found myself saying that I’m approaching a point where there is no great need for a particular Festool tool which I plan on getting next, I just want it! So, when it comes to Festool, I had quickly developed a trust that it will be a great tool, with high quality accessories, and it will become a happy new member in the Festool system of my (still growing) collection. I hope this helps, Fred.
Although the Festool products are on the pricey side, I can’t recall anyone ever saying they wished they hadn’t purchased a Festool Product. Many say they won’t but how many say they wished that hadn’t??
I am in the same boat as Mark, after my 3rd sander in 3 years it was time to switch. Having already purchased the Domino I picked up the Rotax and CT22 and again I was impressed! Now as the other junk dies it gets replaced with something from the Festool heavens:)
RJ