Festool Training Center
I just got back from one of the coolest training sessions I have ever been to and I thought you might like to hear about my little adventure. As you probably know, Festool is one of the sponsors of our show. Being a fan of Festool tools and an admirer of those who owned them, years before The Wood Whisperer was a twinkle in my eye, I jumped at the opportunity to take a 3 day training session with them. And since I will be doing demonstrations for Festool at this summers AWFS Fair in Vegas, its a good time for me to learn as much as I can about the Festool universe. So Nicole and i fired up the little VW bug and headed up to everyone’s favorite place to lose hard-earned money, Las Vegas.
There were six guys in our group, and all of them were involved in tool sales. They were a really nice bunch of guys too. Our trainer, Steve Bace, picked us up promptly Monday morning in a Festool-labelled truck. I was somewhat disappointed that his vehicle was not Green and Black with a vacuum hose attached to the tail pipe. I guess Festool hasn’t made one of those yet. Class began every day with a hearty breakfast followed by lecture-style instruction and tool review. And lecture only gets you so far, so each day we would spend a large majority of our time in the shop working with the tools. I was drowning in a sea of green and black. Someone pinch me! Multi Function Tables everywhere, Systainers (Festool’s tool cases) stacked everywhere, and a giant store display against the wall. It really was like a tool candy store.
Obviously there is no way for me to tell you everything I learned, but suffice it to say I am now pretty well-versed in the functions and features of every tool Festool sells. Yes……I am that cool. :) But I do have a few tools that really stood out in my mind as cool. First, was their PS 300 Jigsaw. I don’t know about you guys but the jigsaw is pretty much a forgotten tool in my shop. I only use it when I absolutely must and I never look forward to the experience. Whether its poor blade tracking, blade warpage, or tearout, something is bound to bite me in the butt. After working with the PS300 for a few hours, I am starting to rethink the possible uses for a jigsaw in my shop. This saw repeatedly produced tearout-free, straight and perpendicular cuts. Just look at the picture where we cut out two blocks of wood from the end of a 4×4. There is no way I could do that with my jigsaw.
The second thing was the Festool C12 drill. In many cases, a drill is a drill is a drill. Obviously some are better than others but they all drive screws. But the C12 actually has a brushless motor which means incredibly long life. Steve mentioned that Festool stopped testing how many screws this drill would drive before dying at 1 million. Apparently, if you invest in the c12, it will probably be the last drill you ever buy. Another amazing feature was this drills low-speed torque control. Ever have a screw that is sitting just proud of the surface and you want it to be just slightly recessed. With most drills, you will either try to drive it further and overshoot your depth, or you will have to back the screw out and start over. With the C12, you can simply continue driving the screw at a super low speed until the screw is exactly where you want it. You have complete control. Pretty cool.
I would like to thank both Festool and Steve for this experience. Steve was one of the most knowledgable “tool guys” I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. When a guy tells you several things you didn’t know about a tool you’ve owned for 2 years, you tend to listen up. So anyway, this is by no means an advertisement and I hope it isn’t interpreted as such. I was very excited about this opportunity (just ask the people in the chat room), and I wanted to share my excitement with you.
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8 Responses to “Festool Training Center”Speak Your Mind and Maybe Win a Prize!
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I can’t say enough good things about Festool. I have had my tools for a little over three years now (have at least one tool from every category except the domino) and I’m very happy with every piece that I own.
I think in one of your recent video podcasts you were using a router that was not black and green. One of the things that I’ve been worried about with using a router is the amount of dust that a router produces. Could you compare the Festool routers to other manufacturers as far as dust collection is concerned?
So now all you need to do is take some of that Festool knowledge, share it with us, and give us an opportunity to win some Free Festool Schwag (that has a nice ring to it!).
Hey Wilbur. Most routers these days have dust collection attachments. Most work reasonably well. On some models, its pretty clear that the dust collection was an afterthought and as a result using the attachment can be a bit clunky. But they will all collect some dust. I cant say exactly how much since I have had the opportunity to throughly test more than a few different models, including the DeWalt plunge router and the Festool routers. And the Festool was by far the best in terms of dust collection that doesnt make your life miserable. If you want to email me, I would be happy to give you more details about the Festool. But remember that dust collection on routers always comes at a cost. That cost may be visibility or the hose being in the wrong spot. Either way it is a compromise. Finding the brand that is the least inconvenient is the key.
Some free Festool schwag would indeed be great. Who knows what the future holds.
You know, I’ve never really looked past the sticker shock of festool tools. But I notice that (naturally) every contractor here in Germany uses them almost exclusively. Makes me wonder how much cheaper I can pick them up here.
The only problem is that they will be 220V/50Hz models. But maybe I should grab every cordless Festool tool I can justify while I’m here. hmmmm….
Scott, Last year when I was in Germany(my wife is German), I went to a Festool dealer. The prices are about the same and then, yes, you would end up w/ a tool that is not functional in the US electrical world.
Vic,
Thanks for the heads-up. Saves me the time and trouble. Though it is still tempting to bring back a few “souveniers.” :)