Festool Basis Plus- Am I mad?

Seve OB

Guys,

I'm looking at purchasing some Festool's. I have never seen any of their stuff up close and personal, but I've been researching and their stuff looks great, and I believe I might be getting a bargain........BUT am I??

The Basis Plus System seems to have been replaced with CMS, so I guess I am, looking for some guidance. I don't mind buying out of date stuff if the price is right. However I am reading there might be conflicts if I decide to add on bits and pieces at later stages, and the new stuff won't work with the old. For Example, there is one saw rail involved, will I be able to buy a new one? are they they same as the old ones? will they connect up?

I'm unsure as to exactly what I am getting as the internet seems to be scarce on info on the old stuff, and not knowing much about it, it gets confusing!

I am waiting on an exact list, but in essence, this is what I think is involved.

A plunge saw with rail. I've no idea model no.
An OF 2000E router - apparently never used
A Jigsaw... again no idea what one.

Told that all the above come in their systrainer boxes.

A basic table
Module insert for trimming saw,
6A Router module extension table - I think this is the router insert with fence etc, plus the V650 extension table
Trimming attachment.??
Guide rail.
Angle stop

It is worth remembering that I am a novice, but at the same time fairly handy with my hands. I like to do DIY, and want to do it right, so no harm in getting the right tools. But I am a bit lost when it comes to a lot of the technical information, so please keep it simple.

jack of all

I've very limited experience of Festool myself, I know a few people that have some of their gear and swear by it but they are pro users. It's very expensive and probably way over the top for a novice/ DIYer. Unless you're getting a cracking deal I'd be inclined to aim a little lower and use the money saved to buy some decent hand tools and wood!

Seve OB

jack of all wrote: »

I've very limited experience of Festool myself, I know a few people that have some of their gear and swear by it but they are pro users. It's very expensive and probably way over the top for a novice/ DIYer. Unless you're getting a cracking deal I'd be inclined to aim a little lower and use the money saved to buy some decent hand tools and wood!

I understand exactly where you are coming from. I was in no way going to go for it till i got thinking. We hope to move house in the next few years, and if we do, it would be either a self build or renovation. Now I would obviously not be able to do it on my own, but I would want to make my mark. Part of this mark would be putting in wardrobes, kitchen units, utility room etc.. and i'm not talking about prefabricated flat pack stuff, I would build them myself. If we don't move, there will be an extension going up in our existing house and I will be building a new shed at some stage. So if i'm going to do all this, I will need decent tools. Of course, I will have many DIY jobs in the meantime, recently put a roof on my dads shed and it was a bit tough without the right gear and am currently making some storage units. So if i don't buy this stuff now, I will muddle my way through the odd jobs with cheap equipment. I believe a doing a big job like kitchen & wardrobes it would be worth it to shell out for the tools as they would most likely pay for themselves with a couple of big jobs.

This stuff is not cheap, but at the same time, there could be a deal to be had.

What do you guys think this might be worth?

jack of all

I'll come at it from another angle: will you really build a complete kitchen from scratch, as opposed to buying a package from say The Panelling Centre? Festool saw and rail system will be great for ripping sheets down and trimming etc but to build carcasses you're going to need a decent table saw. Festool would certainly help with doing a great job on fitting any kitchen or bedroom furniture you buy, flat pack or pre-assembled. But for reasonable money you could pick up decent contractor/ pro grade tools from makers like Makita, Bosch or Hitachi etc. It can be hard to resist what looks like a great deal but if it were me I would try and do an overview of the bigger picture- do I have all the basic hand tools and equipment I need, what would I need to fit a kitchen tomorrow, hang a few doors, lay a floor, build a deck etc? Just being devil's advocate here of course (I like buying tools and gear too!), but you can never have enough good clamps, a decent straightedge, a good long level, sharp chisels and the means to sharpen them, a good cordless drill, decent drill bits (HSS, lip and spur, masonry), good quality square, marking tools etc etc. I'd have a decent home-built workbench (made from basic softwood and ply construction timber) over any of those systainer system boxes anyday.

Seve OB

thanks.

i'd rather just keep this along the lines of is the system worth buying and at what price as opposed to what i intend on using it for.

galwaydude18

How much are you getting it all for? I have a load of festool gear and one very important thing with the system is the extractor. You can't believe how much dust it collects.

Seve OB

galwaydude18 wrote: »

How much are you getting it all for? I have a load of festool gear and one very important thing with the system is the extractor. You can't believe how much dust it collects.

didn't really want to spill the beans on that quite yet. would rather get a feel for what you guys thought it would be worth first. i'll tell you, just not now

i have no idea what the old stuff sold for with exception the router was going for $330ish when it got discontinued in 2011. nothing even second hand on ebay(that i can find) so i am only comparing it with new festool products.

jeepers101

Its hard to say what you should be paying for tools have been discontinued and more than likely have no warranty behind them.

At a guess I would say definitely no more than 50% of the festool.ie list value of the modern day equivalent. You will find certain retailers can offer a significant enough discount on that list value ( I've seen > 20% regularly enough). I've bought from ToolSave on ebay, who are an authorised dealer and I've gotten some decent deals.

WRT expensive tools or not, I just finished a massive DIY kitchen renovation and I bought a load of tools in the lead up including Festool, Hilti, Hitachi, Makita.I have to say it was just an absolute pleasure picking up the Festool and Hilti. They just oozed quality in comparison to the other stuff. I've never once regretted spending money on decent gear.

CJhaughey

You would want to check that the stuff isn't stolen as well.

Calibos

I'd post this question on FOG (Festool Owners Group) forums if I were you.

A quick google indicates some parts are compatible with newer stuff but a lot isn't.

I've similar plans but on hold till finances allow.

i.e. Competent DIY'er, fastidious, quick learner who loves taking stuff apart and building stuff, conceiving, designing and building custom stuff. ( modelled in Sketchup) With plans for built in wardrobes and some freestanding stuff, beds with under storage and built in tv lifts, wainscoting, custom radiator boxes, decking, roof garden, window planters, garden furniture. Also some rough carpentry in the form of reconfig and construction of some stud walls etc etc. also storage, display stands, decorative carpentry for our business premises etc

With that much planned over the next few years, the way I look at is that the cost of new up to date Festool starts to make more sense than for the average DIY'er. The roughly €3,000 I intend to spend on Festool amortised over that amount of carpentry and joinery that might cost 20 grand in labour certainly makes more sense than for example buying €800 worth of Festool router and tracksaw to build one piece that you could pay someone €1500 to build for you. The latter makes little sense whereas the former does (assuming you have the competency and time to do all that work yourself and save on that 20 grand of labour)

Doing all this DIY spread out in time makes the Festool Dust collection a huge plus point for me. The accuracy of Festool means I don't need to learn as many of the tips and tricks that comes with years of experience often needed to get perfect results in a timely manner with lesser tools.

At the end I have a set of barely run-in (as far as a pro is concerned) Powertools that'll last me a lifetime at the DIY work rate, or indeed a set if barely run in Powertools that hold their value well that I could probably get 40% of their cost back from 2 or 3 years down the road.

Miname

its absolute madness diy ers spending huge amounts on tools. They are great equipment that give good results but the spend cant be justified. Tradesmen that are using them everyday rarely justify the spend. The labour element that people think they can save on with new tools is never near as high as they think.

jeepers101

Miname wrote: »

its absolute madness diy ers spending huge amounts on tools. They are great equipment that give good results but the spend cant be justified. Tradesmen that are using them everyday rarely justify the spend. The labour element that people think they can save on with new tools is never near as high as they think.

Not every DIYer needs to justify spending huge amounts of money on tools. Some people enjoy DIY and see it as a hobby.

Does the guy who spends thousands on a bicycle, golf clubs or classic porsche have to justify the spend when more often than not cheaper would have done nearly as good a job.

Seve OB

jeepers101 wrote: »

Not every DIYer needs to justify spending huge amounts of money on tools. Some people enjoy DIY and see it as a hobby.

Does the guy who spends thousands on a bicycle, golf clubs or classic porsche have to justify the spend when more often than not cheaper would have done nearly as good a job.

Thanks, I couldn't have put it better myself. As it happens, I am the one who spent thousands on a bike AND golf clubs!

I just want to keep this simple, is the deal worth it from a Festool point of view? I know there are other tools out there that may be nearly as good as Festool for a lot less money, but I am not asking about them, nor do I need a lecture on what value I will or will not get from these

Seve OB

Just an update on what is actually involved in the deal. The guy has just given me an all in price for everything. I'm sticking some prices in here, but these are prices I made up. . to try and see if the deal is worth it... his price is actually a good more.

€200 The Basis Plus System basic Unit 1A
€150 Module insert for trimming saw,
€200 Basis 6A Router module
€100 Router extension table V650
??? some sort of Trimming attachment rail 2m long????? - not the rail for the plunge saw

€200 ATF 55E plunge saw with rail apx 5ft long
€200 An OF 2000E router - apparently never used
€50 PS 200E Jigsaw

all the above come in their systrainer boxes.

A Double hose for Vacuum but no vacuum.

So I plan to offer €1,100. Don't think he will go for it, but am I overpricing thins or underpricing them? help and guidance appreciated

I have signed up over on the Festool Owners Forum so will see how I get on there

jeepers101

No those prices seem extortionate. Now if you don't mind passing on that guy's number and I'll tell him myself

jeepers101

Seriously though if its all new that's a bloody steal.

Edit: sorry just saw they're not the actual prices. Sure give it a shot anyway. Worst that happens is he says no.

Seve OB

jeepers101 wrote: »

No those prices seem extortionate. Now if you don't mind passing on that guy's number and I'll tell him myself

haha... nice try!

what would you pay up to?

remember, it's nearly new stuff very light use, but all quite old discontinued models

jeepers101

I'd easily go to 2k. That's a lot of very nice gear and if you haven't planned on (and don't in the future) building a festool system it's a bargain for what it is.

jeepers101

I'm curious now... any chance sharing what he's looking for it? Pm or otherwise?

Seve OB

Looks like there is a bargain to be had so. Would the fact that it's all obsolete stuff bother you at all? I mean from an add on point of view or repairs/parts?

jeepers101

Personally yes it would bother me simply because I have a bit of the newer stuff and I plan on adding to the system when I can afford it.

I recently purchased a Hitachi router. It's a 2000w beast, cost about €350. While the reviews are very good and it did what I wanted it to do it felt very clumsy at times, something I've never felt with festool.

The range you're potentially purchasing is the same range that has contributed to festool's current reputation and it looks like you're able to get it for a better price than the likes of what I paid above.

The main question is whether you had ever planned on buying festool or if you might in future. If not then go for it.

Seve OB

jeepers101 wrote: »

Personally yes it would bother me simply because I have a bit of the newer stuff and I plan on adding to the system when I can afford it.

I recently purchased a Hitachi router. It's a 2000w beast, cost about €350. While the reviews are very good and it did what I wanted it to do it felt very clumsy at times, something I've never felt with festool.

The range you're potentially purchasing is the same range that has contributed to festool's current reputation and it looks like you're able to get it for a better price than the likes of what I paid above.

The main question is whether you had ever planned on buying festool or if you might in future. If not then go for it.

I'm just doing a few diy jobs around the house at the moment, and recently put a roof on my dad's shed (thread here). Could have done with a decent circular saw for the roof (ended up borrowing one) and am still scraping by without one. I have just gotten a cheap MacAllister router (I've never used one before, they are great ). In my search for a circular saw, I came accross these things called plunge saws and they look pretty cool I thought. So I searched and found these festools..... I'd never heard of them before but have been looking at them a lot and they are sexy!

I could do with a router table for job I'm doing now, but it's only a small job and didn't think it would be worth shelling out, borrowed a cheap one which was useless! I've most of the cuts done for this job, paid for the big sheets to be ripped when I bought them.

So no I never planned to build a festool kit, but did want to get a decent saw at some time when a bargain came along.... (had been thinking if I got a Makita for 100 ish) w to replace the junk b&d scorpion I have atm. Looking at this stuff has gotten me thinking and the juices flowing! I think I'd do a bit more having good gear and as I say, I believe in years to come it will pay for itself when big jobs come along.


Oh yea, he wants 15 for it all.

jeepers101

1500 is a tasty price. It'd cost you more than that now for the modern equivalent of just the router and plunge saw.

Only you can make your mind up but if it's not going to break the bank. ..

Seve OB

Deal done. 1,250. Now just to figure it all out!

5T3PH3N

stevieob wrote: »

Deal done. 1,250. Now just to figure it all out!

Ya jammy git:p

post some pics!

Seve OB

5T3PH3N wrote: »

Ya jammy git:p

post some pics!

Will do. I've a feeling I'm gonna be posting some pics with the caption "What's this for?"

Seve OB

By the way, I didn't want to say this till I had it in the bag, but anyone of yis could have gotten this as the gear was for sale on boards sister site adverts.ie

jeepers101

Haha nice one. Enjoy!

galwaydude18

stevieob wrote: »

Deal done. 1,250. Now just to figure it all out!

What a deal you got there!!

Seve OB

well here are the pics guys, few things i have no idea what they are for, especially whats in last pic so feel free to call me stupid and let me know what to do with them!

will get the table all set up this week and see how she operates, but there is a brand new blade in the saw, original Festool blade! along with plenty of spare jigsaw blades. I've used the Router, wow, it's so smooth, no rattle at all, and the jigsaw cuts like a knife through butter

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

Festool by stevieob, on Flickr

davidwoods

Hey, have been a joiner for ten years now and have a few decent tools( deealt, makita bosch)but have heard great things about festool and am thinking of getting a few bits. Does anyone know if there is any deals to be had or where is the best place to buy festool ?? Cheers

Miname

davidwoods wrote: »

Hey, have been a joiner for ten years now and have a few decent tools( deealt, makita bosch)but have heard great things about festool and am thinking of getting a few bits. Does anyone know if there is any deals to be had or where is the best place to buy festool ?? Cheers

Great tools but would be more of a cabinet makers kit than a joiners. Especially if your out site fitting.

davidwoods

I Make kitchens mon-fri. But can see a lot of people want one off pieces made ( tables , chairs and bookcases). Festool cost ALOT, but I've never heard a bad thing about them. Do you use them yourself ?

monkeynuz

davidwoods wrote: »

I Make kitchens mon-fri. But can see a lot of people want one off pieces made ( tables , chairs and bookcases). Festool cost ALOT, but I've never heard a bad thing about them. Do you use them yourself ?

Loads of kitchen guys have festool, that's why festool make all of the angle drives and short heads.

A kitchen fitter friend of mine has his all lined up under his 30 foot workbench, the whole space is full of festool!!

I have festool gear too and it's terrific and no I am not a tradesman, I just like good quality tools.