Festool is one of the most polarizing tool brands on the market today, with most users loving or hating them.
Let’s talk about it, although the discussion sections for every post about Festool tools or products ends up in similar territory.
Before we do that, here’s a minor update. Ohio Power Tool is having a flash sale on Festool tools and accessories. It’s more of an “everything must go” type of sale, as OPT is no longer selling Festool products.
We’ve also noticed discounts on a varied selection of other Festool tools at other retailers. A retailer reached out to explain that certain tools, SKUs, and configurations are being discounted because they’ve been discontinued.
Basically, Festool’s price-fixed policies haven’t changed.
Generally speaking, ALL Festool tool dealers in the USA can be expected to offer the same prices. There have been a couple of exceptions to this, but it tends to be a hard rule, and it’s one we’ve heard is fiercely enforced.
Festool tools are pricey, and as I understand it, dealers aren’t allowed to offer discounts. They’re also excluded from site-wide discounts.
I think that it’s the high pricing that makes Festool such a polarizing brand.
Over at Amazon, the Festool 18V cordless impact driver kit is $385. WHY? I honestly couldn’t tell you; I tested one and it was just okay.
Their AC-powered dust extractors are FANTASTIC. I bought one a long time ago, and tested 2 other models since then. “But I can get 10 shop vacuums for the same price.”
True, but a shop vacuum doesn’t offer equivalent features or performance.
Festool is known for some of their proprietary tools, such as the Domino joinery tool, but it’s not just that.
Festool’s better tools address very specific user “pain points.” Usually, if you don’t feel that same pain point, you’re not going to see the value in what would otherwise appear to be a considerably more expensive tool.
Some Festool users are pretentious, treating the high-priced tools as status symbols. Others self-justify their own purchases to the point of pontification. This all adds to the polarizing nature of the brand.
Users tend to love Festool. Those who don’t feel the same points tend to see the brand as outrageously priced. There’s a middle ground, but most people take one side or the other.
Festool also takes a systematic approach to their tools, with most products supported by a range of also-expensive accessories and add-ons.
When I bought a Makita XGT cordless router, it took me an inordinate amount of time to find the right SKU for the dust collector attachment. I finally found it, and then it took time to find a place that sells it. When the tool arrived, I found it already came with a dust shroud, something I didn’t see mentioned or pictured on any of the product pages.
Many Festool tools prominently feature dust collection attachments, and their system accessories are easily identified and sourced.
Are you sanding flat and narrow surfaces and want to ensure crisp edges? You can switch to a hard sanding pad. Want more give? Switch to a softer pad.
They extend nearly every power tool product, and they make it easy to buy them. And because Festool doesn’t discount, you know what you’re going to pay.
Not every Festool tool is a winner. I can recommend some but not others. Their Kapex miter saws are lauded in some spaces, but I’ve heard enough bad reviews to steer clear. A few years ago I considered maybe getting one for the dust collection, and contractors at a media event steered me away.
But I suppose it’s all about pain points.
While a lot of their new cordless tools don’t look to address application pain points, maybe Festool 18V users want a system-compatible impact driver or reciprocating saw.
Festool seems to have changed a lot in recent years, with respect to tool development and USA marketing, and they have all but lost my support as both a tool reviewer and end user.
It’s frustrating that they discontinued their vacuum clamp system, shortly after I purchased a set, raising doubt about replacement parts, but it’s it grand that you can now buy Festool-rebranded Bluetooth ear buds?
Their cordless table saw can be crammed into an oversized Systainer tool box, but lacks SawStop technology, despite SawStop being part of the same company. Festool’s SawStop-equipped table saws are only available in Europe.
Their cordless product range is fragmented and messy, and I’m about done buying corded tools.
I still find some of their tools interesting and potentially beneficial, but other brands have been addressing a lot of the same pain points.
I don’t see Festool innovating at the same pace anymore. Instead, I see a lot of hype and hyperbole.
Have they changed, or is this a matter of perception? That’s what happens – everyone becomes either an ardent supporter or critic.
I was enthusiastic about all of my purchases, each time believing that a new Festool tool would transform my project experiences. In some cases they did do that, but there are now newer, better, and less expensive competing options.
It seems that a majority of Festool tool users are individuals – either pros or demanding hobbyists – who are spending their own money.
Festool tools are about eliminating pain points and elevating your woodworking, or at least that’s my perception, but maybe it also comes down to excitement.
If I’m spending 2.5X to 5X the price on a tool, I want something to show for it. Otherwise, they’re luxury tools instead of premium tools, where you’re spending a lot more just for the Festool brand name.
Critics will argue that Festool is already a luxury and status symbol brand. Fans will insist there’s no substitute.
I think that Festool makes premium tools but has also been losing a lot of their distinctions. On top of that, it seems they have been increasingly leaning towards luxury brand-type hype and influencer marketing strategies.
All of this makes Festool a very atypical and complicated tool brand. Conversations have always been somewhat polarized, and it seems that tool users and critics will always have emotionally-charged views and arguments.