Festol TS55 Or Good Circular Saw and Guide Rail

[jedmc571]

Hello All,

Looking for a good quality circular saw and rail system, multi tasks for use but particularly for sizing interior doors, and possibly a kitchen build ?
Not sure if to bankrupt myself and get the Festool, or can someone reccomend something a little cheaper, I was originally look at a Bosch GKS 55 and rail, or possibly the Maffel, but that Eurekazone keeps popping up, but I'm concerned about importing.

All help appreciated.

Jed

 

[Waka]

Jed

I ahve the Festool and its an excellent piece of kit, I can certainly recommend it. Thier are others on the market and I'm sure their owners will be along soon.

 

[Colin C]

Hi Jed

I have the EZ from ebay and so have a few others and have had no problems but what are you thinking might be a problem.
It will also do all that you need like the others you have mentioned but you can use the saw of your choice

 

[JFC]

I use the clamp and guide . I have used the festool rail and saw as a trade friend has it but he uses clamps to make sure it doesn't slip .
Clamp and guide every time for me .

 

[jedmc571]

Colin,

I am concerned only about import taxes etc, I do like the look of the actual kit, but would like some details on the procedure, and roughly how much it could potentially cost ? could you give me some idea ?

I like the idea of my own choice of saw, and want something small and light, but I'm torn over the matched kit of Festool ?

I find buying new tools a real pain, and is it just me or is their a lack of good January sale tools about, or am I not looking hard enough ?

Jed

 

[Colin C]

Jed

I would have to look to see what it all cost me as I got mine in june I think
I will have a look for you but there are some that have got they rails on so long ago I might be able to tell you sooner :roll:

 

[pewe]

The EZ system is the one I would recommend most highly, but before purchasing make sure your read their forum and view the gallery so you have a good idea of whats available and what uses you can put it too.

As far as import is concerned, allow for an import fee of approx £10 (covers duty and handling fees), and then add VAT to the UK£ equivalent of the price of whatever you buy. (The import fee can vary slightly depending on what you purchase.)

The shipping cost will vary upwards of $90 depending on the weight.

If you e-mail them with the details of what you want they will calculate the shipping for you.

Mod_Edit This comment was posted by a retailer who sells this product in the UK.

 

[engineer one]

said it before and still stick with it , the mafell is a nice piece of kit, and
will cut through worktops, in addition the latest version allows some
accurate cross cutting. i like it because of the fixed plunge facility.

i have also experienced the festo and it really cuts well.

i have also seen colin's ezee and it looks good, and has some addition
benefits since you can add many other bits to make it more usable.

i have also used the heavy rail and clamps like those trend sell, and for under 1220 they too are very good. think carefully about what you are cutting, and then work out the budget, then check them all.

you might try my mates jaycee at yeading, since they have both festo and mafell in stock.byron was certainly happy with their service

paul :wink:

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well I'm no longer impartial, so you'll have to bear that in mind.

I have had the Festool for a couple of years and love it. I bought it long before Festool came along to sponsor my DVD operation.

At the time there was a special offer - I got two 1.4m tracks for the price of one. Festool often have deals, so it's worth looking out. If you are doing a lot of long board work, it's worth splashing out on a 2.4m track, it saves the bother of joining two together, and means you don't have to worry about whether the two tracks are 100% aligned (something which is not difficult to achieve, but doesn't happen automatically, you need to check it)

If you keep the rubber strips underneath clean, you'll not have any trouble with slippage, it's as solid as a rock.

You will need a few zero clearance plates though, when you have taken a deep cut, going back to a shallow one compromises the chipping.

 

[Colin C]

There is one thing the EZ does, you can join rails with no problem aligned them :wink:
You can also have a look at the Sawmill creek forum for tips and help on problems if you do have any.

Just trying to give a balanced view

 

[pewe]

The other extremely useful facilities the EZ offers are the Square and the Repeaters which are both ideal for building kitchen cabinets and no other guide rail system seems to offer these.

The Square allows you to cut panels accurately without the need for measuring and marking both ends of the cut and the repeaters can be set for repeating cuts of multiple panels quickly and accurately - again ideal for cutting multiple panels for cabinets - see the gallery on their web site for more information.

I also have to say regarding impartiality that although we are not yet selling the EZ System direct in the UK yet, we will be soon. See this post -

Mod_Edit This comment was posted by a retailer who sells this product in the UK.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Pewe

I also have to say regarding impartiality that although we are not yet selling the EZ System direct in the UK yet, we will be soon. See this post -

Will you please explain who you are and your relationship with EZ?

Cheers
Neil

 

[A_n_g_e_l_a]

This company, according to their web site are already trying to market the EZ System http://www.eztooling.co.uk.

It appears to be the usual US to UK rip-off. US Dollars prices are converted directly to pounds; with a current exchange rate of 1.98$ to the £ it looks very greedy to me.

I would try the US manufacturer and ask if they would ship via USPS (NOT UPS they are appalling see here for more details.) There is a chance of avoiding import duty via this route.

Angela

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi Angela

It appears to be the usual US to UK rip-off. US Dollars prices are converted directly to pounds; with a current exchange rate of 1.98$ to the £ it looks very greedy to me.

At those prices you may as well buy the Festool, as you get all the wonderful advantages of the Festool saw as well.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Colin C]

At those prices you may as well buy the Festool, as you get all the wonderful advantages of the Festool saw as well.

Cheers
Neil

What is the price of the Festool saw and rail by the way, I would like to know

 

[pewe]

Will you please explain who you are and your relationship with EZ?

I am a UK businessman who is involved with the kitchen manufacturing/retail/fitting industry and I have been working with Eurekazone (the EZ developers in the US) to assist them in preparing for a launch of their system in Europe early in the new year. The launch date has not yet been finalised as there are a number of new products under developement/testing, and we have not yet decided whether to postpone the launch to wait for the complete range - or whether to launch the current products and add the others later.

This company, according to their web site are already trying to market the EZ System http://www.eztooling.co.uk.

I beg to differ, that is my site, and the site and products have not yet been launched in the UK.

It appears to be the usual US to UK rip-off. US Dollars prices are converted directly to pounds;

Have you ever tried to import from the US?

The prices on the site you mention equate to the same price (approximately) that you will pay to purchase the goods in the US and have them shipped to the UK after adding the Import Duty and the VAT.

It is not a 'RIP OFF'. it is down to the fact that shipping is not cheap and the American prices do not include VAT - which is an unfortunate fact of life.

At those prices you may as well buy the Festool,

Correct me if I am wrong, but the cheapest I have seen the Festool saw with one 55" (1400mm) rail is £388 on Ebay.

The EZ system with 2 50" rails and the connectors and clamps is under £200 and can be used with a good quality saw which should cost no more than £120. So even at the 'Rip Off' prices it is still more than 20% cheaper.

as you get all the wonderful advantages of the Festool saw as well

Can you elaborate?

I have seen many postings from people who have problems with or do not like the Festool saw.
It is all a matter of opinion and taste.

The big advantage of the EZ system is that you can use whatever saw you like - and pay as much or as little as you like for it. You can even use different saws for different jobs.

I personally have used the EZ rail system wth various saws and have cut chipboard, plywood, softwood and hardwood (over 2" - 50mm- thick), aluminium plate and 6mm thick Steel plate. Can the Festool system do this?

I have a variety of rails in different lengths from 18" upwards and have connected them together to form a 7 metre run to cut long planks and even long steel plate. When I connect them I do not have to worry about alignment as this is automatically done by the connectors - can the Festool system do this?

I have cut material in to strips as thin as 3mm by 1200 long - can the Festool system do this?

Maybe the Festool system can do all of these things, if it can then please enlighten me.

Mod_Edit This comment was posted by a retailer who sells this product in the UK.

 

[Alf]

Dunno if I'm being unduly pessimistic, turn of the year and so forth, but there's only one way I can see this thread going now and it ain't uphill...

Cheers, Totally impartial non-owner of either 'cos they're both too expensive :wink:

 

[A_n_g_e_l_a]

Hi Pewe,

Well, Blossom, all I can say is good luck to you and your web site. And at those prices you will need it.

Remember, if you are a reseller you are buying at a much lower wholesaler's rate from the source. You add your markup to that lower price and then VAT. So, I completely and utterly reject your argument your proposed price is justified. $189 US is VERY expensive at £198 UK. Also look here. EZ SMART GUIDE SYSTEM 100" is it on offer at $159

FYI I have often imported from the US. I do it simply because is cheaper!! All you have to do is persuade the seller to send goods via the United States Postal Service at surface shipping rates. They are far, far cheaper than UPS et al. One then, usually, gets the goods delivered VAT free and certainly without the "import fee" UPS, DHL and the like would have you believe is normal for expediting items through customs.

Angela

 

[A_n_g_e_l_a]

Pewe,

And another thing... :wink: My unofficial Son-in-Law was exploring the cost of getting a container load of goods shipped from the UK to New Zealand. He got a quote of £3000 for a container picked up and delivered each end. You could do the same with say 500 EZ Smart Guides - then shipping costs come down to £6 each; 1000 Smartguides shipping £3 each and so on.

That makes £198 look even more sick doesn't it. So if you are going to be in the selling business, you might at least try and do it properly. But I guess you are typically under capitalised and will stock a few items only; yet again the UK consumer is expected to pick up the tab.

(Apologies Alf But I can't resist fighting..... er, er, well, most things really, but humbug always!)

Anyone want to join me starting an import co-operative?

Angela

 

[LyNx]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the cheapest I have seen the Festool saw with one 55" (1400mm) rail is £388 on Ebay.

Nah, £300(ish) plus a bag :wink: