Over in Europe, Bosch just announced that they are coming out with the GKT 55 GCE plunge saw. The saw will feature a 1400-watt motor, 57mm (2-1/4″) cutting depth, 0-47° bevel range, and a die-cast magnesium base plate.
Bosch says that the plunge saw’s base will have two milled grooves that make them compatible with Bosch’s own guide rail system, or rail systems from other suppliers. (We’re thinking that this means the plunge saw will be compatible with Festool’s popular guide rail system.)
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The new plunge saw, with its variable speed 3600-6250RPM motor, can be used on wood, plastic, or aluminum. Bosch bundles the saw with a 48-teeth wood-cutting blade, but 5 more saw blades will soon be available. Additional accessories are pending release as well.
The plunge saw will be priced at EUR 359 for the plunge saw with blade, EUR 399 for the kit in an L-Boxx, and EUR 439 for the kit in an L-Boxx plus FSN 1600 Professional guide rail. ETA for European release is Oct. 2011.
Please note that this all relates to the European version of the tool. Details such as the model number are subject to change.
If you cannot wait for the Bosch version to come out, there are a couple of very decent alternatives already on the market, including the Festool TS 55 EQ that I purchased (and love) 3 months ago.
Iskariot says
I don’t think Festool is the one they are referring to. Could be you can remove the black insert you see to the left on the base to support Fes rails, but the Bosch rails look exactly like Mafell rails.
Monte says
The saw will be compatible with Festool + Mafell rails. The saw is developed by Mafell/Bosch. The guide rails will be supplied by Mafell i heard. If Bosch makes their own saw or Mafell for Bosch i don´t know.
Stuart says
Iskariot, you do have a point, and Monte, thank you for the additional insight!
I didn’t see any resemblance between the saw and Mafell’s offerings, and since the saw was not (yet?) announced in the United States, it will be tough to get an official comment on the matter.
Monte says
On the german website you´ll find it 🙂
“Mafell MT 55 C” is the name of the Mafell model
http://www.5gutegruende.de/mt55cc_de.html
http://www.mafell.de/cms_download/mafell/de/presse/MAFELLMT55Anwendung.jpg
Jan says
Saw this review while looking at the post about the new Festool plunge saw,
is this ever going to make it over here in the US?
Stuart says
Thus far Bosch hasn’t mentioned anything about bringing this saw to the US. My guess is that they would have to redesign the tool, and that potential sales just wouldn’t be strong enough to justify the expense.
Jerry says
That is too bad, I think Bosch’s Track saw would spice up the market here. Fierce competition brings rapid innovation 🙂
John S says
I am in the camp of wishing Bosch would bring this track saw here as well… man 🙁
Jan says
That is what I thought, but I clicked on the amazon link and it showed available plunge track saws. One is the Scheppach M90700 6 1/4-inch Blade Plunge Saw with Two 25″ Rails and Connector which seems to be dirt cheap compared to the rest,
do you have any experiance with that model?
Stuart says
Sorry, but I don’t have any experience with that Scheppach model. With a saw like that you might be limited with what types of accessories and guide rails you can use, and the quality might be an issue for higher precision work. At the sub-$300 price point, it might be better to look into a good circular saw and aftermarket guide system.
A quality track saw is a good investment. When you come across a $200 model, there are going to be sacrifices. The product was designed to be cheap, whereas Festool and other brands’ track saws were designed for performance, functionality, and ease of use.
Ryan says
How much is this going to cost to ship to the us? I could find a lot of uses for that little guy on jobs that don’t need a table saw to make a few rips. The kind of job where your not going to drag out the table saw so you either rip it at the shop the next day, or try out the skill saw.
Stuart says
There are a couple of track saws already available in the USA that work with USA power outlets. Importing and converting the Bosch isn’t worth the hassle.
Vinny says
Just purchased a gkt 55plunge saw while it’s accuracy is 100%.using the supplied 48t blade it leaves breakout on the underside and some chips on the surface when cutting laminates and melamine! Not very happy to say the least!!
Trey says
As other posts are correct the GKT 55 GCE is indeed the same as the Mafell MT 55CE. Other posts talk about Bosch bringing it to the US and why they have not done so. I understand through a Bosch executive that there are two reasons at the moment, one is that the market is sufficiently supplied with Festool and Dewalt and two is that there is an agreement to protect Mafell’s distributor in the US, Timberwolf Tools in Maine, http://www.timberwolftools.com. I could not find out how much longer the agreement is good for but in typical product roll outs there is a protection period then it disappears so I would guess in the next several years Bosch will bring it to the US under the Bosch name.
Mark says
Man, add me to the list of people wanting this saw. It can be ordered through several UK tool sites with the 110v option. But after you add in the VAT, the pounds to dollars conversion, and the overseas shipping, it’s pretty ridiculous cost wise.
Johnny says
The time must be coming for Bosch to launch their “Guide Rail” system in North America. After some considerable digging it appear the have comprehensive system (router, jig saw, circular saw and plunge saw) available in Europe.
Johnny4 says
8 years later. https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/circular-saws-gkt13-225l-198182-p/