Our friends over at ToolNut and Festool Products sent over a shiny new Festool Carvex jigsaw for us to test out and review. The Carvex looks like a jigsaw, it cuts like a jigsaw, but it’s unlike any jigsaw I have ever used.
Buy Now: D-Handle Kit, Barrel Grip Kit (via Festool products)
Because the Carvex is so different, I will be breaking up the review into a couple of parts. To start off, I want to discuss whether I feel its $350 price tag is justified. This way the other parts of the review can focus more on the tool itself.
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Before we begin, a big thanks to ToolNut for sending over the test sample. I have spent maybe $1500-2000 with them on tools and consumables in the past few years, mainly via their Amazon storefront, and wouldn’t hesitate to give them more of my business in the future.
Test sample provided by:
The black and white truth is that Festool is one of those brands whose tools you are almost guaranteed to love. In reality, not everything Festool makes is golden, but many if not most of their tools do lead the market in terms of features and performance.
Festool tools are expensive investments, and those who buy into the brand typically tend to convince themselves and others that their purchases are well-justified.
In a nutshell, I feel that, at $350 for the base kit, you do get your money’s worth.
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Festool tools tend to be priced higher than competing products for one simple reason – they cost more to make.
Quality – the tool is made in Germany, and it looks and feels extremely robust. Construction is top-notch, materials are top-notch, and even aspects you wouldn’t normally pay much attention to, such as the power cord, are exceptional.
Features and Attention to Detail – it’s not just that the jigsaw is fully-featured, but that it was engineered with extreme attention to detail. Nothing is haphazard, nothing is accidental, and nothing is thrown in just because a marketing executive thinks it looks good.
In my opinion, Festool does not seem to design and produce products in the same way as their competitors. Instead of designing their tools around a particular price point, they engineer their tools as solutions that solve a problem or tackle applications as best as possible.
With the Carvex, there is a wealth of features to learn about and become accustomed to. That’s also why I feel the need to break the review up into different sections. Our Festool Carvex jigsaw preview discusses many of its features in greater detail.
There’s the slide-down guard, the strobe light, easy-change base plates, detachable rubber-coated power cord, top handle trigger, side triggers, included dust collection port, bundled Systainer, superb blade guidance, powerful brushless motor, and compact lightweight feel, just to name a few.
Are You Paying More for the Festool Name? – No, I wouldn’t say you are, at least not in the obvious way, but you do pay a little more because the Carvex is part of a system. Festool’s tools and accessories all work very well together, and you can also use 3rd party accessories such as guide rails and dust extractors. I imagine that at least part of the price is derived from efforts to maintain that system-wide compatibility whether you want or need it or not.
Disclosure – Although I own a couple of Festool tools, I don’t think it’s influencing me, but will leave it to you to judge whether I am capable of approaching this objectively or not.
Risk-Free – If you are strongly considering a Carvex, or any Festool power tool, you really, REALLY should try it for yourself. Festool dealers, including ToolNut and their Festool Products specialty shop, all offer 30-day money-back guarantees. Or you can head in to any local Festool dealer.
Buy Now(via Festool Products)
Price discussions tend to be very subjective. My opinion that the Carvex jigsaw is worth its $350 sticker price is based strictly on product and price considerations. If you rarely use a jigsaw, only use one for the most basic of cuts, or don’t need high precision, then this most likely isn’t the best jigsaw for your needs. This is why my opinion only looks at what you get vs. what you pay, otherwise there are too many variables to consider. Whether you need this jigsaw and can justify its $350 jigsaw is something maybe the next parts of the review can help out with.
Thank you to ToolNut for providing the review sample unconditionally. Review samples are typically given away, donated, or retained for benchmark and comparison purposes.
LORDDiESEL
Price and how much you use it, is really what it comes down to. I use my Bosch a couple times a week. It’s a great tool for 180 bucks, and have had no problems with it. If i had to use it 8 hours a day full time, that’s a different story. I’d probably drop the 350 on the Fes.
Tim Rowledge
There’s also a portion of the buying populous that likes items they see as good quality and is willing to forego beer or fags or whatever to make the money available. Some people go for antiques, some for original art, some for exotic cars. I like Festool, Minimax, Apple, Multiplex etc.
Others want everything cheap and don’t care how expensive that turns out to be.
LORDDiESEL
Fags? What are you talking about?
Stuart
Cigarettes. Beer or cigarettes. Tim might be writing in from the UK.
Butch
UK Slang for Cigarette from Fagot for a burning ember. I first heard this from a teacher in high school when he asked a friend and I if we were having a fagot outside the school.
Joe
To me just by going by the picture because I have never had a Festool jigsaw in my hand the quality doesn’t look nearly as good as a Bosch,Makita,Dewalt or a Milwaukee jigsaw it looks rather cheap looking ,the base and trigger are really cheap looking and no rubber overmold for better grip.
Stuart
I can’t say I share your impression. Construction feels quite solid, and despite the absence of overmolding, it’s comfortable to hold and use.
Dan Roberts
You need to actually look at the tool not a photo. For that matter having an opinion about a tool you’ve never even touched is an interesting exercise in futility.
Maximus
The Festool Carvex 420 is in a class of its own.There are many reviews that compare it to other jigsaws.This Isnot your regular jigsaw it’s a precision cutting machine.You need to test drive one of them to see what it can do.This tool follows any tight curve flawlessly.No vibration or chatter very smooth.I have tested it with other saws Bosch Makita dewalt.No comparison.Festool comes ahead everytime.If you are looking for a precision machine to do very accurate cutting then this is the unit to buy.
Dreamcatcher
I gotta agree with LordDiesel, $350 would be near n0thing to spend on a tool that you use all day everyday. What I don’t understand is what tradesman uses a jigsaw that much? I may use a jigsaw for days on end to cope crown but I don’t see any tool company running to make a jigsaw that is easier to use upside down and backwards (note to tool companies: it certainly isn’t the top handle version jigsaw). Instead we get a strobe light and an angle base? For starters, even on jobsites I rarely have trouble seeing my line so much that I need a tool light. That usually just means I need to rethink my work zone not find a tool with a light. Secondly, I think the angle base looks interesting but then I thought… who’s trying to miter using a jigsaw?
I think we would really need to identify a ‘professional’ use for this tool before attempting to judge it’s value to all trades. I mean, I am a pro remodel-carpenter who also specializes in trimwork and cabinetmaking. You’d think that somewhere in there I would be the target market. But I am really not seeing the value to me when compared to the competition.
Also, I’d like to note that while Bosch makes great jigsaws for way less money I happen to own a Metabo jigsaw. Considering that Metabo is also European made (Switzerland), cost about the same as Bosch, yet for a while now has had many of the same quality features that Bosch and Festool are just now coming out with, I would say that Metabo could be the ‘unsung hero’ of jigsaws. It also works quite well upside down and backwards.
Stuart
It’s often used for cutouts, notching, and trimming materials to size.
For instance, let’s say you install a new gas stove on top of a cabinet. The new gas line interferes with the cabinet shelf, so you could whip out a jigsaw and trim down the corner or notch the edge to accommodate the hose.
The other common application I can think of is for countertop cutouts.
dreamcatcher
Stuart, I think you misunderstood my question….
I know the tasks that a common jigsaw is used for. I want to know what specific uses might justify the $350 price of the Festool Carvex? If it is just for notching the backs of cabinets and cutting out particle board countertops then I am certainly not sold since neither of those tasks require high precision so any $20 jigsaw would work fine. I assume you meant laminate countertop since I couldn’t imagine going at a butcherblock top with any jigsaw vs. a router and template. Also, I didn’t see a stone cutting blade in the carvex line up (although a jigsaw that cut stone would justify the price).
My guess is that most will be sold for the purpose of cutting out plywood lawn ornaments. We all know that ‘cowboy leaning against a post’ silhouettes require the utmost precision jigsaw cutting.
Then again, I haven’ t used one yet. Has anyone tested it at mitering baseboard and casing? If it replaces my miter saw then $350 is a deal.
Stuart
Ah, thanks for clarifying your question.
The Carvex is not some kind of miracle jigsaw, but I have so far found that it creates exceptionally clean cut lines and more easily tackles higher precision cutting tasks. The baseplate accessories greatly enhances the Carvex experience.
For the extra money compared to other brands’ jigsaws, you do get a more featured tool that is very well constructed.
Application-wise, I find that the different base plates, which are available separately or as part of an all-encompassing accessory set, definitely add to the Carvex’s usage experience.
This is the type of tool you don’t want to consider for once a month lawn ornament use.
One of the things I like about the Carvex is how the angled base can be used for angled cuts on straight board edges without the need for other guides or accessories. Its compass is also quite handy, and allows for up to almost 5-foot radius curves.
Butch
I’ve had several jig-saws over the years. I’ve mounted them upside down in a table as a crude band/scroll saw, and built rooms using 4x lumber before I had a circular saw. They’re great for cutting other materials such as wood and plastic because of the wide variety of blades. Dewalt makes a blade that can cut right up to the front of the saw. I like the Bosch blades that have very minimal tearout on melamine and plywood. As to the Festool, It’s Great!!! one of my favorite things is the strobe light that is timed to the stroke of the blade, makes it look like the blade is standing still during a cut. So much easier to cut to a line. I now have a band saw, scroll saw, table saw, chop saw, radial arm saw, and a circular saw and still reach for the Festool jig saw at least once a week for something.
Pedro A Malave Sosa
Iboth one in sear-PR but I need Instruction page for me to work it did not have it in the box will yuo send me one Thanks
Dan Roberts
I have been a sculptor and professional stringed instrument builder for 30 years. I used to use a porter cable jigsaw for cutting out slotted pegheads on a neck that has 60.00 worth of mahogany and a $100.00 brazilian rosewood overlay. The old porter cable jigsaw ( which was considered an excellent saw 30 years ago when I bought it) vibrated so badly and cut so poorly that it was difficult not to botch the job.
When I bought my first Festool jigsaw it was a dream how vibration free it was but because of the intricacy of the work I do with it and the plastic shield which helps dust collection, made it very difficult to see the pencil lines relative to the blade… The carvex is a huge improvement. It will pay for itself building $6500.00 guitars and mandolins in no time. If you don’t think you need it then go buy one you do like. I am thrilled that festool has now addressed the issue of poor vision on intricate cutting jobs. The fact that the strobe lights essentially make the blade look like it isn’t moving is fantastic!