This isn’t any kind of April Fools Day joke. Tomorrow, 4/1/2016, many of Festool’s prices are going up.
So how do you know whether that Festool tool or accessory you’ve been meaning to buy will be going up in price? Check out the list Festool Products (a Tool Nut company) put together.
Advertisement
There are several things on my own wishlist – cross braces for my MFT table, and quick-action clamps. The clamps I’ve been meaning to buy aren’t even on the list, and the MFT table leg cross braces will be going up in price by $2 to $80.
There’s a temptation for me to order the cross braces ASAP, but I’m still not convinced I need them. Yes, my MFT table could be sturdier, and that’s exactly what the cross braces are for, but I need more time to decide. $2 savings is not enough to persuade me to place an order before the price goes into effect.
For the highest-value tools and accessories, you might be looking at $10 to $40 price increases. But most items won’t be going up in price that much.
More Info(via Festool Products)
Prices aren’t just going up at Festool Products, they’re going up at all Festool dealers. Festool is one of those brands with strictly regulated retail pricing.
Related posts:
A First-Time Festool Owner’s Impression of the Pro 5 LTD Random Orbital Sander
Cutech Tool 6-Inch Spiral Cutter Benchtop Jointer (Have You Ever Heard of This Brand?)
Milwaukee Tool: The Next Breakthrough is Coming – Can You Guess What it is? (2018 Media Show Teaser)
New Milwaukee M18 Fuel Rear Handle 7-1/4″ Circular Saw
Todd H. says
LOL! Festool can keep their products, they’re way over priced for what you get any way so who really cares about they’re stupid price increase. I tested some of their tools side by side with other brands and they are certainly not worth even half of what they currently cost let alone increasing the price. What a joke.
fred says
I have not drunk the Festool Kool Aid – but some of their tools are very well made and fill a niche. I agree that they are way over the top on their pricing structure – especially for some of the little doo-dads – and add-ons – and their “no-discount” policy with their distributors seems like restraint of trade to me.
Do they compare favorably with other high- end European tool makers like Mafell and Fein? I think the answer is – only on some of their line.
Lots of folks use their dust extractors- which seem like one of their top offerings – but as long my old Fein keeps performing, I’ll stay with it.
Festool track saws – may not be up to the Mafell – but I bought one when their competition was still rather sparse. If I were doing it over today – I’d probably look at other offerings – but I don’t have any buyers remorse and have gotten lots of use out of the Festool over the years I’ve used it.
My only other Festool purchase was a Domino XL. Some would say it is obscenely expensive – but it has changed the way I work. I held off buying their original Domino machine – because of its size range – and held off on the XL until I saw the Seneca aftermarket offerings. I’d bet that once the Domino concept is off-patent , we will see other’s marketing less expensive – and maybe even better/more featured “Domino-Type” machines – but that’s life. It’s sort of like the Fein Multimaster – that once off-patent spawned a whole generation of oscillating tools.
RX9 says
I would be more willing to try one of their products, if it wasn’t for the proprietary battery system. The same goes for cordless stuff from Metabo, Hilti and a few other high end niche brands. I own an expensive corded Metabo grinder, well worth the money, but I wouldn’t have bought it had it been cordless and required investing in a whole one-brand battery system. Brands like Festool probably suffer in cordless sales simply because their lower cost competitors have better distribution and a greater product range. I’m sure Festool can beat the pants of a Ryobi, Black and Decker or Harbor Freight equivalent, but what about affordable and serious brands like Makita, Milwaukee and Dewalt?
RX9 says
My point is: the performance advantage may be there for Festool, but when weighed against the cost of being locked into a line with fewer and costlier offerings, many people would choose an inferior tool for that reason alone.
The same thing that killed off superior consoles like the CD-i, Neo Geo and 3DO back in the 90’s video game console wars is likely to have the same detrimental effect (although perhaps not as powerful) on niche cordless toolmakers today.
fred says
Your observation is spot on.
There is an analogous situation among other cordless tool brands.
When I worked, we had Makita 18V LXT tools in one part of the business and Milwaukee M12 in another. When we bought into each platform – we did it based on what they had to offer at the time – and whether those offerings would likely meet our needs. Once we had a pretty good stable of these lineups – it would have been hard to buy cordless tools from Bosch, Dewalt, Festool, Hitachi , Metabo et.al. – even if they had just introduced some nice tool. IMO, with cordless – it becomes as much about the battery platform – as the tool
Brian says
so, the USD is in the stratosphere and the euro is crap and they are increasing their price?
lol whatever, not like Im buying their stuff anyway.
Jason says
Festool does it every year. It’s kinda crap and any other tool company lowers prices over the long term. Festool plays a different game though. Some people might bash them on their pricing and it’s kinda deserved a little, but some of the Festool tools fit a really nice niche or are just really solid performers. Tools I would like from Festool is the tracksaw and some of their sanders that’s about it.
BikerDad says
Festool is playing a dangerous game here. I say that because here in the US their customer base is very heavy on well heeled hobbyists, and the tradesmen who work for the well heeled. This matters because the well-heeled are the ones who are most likely to know how the exchange rates are rolling. When a company raises prices while not bringing any additional value to the table, yet at the same time all the other imports from their country are getting cheaper here, the company runs the risk that their customers are going to conclude they are being played for suckers. There are few things more dangerous to a luxury goods company than giving customers the impression that the company thinks of them as suckers….
Graham Howe says
The only Festool tool I have really considered is the Domino. I have a cheap biscuit jointer which I don’t use often, but did just last week to help align boards in my workbench lamination. With good technique (taking my time and being really careful) I was able to get good results with the biscuits so I can’t justify a Domino there.
The only reason to have one is therefore for making quick strong joints, but every time I consider the purchase I keep telling myself that I’m being lazy. I am certainly capable of producing half lap joints, finger joints, mortise and tenon or even floating tenon joints with my other tools and these are all more than strong enough they just take a little longer.
fred says
I’ve had a Dewalt biscuit joiner for a lot of years. Like you – my observation is that this style of tool is useful more for alignment tasks than for making strong joints. Over the years I made mortise and tenon joints using a combination of techniques – using my table saw, a tenoning jig, a drill press and mortise chisels, a router and jigs, mortise chisels, shoulder planes and so on. It was all a bit fussy and time consuming.
Since buying the Domino XL – I’ve made 3 sets of garden furniture – a repeat of a desk that had been made the old way, 1 exterior door, 2 pantries, and a batch of cabinets. The time difference was remarkable – but as might be expected the cost of the combined tooling and dominoes from Festool, Seneca Woodworking and Woodpeckers – was more than remarkable (my wife presented me with the basic tool – and said the price was obscene – but I think the same about some of the handbags she carries.)
Mark says
Just me or does it look like cheep plastic crap?
Stuart says
It’s not just you.
To their credit, the tools feel like sturdy plastic.
Pablo says
I’m a hobbyist, bought a few Festool items (tracksaw, vac, a bunch of their sanders), and ended up selling most of it. While they had some good innovations years ago, the rest of the market has caught up and paying their markup isn’t worth it anymore. Especially not at their current prices…their $400 tracksaw is now near $700, with no improvements in the product.
Travis says
I jumped on a purchase of a 55″ guide rail for my Makita track saw I just purchased. I did this only because I am on my 3rd 55″ Makita guide rail from Amazon. All 3 have been bow/warped new out of the box. The 1st one would rock when flat on a table, the cutting splinter guard was 1/4″ off the table. The 2nd would still rock but not near as bad, and the 3rd guide rail was not straight down the edge.
I was tired of trying to find a good one as I paid double the cost of one Makita and upgraded to the Festool guide rail before the price increased even more.