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I have mentioned some of my Festool power tool and accessory purchases here on ToolGuyd before. You can see my previous reviews, previews, and other Festool tool coverage here.
I like to think that I can be objective and fair when talking about Festool tools. This sounds easy, but it’s not. When you deliberate about a tool purchasing decision and then plunk down a large chunk of change, you have already justified the purchase to yourself.
For example, buying a Festool dust extractor vacuum isn’t the same as buying a shop vacuum at the local home improvement store (or Sears – their Craftsman vacs are quite good). It’s a big investment, and the psychology is different.
It’s almost like dating someone vs. getting married. Buying a new $8 stamped utility kitchen knife vs. a $150 Santoku. A Festool purchase requires a higher level of financial investment, and thus there’s a certain level of higher mental commitment.
Keep in mind that I’m not a psychologist – my Dr. comes from a completely different field – I’m making this stuff up as I go along. But I hope it makes sense.
A Festool purchase isn’t willy-nilly for DIYers, woodworkers, or professionals. It’s almost always going to be a calculated and very well thought out decision.
In a recent comment in reply to my New Tool Buy: Festool MFT Table post, Evan asks:
I would love to hear an update on your thoughts about the table, and what justifies the price for a beginner woodworker.
The MFT/3 is tricky in this respect, as in some ways it is a great general purpose accessory workbench. But its utility is really tied to how well it pairs with Festool power tools and guide rails. The MFT multi-function table loses a lot of its benefits if you don’t use it with Festool power tools. Without its accessories, it is overpriced and maybe even too frail for general all-around needs.
That brought me to wonder about whether Festool tools are appropriate for beginner woodworkers. I would like to tell you that I thought long and hard about this question, but that’s simply not true. The answer came to me quickly.
Keep in mind that I have invested hard-earned personal money into Festool products. I have received tool samples at no cost, but also bought the tools and accessories I needed or wanted for personal use.
NO! Beginner woodworkers should NOT be buying Festool power tools.** They could, but they shouldn’t.
There are some exceptions. There are certain Festool tools that are uniquely functional such that they provide universal appeal and utility. Festool’s Systainers, Sortainers, and other such storage products are a great example. Another example is their drill dust collection nozzle, which should work great with a shop vacuum or even a household vacuum in a pinch.
There are 2 types of beginners: those who are just getting started and have no idea what they want to do, and those who have a better sense of what their needs are.
Beginner woodworkers who don’t have any idea about what they want to do should take the time to figure that before plunking down money for Festool tools.
Beginner woodworkers sometimes know what they want to do, or they might think they know what they want to do. A lot of times, a woodworker’s project ideas and tool needs change, sometimes drastically, and early on.
For the price of a Festool track saw, one could instead buy a good circular saw, a miter saw, and maybe even a portable table saw. Or a circular saw, some clamping guides, and a whole lot of hand tools.
Jumping into woodworking wallet-first, or into any hobby or interest wallet-first, is generally a bad idea.
**But if a beginner woodworker KNOWS that Festool tools are appropriate for their needs and wants, and have the budget for it, more power to them.
If a beginner knows that they might benefit most from a Festool tool, as opposed to whatever else they could buy with the same money, then who’s to argue or judge?
If a beginner can identify WHY they need a Festool tool over other less expensive options, then they can ignore most of everything else I said. But most often, beginners see the Festool hype – which is often deserved – and think they need to buy “the best.”
Don’t buy the best simply because that’s what you read on the internet, buy the best for your needs (and budget). Beginner woodworkers usually don’t know what’s best for their needs, because they might not even know what they need yet. Sometimes that will be Festool, sometimes not.
Plan, learn, buy, work, repeat X-number of times, and then buy Festool tools if they suit you.
What I’d like to avoid is encouraging beginners to:
Buy, plan, learn, complain or be discouraged, sell, buy something else, work.
Beginner-Friendly?
In response to James C’s comment, it’s not that Festool tools aren’t beginner-friendly, although some of them do have learning curves. But that beginners usually lack the experience to know whether a Festool tool is right for their needs.
Festool tools usually have more capabilities than most beginner woodworkers really need. How does a beginner woodworker know that a Festool circular saw, router, sander, jigsaw, or other power tool is best for their needs when they’ve never used any such tool before?
My point is that a beginner shouldn’t splurge for Festool tools – or other premium tools – before they know what they would use them for.
I suppose the same is true for other tool categories. You learn what you need through use and experience.
There are bound to be beginners saying “I heard that Festool’s circular saw is the best, should I buy that?” You should buy a Festool power tool when you know what you need in that kind of power tool. Maybe a Festool tool is the right tool for the job, but for beginners that’s usually not true.
A beginner woodworker might just need to make a couple of crosscuts in 2×4 wood boards. You don’t need a Festool track saw for that. If you need a clean-cutting plunge-cutting saw that can also more easily break down sheet goods with straight and crisp lines, and with minimal dust spewed into the air, that’s when you buy a Festool track saw and dust extraction combo. That is true for beginner, intermediate, advanced, or professional woodworkers, at least those that have the budget for it.
All I’m trying to say is that beginners should sit on their credit cards and choose their first purchases wisely. Don’t run out and buy a table saw either. For the longest time woodworking was centered around table saws, but that’s no longer true.
“I want to get into woodworking and need to buy a table saw, which one do you recommend?”
Well what do you want to use the table saw for?
“Umm… I need a table saw to do woodworking.”
Why?
If you can’t explain why you need a table saw, you probably don’t need a table saw. Insert “Festool power tool” in place of “table saw” and hopefully my point is clearer.
I have known people who jumped into woodworking and started buying tools before they knew what their first project to be! The reader’s question about Festool’s MFT table was a valid one, as I too had eyeballed it for a while wondering the same thing myself – whether it would be suitable for general purpose use. I bought mine not as a general purpose bench, but because it would expand how I could use my existing Festool tools, and make certain cutting tasks quicker and easier to accomplish.
So Evan, if you’ve read this far, I’m not at all talking about you here. Your question was a pretty good one, but it also made me think about all of the beginners who buy tools before an idea or project is even in the planning stage.
If you’re a beginner, plan out some projects, buy a couple of tools as needed, complete those projects, figure out what kind of woodworking you like best, and then go from there. There’s plenty of time to spend money.
It’s Not Just About Festool
While I’m focusing on Festool as a power tool brand that beginners probably shouldn’t look at, similar things can be said about certain brands of hand tools and stationary equipment.
Although not at all about woodworking or tools at all, another memory came to the surface.
“I want to get into photography, do you think I should get this [expensive dSLR camera] and [expensive lens] or a [slightly less expensive dSLR camera] with [more expensive lens]?”
Okay, what kind of photography do you want to do?
*Blank Stare*
What do you take photos of now?
“Not much of anything.”
So I told my friend to take 200 photos with the prosumer digital camera he already owned and then we’d talk. After 6 months I checked back and he took maybe 10 photos. He still couldn’t tell me what his needs were – only that he wanted a camera that “takes good pictures.”
What I’m trying to get at, and perhaps I didn’t make this as clearly as I intended, is that it’s not a good idea for a beginner to buy Festool tools – or any other premium-tiered tools – before they know what they need or want them for.
Maybe Festool Tools are Okay for Beginners After All?
Well of course they’re okay for beginners.