# Bit the Bullet (Bought A Festool 1400)



## jackson74 (Dec 10, 2014)

So I was shopping for a new router and gonna get a classic PC model but decided to just get my first Festool tool. This was to replace an old Skill plunge fixed combo that just made so much noise and was a bit clunky but not all that bad...

I would have lived with the Skill a bit longer but the on/off switch would jamb up and jump back to on when I thought it was off...

The main reason I did it was I had a decent year financially , I am trying to be "one and done" with any tools I purchase meaning purchasing quality over junk and the router is my favorite tool so might as well make it my best tool...

But the main reason I did it was safety, I just really like the d handle plunge with a trigger at my hands, detachable power cord on the handle , dust collection and chip catcher... Those are what made me spend the extra bucks...

I have not spent a lot of time with it.. I have edged a few boxes with it and I will say it is the quietest and smoothest tool I probably ever have used... I mean for a router it is quite.. I hardly know it is on (but the Skil was SO loud)

On the downside all the things I thought I would love I have a bit of disappointment in...

1) the chip catcher gets caught on the edges when taking the corner and just sort of gets in the way (maybe I am missing something or doing something incorrect)

2) the dust port makes seeing the bit difficult and again on corners I cannot really see where I am... I like to pull back at corners and end grain and slowly take them out to avoid an blow out... Without the dust port on chips fly at you and the area is all open

All and all though the router is extremely nice and hopefully I just need to get use to it. The ratchet bit changes are very nice.. The plunging is smooth and nice and really the entire router is just smooth in general.

If Dewalt ,Bostch or any of the other good names made something comparable I would probably have saved a few bucks and bi-passed the Festool but no one else had all these features in one router.. Bostch seems to be on everyone's coat tails so I am sure any day they will release something similar for half the price LOL...


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

Congratulations on your new toy, I'm real proud of you ,you were able to justify your purchase always good to justify what we want good luck with your new router.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Congrats on your new router. I bought the same one and have the same issue , it gets stuck going around the corner . Now I do one side and shut it off and turn the cup for the next run . Did you notice it seems strangely quite ?

I do find it a nuisance to remove bushings to as you need three hands , but otherwise its pretty cool . I may break down and buy there vacuum


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## jackson74 (Dec 10, 2014)

Thanks!

I tend to really think out tool purchases, trying not to go to cheapo and not to over buy.. I think my wife almost had a stroke when I told her I was buying it , but she is a strong believer in buying good quality tools even though she doesn't use them.

Festool is tough, when I first saw them I thought "yeah right" but they definitely do some innovative things that draw you in,, the 1400 did that for me.


"Did you notice it seems strangely quite ?"

My wife was with me when I turned it on, and after doing one small 16" edge I turned it off and said "wow, that is extremely quite" and she just said "wow"... She has been around many of my routers and the Skill was just really loud ... like "I am going to kill you today" loud...

I always ask my neighbors when I see them if I am to loud at all and the only thing they ever say they hear is the router... I think that is over now and probably alone worth the premium....

I was about to buy a Dewalt 735 planer but after hearing so many reviews of how loud it is and now this change I think I am going a different direction...

Quite tools feel more nice and even safer, even if it is only mental, and I do not want to piss of neighbors. The quietness of this thing was an unexpected surprise for me ... Hopefully I get a bit more comfortable on taking out corners I have not used the chip catcher the last couple times just so I can watch the bit and get a better feel...


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

I also have that router and have the same problems. I do like the dust being sucked up, but it is hard to see the bit.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

You will never regret the purchase. If you ever decide to sell it it will go in a second while the others remain on Craigslist for months. Yours is a gem compared to the dime a dozen other ones out there. Congratulations on s great purchase. As for the Dewalt planner it is loud but the nice part about it is the it has a very strong blower system so you don't need to hook it up to a dust collection system. There are plans on the internet to build a chip collector out of some pvc pipe and a garbage can.


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

When I turned it on it was so quiet I thought there was an issue and it was only spinning 2000 rpm lol . 
One thing I like is there is no noticeable play while plunging . I may buy there aluminum guides but I'm working on a CNC router table so that may be a bit redundant and a waste of resources

One thing to watch out for . I bought there bushing guide that holds Porter Cable brass bushings , and I plunged to far and the Chuck spun in the bushing and got jammed in it . Was a pain to get out


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

Congratulations. The longer you own it and use it, the more you will appreciate all the details that went into its design and smooth operation.

Once dust collection becomes a priority in the shop, the hassle of dragging the hose around with the router will become second nature. I use a hanger clipped to the table to keep the hose and power cord out of the way.

Its smooth start up and auto load/speed modulation is a real plus.

Not sure why us Festool owners seem to have to justify the high price. Silly really. It is built like a Mercedes\BMW and performs like one. Hell, if you had to make this in the USA, it would cost just as much.

Funny what happens to the price of a product when you have to pay an adult a fair wage, health care, workman's comp, vacation, medical or maternity leave, jury or military duty, meet EPA regulations, OSHA, health and safety codes, pension, severance, over time, comfortable work area, and the list goes on.


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## Cochese (Jan 12, 2010)

Just curious, have you noticed a little bit of a jingle when you start it up? Like the ratchet lock is vibrating for about a half-second or so?

Apparently it's common. Never mind.


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## jackson74 (Dec 10, 2014)

Thanks everyone..

after more extended use ....I love the dahm thing to death... It is just so smooth and quite and safe feeling I would buy it again in a heartbeat...

I am not sure it is the router for everyone and can see people spending a couple hundred less and being happy...

I have gotten use to most my early gripes.. Though I still cannot see the bit at all I have better feel for where I am on edge profiles and that is all I really need...

I do a lot of 1/2" round-overs on plywood's and sheet goods (for laminating) and I use the same bit , a Freud Quatra ...

I am amazed mostly at how the Festool router has eliminated blowout and chip out.. I would not think that the actual router would effect that as much as it has..

I have not noticed much vibrating from the ratchet mechanism..

As for the Dewalt planer... I am really lost on what to get at this point... I was set on the Dewalt , but then leaning towards a combo spiral cutter head... I have a side shed for my DC that sits in the corners and I sound proofed a bit so the blower in the 735 is actually a downside. I debate just getting a planer and "jig" the face planing as I can edge joint on my Incra table as good as any of these low budget combos I am looking at...

I really wish they had a benchtop 13" planer, spiral cutter head with an induction motor.. Right now I am debating the Rikon 13" with spiral cutter 

Space is a major issue as well so bench top planers and jointers (face-planing) has much more appeal..


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Glad to hear you happy with your investment . For the price they charge it truly is an investment , but a worth while one IMO .
I would do it again without hesitation . It sure has a quality feel to it and as for the noise I have no idea how they do it 

If I ever get the funds for a planer I'm going with a GI 15" . The motor and knives are mounted in the top and the bottom stays stationary . This really helps because your in and outfield table stay at one height

http://www.general.ca/products/1_general/30_planer/30-115.html


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## timbertailor (Oct 4, 2009)

RainMan1 said:


> Glad to hear you happy with your investment . For the price they charge it truly is an investment , but a worth while one IMO .
> I would do it again without hesitation . It sure has a quality feel to it and as for the noise I have no idea how they do it
> 
> If I ever get the funds for a planer I'm going with a GI 15" . The motor and knives are mounted in the top and the bottom stays stationary . This really helps because your in and outfield table stay at one height
> ...


That is one nice looking helical cutter head on that bad boy. I also like spending YOUR money!!!!!!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

timbertailor said:


> This is one nice looking helical cutter head on that bad boy. I also like spending YOUR money!!!!!!


Well I haven't got it yet Brad , just one of those tools that I have on my list . But I'm trying to get in a position where I can get a CNC RT like ScottArts , so this may be a long process 

But I really think that planer is a good choice . Nothing to extreme but not a cheap unit either


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