Spent $300 on a fancy track saw kit and honestly my old circular saw with a clamped straightedge cuts just as straight

I bought the Festool track saw setup after everyone online swore it would change my life, but after 6 months of using it on cabinets and shelves I'm realizing my $80 Skilsaw with a homemade guide cuts the same lines and I could have bought lumber for three kitchens with that money - has anyone else regretted dropping serious cash on a tool that didn't actually save them time?

2 comments

2 Comments

davidwright15d ago

I've actually had the opposite experience with mine, been using it for about a year now and I can't go back. The dust collection alone on the Festool is worth the money for me because I don't have to wear a respirator and clean sawdust out of every corner of my shop for an hour after each cut. But I think the bigger thing is the splintering - my old Skilsaw always left a rough edge on plywood even with a good blade, and I spent more time sanding and filling than I ever saved on the initial cut price. Maybe it depends on what you're building, if you're doing rough stuff or framing it probably doesn't matter, but for finished cabinets and furniture I'd rather pay more upfront than fight tearout later. Not saying you're wrong, just that the track saw clicked for me in a way my old setup never did.

quinnj2414d ago

That thing about "maybe it depends what you're building" hits on something I notice everywhere - how we overspend on gear before we really know what our actual problem is.