# Many disappointments with this router



## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

That's a serious bummer.

I think most brands are best known for specific items that they brought to market and perfected well ahead of the "me too" competition. But once they gain brand recognition, they feel obligated to capitalize on their name and make one of everything else, and sometimes these items wind up mediocre.

I'd love to have a Festool sander, track saw or domino, but don't think I'd look to them for a cordless drill, router or miter saw.

Hope you can warm up to the router and get some productive work done with it.


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## rustynails (Jun 23, 2011)

Festool has a money back program send it back?


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## felkadelic (Jun 12, 2011)

Unfortunately Festool's instruction manuals are notoriously bad. They offer supplementary manuals for many of their tools via festoolusa.com, but I don't see one for the OF1400. If you look up the YouTube channel for HalfInchShy, there are very detailed demonstrations on advanced usage for many Festool tools.

Not sure where you saw the picture that suggested the edge guide was included, but the Festool website is very clear what's included.

With regards to the plug, the heavier-duty cord is usable for all of their tools, so just leave that one connected to your dust extractor and never have to worry about it again.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

So…...you were very disappointed with it and gave it 3.5 stars. I am confus


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## MagicalMichael (Dec 26, 2016)

I gave it 3 stars. It is well balanced, powerful, and ergonomic. The plug is not compatible. The plugs for the sander and joiner have an indent on one side and a small protrusion on the other. The plug for the saw lacks the protrusion. I always leave one cord attached to the dust collector and was surprised to find it would not mate with the router. I then tested the new plug with the older tool & could not get that to work either.

Thanks for the tip about the return program; I'll look into it. I may have been careless and missed the omission of the edge guide, but not about the 28 mm dust port limitation. It isn't in the advertising and it didn't come up in half a dozen YouTube reviews.

I will probably get a table (Kreg?, Woodpecker?, Triton?) and mount my Triton router to it. That should cover the rare occasions I use a bit larger than 28 mm. I will also work to completely extract the three posts, grease them and see if I can reposition them in a more useable pattern.

Thanks for all the suggestions, Michael


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## mikeber (Jan 17, 2016)

Most times I've been dissapointed with a tool, it was due to MY expectations. Expectations and assumptions. I assumed things that existed only in my mind. When I bought a tool without expecting much of it, I was positively impressed. 
Problem is when you pay 3 times the price of an avarage router, it's hard not to have expectations. 
I also have a question: how do you use this router in a router table?


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## MagicalMichael (Dec 26, 2016)

As best I can tell this router can only be used in a festool router table, which of course costs about 2.5X what most do. It looks like a great table and has quick clamps to connect. However given the limitations of the dust shroud you would probably want to go with the 2200 at an even higher price. I have the Triton 2 1/2 HP power router and will probably mount that into a table. I think their dust collection, which is mediocre in a hand held operation, should be pretty good in a table set up. BTW, I hate the switch on my Triton, but that's probably another review.
Michael


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## REL (May 22, 2008)

It's the cost of Festool that get to us. I agree some of their tools are worth it. Domino (original) is great. I would think the bigger Domino is also great. My Midi vacuum/dust collector is good. I'm not so sure about the track saw I own. I prefer and use my SawStop more often.

I agree with some of you guys above. You don't always get what you pay extra for. I'm very happy with my Bosch, Makita, Dewalt, Rigid Delta, and Porter Cable drills, routers, biscuit cutter, sanders, hand electric planer and shop dust collector. Heck, I have 3 router kits with plunge attachments and others accessories for less than the cost of a single Festool router!!!

I also own a German (Austrian made) Hammer combo jointer/planer with a Bryd spiral head. Am not so sure it was worth the cost with extras of over $4,200.00. There seems to be a plethora of combo jointer/planers available from the Far East at about half the price. Grizzly comes to mind. The bandsaw I own from Grizzly has been well worth its fair cost .


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## Desert_Woodworker (Jan 28, 2015)

> Festool has a money back program send it back?
> 
> - rustynails


+1 (only on the tool not the accessories)


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## playingwithmywood (Jan 10, 2014)

I do not understand why people buy Festool to start with the router you bought has a fixed selling price of

$570 for one router

Or for $530 someone could have 
1. Triton 3-1/4 HP Dual-Mode Plunge Router $280
2. Dewalt DW618PK Heavy-Duty 2-1/4 HP maximum motor HP EVS Fixed Base/Plunge Router Combo Kit w/Soft Start $250

prices at rocker but you probably should shop around and get a better deal something Festool does not allow and why I do not buy Festool it is like the communist tool company with the price fixing

So that is 2 birds with one stone someone would have a great router for the table and a router for free hand stuff with fixed and plunge base

And Yes I do own both routers used them for year now and they are wonderful

I do love the color green but it is not worth the price so I like to keep it mostly in my pocket


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## MagicalMichael (Dec 26, 2016)

I have sinus issues that make me highly sensitive to wood dust. I first bought a festool domino joiner to simplify construction and the dust collector for obvious reasons. I was amazed at how efficient the combination was at virtually eliminating dust, compared to my previous method of routing mortises. Then I bought the three inch sander and found it equally effective. MY PC sander does a good job and not too bad when fitted with a hole patterned base and the festool collector.

Until recently my router was a 25 year old Ryobi, which amongst other issues threw dust all over my shop. I resisted even using it and even disassembled my abandoned, home made router table. So, after much study I bought the 2 1/2 hp Triton, which gets pretty good reviews and can be gotten for about $220. I found it better than the Ryobi but less than I expected and need. Looking at he design I guessed it would do much better in a table and plan to put it there when the budget allows. So I bit the bullet and laid out the big bucks for the festool. I'm still hoping that over time I can overcome most of the original disappointments, except the bit size limitation. It's perhaps unfortunate that the first thing I wanted to do with this router router was half round 25 feet of edge. I did the job, cleaned the shop and left it.

Michael


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Whenever I buy a new tool, if it has been discounted, that sends a message to me saying; "this tool competes with other like tools because our tool is not the clear cut best tool on the market". With Festool, the snobbery factor is a big plus. It sets apart the professional and the average Joe woodworker. It's like saying "I drive a Mercedes".


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I personally have never seen the overall value for the price in Festool. 
I have about 7-8 routers bouncing around in my shop, everything from a $44 dollar HF that has been in a Bosch router table for years, to my go-to Bosch hog, which I used to chamber out somewhere in the neighborhood of 85 guitar bodies, (and wore out about a dozen carbide straight bits in the process), not to mention the dozens if not hundreds of other projects where I needed it. I think I paid around $215 for it. Still running, although it does need to be taken apart and cleaned.

And as far as dust sensitivity, I am getting there, so now when I use a router, or my larger sanders, I simply put on one of those Gerson P95 throwaway respirators from Harbor Freight. At $16.99 without a 20% coupon, I simply toss it about every six months or so. Cheaper than replacing filters and no worries about straps wearing out, rubber getting hard, etc.

Sorry, I can't justify paying what would be over $600 in my state, including tax, for a router.


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## Desert_Woodworker (Jan 28, 2015)

For those who need more understanding on Festool and the type of woodworker that uses them, let me suggest this video by Stumpy Nubs


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## playingwithmywood (Jan 10, 2014)

> Whenever I buy a new tool, if it has been discounted, that sends a message to me saying; "this tool competes with other like tools because our tool is not the clear cut best tool on the market". With Festool, the snobbery factor is a big plus. It sets apart the professional and the average Joe woodworker. It s like saying "I drive a Mercedes".
> 
> - MrRon


 "There's a sucker born every minute" P. T. Barnum


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## playingwithmywood (Jan 10, 2014)

> For those who need more understanding on Festool and the type of woodworker that uses them, let me suggest this video by Stumpy Nubs
> 
> 
> 
> ...


if we are talking videos I like AVE 



and glad I bought a Dewalt Tracksaw


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## nowhereman (May 9, 2009)

The photo you you show is not the 1400 it's the 2200. Is this a real review?


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## Desert_Woodworker (Jan 28, 2015)

PWWood- AvE is the best!...........


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## playingwithmywood (Jan 10, 2014)

> PWWood- AvE is the best!...........
> 
> - Desert_Woodworker


skookum as frig!


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## Desert_Woodworker (Jan 28, 2015)

> PWWood- AvE is the best!...........
> 
> - Desert_Woodworker
> 
> ...


 +1 LOL


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## MagicalMichael (Dec 26, 2016)

Yes, it's a real review. The site wouldn't let me post until I added a picture, but rather than going to the trouble of taking a picture I grabbed one of google images.

I was back in the store yesterday and the explained a few things. First, festool has two wires, heavier & lighter depending on the needs of the tool. The lighter one cannot be mounted on the bigger voltage router but I should be able to mount the heavier one on the lighter tools, but warned that I would notice the weight difference as I maneuvered the tools around. Second some of the stiffness in all the fittings will lesson in time. He demonstrated this on their demo, which is many years old. He showed me that festool used to have an actual philips head on top of the post & acknowledged that the new design was hard to move. He thought my idea of working them out & greasing the threads was worth a try. He claimed that you can defeat the 28mm limitation by mounting the dust port first then lowering the router all the way and sliding the larger bit up. I don't believe it but will give it a try, when I have time.

I need to make 42 feet of ogee molding this week, so I'll get another chance to learn to like this router.


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## Beezle (Jan 22, 2011)

Your photo is of a different Festool router. The 2200. Great router, I have one.

I also have the 1400. I've been pleased with it.

The power plug is different because some tools use a heavier gauge cord. So the router needs that heavier cord. But do know that the cord that came with the router will work with the other tools.

All I can say is Festool tools aren't perfect but they are better than any of their peers. I own them because they are better. I've used most brands over the years. The snobbery thing is cute I guess but has absolutely nothing to do with it. As to routers, Festool's are by far the best for runout and such details that make a difference.


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## MagicalMichael (Dec 26, 2016)

I have made some progress with the stiff turret. I saw that it was held on with a 4 mm allen head bolt, so I took it completely off to get at the tiny screw head in the rods. You have to be careful doing this because there is a spring and ball bearing underneath. I was then able, with significant effort, to remove two of the columns, pop some grease in the hole and rethread them. Now they move much more easily. No luck on the smallest one. I also realized that the allen bolt had been over tightened, which was why I had such difficulty turning the turret at all.

I have found that making the final ht adjustments is much easier if I lay the router on its side, where I get a better view of what's happening. That also makes the system more usr friendly. So gradually I am correcting many of my initial disappointments with this router.

Michael


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## playingwithmywood (Jan 10, 2014)

> So gradually I am correcting many of my initial disappointments with this router.
> 
> Michael
> 
> - MagicalMichael


Glad you are making progress


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## nowhereman (May 9, 2009)

In case you don't know this, Festool has a 30 day return policy if your unhappy. They also have 3 year warranty, and they pay shipping both ways all you have to supply is the shipping container. Keep the corrugated box it came in. I've talked to the tech people at their facility in Indiana and if your not happy with their products give them a call, I thought they were helpful with questions, just a thought. I have 2 of the 2200, 2 of the 1400 and 1 of the 1010, never had any problems. One of my 2200 is mounted in their CMS router table, somehow I got a version of the CMS that isn't sold in the USA, only the 1400 and 1010 fit the USA version. I have a MFT table, 2 of their track saws, 6 of their guide rails, 3 of their sanders, 3 of their cordless drills, a CT 48 as they call it "dust extractor" (vacuum) with an Oneida Dust Deputy and their Kapex miter saw with portable stand and extension wings. Along with a ton of accessories. I also have Milwaukee, Porter Cable, Bosch, Hitachi, Makita, Ridgid, Skil, Delta, Jet, Craftsman, Dewalt, Steel City and old Rockwell and Porter. I feel I'm familiar with tools. Festool is very expensive, is it worth the money to me yes. To someone else, maybe not. Do I think it's better than other brands, in some ways yes. Back in the day I'd used home made guides with either my sidewinder or worm gear saw, accomplish the same thing, sanders that spread dust over, etc, etc. But Festool for some reason fells good in my hands. I've never understood this anger about people that buy Festool. Spew venom about it's not worth the money, there's no way I would buy Festool. Well gee no one is forcing you to. There's no need to get angry. Your entitled to your opinion, but chill out. Hope you start to enjoy using the 1400 without problems. One other thing I would suggest is a respirator, I have a old 3M one. Check to see what's good now, their not that expensive.


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## Routerisstillmyname (Oct 16, 2008)

get yourself a dewalt dw625. it's only the most accurate and balanced router on the planet.


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## Sandy (Aug 28, 2007)

Wow!!! All of you dumping on Festool?? I have several, including the OF 1400 EQ, and it is my "go to" router for any task that it's capable of doing. I also have the 2200 and the 700 models, so that's three Festool routers.

When asked how many routers a woodworker really needs, I know that the correct answer is… one for each router bit you own, and I actually have (in addition to the Festool routers) a Bosch, a Triton, three DeWalts, and a Porter Cable, but the Festool 1400 is clearly THE BEST!!!!


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## john111 (Dec 18, 2012)

> For those who need more understanding on Festool and the type of woodworker that uses them, let me suggest this video by Stumpy Nubs
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Here is what he said in another post.


If I could, I'd buy two of everything Festool makes. But then people would mock me for owning Festool, while secretly knowing that if they could, they'd buy two of everything Festool makes…

-Subscribe to "Stumpy Nubs Woodworking Journal"- One of the crafts' most unique publications: http://www.stumpynubs.com/*


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## CyberDyneSystems (May 29, 2012)

> For those who need more understanding on Festool and the type of woodworker that uses them, let me suggest this video by Stumpy Nubs
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> 
> 
> ...


lol! thanks for that.


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## Bill_Steele (Aug 29, 2013)

I love that Stumpy Nubs video! Reminds me of Nick Offerman/Ron Swanson.

I agree that Festool is ridiculously expensive. That being said I do have a Festool OF1010 and one of their ETS-150 sanders. I love them both and would buy them again if they broke.


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