Tool Box Buzz: Festool continues to release new tools and the latest to come out is their all new Carvex 420 Cordless Jigsaw. The new cordless jigsaw is available in both a barrel grip and traditional handle grip. The new jigsaws have been designed to offer the same features currently offered in the corded 420 series on a cordless 18V platform. From what I’ve read and see online, these are VERY impressive!
17 comments:
The quality of festool is amazing and I am glad that they are branching further into the cordless market. It will be interesting to see if the lithium ion batteries are of a higher quality than the competition. Their 3 year replacement battery warranty is a good confidence builder but I would be concerned about how much the initial investment is on this tool. For us this is a silly thing to spend money on but the construction looks solid and the quality should be very impressive. This tool seems like a great way to get hobbyists with too much money to drop an obscene amount of money on tools that they will not use enough to warrant the cost.
I got to try out one of these and the stroboscopic LED was a very interesting accessory to the tool. I say accessory due to lack of a better term. The strobing light flashes at a rate to give the blade the appearance of being only in one place allowing for the user to more accurately keep track of where the blade is during the cut.
Oh yay, another cordless tool, especially from festool, and its a jigsaw! The only thing that seems really interesting to me is the stroboscopic LEDs that are part of the tool. I have never heard of this before and it would be interesting to see it in action. I would have never thought that having strobing LEDs would make it easier to use a jigsaw and follow a cut line. I wonder if the lights have ever given anyone epilepsy. Definitely going to have to watch a video of it in action. I also wonder if lighting on other tools could be improved by this technology, or how small things like this could improve our work flow.
I haven't really used Festool tools much but the few time that I have in the shop they were definitely impressive. Like everyone else I agree that the stroboscopic LEDs look like an interesting feature. I'd be interested in getting my hands on one to really see how useful of a feature it is. The triple blade guidance also looks like a really good feature. One of the most annoying things I've had to deal with when using a jig saw in the past is deflection and if this really alleviates this problem I would be impressed. But for either 350 or 550 bucks I would hope that I'm getting what I'm paying for. Overall this looks like a solid tool and I'd be interested in trying it out.
This looks like a really cool tool, I was glad to see Sean's post because I was wondering if the LEDs made a big difference. I know that when cutting (from a mat knife to a saw in the shop) shadows can really mess up someones work, I know I have dealt with that problem. Also, a cordless anything is great, a jigsaw that does not need a cable dragging behind it would defiantly prove to be more efficient, especially if the quality of the tool is as Luke described.
Oh how I do love new tools. First off I would like to say that a cordless jigsaw is a great idea even though I know it wasn't festool's idea. The attachable bases are a great idea because you can cut 45 angles and circles at certain radii. But like most people have said the stroboscopic LEDs look like the coolest part. It can be difficult to see exactly where the blade is cutting, even with a light, because it is moving. With the strobeing LEDs the blade should appear to stand still and be easier to see where you're cutting.
I am not very familiar with festool tools but this seems like a quality tool. I find it very interesting that they have used lighting to help improve the functionality of the tool. Often times it can be difficult to actually make a precise cut because the blade is moving so fast. I'm eager to test drive this tool to see if the stroboscopic light actually helps you make a more accurate cut. The only thing that seems odd is one would think that a strobing light would be distracting to the eye making it more difficult to make an accurate cut. Overall this tool seems like it could very useful but I cant pass much judgement without actually trying it myself.
A lot of the time, I am less enthused by the newer tools because I feel like they oversimplify jobs to the point where you are no longer gaining a significant amount of skill. I am however excited by the idea of cordless hand tools because they make things easier without taking away from the learning experience. I also think that cords effect the actual functionality of most hand tools and being rid of them will actually make tools more effective as opposed to just cool and expensive.
This sounds like a very fancy saw. I would use it. But then again my standards haven't really been set yet. I don't have enough experience with jig saws to know if all these features are things that will change the way we work of just over kill features to make the tool sound fancy and worth more money. I wish that this sort of article would do a little more comparison for those of us with a little less experience in the shop. Something that I found very odd about this article was that it starts out as Todd Fratzel, a writer for Tool Box Buzz, telling me about a tool that he has read about online. And then right at the end it turns in to Festool telling me how they think their tool is the best thing ever. It makes me wonder how much Todd wrote and how much Festool marketing wrote. This is an ad pretending to be a real new article/review/preview. This makes me uncomfortable with the tool.
These seem extremely user friendly! I am always glad to see when a company takes a good product and does not settle for the way it is, but continues to always try and improve it. I especially think the cordless option is nice because often when I am working with some types of plug in tools the cord prevents me from easily using the tool in the exact angle that I want, or at least provides some resistance while I'm working. If we are really getting picky as far as making improvements for usability I would ask that instead of just barrel grip and handle grip, they also provide a two handle option for when you really want to have as much control as possible. That would be especially useful on rotation tools like angle grinders which every once in a while spin out of control.
The only Festool product I haven't been overly pleased with so far is their chop-saw, as it's handle/trigger are much less ergonomic than most other brands. However their new jigsaws featured in this article are really spot on. The strobing LED's around the blade isn't exactly a new thing, when Festool released the Carvex in 2011 they added this feature. I think the bigger step forward for the company is the fact they've now made this a cordless tool, and upgraded the blade-changing feature, accessories (interchangeable bases) and the dust removal system.
Carvex strobing LED's (2011): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M56pvk01mvI
Yay! I am glad they are releasing what looks to be a very good quality small horizontal footprint Jig Saw. While Festool's prices are sometimes prohibitive to actually buying the tool, they are always very good quality and dont fail often, as a cheaper tool might.
I've always been more than impressed by Festool's craftsmanship. The thought of having a stroboscopic LED is mind-blowing and seems as though it could very well be one of the most useful things about this saw. I'm also very interested in the "A" speed for the barrel-grip model and how it can automatically adjust to what ever pressure you're pushing the saw at. One of my friend's dad has an entire shop full of pure Festools which is nothing but impressive. I'm sure he'll be investing in one of these soon.
I think this is a interesting and good idea for a tool and I can imagine a large variety of times when I would want to use it. I like the features like the strobing LED and i think that these could all be highly useful when cutting things. One concern that i have though, like with any cordless cutting tool, is about how long the battery will last. I have gotten very frustrated in the past trying to cut something with an overall very good cordless saw, just to find that a brand new battery dies halfway through the cut. That all being said though, this is definitely a tool that i would want to try!
Wow what a cool jigsaw. The Stroboscopic LED Lights seem like a really innovative feature. I've always had a hard time getting a super straight cut with a jigsaw due to the shadows obscuring the cut line. I wonder if this new feature will make cutting with this tool significantly easier. And it's cordless! A very neat tool indeed and I hope to be able to check it out in a store.
Wow what a cool jigsaw. The Stroboscopic LED Lights seem like a really innovative feature. I've always had a hard time getting a super straight cut with a jigsaw due to the shadows obscuring the cut line. I wonder if this new feature will make cutting with this tool significantly easier. And it's cordless! A very neat tool indeed and I hope to be able to check it out in a store.
Iffy territory. As much as I love the portability and ease of a cordless tool, it does indeed come with its inevitable drawbacks. Limited run time and gradual power loss as well as a limited applied force. Also, buying replacement batteries are almost as expensive as buying a whole new tool. Hopefully Festool has put as much thought and innovation into the jigsaw as they have in all of their past work. They truly are a great company. The 3 year battery warranty looks promising too.
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