Top 5 Festool Tools

Festool is one of the world’s leading woodworking tool companies.  Hardly surprising, considering this is how the company was established and continues to this day.

We’re going to go through their top five tools that are available today, why they are essential to your tool selection and how unique they are.

1. Festool TS 55 FEBQ-Plus Electric Plunge Cut Saw

This tool is not only one of our favourites, but it’s also extremely popular. This electrically-powered tool delivers incredibly precise cuts, impressive power, and ongoing reliability.

The TS 55 enables precise work. The cutting edge from 90° to 47° remains unchanged even when the saw swivels. The angles 0° and 45° can be selected directly using the locking positions. Undercuts are also possible with the extended adjustment option from -1° to 47°.

Thanks to the FastFix spindle stop, blades can be changed easily to suit the material that needs to be cut, and the internal electronics enable speed control for temperature monitoring along with a quick-acting brake.

For clean working, the TS55 has a direct connection to an external dust extractor. This not only keeps dust and debris at bay but also ensures that you can easily see the cut line without interference.

2. Festool SYMMETRIC SYMC 70 Twin 18V Brushless Mitre Saw

The SYMMETRIC is one of the most portable mitre saws available. It’s cordless, powerful, and compact.

You can achieve ideal results more quickly with the SYMMETRIC. It allows you to saw strips twice as fast as with a regular compound mitre saw, accurately and without making calculations.

The saw enables you to cut exactly along the bisector, with one setting for cutting both strips of a corner with precision. It can handle exterior angles of up to 60° and interior angles of up to 68° effortlessly with just one setting.

The SYMMETRIC SYMC 70 saw comes with rollers that allow you to easily move it into the correct position. Once in place, you can lock the wheels and start working, reducing the space needed. The rollers also raise the workbench to match the height of a SYS 3 M 137 Systainer, providing support for long workpieces.

3. Festool TDC 18/4 I-Basic QUADRIVE 18V Drill

This is one of my favourites. The TDC 18/4 is a versatile, durable, and powerful tool. It comes with a range of features, including an EC-TEC Brushless motor, KickbackStop to minimize the risk of the tool twisting if it jams, and QUADRIVE, which offers four gear settings for different jobs.

First gear is for tightening screws up to 10 mm, second gear is for quick screwdriving up to 8 x 300 mm, third gear is for powerful drilling with auger bits up to 20 mm, and fourth gear is for quick drilling with medium and small drill bits up to 35 mm, for example, Forstner drill bits.

One of my favourite features is the FastFix interface and CENTROTEC tool chuck. The FastFix interface allows you to change the chuck to use different attachments such as a right angle chuck, an offset chuck, and more.

The CENTROTEC tool chuck, introduced in 2001, is a chuck and bit holder in one. It’s half the size and weighs 80% less than a standard chuck, making it a real Festool invention with the usual Festool quality.

4. Festool CSC SYS 50 EBI 36V (Twin 18V) Brushless Table Saw

This tool from Festool is quite clever. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into its design. It’s incredibly compact and can easily fit into a Systainer Case, making it very portable and connectable to the rest of the Systainer system.

This twin 18V machine, which delivers a powerful 36V saw, is capable of making parallel cuts of up to 280 mm, cross-cut widths of up to 450 mm, and angled cuts of -2° to 47°. It can also produce a cutting height of up to 35 mm, all the way down to angled cuts of -10°, making it ideal for undercutting infill panels.

For those who require precision, the CSC SYS 50 provides the solution. Both height and angle are electronically adjusted and checked on the LCD display, accurate within a tenth of a millimetre. Reproduction cuts are easily done as well via the digital display, ensuring parallax-free setting in both millimetres and inches.

Speaking of precision, the saw includes a parallel side fence with a double clamp for precise alignment, resulting in perfect cuts. The angle stop is optimally aligned and centrally clamped via a groove on the slide, allowing for mitre angles between -70° and +70°. The mounted slide includes ball bearings for smooth action during use.

Honourable Mentions

Festool TS 60 KEBQ-Plus 240V Plunge-Cut Saw

Now, I understand that we initially introduced the TS 55, which is an incredibly popular machine known and loved by millions worldwide. However, it’s important to also consider the TS 60.

The TS 60 offers more of everything – more power, higher speed, greater cutting depth, and additional features. Despite all these enhancements, it weighs less than the TS 55. It has a faster cutting speed and can achieve a deeper cutting depth, which is quite impressive.

In addition to the TS 55 features, the TS 60 includes an EC-TEC Brushless motor for exceptional and efficient power solutions. It also features Kickback Stop, an intelligent system that prevents dangerous kickbacks during sawing and plunging, reducing the risk of injury and protecting the workpiece.

The brushless EC-TEC motor makes the TS 60 virtually maintenance-free and extremely powerful. When used with thin kerf saw blades, the high-speed 6800 rpm brushless EC-TEC motor ensures efficient progress with less effort.

The cutting angle from 90° to 47° remains consistent even when the saw swivels, ensuring precision with every cut. Additionally, the saw’s metal swivelling segment allows for easy and precise setting of the required mitre angle of -1° to 47° from the front, ensuring accurate repeatability.

The FastFix spindle stop makes changing the saw blade extremely easy. The saw’s compact and sophisticated design allows it to be set down on its side for blade replacement. This design also prevents anything from getting caught in the clamping flange during saw blade replacement due to the form-fit connection.

Festool PIZZ-TS Cutter

As well as a detailed plethora of power tools, Festool also have a dedicated band of followers which has resulted in the development of branded merchandise.

Therefore, I really do need to include the incredible PIZZ-TS Circular Saw….Pizza Cutter.

Based on the previously mentioned TS 60 plunge saw, this beautifully compact kitchen tool shares a fair few features with its corded big brother.

Like the TS 60, this cuts through pizza bases and slices like a hot knife through butter.  Comfortable for both left and right handed users, this ‘unique’ tool is one that should be owned by any Festool user…and pizza lover.

5. Festool RTSC 400 18V Brushless Orbital Sander

One of the most popular and most searched for items on our website is the Festool RTSC 400 sander. This sander is compact and allows for comfortable overhead work. It provides exceptional mobility and smooth operation. The battery-powered sander, combined with the delta sanding area, enables work at various angles, including vertical and overhead.

Although this sander is an 18V Festool tool, it does not use the same battery as other 18V tools like drills or mitre saws. Instead, it uses a compact, unique battery called the ERGO. Despite this distinction, it delivers the same performance levels as other 18V tools and is specifically designed to work with cordless Festool sanders.

Additionally, you can attach other accessories to fully maximize the sander’s potential. While it comes with a small dust bag, it can easily connect directly to a Festool dust extractor. If you need to work for an extended period, you can use a mains adapter to allow for continuous operations.

Your Thoughts

Now that you’ve made it this far, what have I missed out? What do you think should be on this list? Have you got any of these?

Tell us. Let us know in the comments below.