Festool Prices Going Up, AGAIN

[WoodWrangler]

Due to worldwide price increases in high-quality raw materials and transportation, as of February 1, 2009
Festool USA will be increasing its retail prices.

As an offer to our loyal customers, we are sending this email as a notification of this increase. We’d like to invite you to act now and save before this price increase takes effect. Please take this chance and shop now for those items you have been considering, and save today.



http://www.japanwoodworker.com/dept....&dept_id=12831


So, get those orders in if you are on the edge! No tax, free shipping, and lock in today's prices!

[Travis Porter]

Hmmmm.......

Nah......

I have gone to buying used.

[rcflyer23]

I'm with you Travis. I have had good luck with that. Plus I couldn't afford the Festool stuff anyway.. I'm not sure if this is the best time to being raising prices, but I am sure they have much smarter minds working for them than mine.

[Douglas Robinson]

I got an email from (Jamestown Distributors, I thinK) where it misleading lead me to think they had Festool goods "on sale." However, it was just the opportunity to buy the tools at the present price before the increase. I aree with Travis, Bbuy used!

[Dragon]

Originally Posted by rcflyer23

I'm with you Travis. I have had good luck with that. Plus I couldn't afford the Festool stuff anyway.. I'm not sure if this is the best time to being raising prices, but I am sure they have much smarter minds working for them than mine.

Raising prices right now isn't the best approach to increasing sales but with the increased costs of everything, it's almost suicide not to, Real catch 22 if I ever saw one.

[TracyP]

I can't afford festool at today's prices. So I won't be affected

[WoodWrangler]

Yeah ... they too are not gracing my shop too often (I have one sander of theirs) ... but this news is not good. Expensive just got worse. Come on Festool!

[Gotcha6]

You guys noticed the daily ad count on CL lately? People are unloading tools nowadays to buy necessities. Festool is gonna hafta compete with that for their $$. They can't do it. Their products are overpriced and too specialized for me in a good ecomomy. I want versatility and utility in my tools.

[JackLeg]

Originally Posted by Gotcha6

You guys noticed the daily ad count on CL lately? People are unloading tools nowadays to buy necessities. Festool is gonna hafta compete with that for their $$. They can't do it. Their products are overpriced and too specialized for me in a good ecomomy. I want versatility and utility in my tools.

Amen, Dennis and Amen! I never was among those who could build a shop full of that stuff. Way over my budget, and, it's made where??

Yep, there's a lot of tools for sale now and will probably be more.

[ScottM]

I had no plans to buy any before and the increase will put them on the do not touch list for years to come. Who can afford them?

[WoodWrangler]

Originally Posted by ScottM

I had no plans to buy any before and the increase will put them on the do not touch list for years to come. Who can afford them?

Oh, I don't know ... probably someone with a farm in the Raleigh area! YOU DOG!

To me, they will be a long time coming ... I watch for them on the "used" sites, but even then rarely come up with a killer deal. They are just a high-price product with a price lock on the market via their dealers.

Do I want them ... some, yes. The ones I've used are excellent and they are built well. Can I afford them? Not likely ... if I want to have anything else in my shop ... or WOOD to actually build something with!

[Tarhead]

Sorry everyone but this is a big soapbox issue for me and I feel compelled to comment.

My company is dealing with the same situation as Festool. We refuse to outsource labor from our home base in New Zealand to SE Asia/China/India/Mexico/etc. As a result our product is significantly higher in price than our competitors who outsource. Our competitors have recalls, FDA import embargos, supply chain problems(especially after Christmas when 30% of their factory workers decide to just not come back to work), etc. We don't have these issues and our customers know it and are willing to "get what they pay for".

Festool refuses to outsource outside of Europe. 99% of their products are made in Germany and one sander (LS130) is made in the Czech Republic...Not in China or Malaysia or India or Mexico. The only way they could lower costs is to outsource their labor and make a lower quality product. My impression in dealing with Festool for a few years is they will shut down before they put out a product that is not the best or equal to the best in its class. They follow this credo that I saw in a shop (Rocker's?) in Raleigh:
Beware the lollipop of mediocrity. Lick it once and you suck forever.


So...why do you want Festool? The answer for me is not a simple "get my money out it because I use it every day" kinda deal. I'll never use one of their tools to the point of wearing it out. I like their tools because they're great tools that do things safer, cleaner and are for the most part are cooler 'n heck. I enjoy using them and I get a return on my investment in a currency that doesn't involve dollars and cents every single time I put one to work. How many of you can say they actually enjoy finish sanding? They also hold their value and can fetch very good prices on the used market.

Finally...Looked at the Dollar vs Euro lately? It's $1.32/Euro today. Not too long ago it was $1.60/Euro. The value of their currency has fallen. They have to pay more for raw goods and shipping. To keep the doors open their price had to go up. If you want their tools, save up. They're worth every penny.

[Trent Mason]

I'm with Tracy, Dennis, Scott and Reggie. Festool... Even if I had the money I wouldn't spend that much on them. Might buy them used though.

Where's the tools made, in the USA?

[JimmyC]

Dang ! With prices going up I guess I won't be able to buy them now. As they say "The rich will always be rich, even in times of despair", and if that is true then Festool will always have customers.