Read the specs on the Makita website.
Saw weighs 9.7#
Saw plus all accessories and case is what weighs 16.5#

No experience with the corded items, but I really enjoy my battery powered Makita track saw.

The dust collection port appears similar, and while it works good, it isn't perfect. Not a deal breaker for me, but something to consider if you're using it indoors or in an area that needs to stay clean.

 

Thanks Scap.

I dont know how I missed the fact that the whole package was 16.5 lbs… seemed wrong so I had to ask.

Im ok with the corded tool in the shop. I got the cordless set up already for outside or being portable. And with the dust hose already connected and suspended from above, the corded version should work fine. My rationale right now.

Im glad to get some real world feedback on the dust collection.

 

Festool uses an anti-chipout insert on the saw in place of a scoring setting on the saw.

 

I have the corded Makita, no complaints from me. With my Rigid Vac and Dust Deputy set up, I don't have much of a dust problem. Without some sort of dust collection on it, the saw just blows dust everywhere behind it. Cuts straight and true. Can't speak about bevel cuts, never needed to do that yet. I don't think it would be a real problem, but I would clamp the track down for this type of cut.

The downside to Festool besides the cost is after market accessories. Festool is designed for Festool family only. Can be pricey and limited by what Festool offers. Do they make good tools, sure do.

 

I have the Makita corded. No complaints. Many of the accessories are interchangeable. I have Makita tracks, Festool track connectors and DeWalt clamps. All work great together.

 

I have never used the Makita so I can't give a fair comparison… However, with all the Makita feedback above, I have to put my hand up for being the sole Fe$tool tragic here.

I love it, and share the philosophy that if used regularly, a few saved shekels now will fade into insignificance over time.

 

I'll be a little counter culture. I have the Makita (corded) and have used the TS55 quite a bit as my buddy has one.

Nothing wrong with the Makita, it's a good saw. But if I was buying today I'd go with the Festool. I think functionally they are basically the same except for the riving knife. I have two tracks with nasty nicks due to binding on plywood crosscuts.

Admittedly I was cutting on sawhorses and the binding was 99% my fault not making sure I had rock solid support. But I've done similar cuts at my buddy's place with the Festool and felt the saw drag without feeling like it was going to jump out.

With that being said, I'm still using the Makita and will keep doing so.

 

Im putting aside the fact that I am a die hard Makita fan. That being said I personally think Festool is a waste of money. I have one Festool tool and its the only one I will ever own because its the only unique tool they make and thats the Domino. Nothing else Festool makes exceeds the performance, warranty, and or longevity of other mainstream brands like Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, and so on. My personal opinion is Festool is one of those hyped up brands and people buy into for that reason. Ive experienced and use plenty of their tool because a buddy of mine who I often work side by side with on on-location jobs loves Festool. Ive just never been impressed. Nothing about their tools has ever screamed I should pay 3 times more them.

Thats just my opinion though. Plenty of people love Festool and swear by it, and if thats your bag. I say go for it. I honestly couldnt tell you which track saw would be better because I dont own a track saw. I have a panel saw. I chose the panel saw because I have to size down a lot of sheet lumber. track saws and panel saws pretty much do the same tack except one is portable and one isnt, well one is significantly more expensive than the other too.

 

Nothing else Festool makes exceeds the performance, warranty, and or longevity of other mainstream brands like Makita, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, and so on.

- diversity210

Of course you're welcome to your opinion, but when you make a statement like this as an absolute fact, I wonder what methods you have used to compare every one of the categories you listed for each brand of tool.

For example, Festool has an excellent warranty. Three years free service, and a 30-day money back guarantee if you're not satisfied. Makita excludes repairs due to wear and tear. Not so with Festool.

I honestly couldnt tell you which track saw would be better because I dont own a track saw.

Bingo.

 

.I have had the Festool for a lot of years now and very happy. I recently used it to cut up four sheets of 3/4" oak plywood with no problems or splinters.

 

Hi all. Thank you for your replies and insights. There have been so many other posts and reviews done of the various track/plunge saws, so i tired to focus my questions on areas that hadnt been addressed fully.

1. Got the Makita track saw weight figured out - Thx Scap

2. Know that Makita has the scoring feature, Festool can do this but the Festool has a anti-chipout insert too. Thx Loren.

3. Seems like Festool has really good dust collection, and Makita is good. Peter Millard did a nice video showing how much dust was not collected after doing a series of cuts and showed that the Festool was really good. This type of comparison would be useful in the future when discussing dust collection - not how much is collected but how much is still left on the floor.

Still looking for feedback on Questions 4 -6;
4. how useful is the Makita stablizing feature during bevel cuts?
5. do you need ot buy OEM blades or is there a source for universal track saw blades?
6. Festool power issues when using the CT vacuum system?

Thx again for all the feedback. So far I really like the Festool, but I like saving $300 bucks too. Im even considering blending the Festool with the Makita track (Thx Mike (aka Firewood) for the tip). I already have DeWalt clamps that work with the TruTrac.

TJ

 

The Festool and Makita saws themselves weigh roughly the same - so take that off your differentIation decision list.

Ditto with dust collection.

Is the scoring feature important ? Not to me , and I've had a track saw since the 90's to cut imported cabinet panels that cost thousands a piece on which chip out and raggedy cuts just aren't acceptable. I don't score cut first either.

The beveled cut lip on the Makita tracks is clever and nice if you make lots of beveled cuts. I can count on one hand the number I've made with a tracksaw this century.

Is the festool under powered? Compared to the competition - yes. Measured in a vacuum - no. It does what it was intended to all day every day. I just trimmed down an 8/4 walnut top both length and width and the ts55 didn't complain one bit. Connected to a ct26.

Blade plate thickness won't matter in your real world situation EXCEPT that you should want to keep the same kerf size between blades so you don't have to replace your track's splinter guard with each blade change. A thinner blade will make a saw seem more powerful.

Festool accessories are expensive. Makita's aren't exactly cheap, but they are less expensive than FT. Stop whining. If it's a business, the customer pays; if it's a hobby, maybe some of you guys should take up bird watching. Binoculars don't require maintenance or consumables that will empty your wallet. The raw material is in abundant supply and costs you nothing.

Makita is a fine saw and wouLd be my choice if I were an infrequent user or just looking to save some money but not give up any performance or features.

 

I have that Makita saw and I really like it. It does not weigh 16lbs. That might be the weight with the systainer it comes in. One thing that really helps with set up time and maintaining squareness is TSO's guide rail square, it works with either the Makita or Festool.

 

Xedos - great feedback. Thank you for putting some of this in perspective.

Weight is a non-issue, along with dust collection. Beveling isnt the main purpose, and scoring isnt that critical.

Good actual experience regarding power.

Im going to look at both side by side this week and then decide. Your final thought is the best… how much do I use it vs how much do I love the tool.

Thx again - TJ

 

To address the power issue when connected to a a CT26 - If you plug the saw into the CT26 it draws power from the dust collector so in essence is shares the dust collectors power. If you plug the Makita into it it will do the exact same thing. If your worried about it don't plug your saw or tools into the dust collector instead plug them into a standard outlet. The nice thing about plugging them into the dust collector is that when you turn on the saw the dc starts right up and powers off a few seconds after you release the trigger. When your saw, sander, router, etc. is plugged into your dc you have "X" power to share, if you dial down the power on your dc it becomes available for your other tool to use. I do this when I need to. I have a similar set up - I have a Bosch VAC90 and not the Festool CT26 and I have a DeWalt track saw not the TS 55. The scoring feature isn't important, you will get a super clean cut with no splinters without it on the TS 55. You won't need many accessories for a track saw. The Festool Parallel Guides are expensive and cumbersome to use, if you find the need for them buy an aftermarket kit because it will fit either the Makita or the Festool tracks. I received a guide from Seneca Woodworking last week and they are very easy to set up and use. Lastly, if you ever decide to sell it the Festool will hold its value!

 

I used a Mafell with a scoring feature. It moved the saw over a fraction of a millimeter and you'd set the saw to 3mm by hand. There wasn't a depth stop. Festool to my knowledge hasn't integrated this feature though I haven't examined the latest iteration of the saw. I was under the impression the Makita had but it's possible it just has a depth stop for 3mm.

 

Curious if you watched any of the multiple comparison videos on YouTube?

 

I had the Makita for awhile. The saw was nice and functioned well. The tracks were crap. I went through 4 different ones, having problems with them staying flat and had to do exchanges. I had enough, sold the saw and the tracks that I finally got some good ones and bought the Festool with tracks. I've had the festool for a few years now and never had a problem with it or the tracks. I use it everyday, mostly sheet goods, but I use it on soft and hardwoods up to 8/4 to cut a straight edge. It handles all of that work great.

 

I used a FESTOOL router for one year. Then I cleaned the tool, put it back in the box with all paperwork and accessories and sold the tool for the exact same money I paid for the tool. I wonder if that can be done with a Makita power tool.

 

Festool cut quality excellent dust collection amazing.

I always use splinter guard.

No power issues the saw is designed to use with dust extractor.

Since you already have vac you'll be sure hose is compatible, plus since the colors will match - it's a no brainer!

 

This feedback has been very helpful.

Thanks to Woodsman and Robert for actual experience about the power question.

To KLF - yes i have watched more videos than i care to count. That is where these questions came from. Some videos and articles indicated that the Festool TS 55 was obsolete bc more powerful alternatives were available. Luckily some reviewers provided good feedback that that isnt the case. Many videos and reviews state that dust collection is excellent for the two saws… but just how good was always subjective. In the videos I can see dust. Replies here really point out that the Festool is just better and the video by Peter Millard demonstrates that. Almost all reviews of the Makita point out its scoring and track stabilizer, and yet replies in this thread indicate they arent that critical…

I also am appreciating the safety issues and track quality brought up by some of the readers.

thanks again all

I got to see and use the Festool this weekend and it was really a nice tool. Still looking for a Makita to examine. Interestingly, I spoke to a Makita OEM distributor that did not sell Festool who actual said for DC, cut quality and precision, the Festool hands down was better. I gotta decide if its $300-400 better. ANd I know this is a personal decision for each buyer.

 

I have had the Makita corded for about a year. I'm glad I didn't spend the extra$$$ on Festool this time (I have a few Festool products and they are great). The Makita performs perfectly.

 

So what did you decided to do? Or are you still looking?

 

So I haven't made a final decision yet. I may wait a bit longer to pull the trigger and buy.

I got a chance to handle and play with the Festool TS 55 REQ and really like the feel, function and adjustments. I was concerned it had too much plastic and wasn't robust enough. First its a well made machine and I plan to use it in a shop full time.

I haven't actually handled a Makita Plunge saw yet. There are not too many stores that carry that saw near me or users that have it.

After watching a bunch of videos and reading many reviews and here is what I have gleaned;

The two saws seem pretty close in performance.

Neither of the saws are dustless. There will be some dust on the floor and in the air. This was one of my major criterions and does not appear to be a deciding one.

There seems to be general view among reviewers that the Festool TS 55 REQ is underpowered (the battery version is not). For my use, I don't think power will be an issue. No one complains about the Makita power.

Festool's superior cut quality with splinter guard is matched by Makita's scoring capability.

While the Festool has nicer adjustments and better precision, both saws are solid, well-built tools.

I was concerned about the lack of kick back prevention with the Makita saw because it does not have a riving knife or any kickback device. MikeDS made this point. However, I haven't seen this to be too big an issue with other reviewers. My thinking is since it is a plunge saw, the plunge mechanism would retract the blade, the saw does have an electronic break and I plan to use it such that I am above and behind the tool with positive pressure.

Right now, Im leaning toward the Makita because the aspects where the Festool excel (micro adjustment, blade changing, flush cut) are not that critical to me compared to saving $300. I like the fact that I can interchange Festool accessories with the Makita and use the Makita on a MTF. I am considering using the Festool track bc a number of reviewers have commented about Makita track not being straight.

 

Thank you for a thourough explanation. I agree with your findings. In this case you can't go wrong with either choice