Festool USA, retailers, and “paid partnership” social media influencers have been promoting the newest Festool “next-generation” corded track saw, TS 55 FEQ-F, and how it is now “twice as fast.”
The secret behind this? “New ultra-thin saw blades.”
Here’s what Festool USA says about their new “masterpiece” flagship product:
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TS 55 F: Festool’s Masterpiece – Now Twice as Fast
Festool’s track saws embody absolute precision, high power and considerable durability. The TS 55 F Track Saw delivers excellent work results and a top-class sawing system—truly meeting every challenge. It offers the maximum cutting performance and quality including:
Perfect Cuts: New, ultra-thin saw blades drive faster work.
This seems contradictory, as “ultra-thin” circular saw blades rarely go hand-in-hand with “absolute precision.” Thinner saw blades remove less material, making them more energy-efficient. But, thinner blades also tend to deflect more, due to being more flexible.
Retail listings also add:
The concentrated torque of our track saw enables work progress at up to twice the speed
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Festool USA announced their new track saw 6 weeks ago, but have not yet released any information to explain their “concentrated torque” claims.
So, that’s the extend of what we’ve been told – “ultra-thin” blades and “concentrated torque.”
Price: $599, $699 with guide rail
I saved up and purchased a Festool corded track saw nearly 11 years ago. That was my first experience with Festool tools. That was a great purchase with no regret. I still use it on occasion, although I mainly use my Makita cordless plunge-cutting track saws these days.
How is this new model any better than Festool’s last one? The one before that? My 11-year-old saw?
I don’t find Festool’s claims of “concentrated torque,” and “now twice as fast” [thanks to] “ultra-thin blades” particularly convincing.
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Jared
Lately, it feels like Festool has cranked up the heat on their marketing language.
Is the torque “concentrated” only in the sense that it is being applied to a thinner cut?
Stuart
That would be technically incorrect and inaccurate to say.
Narrower teeth would mean reduced cutting force. Torque wouldn’t be concentrated, it would be reduced.
In theory, a saw with the same max torque could be capable of deeper cuts into harder wood with a thinner blade, but you’re probably not going to want to do that due to higher chance of greater deflection.
“Concentrated torque” sounds flashy, but makes no sense without additional context or insights.
Ralph Kurash
While I do agree with your thoughts on the torque as well as how it is applied to the material, I have confidence in Festool and their products. I own the original track saw, two routers, kapex miter saw, the rotex sanders, the smaller domino, the trion jig saw, the linear sander, two cordless drills anda vacuum. Whatever superior engineering is used for their equipment, does, in fact, produce more powerful as well as ergonomically friendly tools than any other manufacturer I’ve used in my forty plus years in the woodworking industry.
Roberto
The motor has a torque capability. Unloaded (and speed limited) the motor doesn’t develop its full torque. In that case the torque is just the internal friction of the saw and any aerodynamic drag of the blade spinning.
The torque capability is reached if some resistance through the blade stops the rotation of the blade. Torque is measured in in-lb. If blades are the same diameter, the force at the blade to stall the motor (torque capability) is the same. Divide torque by blade radius and that’s the force at the point of contact.
A narrower blade doesn’t reduce the cutting force for a given torque. A wider blade doesn’t increase the the cutting force for the same torque.
Bob
Agree a thin kerf blade is not increasing or decreasing the AVAILABLE motor torque. But a thin kerf blade (diameter, tooth count etc being equal) does reduce the torque REQUIRED for the blade to cut the wood fibers.
Since a thin kerf can do it with less if you increase the feed rate and eat up some of that excess available torque you end up with a quicker overall cut time.
Roberto
Exactly and that’s pretty much the claim Festool is making.
Something I’m curious about is whether the blade thickness has an effect on blade temperature (with feed rates at the same torque requirement for the thin and standard blades).
Jeremy Moore
Thin blades will get hotter which is why it’s important to not rip thick hardwood with a combination blade. You have to use the ripping blade unless it’s a very short cut. Or just do two passes of different depths if you don’t have a ripping blade, or just get lazy as we all do from time to time.
Jeremy Moore
The reality is that the thin blades are stiff enough for the application. That wouldn’t be true with a larger blade but these are small.
*The force is concentrated. If you measured the force per millimeter, it will be higher with the same saw and a thinner blade. I have a wide kerf blade I do multiple passes with for dados(my table saw won’t hold dados). It certainly can’t cut hardwood deep without multiple passes. Why? Because the force per millimeter is lower.
MM
I don’t have a problem with manufacturers improving the performance of their tools via improving the blades they come with. I appreciate the fact that many of the blades which come with tools these days, or are marketed by the big tool brands (Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, etc.) are actually quite good. I remember many years ago the typical blade that came with a circ saw, for example, was cheapo garbage. I’ve been impressed with many of the current blades, like the standard factory blade on the DCS361 for example. It’s nice to see the tool companies paying attention to the blades.
But that said, I think any claims of performance improvements vs. other tools need to be limited to just that: the tools. If they want to compare the power or speed of Saw A vs Saw B, those tests should be done with identical blades in both saws.
Tool guy
I totally agree about comparing just the tools.
Where I think it gets interesting though is in the cordless domain where performance is largely gaited by battery size/impedance. If the same tool is kitted with a newer/better battery, claimed performance will likely be higher. It gets really hard these days to separate the tool from the system…
blocky
I’m pretty sure I recently saw a clip on rrbuildings of a festool rep (w a boston area accent) saying that the only difference was a thinner blade with a thinner riving knife to match – that that alone was enough to achieve the improved performance.
Nathan
so one thing I could see – even if they didn’t do anything to the motor and I’d be surprised if they didn’t after 11 years.
BUT.
with respect to a circular saw and blade tracking vs stiffness/thickness. I could see where for a tracksaw – and only on a tracksaw use – where the machinery is fixed to a straight line and glides with any lateral resistance captured by the track limits. it would be possible to thin the blade some and still have the same level of precision.
In today’s world of optimized tooth geometry (ATB etc) and with blade gussets and vibration damping “vents” etc. while thinner – if you don’t have to counteract any lateral moves of the saw basepate. Then say the blade is 30% thinner – thus meaning the same motor can turn it 20% faster under load (not no load speed).
Another thing optimised load distribution form the blade clamping mechanism – I have an old circ saw from the 80s and compared to the blade bolt/holding setup of my one year old Dewalt cordless circ saw it’s night and day stability for the same 7-1/4 circ saw blades. Same might apply here.
Another thing and I don’t have a festool or a tracksaw but I’ve thought about one alot – do those blades have carbide teeth – are they anywhere as wide as you find on a normal 6-1/2 circ saw blade?
TLDR – I could see how it could work – but it would be interesting to verify.
Aaron SD
Reading your post made me think of band saws and gore they keep the blade. Those have a big gap and I think it might be dangerous to have a constant lateral force to keep the blade straight.
How bad are today’s saws that this is needed or a huge selling point? I don’t own one but everything I’ve seen on video looks fine (mainly this old house)
Matt S
I own both an older TS55 (probably similar vintage to Stuart’s), and I recently picked up the cordless version of this new thin-blade saw. I’ve already made hundreds of feet of cuts with it and I can say, whether you like the marketing language or not, the new blade really makes a big difference. The old cordless saw (and my corded one as well) could really struggle on thick cuts, and even 3/4 ply is enough to cause them to noticeably bog down. With the thinner blade on the new saw, there’s no hesitation. To my eye, cut quality — meaning directly from cut to glue up — is equivalent between the two.
Stuart
That could be, but then they should say this to explain the many “our best is even better,” “cuts twice as fast,” and “concentrated torque” claims.
I guess it doesn’t sound as good to say “we thinned the riving knife so you can now use our thinner cordless blades?”
I would be livid if I splurged for an upgrade only to find they didn’t update the saw as much as the marketing language seems to suggest.
fred
It would also have been nice if they had figured out a way to retrofit some of their old saws. Maybe they could package a new blade with a riving knife retrofit and track sacrificial strip. If it could be done, even if it were sold at Festool’s normally high mark-up, I’d bet they’d sell a lot. But maybe they don’t want to cannibalize sales of the new saw.
MoogleMan3
I haven’t checked the parts diagrams, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you could order the parts and do it yourself. A retrofit kit would be great for owners of the REQ though.
Stuart
They don’t allow retrofitting of the older cordless saws, at least from what I’ve seen and heard.
If you want to use the thinner blades, you need the latest saws with compatible riving knives.
And as you mentioned, changing saws or blade sizes requires (or at least recommends) the edge strip to be replaced on guide rails, but that’s not a big deal.
Randy
Since the reduced kerf is away from the guide and saw main body, you should not have to replace the edge guide. Regarding the riving knife, it would require removing material from one side (or just removing it completely). Any woodworker that fine tunes a wood plane and blade could use the same technique to resize the riving knife. Assuming the blade arbor size is the same, you should be all set. Just buy the thinner blade and thin the riving knife.
Franco Calcagni
I believe what you say to be correct, thinner usually leads to more wobble and less precision. But with today’s technology, I am sure they can use metals that stiffen the blade and allow for a thinner blade, minus the extra wobble….which could be the case here.
But Festool does not want its followers to retrofit this new blade on their old saw, they need and want you to buy the new say…they just spin the marketing to make it sound like it is the saw that does all this.
Stuart
I received a test box of a different brand’s premium “max efficiency” blades, and you can feel how they flex differently in your hand just by gently bending them.
There are things you can do to reduce flexure, but as far as I am aware, there’s nothing you can do to make thinner metal as strong and stiff as thicker metal.
Hugo
My concern with these thinner blades is whether they’re stiff enough to avoid flexing as they try and follow the grain ripping solid hardwoods. I get the impression they’re used most of the time for homogenous sheet goods (MDF, kitchen worktops etc) where that won’t happen, but I use my older TS55 (2.2mm blades) on hardwood often.
When I bought my TS55 in 2020, I chose it in part for the thicker 2.2mm blade, over the thinner blades that many of the competing saws were already using, notably the Makita and Bosch ones (which use 1.8mm). Another feature that pushed me to the TS55 was the riving knife, and it seems they’ve dropped that in favour of electronic braking on their new cordless saws too. Right now, I don’t see anything that would make me chose this new Festool over a Makita or similar competing saw.
For a cordless saw, maybe the thinner blade makes sense, but given you should always be using extraction with this sort of tool, I don’t see much advantage of cordless, and would rather have a mains tool with a thicker, stiffer blade.
Hugo
Another thought – I use my older 2.2mm TS55 for trenching cuts (dados) quite often. Having a thinner blade makes it less useful for those as it requires more passes.
Steven L
I have the corded Festool TS55 REQ-F which preceded the TS 55 FEQ-F. Also have a TS75. I do believe in guide rails and track saws.
The TS 55 REQ-F is a 1,200 watt motor pushing a 160 mm blade with a 2.2 mm kerf.
The TS 55 FEQ-F is a 1,200 watt motor pushing a 160 mm blade with a 1.8 mm kerf.
The TS 75 is a 1,600 watt motor pushing a 210 mm blade with a 2.6 mm kerf.
With a narrower cut the FEQ should cut faster. As you deepen the cut the benefit of the narrower blade should increase. But you still have a 1,200 watt motor pushing a 160 mm blade and to me there isn’t enough punch when you move past sheet goods.
I learned with a Skilsaw worm drive and like torque behind my cut so I reach for the TS 75 once the material is thicker than sheet goods.
Don’t know if I would want to depend on the new FEQ for a lot of cuts on 2″ nominal thickness. And if I stay with sheet goods why upgrade?
MoogleMan3
I recently got the REQ the day before the FEQ was announced, returned the REQ and got the FEQ.
I’m confident I made the right choice for the work I do. The thinner kerf blades won’t be an issue for me.
As for the marketing claims, the only difference is the thinner kerf blade and riving knife; festool said this during their recent live showing it off.
cursplat
Concentrated Torque is a crap snake oil claim. Sorry, but that’s just the truth.
Brian
I just bought the previous version six months ago and am totally satisfied. Why would speed matter?
MoogleMan3
Cutting thicker materials without bogging down, less burning, better dust collection because of less material being cut away.
Like you said though, you’re satisfied with the previous REQ so no need to upgrade.
Dave R.
Quick topical question: I’m a DIYer. I do a lot of sheetbased/pine and some oak woodworking around the house (building shelves/drawers/etc). However, I do it primarily by myself. I’ve got a Rigid “portable” (it’s just their jobsite saw on wheels) so it’s not the most stable of things. I started looking at the Makita track saw as a safer alternative to trying to process large sheet goods accurately.
I’ve been avoiding Festool not necessarily because it’s not good, but become it seems “trendy and overpriced” but last I checked, a Makita 18v (2x) track saw include track was about 499. So Is this work the $200 premium? (Granted this is plug in so it’s not apples-oranges)
MoogleMan3
I almost decided to go for the makita, but its lack of a riving knife swayed me towards the festool. Not to mention warranty; festool has some of the best service after the sale on the market.
Festool works best if you work within their system, since everything is designed to work together. Their dust extractors are amazing, and a ct midi will be my next festool purchase, then one of their sanders probably.
The kreg has a riving knife too. https://www.kregtool.com/shop/cutting/track-saw-cutting/adaptive-cutting-system-saw-guide-track-kit/ACS2000.html
Todd
Your extra $$ buys a latest generation Tanos Systainer too, not the antiquated Makita version.
The *real* problem with Festool is there is a small cottage industry for add-ons and you can spend a fair bit of cash on useful add-ons, like a guide rail squares or parallel guides.
If you’re in the market and not in a hurry, festoolrecon is a decent resource. https://www.festoolrecon.com/collections/oneanddone shows upcoming tools. The site itself sells 1 at a time. I personally have two recons and they are essentially new.
Dave R.
Thanks!
Patrick
Trop cher pour qu’es que ça vaut.
JJ
Dude, my makita track saw scares me sometimes and jumps off track at me in hardwood. I may upgrade to new festool.
MoogleMan3
Exactly. I’ll be doing a decent bit of hardwood ripping with my tracksaw, so a riving knife is a must.
Steve L
Festool’ s small and medium sized routers work nicely with a Festool guide rail. The LR32 hole drilling system is worth a look if you use shelf pins. Just get the guide rails made for the LR32 system if you get a Festool track saw.
Nathan
benefit of the doubt here and yes most marketing claims are dubious at best.
but again. if the blade is thinner and this the tooth impacting/shearing the material is thinner then the force is concentrated into that smaller area for the same RPM and Torque applied.
Thus concentrated torque. I mean in this way it’s a hell of a lot better than anything bosch has put on paper in the last 5 years.
MtnRanch
I wouldn’t be surprised to find a third party putting out a retrofit kit at a reasonable price.
Ben
I have the new saw and I don’t over think it or analyse it. But I can tell you it has LOTS MORE POWER. It’s the way it performs when you load it up, the blade speed doesn’t slow down, that’s the difference. I don’t use the festool blades, no need for my work, I use makita bluemak blades, same as I used on my old saw, this new saw is better. The only thing I don’t like is the locking mechanism for bevel cuts. The back knob has a short thread and falls off if you Loosen it a touch too much. Both knobs could use improvement.
Franco Calcagni
I am sure others may have said this in the past, but Festool is a kin to a cult.
Their products are more expensive than Milwaukee, Dewalt, & Makita (MDM) equivalents. They have cray guarantees where if you happen to use another brand jigsaw blade and your jigsaw incurs and issue…guarantee is void. They have many tools that have proprietary “fittings”, so you must buy their circ saw blade, their sandpaper that aligns with the holes for suction. They have their yearly increase, so they can have like March Madness…beat the increase madness.
Maybe I come off as cynical, but if you go through the comments, you see there are those that have lots of Festool products, which they swear by, and those that have 1 or none and don’t see what the Festool fuss is about (or worth the extra $$$)
You see about 90% of contactors and businesses have MDM. Nest to none have Festool. The odd contractor I have seen state they use Festool, they say it is largely for their vacuuming system when using their tools. Especially in the case of contractors that do the majority of their work indoors like Kitchen remodels.
If you go on construction sites, you will see plenty of MDM, rarely Festool. If it is so good, why don’t contactors or construction companies use them? Price? Probably not as you will see some Hilti on these sites and it is priced up in the Festool world.
I only have 1 Festool sander, and it works very nice…but I can’t say it is so much better than others I have. Also, having the one tool, I may not be the best judge, but their tools almost have a toy like look to them. Again, I may not be the best judge, but I doubt they would fair as well in the field as MDM….falling off ladders, being tossed from 1 person to another and landing on the ground, or when all the tool get tossed into the pickup at the end of the day. These are just a few instances, but many other common circumstances where tools do not get the best treatment (not always, but often) by construction teams and contactors.
I have many tools and some very pricey tools, just never understood or swallowed the Festool life.
JJ
I hear you, but you nailed it with the dust extraction…it is second to none, IMO. And some carpenters pay for that convenience to be able to work inside practically dust free. Perfect for built in custom guys. my union carpenter friends use a mix of bosch, makita, rigid, etc whatever works and they are a million times more talented at woodworking and construction than me. I have a makita saw with festool track, new dust extractor, drill, sander. I love them. No complaints from a chronic complainer.
Juergen
Here in Germany the majority of carpenters use Festool tools. Also on Tradshows you see them whit the guys builing the booths everywhere. They are really everywhere. But only in the pro space. I have also a lot of them, and I especially love the dustextractors and the old model Rotex.
But honestly, today I also lean more and more towards Makita, because I don’t see the added value anymore when I compare the prices.
But The sanders and the dustextractors are the best in my opinion.
On the other side, the cordless tools, especially the drills and rotary hammers, are worse than the competition. Sizewise and powerwise.
Just my opinion.
Adam
I have the Mafell mt55 track saw, it comes with a 1.8 mm blade, I find it very good, but I do think with the festool there is some marketing going on, the festool still has the same 1200 watt motor so how can it have more torque, the mafell has a 1400 motor .