Which Track Saw Should You Buy??? Mistakes I made... 

Festool TS 55 - amzn.to/3eeX3Y5 Festool TS 75 - amzn.to/3oLRtBd Festool TSC 55 - amzn.to/3jNgIj3 Festool HKC 55 - amzn.to/3ecmV6W Mafell MT55 - www.timberwolftools.com/mafel...

It has been said that, “An average man learns from his own mistakes, and a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” I’m 61 now and carry the residual evidence of many personal errors of judgement. I have watched quite a few of your videos and appreciate the depth of logic and reason applied. As expected, this was well organized and informative. It helped me with a decision and is greatly appreciated as I too can be an impulse buyer at times.

I went the Mafell route. Purchased two, my first a decade ago nearly. Fantastic saw.

Like some other commenters i have the makita. it has more power than the festool and works perfectly on festool tracks and accessories. You should defo buy one, every one man show needs 6 tracksaws.

I have a Mafell Track Saw for 25 years now and still working fine! The MT 55 is available as a cordless version now Greetings from Oberndorf, Germany (Hometown of Mafell)

I really appreciate your content. I can’t tell you how many times I’m researching something...Carpentry techniques, tool reviews... Oh, I wanna build some custom miter saw extension wings. Bam! Oh and let’s not forget Amazon reviews. BAM! You’re the real hero. The man we can trust. Much respect.

I got the TS75 because I needed to miter 1.5” butcher block countertops. I needed the depth of cut at 45 degrees. Four years later, still happy with the purchase, I use it all the time.

I had the TS55 and TS75 and sold them both. Now I use the Mafell 55 and it's a beast. Very happy with it for my use.

I know I'm late to the discussion, but I have the TS55. Initially I was concerned that it appeared underpowered. However, when I got additional blades (particularly the Panther), it changed the game. Ripping 2" timber is a breeze, and with the signature finished edge as well. The key is to match the blade to the work.

I've been super happy for years with my makita track saw.

I will defend the HKC's Power. I used an HKC to built a full set of stairs (4 stringers, with 2x treads & risers) It handled it all like a champ. No binding, no trouble at all cutting stringers. I went thru one & a half fully charged battery's on the whole set of stairs. I was pretty darn impressed. Thanks Spencer for another quality video.

As with any addiction, step one is admitting you have a problem and are powerless to resist....... 😀

Sounds like you should have just started with Mafell MT55s and ran them on Mafell tracks...

Makita track saw is the best purchase I've made. I'm already on the Makita battery platform so that's why I went that route.

I’m not surprised you would have that many track saws given the number of routers you have lol. I am a 55 yr old finish carpenter and made my own tracks for saws and routers I use. Sure a real one would be great , I just never get around to buying one. If I want to see cool tools I’ll just watch you.

I like the to the point approach of the pro who's done all the testing and thoroughly thought out the production processes. It's just invaluable. Not only does it save my money but most importantly it does save a lot of my time. Thanks for being so open and honest and for making the industry better in so many different ways!

After a great amount of research and trying a number of these saws, I purchased the Makita (corded). It has been excellent overall, has very good power, has an anti-tip lock for cutting 45° cuts and scoring feature. Great saw, great tracks to go with it and reasonably priced.

Just came in from the shop where my ts55 (corded) is smoking like a house on fire. Started searching for how much a new one will set me back and found this video. Thanks Spencer for making me feel not so bad! It hurts to spend so much on a tool and see it just burn up. Sure it's about 7 years old but I have only cut plywood with it and never used it in a production environment. I finished the job with my 30 year old Skillsaw that is still running like the day it was bought. That saw has been used in a production environment many times, thrown in the back of a pick up, never lived a day of its life in a sustainer case etc...I wish Skill made a track saw!

The Mafell track is far superior to the Festool. It’s the reason I purchased the Mafell. You can clamp the track right next to the splinter guard. Obviously this allows you to rip narrow pieces. Tapered extension jambs for example. Festool saws are awesome. I have the TS55 and the HK55 both corded. The saws are under powered for sure. The Festool track is the weakest part of the saw. There isn’t one thing the Festool does better than the Mafell. Do yourself a favor and buy the Mafell track so you can get the most from the Mafell MT 55cc. You won’t have to worry about where the splinter guard hits on it vs. your Festool track saw.

The battery powered ts55 absolutely rocks. More power than the mains version and a dream to use.

Yes. Exactly. I am so tired of being the guinea pig on tools and machinery and finding out the dislikes, yet being stuck with it.

Makita 36v track saw for the win. Used it for years, cuts true, lots of power, never regret not having a riving knife. 🤷‍♂️

FESTERING STOOL Makita for the win

Really appreciate you passing along your life lessons without padding the length with useless anecdotes like I keep seeing. Subscribed

Always a pleasure to use my Makita corded track saw, 5 years old with no problems.

I've two favourite YT carpentry channels and this is no.1. Even tho I'm British and we do things differently over here. I like carpenter videos that give advice to carpenters and not specifically DIYers.

I'm a Mafell fan for a good reason, they are extremely good tools

This is an old video but it has great advice. I have been kicking around buying the new Ryobi track saw with 18v battery and track for $399 since I already have Ryobi stuff coming out my ears. However, the design of the riving knife on the Ryobi sucks so I will not buy it. This is how I got to this video because I was researching the rest of the market and safety is a high priority since I am a rookie with this and I think I have decided on the Festool TSC55.

Recently bought the TSC 55 and 1st job was cutting and fitting vinyl planking to stairs (sorry, we don't see much hardwood stair treads in our neck of the woods!). I was super impressed! Thought I'd have to haul in my big Dewalt mitre saw and job site table saw, but the TSC 55 and track did it all in record time with very little dust. Couldn't be happier. Learned about it on your channel, so thanks for sharing!

My Makita corded is used daily without issue going on 3 years. Great dust collection. I have both Makita and Powertec tracks.....the cheaper Powertec tracks seem superior except for the supplied splinter strip. I like the anti-tip for bevels. Actually the only track saw I have ever used. Blade selection takes care of power issues for me when ripping 8/4.

love the Garand Thumb homage in the opener! Love your videos!

The Bosch track saw is identical to maffel minus the scoring cut feature. Given the main complaint you had was the use on festool tracks you could've started with just the Bosch tracks and you're set. I've never owned the festools but have used them. If you're lucky enough to have enough money to be fully invested in the festool line they are great. But I did find it lacked power. I started with a grizzly so the Bosch was a huge improvement. I haven't found any place I'd prefer the festool other than if I had everything, the extractor and other tools, since they all work with one cord. I haven't had any issues getting the other accessories for the Bosch. I'm not a fan of cordless tools like this because batteries are so expensive and the batteries always seem to be before the tool. At least in my experience with Milwaukee and Makita. So when it comes to high demand tools like track saw, table saw, mitre or routers I prefer corded. I know Bosch make a cordless option but no experience with it. And one complaint I've heard with festool was their warranty. As great as it is they will fix it, its rarely for free and it's almost as much as the tool. Because they won't just fix one thing they'll fix everything even if you didn't want it fixed. Like a cracked handle on an extractor or whatever. They'll make it where you need to fix it all to get the broken motor fixed and then charge you the $300+ when it could've just been change the motor for $100

I am happy with my Makita cordless. At first I was not using it a lot but now it the go to saw for many tasks. Stair stringers, sheathing, foam board, hand rail posts, Etc.

Just bought the kreg track saw to cut a slab of 2" thick black walnut and im very pleased. Perfectly clean cut.

Hitting the thumbs up because I too have spent way too much money on tools that I didn't really need but I'm happy to have. Great video.

Scary to think i,ve been at this game for over 40yrs ,starting out with a handsaw hammer and a square on my bicycle ,today i cant fit all my gear in my crafter van. As for tracksaws had afew festool ts 55 burnt out my 1st one still have a75 seldom used ,have the hk55corded andthe mafell ks55 is streets ahead of the festool ts 55 Am also using cordless makita tracksaw lately and its very good and powerful .finally like a hatchet carpenter once said to me jeez u got great gear all u need now is someone to show u how to use it. I,m still learning!

At the cabinet shop we have the tsc75, which works fantastic for cutting thick hardwood. Its thicker kerf blades rob power ,but also doesn't deflect. I personally bought the cordless Makita and prefer it over the festoo,l simply for the lack of a cord. I've been working mainly on-site for the last 18 yrs in various trades,cordless is a way of life.

The mafell tracks are so good. Mafell also make a cordless track saw

I started with the HKC55 when I needed to do a window trim job where I would be cutting a bunch of 1x6 trim and the saw paid for itself on that first job with it. Its a rugged tool that I could toss around without fear. I later picked up a full set of tracks and used that same saw to cut doors. At some point I can see myself stepping up to a full track saw, but I feel like the HKC55 was the better way to get into it. I could be wrong but I think the cordless festools are brushless and the corded tools are brushed motors which require more maintenance.

Mafell is the superior saw, not to mention the tracks. Returned the ts55 and tracks for the mafell mt55 with Bosch tracks and it’s miles better. Build quality takes the cake as well.

I have experience with track saws also and wasting money on them. I own 3 2 festool and a dewalt I don’t regret the dewalt at all I use it on both festool tracks and Walt tracks I find it very accurate and have owned it since 2013. I also love my hk55

My corded DeWalt TS does all I need with 4 and 8 ft tracks. I have DeWalt router sleds that work quite well with the saw tracks. Dust collection works well. No complaints.

I’ve had a TS 75 since 2012 and it still works great. Have an aluminum blade when I need to cut aluminum.

I have the Mafell mt55cc started with a festool ts55. I never had any major problems with the saw besides sometimes wanting more power. I hate the festool track for one thing the foam underneath compresses to much giving you a cut past 90 when you want a 90 degree cut. I don’t like the jointing bar it’s horrible to use and the splinter guard is murder to change. I really love my corded Mafell and unless it suddenly died or gave me quality issues I wouldn’t change to anything else. I have worked with the festool cordless for a week on a friends job and it was disappointing power was ok but runtime was kinda bad but he was using 4.0 batteries also I like my dust extraction on and it’s a pain to flick the switch manually every time. Having said that if it wasn’t for the horrible track design I would probably consider the festool ts55 36v with 6.0 Bluetooth batteries. Oh also the Mafell blade moves 0.1mm towards the saw for the saw cut to stop tear out it’s not the lever just built into the plunge the stop is just there for the depth at with it is activated. Thanks for the video always good to hear opinions.

Wanted corded for longevity (occasional user/hobbyist). Tried to save a buck; started with the Makita. Not enough power to cut 3/4 Birch ply with the included blade. Customer support said to get a rip blade for it, but that would leave a rough cut and defeat a benefit of using a track saw. Back it went. Looked at the Festools, but they were underpowered. Bit the bullet and bought the Mafell mt55cc (with Bosch tracks and clamps). Couldn't be happier. So refined and so much power. If you go this route, beware the European ebay sellers of 110v models; Europe's 110v runs on 50hz, where the US runs 60hz. What effect will this have? I don't know. I'm not an electrical engineer.

I run the HK 85 EQB and it slays everything. Power enough. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪 and thanks for your opinion.

I have a makita corded for the shop and the jobsite, smaller lighter, more power, and half the price of festool. Use them all the time and never had them serviced.

There's also the new metabo 65 mm that works with some other rails. I'll never buy the ts75 . I have the cordless mafell mt55 and it's more powerful than the corded ts55. Mafell is the rolls royce of saws.

You know, you didn't sell those track saws, but you did get this video out. Thanks!

With all due respect for you, because you deserve it, I would like to throw something out there. I was a professional photographer/fine art photographer. The desirable cameras between1968 to 2000 were the pro level Nikons, Canon, and Hasselblad. They were the Festools of cameras, but much more expensive . They gave one an air of professionalism. Did they take better pictures than less expensive ones? Nope. I had been using a twin lens Rolleiflex that didn't have interchangeable lenses. You see them in the old movies of the 50's and 60's. I got mine from my father and I used it all through graduate school while I earned my MFA degree in photography. I became one with that camera. It took thousands of pictures. Fast forward 34 years. I entered many of the pictures I took with that camera in magazines. I earned features in the US, Europe, and Australia. The point is, the equipment doesn't make the art, the artist does. Later, nobody cared what camera I used. The same can be said with power tools. Today, I have a lot of medium grade stuff. It all works fine. It is not Festool, DeWalt, or Milwaukee. It is Wen, Kreg, Makita, and Ryobi. I can afford more since I bought these brands. If they break, they will be cheaper to repair, or I can just buy another one. I don't know how long a Kreg track saw will last. Seems pretty good to me, but it was only $299. How many of those could I buy for the cost of one Festool? AnIt is a good tool, though it is not cordless. How do you want to get to your destination. Do you want to ride in a Rolls Royce,, or a Chevy? Nobody will care as long as you do a good job for them.

I bought the Makita SP6000K1 over 10 years ago and it's worked flawlessly. The 8' track has been a godsend.

I have all but the Mafell. Did buy the 75 used at a super price and use it pretty seldom. The rest I use and love. Never had a break down on any of them.

Your the only finish carpentry videos i take knowledge from. Scott brown second. You da man.

Mafell cordless all day long easy change blades, score function and the battery’s last ages

As someone who is obsessed with getting the least amount of dust possible in my workshop, I see no point in having cordless saw, because it never gets used without dust extraction anyways. Therefore Mafell is a clear winner for me.

I've been using the TSC 55 for 8-9 months. It's a very flexible tool. I actually barely use my cabinet saw anymore unless I'm making a dozen of something. Mostly it's the MFT and the TSC in the van and I'm ready to party

I’ve been a long time Festool supporter I’ve pioneered some of their tools and work with their R&D department yearly with the guys from Germany. I found the TSC 55 to be pretty darn awesome I wasn’t a fan at first I’m an old-school corded guy fourth generation builder. But I still keep the TS 75 corded as certain applications only that it can perform. That’s 75 doesn’t come out as much but if I’m doing lots of rips setting up more like a panel saw application don’t wanna deal with batteries and working stationary that’s the saw i use. If I’m doing shorter projects and moving around more on the site the TSC 55 works best.

I have been using the ts75 for about 8 years now and I love it. probably helps I'm a big guy but I really like the idea of the hk55.

"I leave my festool track saw on the jobsite" my mind is blown.

I hear what you're saying. It's hard to ditch a system once you're into it. I think my TS55 is great but I can see how the Mafell/Bosch tracks are arguably better, especially the track connecting system. I think that the concern about Mafell being a foreign saw is less relevant with battery-powered tools. Mafell can use Metabo batteries with a domestic charger. Timberwolf (a domestic retailer) even recommends doing that. The main downside I see to Mafell is that they're significantly more expensive than even Festool.

The festool track saws are actually a bit cheaper than I expected, but I still estimate you've spent 6 times what you might've had you bought one makita saw

I am Flackmistress. Spencer, you impress. I replaced my Festool T55 with the cordless Makita, really like it. I also rebuilt the motor in the Festool saw. It's like new again and like you, I need to sell it.

The makita cordless track saw is excellent. The specific blade it comes with will outperform that festool for speed of cut and battery longevity. I also have the corded version for years. No problem and lots of power. Plus makita makes 10 foot track for staightedging etc. I have batteries on many platforms simply because really good tools can't all come from one company. Some companies do certain tools better. For price and quality, makita is an easy choice over festool in my opinion.

I would encourage people to watch AvE do his tear down of the Festool TS 55 before purchasing one. My money was better spent on Makita.

Garandthumb style. Nice

I'm also almost all Dewalt cordless.Have used Festool track saw many times.I ended up buying the Makita tracksaw a few years ago and love it, works great, has a few features Festool doesn't have and less money for a great saw.

I've used the Festool TS75 to cut rough 8/4 maple and white oak - no problems.

I wonder why Festool doesn’t update both saws and batteries. I’m new to Festool. Recently purchased the 36 AC vac for my large clean up and drywall work. I purchased the 6” Rotex for refinishing stair treads and or large surfaces; the Rotex 90 3.5” with the rounds and triangle sander pads. So far, these sanders are on a factor of 3-4x more productive than my previous brand. The vacuum……. Well it’s down right transformational. The dust on the job site is almost non existent. I do have the Makita 36v track saw and the 36v 10” compound miter. I really like both. Im looking for a couple of new routers. Right now neither of mine have dust collection but one runs off my Milwaukee 18v batteries which is handy. Finally, I’m looking for a smaller lighter miter saw. I prefer shadow line saws over laser line. Makita has a new 40 amp 8.5 compound miter Im wondering about. Well thanks for the video and your experiences

Been thinking about the cordless Festool. Great to know you approve. Thanks!

After my ts55 motor burned up i took leap on the dewalt as I had the batteries and dam it’s incredible... so much power and the cordless part is the best for small jobs not having to hook up to a cord or vac

7:09 that's the problem. The Mafell tracks are so much superior to the Festool tracks. The AF-1 alone is worth having a Mafell saw. Running a Mafell on Festool tracks is pretty much the same as driving a Ferrari off-road.

Thanks for the insight Spencer! I almost made the very same mistake this morning when I went to Rockler. 🤦‍♂️ As a tool nut and the Toolman Taylor mentality where bigger is better!?! It’s akin to grocery shopping on a empty stomach or a kid in a candy store. 😂

Using tracks with the festool 75 and a metal blade has obsoleted my metal devil. I've ripped 10' sheets 3/16 aluminum. Over a decade of service and still cuts like a champ, wish I could say the same for their vacuum.

I love my Maffel, but I do use the Maffel tracks. Switching all of the accessories is more costly than the tool in many cases. Especially if you are cordless. I'm glad that I chose Maffel over the Festool, but they are more expensive here in England.

Buy a Makita Spencer. It comes with 2 5ah batteries and a dual charger. Charge time is super quick and saw is all around awesome! Like you brother! Don't let a battery platform hold you back from a great tool. I look forward to your Makita track saw review! lol

I have the dewalt track saw, it's great! Does everything I need and has awesome power.

I have the cordless TS55 batteries must be full otherwise-NO GO. However, it works great! I also have the TS75 and outside of being heavy, it’s a dream. I just cut out a floor (3 layers of floor), and to my surprise the TS75 NO struggle at all. Also, I used my TS55 for same application and it worked too. The plus about the TS55 -NO CORD 👍🏿. Both are great! Lots of $$$$

I had the Dewalt corded, hated the track and the plunge motion sold it. Bought the Festool corded, hated the cord, sold it. Bought the Makita cordless, nothing but love all around.

The Mafell comes with its own track when you buy it, The festool TS55 is good but the batteries run down quite quickly with one losing its charge before the other one. When this happens you have no chance of cutting sheet material as it struggles to rotate the blade to cut through the material.

Good video Spencer. Another take away here could be, if you cut sheet goods alot and can afford a track saw, get one now. What a difference. I've had the Makita cordless for a while and just recently got around to using it.. OMG, why did I wait? What a dream way to break down plywood. I use to use a emerson clamp and a circular saw, what a pain, to many ways to mess up the cut. With a track saw, you lay the track on your marks and cut, that easy. Plus the saw says on "track" for the entire cut. I was going back and forth about makita corded or cordless. But since I had the one battery makita brushless circular, that cut great, I knew the dual battery would do me fine. It does, rips up plywood with no struggle. Of course it depends on what you are doing, but the track saw has been one of the best tools I've bought in a long time.

Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I have the Festool TS 55KEB. Love it. New Festool 60 w/ scoring blade coming soon.

Festool works, can't complain, but game definitely changed when had a rolling cut table fabricated. Store and cut sheet goods on it. Works well.

I hear you .. I have TS55, TSC55, TS75, HKC55, HK85 .. then I've got a full CMS setup for the TS75 and the outrageously expensive trenching setup for the HK85. Tracks for the TS's and the HK's? Loads of them! Now I'm faced with a need for a cordless circular saw with a greater depth of cut than 55 :( ... Looks like a Dewalt is likely coming! Buying a generator could be on the cards too.

Also Mafell uses the CAS battery system. It’s a system that can use something like 8 other manufactures batterys, all who also have the cas system.

Thanks for your honesty, and that ts75 will be a collector's piece in a few years time

Battery powered makita router and tracksaw are two of the best investments ive made

I have use a old Milwaukie 7 1/4 and a clamping straight edge ...seem to work fine for me , just to cut down full sheets for the table saw .. 45 years a custom woodworker ,old saw is still going great.

Been using makita corded track saws for years and they are great to use. More power than festool corded 55 or 75.

Tracksaw party at Spencer’s house! Woohoo!

AvE has done a full tear down review of the Festool track saw. its.. not pretty. Granted its been a few years so bits may have changed but the particular model he tore into had some surprising corners cut.

Convert the corded to a panel saw like I did! It's fantastic for it.

Dewalt Tracksaw all day. The thing is an absolute monster.

I rip 35mm oak10 to 14 times a week and with a sharp Festool blade the TS55's power is adequate. However when ever I have a Festool blade sharpened they never seem to be as good as a brand new blade.

I started with EZ Smart on the job site using a Bosch circular saw I got free on a promotion and a vertical panel saw (a little used one). Both worked great. When I semi retired I got rid of both and went with a track saw. I started with DeWalt. It was really poor quality. Lots of bearing noise and local DeWalt repair shop said that's common. Returned it. Looked at festool but they had recently discontinued this first attempt at cordless and has issues with the ts55 at that time. Ended up with grizzly. Swapped out their spring which was too stiff but otherwise have been happy with it. Wish they had a single track long enough for long rips but their sections go together fine. Good service too. If you're just straight line ripping rough boards or breaking down sheet goods it does the job.

Not sure about your recommendations - to me it sounded like the take-away was go with Mafell saws and track from the start. Mafell has corded and battery saws for track and carpentry saws. Mafell has multiple sizes of the carpentry type saws. Mafell uses the Metabo battery system and there is a much broader selection of tools on their battery system than Festool. Bosch and Metabo saws also use the same track. Metabo just released a similar carpentry saw.

Thanks for your help

I greatly appreciate your review and advice. I am in the market for a track saw and was leaning towards the corded Festool as I "assumed" it would have more power. Thank you for saving me the grief.

I really like my Makita track saw. I do have a FestoolHKC and also love that lil track saw. I really disliked the DeWalt, as I found it awkward to use. One thing I dislike about Festool, is I don’t live near anyplace that carries them and all my blades I have to order and stock for just in case.

Similar problem… I bought the festol because it was the only thing on the market. About a year later there were three or four of them I could purchase. Fortunately I didn’t buy another one. Still like the saw though…

I've had a similar 5-year long series of experiences with track saws. In the end, I ended up with four - two for the jobsite and two for the shop. For the jobsite I keep a TSC 55 and a HKC 55. For the workshop I keep a TSC 55 and a TS 75. Having the HKC 55 is a great substitute for a miter saw in a lot of cases. I work alone, so it allows me to take a small tool to the material, rather than moving a lot of material to a large-enough space to set up a miter saw. I ended up with the TS 75 for use on custom pieces using 8/4 hardwoods. It's a bit of a beast for everyday use. I try to use the smallest tool possible for the job just so I don't tire out as quickly. I'm surprised anyone would think it's underpowered, though. It's got enough power that it can be dangerous if not used correctly.