Tool Teardown -- Hilarious but accurate

[Richard Crowley]

I just came across this guy on YouTube.  At least from my small sample of these two videos, he seems to be the Dave Jones of tool teardowns. Seems quite knowledgable about materials, design and manufacturing.  And complete with rather sophisticated (for the subject) instrumentation. Including floating his Rigol scope to look at internal voltages in a power saw.  Pretty cool, IMHO....

[dadler]

At one point, Dave was considering letting AvE have his own subforum on this site--but I think he ran a poll and the general consensus was that it was a bit off topic for an EE site?

He is hilarious. Keep your stick in a vise.

[John Coloccia]

I'm not a "Festool Guy", by the way, but I am a woodworker. Pros in the US have been switching over the last decade to Festool in swarms for two reasons:

1) very high quality and precision
2) very high reliability...these tools just don't break. When you're working with something 10 hours a day, and wearing out tools in just a few months or a years, it's WAY cheaper to buy one of these and have it last for 10 or 15 years without a hiccup.

I don't like to be harsh, but if you're going to slam products, you should have some clue WTF you're talking about.

[crispy_tofu]

  for AvE, I came across his videos from the DS1054 hack. 

[AF6LJ]

I love his videos.

[hayatepilot]

Seems quite knowledgable about materials, design and manufacturing.

He knows a thing or two but his videos are FULL of BS. 
I have to agree with John Coloccia: AvE many times doesn't know what he's talking about.

[klr5205]

Another AvE fan here!

I also think I found him while researching the DS1054z and have since seen most if not all of his videos. His tool teardowns are fun and educational, to me at least.   

To the criticism above:
AvE may not always know exactly how some widget works, particularly when it comes to the electronic aspects of his teardowns,  but he always qualifies that and invites the viewers to correct him if he's way off-base. 

[rrinker]

 Nobody likes to see their favorite brand picked apart, but there is unquestionably some really "built to a price" choices in what is supposed to be a high end tool there. Maybe it is highly reliable, if so they certainly have discovered some magic formula for getting high reliability from less than ideal design. Are they really that reliable, or does the money buy you accuracy and a great warranty service, in that yes, you buy a $1000 tool once rather than $50 tools multiple times per year, but it's not really all that reliable, it's just that when you pay that price they will no questions fix or replace it for life?
 He also does clearly mention that this is a tool for precision woodworking, not a jobsite saw that you toss in the box in the back of your truck every day where if it's within a 1/4" or so, it's close enough. Two entirely different use cases and like any precision instrument you need to keep the Festool unit clean and not physically abuse it.

[John Coloccia]

Nobody likes to see their favorite brand picked apart, but there is unquestionably some really "built to a price" choices in what is supposed to be a high end tool there. Maybe it is highly reliable, if so they certainly have discovered some magic formula for getting high reliability from less than ideal design. Are they really that reliable, or does the money buy you accuracy and a great warranty service, in that yes, you buy a $1000 tool once rather than $50 tools multiple times per year, but it's not really all that reliable, it's just that when you pay that price they will no questions fix or replace it for life?
 He also does clearly mention that this is a tool for precision woodworking, not a jobsite saw that you toss in the box in the back of your truck every day where if it's within a 1/4" or so, it's close enough. Two entirely different use cases and like any precision instrument you need to keep the Festool unit clean and not physically abuse it.

Yes, they're really that reliable, and yes they're designed to be used on the jobsite. That's the whole point of the Systainers, folding tables, etc. You can go onsite and build pretty much whatever you want with their table and track system combined with their saws and routers. About the only thing you can't do is make custom moldings and things like that, but it's brilliant for anything having to do with sheet goods, basic woodworking, and even some light metal work.

Their warranty is only 3 years, by the way...maybe 2 years. I forget. No, they won't cover abuse. They're actually a pain in the ass for warranty service. Pros happily spend the money because the tools last.

They're not my "favorite" brand, and yeah, you don't want to drop them off the roof. I also don't own any Festool and don't plan to, but when someone does a tear down on the premier track saw in the world, known by everyone to be the pinnacle of quality, precision and reliability (with decades to back it up), and then slams it for it's quality and engineering...well, draw your own conclusions.

Don't get me wrong. He has an entertaining channel, but you need to take it with a grain...or several...of salt.

[hayatepilot]

Maybe it is highly reliable, if so they certainly have discovered some magic formula for getting high reliability from less than ideal design.

If you take the bronze bushing for the bearings: If properly lubricated, they are more durable and more robust than ball bearings of the same size.
They could only have used a tiny ball bearing since the shaft of the motor is in the way (8:21 in the video).

Also the point of the axial force on the ball bearing: You only have to factor the axial forces in the calculation of the bearing life if the axial force is more than half of the radial force.
The axial force of a helical gear is:    \$F_a=F_t*tan(\beta)\$
And since \$\beta\$ is only about 20°, the axial force is small compared to the radial force and can therefore be completely ignored.
AvE schould know that if he ever designed a bearing.

As John Coloccia already said, these tools don't break. That means that Festool did their homework and designed the bearings and brushes (and what else AVE criticized) right.

Take his videos with several grains of salt.

Greetings

[EEVblog]

At one point, Dave was considering letting AvE have his own subforum on this site--but I think he ran a poll and the general consensus was that it was a bit off topic for an EE site?

Yes, the approached me to have section on the forum or his viewers, but the poll was a convincing no, as he has a substantially different enough audience that may not fit in with the electronics crowd here.

[Macbeth]

AvE is great! Totally un-PC with his "welcome gentlemen" intro and his "stick a dick in a vice" outro. Total comedy inbetwixt but seriously good stuff. I loved his teflon "warranty void" removal tool with a nod to Dave too 

[Muttley Snickers]

I have also been a fan of Ave's for quite a while and he always puts a smile on my face regardless of the project, he has just managed to get over a million views for peeling a potato with a milling machine yet all I get is a dirty look and a smack over the head if I slice the carrots the wrong way.

[PTR_1275]

During one of the videos there was a reference to a YT channel called Clickspring. I am not a machinist but this is a beautifully photographed channel. By far the best I have seen from someone not claiming to be a video producer as a main area of expertise. It is seductive to watch and listen.

It may even be the best I have seen. I cannot fault it, I just enjoyed watching a few videos tonight.

I too looked at click spring after ave mentioned it, now I'm hooked. I'm not a machinist, but damn his stuff is impressive, even moreso when you realise he was mostly self taught. Production value on the videos is amazing.


As for ave, like some videos, don't like others. I like his lingo and language, I found his channel looking for reviews on those lithium jump start packs

[EEVblog]

I too looked at click spring after ave mentioned it, now I'm hooked. I'm not a machinist, but damn his stuff is impressive, even moreso when you realise he was mostly self taught. Production value on the videos is amazing.

Yes, truly stunning production values.
I can testify to the amount of work and fiddling he must do to get those shots right.

[Arjan Emm]

I liked the review videos. Interresting to see festool does cut corners here and there.
I'm a contractor and i do serious building work, no furniture making.  The problem with the review is that these circular saws simply don't break.
We abuse the crap out of them and they make alot of hours. For some reason most people run these things always with the red overload led on. Push em to the max and they last 15 years.  In that time sometimes the bearing right at the saw needs to be replaced and sometimes the brushes. The electronics have never failled, pretty impressive. This is the common failure mode on cordless drills for example. We have about 10 stretching from brand new to 20 years old. I can't say that for most other tools we have. They are usually 20 years old or max 3 years old. Most powertools go in the bin after a few years because they are beyond economical repair but these just don't. That doesn't hold up for al festool gear, the cordless drills for example are a bit too flimsy for the work we do.

[nidlaX]

Knew it was AvE from just reading the title.

[Kleinstein]

Usually these tools last quite long - if you don't abuse them. It's a rather new model, so I don't know this one.
Festool usually has the thermistor in the field windings, so you don't break them by getting it to hot there. Rather nice for circular saw that often get used well over the rated power. The not potted windings are usually not a problem - this can be with abrasive dust like in a hammer drill or a angel grinder. If they break is usually the ends of the wire, where its fixed to some connectors.

Funny to see a pozi drive screw - they usually are nearly all Torx15.

The speed control feedback is usually just a coil (in some machines even a standard inductor with ferrite core). The speed control usually is also just an old style analog / logic chip, no µC. So nothing unusual with the speed control.

These special plugs at the cable are a two sided thing even if you have a good source for a replacement. They are nice for things like a saw, as other wise changing the cable can be a pain is ass - taking apart that funny spring and lever mechanism with all the interlocks. But they are trouble with machines like an ex-center, as they don't stand the vibrations very well.

[Cerebus]

...a angel grinder.

I think grinding angels earns you something like 10,000 years in purgatory.

[JackM]

Those two videos were great! Love the puns he just throws around.
Thanks for bringing this guy's channel to my attention!