I'm going to take a chance on thowing a wrench in this comparision....but.... have you actually verified (with the manufacturers or other specs) that an orbital setting of 'III' on the Bosch does in fact have the exact same characteristis as an III on the Festool? I know they are both labelled 'III', but I'm not sure there exists a specific industry standard as to what constitutes an 'III' orbital setting. Also, was the blade stabilizer engaged with the Bosch to reduce lateral vibration (perhaps lateral vibration is the difference between the Bosch and the Festool).
Otherwise, I've always been quite happy with my 1590EVS, though I must confess that I would never -- ever -- use an aggressive Progressor blade, or enable the orbital mode, on plywood unless I was cutting up an old shipping crate for disposal. I know you want to make a point with your video, but I'm not sure it has any practical value beyond minor head-scratching since it does not remotely mirror any behavior we would ever implement with respect to real-world use (who would ever set the orbital setting to anything other than '0' when making a finish-quality cut in any material? Much less use an aggressive blade?) Then we get into the practical questions like whether or not cheap plywood makes for a suitable test bed given the tremendous variations in quality from one section to the next (it looks like the fist test with the Bosch hit an internal knot, for example). We also encounter potential variations in feed rate, pressure, and blade strokes/min, all of which will greatly influence the maximum bite size and strokes/inch of travel which play an important role in cut quality.
I'm not knocking the Festool (or the Bosch), but unless it is your SOP to cut cheap plywood sheets to final dimension using an aggessive Progressor blade and an orbital setting of 'III', I don't see the practical value in this demonstration (though I may be a bit dense :wink_smil).
All very good points!
First, let me start by saying:
Im not a tool expert by any stretch, but was just trying to reconcile why such a price differential between two finely made German saws
Second, Im not trying to "Diss" any one tool, but want to promote "Diss"cussion. Hoping that someone with more product knowledge could reconcile these differences. So far, Im very happy with the level of discussion. This is not about, MY TOOL is better than your TOOL!
Now to answer your questions in order asked:
No, did not verify technical specs: This, so far, is above my "pay grade". Im hoping someone with technical knowledge can answer via this thread.
As far as practical use, your absolutely correct, there is no practical use. This was done to accomplish two things:
One, to promote discussion (which appears to be happening).
Two, to dramatize and show that there is a difference.
I hope these answers help.
As far as variables: Canuck and I had a discussion re: this and we came to conclusion, that there will always be variables, beyond this test. And there is no way to control this, as we all have different aged tools, blades, materials, etc....
We tried to narrow these variables as much as possible.
If someone with Technical knowledge has the answer, please contribute!
Thanks again for the great thoughts!
Matt