Building some intricate piece of furniture with all WEN and TEMU tools!

As a test, use only Wen equipment, none of your Festool equipment, for a month on everything you produce in your shop and then report your findings.

First I would like to say I really enjoy your channel, & from what I've seen you are very gifted. Now with that said when I was 17 years old I started working with an old man doing interior trim, I worked for him for about 4 or 5 years "learned a lot from him" & then changed job's "doing the same thing" worked for a little larger outfit, "money talk's". I worked for them 7 or 8 years & then went to custom cabinet making, done that for about 18 years. So you can say I've got plenty of experience in woodworking, and I've gotta say Festool is absolutely stupidly way overpriced. I'll put my DeWalt, Milwaukee, & Makita beside it any day of the week. The tool isn't what makes the carpenter, the carpenter is what makes the tool.

On the Wen tracksaw, try removing the anti reverse lock knob(it's useless), replace the factory blade with any decent brand, and give the track a good film of glide coat. These few things took my saw up several notches in cut quality.

So looks to me like if you're making your living using these tools full time, the festool is worthwhile. If you're a hobbyist or doing a lil side work, Wen is a pretty good deal.

Another thing with the sanders is going to be the long term effects of vibration to your hands/wrists. The higher-end sanders are much better at lessening fatigue over a longer usage time than the cheaper ones.

As an amateur woodworker with limited funds for expensive tools, I really appreciate that you make videos like this. I have always felt bad about not being able to buy the really high-end tools but hearing from a professional that the WEN is just as good is so awesome!

One huge detail that you didn’t highlight enough with the Festool track saw is that you’ve likely had that tool for over a decade, and it is still performing at top quality levels. I think it is important even for people on a budget to consider tool-life/warranties

I have commercial grade tools in my shop at about 80% and 20% (tools I only occasionally use) that are cheap or “throw away”. The commercial tools I own have anywhere from 40 years to 15 years of use with zero issues and still function like the day I purchased them. At the end of the day, most hobbyists and DIY’ers do not need commercial grade tools and, most pros I know use a small percentage of cheaper tools for the once in a while job like me. Great video and informative for those wanting to try their hand at woodworking. You can always upgrade once you figure out which tools you use the most. I have quite a few Harbor Freight items and for the money, they did the job just fine on occasional use.

I own many Wen tools and have no complaints with any of them, I like that they are local to me as well. Their customer service is great and very knowledgeable on their tools and the prices are nice for a beginner.

I got a WEN rotary tool with case & a bunch of tools for like $18.50 on Amazon. I've used it to modify many folding knives in price ranges up to $1,000+, & it's worked like a champ for a couple years now already. Love it, just used it today!

For me on the sanders, just going from DeWalt to Festool, was having feeling in my hand after sanding desktop. So, for me the extra money spent on the sander is well worth it

I have never been disappointed with WEN tools. Glad you gave the demonstration. I wanted a track saw and was looking at Festool and just couldn’t justify it. I’ll be getting one from WEN in a couple of weeks.

When i upgraded to a festool rotex 150, my workflow was so much more efficient that it was immediately noticeable. I can put all my weight over the rotex and take my feet off the floor and it'll just keep going. I'd bet a large sum of money that the Wen would stop dead or explode. And I do the same kind of builds that you do, but for real paying clients, not youtube. So time really does matter, as does the quality of the finished product. The finish is a billion times better than inferior sanders which is super important. Same is true for their big router being better than other equivalents on the market and the domino machine is obviously the gold standard, I thick we can all agree on that. From my 25+ years of experience in the game, cheap tools like the Wen are for hobbyists only, they don't have the build quality or longevity of the more expensive machines. If you're a serious woodworker and do this day in day out, quality pays for itself in days or months, not years.

Only ever owned the Wen track saw so can’t compare it to anything else but I can say that my biggest gripes with it would be power in thicker material, dust collection, and lack of accuracy on the bevel cut. I mostly am using it to break down plywood and straightline rip and edge on S2S lumber and I work exclusively outside so these haven’t been an issue that I’ve needed to go out and fix and for $100 for the saw and roughly that for 110 inches of Powertech tracks, it’s been invaluable for the hobbyist in me. If you’re just looking to breakdown plywood and 4/4 materials making 90 degree cuts, it’s well worth the savings. Also noticed for plywood that it greatly benefits from an aftermarket thin kerf blade. I’ve noticed a significant boost in power with one installed vs the standard kerf blade.

You should challenge everyone in the shop to build a piece of furniture that sells for more than the combined value of the tools used to make it

I can’t even afford all the plywood you’re wasting!! 😂😂😂

I regularly use a Wen track saw with Makita tracks. The tool has worked well for me for almost 3 years now and I have no complaints.

i'm a residential remodeling contractor... i've been in construction for 35 years and have never seen festool nor wen on any jobsite. while i am familiar with both names since i have shopped at both amazon & rockler, i've never owned either brand. still, mildly interesting video. thumbs up! ...should add that i do have an $800 track saw but it's for jumbo format tile

As starter tools WEN is awesome. I have used some of their stuff I knew was going to be “once in a blue moon” usage. Their bench top sanders are just as good as more pricey brands. Drill press is worth it for how often I honestly use it, straight with no wobble . I also have the air filter, it works great.

By no means am I a professional woodworker. I've always just made do with whatever tools my dad has accumulated over the years, mostly big box store stuff. Just my opinion, but I think if you're a hobbyist just making stuff for yourself, and friends and family maybe, I don't really see the point in spending that much money on Festool. Unless of course you have a massive disposable income. I usually get pretty decent results with budget tools if I take my time and pay attention to detail. Plus there's plenty of upgrades you can make to budget tools, like higher quality blades, bits, etc. There is one exception however, and that's a SawStop table saw. We had one in my high school woodshop and I've seen it save peoples fingers on 2 different occasions. I do hope to own one of those some day.

Lol I bought a WEN jig saw on a whim and I love the thing, it was dirt cheap and works great, love the lazer thing as well, seems gimmicky but it does help. Regarding routers, yeah don't cheap out, the Festool is definitely overkill for most people but Bosch and Dewalt both make incredible plunge+fixed base routers that will be perfect for 99% of people.

hey... I'm not even in a woodworking business but your delivery is so smooth n' interesting and the videos in themselves are so well done, I'm watching all of your stuff anyways, man! You're such a great presenter it's uncanny. Keep up your great work, man, absolutely loving it.

Great timing on the vid. Been debating buying a tracks and been looking around at what my options are.

My first track was the WEN. It definitely got the job done but didn’t last. Now I am also a Festool fan boy and the main reason is the 3 year warranty. Just sent back my sander got it back in a week and it is the best service I have had from any tool company. Great content John.

I have the Wen track saw and for what I do for myself, I love it. I do have Festool 125 sander and ct15 extractor for health reasons

I've been a framing carpenter for 2 deacdes, still in property management but I've been slowly getting a shop together to do furniture and wood crafts. I'll agree with many of the posts in that what's the tool going to be down the road (I'm ingrained in the you get what you pay for mindset). BUT, I do appreciate cheap that works now that I'm buying shop tools over jobsite tools I already have. And these days, any break is a good break. I say buy cheap, take care of the equipment and make some money, then upgrade. Thanks for the info :-)

I couldn’t justify the festool track saw, went with the Makita instead. Love it. And it’s systaner locks onto the festool one.

Great video. For tools, as a VERY intermediate DIYer, home owner and 2 badly herniated vertebrates proprietor, I always look for 3 things in my tools: 1 - Ergonomics (weight, size, vibration, etc.) 2 - Power (speed, strength, batteries, etc) 3 - Time-saving ability. I can't work in awkward positions or bent for more then a few minutes, so I won't mind paying $200 CAD for a tool that'll be used for 5 minutes 4 times a year if ot saves me 1 week of painkillers, 4 weeks of phycical therapy and 7 weeks with no income. Here's an example: I recently did my brother's pickup breaks and oil change. I could have used a simple set of ratchets and spend 20 to 30 minutes per wheels and an other 10 for the oil (remember: "broken back"), or I could buy an electric ratchet and an impact wrench amd spend 3 minutes per wheels and 2 for the oil. Sometimes, it's not how much a tool will earn you, but how much it'll save you. Like John said in his video: At how much do you value your time?

That strobe on the Festool jigsaw would drive me crazy.

Bought some shop shades, just waiting on them to ship. It’s been about 3 weeks, and until I get them, my eyes will remain unprotected!

Very happy I chose teal as my main brand. They’re right where I want for quality/price value.

Your are the king👑 of youtube and tools videos

I have both of those track saws. I make a lot of 8/4 red oak table tops and the Wen has a lot of trouble cutting through without doing 3 or 4 passes, but the Festool can do it in one. The power difference is worth the money, IMO.

I will say, I get the ETS EC 150/5 sander. I will NEVER use a cheap sander again. If you sand once a month or more. get the good sander. With the vacuum attached you can sand in the kitchen while cooking with no issues of dust in your food. Also, no sander fatigue at all anymore!! I have sanded for hours and have ZERO hand vibration when done.

That appeared to be a fair and honest review and comparison of two 'like for like' tools. I would agree that for someone on a limited budget, just starting out, spending mega bucks on top end tools may be out of reach. It's nice to see that there are perfectly acceptable tools on the market for a more affordable price. One thing that you haven't been able to consider in this review is how well they stand up to extended use. WHat deterioration, if any, might there be in the cheaper tool after 6 months of use? Will it break? These would also be considerations that add to the affordability equation. You've had the Festool items for a long time, but they still work. Will the Wen tools still be working as well this time next year if used in the same way as the Festools?

I wasn't really paying you much attention... till I saw the STEELERS sign hanging in the background. now you have my attention SIR

Just used my Wen to rip 8/4 rock maple with the stock blade. Used to make a reference cut before passing through the table saw and eventually the jointer. I've cut thousands of feet with this saw and no issues. Rounded the edges with the WEN router and a 1/4 roundover bit. These WEN tools are pretty decent for the money. I own much more expensive versions of the same, but love how good these are for the money. And more importantly love how none of these walk off the worksite because guys think these are just another cheap tool.

I have that Wen orbital sander, and I love it. Yes it has a lot of vibration that makes your hand tingle after, but that’s nothing you can’t almost eliminate with gel padded gloves to absorb the vibrations. I can also attest to how long it takes to sand, but so far I haven’t built anything large enough for that time to really matter.

Just finished the track saw battle. You said you've had the festool for years. You have probably maybe thousands of cuts with the Festool. The WEN will be replaced 10 times in the same time frame.

I use a lot of both of these brands. For what I do Wen is fine on everything I just have more fun using the Festool….less vibration, less noise etc but I’ve never had failures or problems with my wen stuff….its just not “tight”

ive been using Festool since mid 90s my 1st festool tracksaw I got in early 2000s is still around and works perfectly. buy once cry once

I make money with my WEN track saw all the time. Haven’t had a single issue with it, in the 3 years that I’ve owned it. Very good video John. Love your stuff.

I've been using the Wen track saw for a couple of years. Works great. I've built two kitchens with it.

For RO and DA palm sanders I'm exclusively in the pneumatic camp and a Dynabrade fanboi. 25 years in the shop informed this demented addiction. -✌🏽

Hey mate, great video! it just happend to stumble into a recommended list. Im not doing much wood work currently, but i do cut alot of firewood on the farm and was thinking of doing some projects on the side. Subbed. Appreciate the humour and frankness in the reviews too. Cheers, from down under. 👍

Fair reviews

Loving these tool videos

Great video. With Festool you can order replacement parts easily. Had to do that once for my Kapex.

The biggest differences between festool and wen is that festool has consistent high quality and has been proven that it will last for years of consistent use. Wen is much more likely to have defects straight from the factory. Wen is generally slightly better than something you can get from harbor freight but slightly more expensive as well. I generally stick with dewalt for my handheld power tools.

Great video! Very informative. Really enjoy your straightforward, no-BS presentation style. Kind of surprised at the results - especially coming from someone who is admittedly a Festool fanboy. One thing I would have liked to see (where possible) is using the same blades/bits for both tools in each comparison. One last thing- for the price, that Festool router should do your laundry.

Telling us to listen to the volume difference after the recording normalises audio (and while we’re listening to a phone in the bathroom or whatever) doesn’t really work. A decibel meter at the same distance and running through air / working comparison would help way more if the volume is noticeably different. Phone app decibel meters are probably more than accurate enough for purpose as long as you use the same one for both tests (at the same distance from the source of noise).

I have the wen track saw for breaking down sheet material and it’s been great, definitely like you said not as tight and smooth and needs more tweaking to get strait and the angle cuts take a lot more to set up strait but bang for buck it’s been great.

The Wen router has a softstart like the festool, impressive.

Love this video, keep the good work up.

Both tools are good. One is great for professional use and position.The when is good for me. I don’t do professional woodworking projects every day. I do basic stuff professor was good as well. Have a great Sunday.

Great video. Thanks!

I have several WEN power tools and am really happy with them.

While I never moved up to Festool's level I mostly have quality tools like Bosch, Fein Dewalt . But like allot of others I bought cheaper tools when I started and I'll say if you are really going to stick with woodworking buy the best you can afford. You don't really need the most expensive but you'll be glad you bought quality in the long run. My 14 year old Fein Multimaster is still running strong and you can run it for hours at a time without it complaining.

I've got a festool tracksaw that is almost 25 years old. What struck me about your video is that buildwise, it's basically the same(or worse) as the Wen (stamped aluminum baseplate, very similar depth and bevel adjustment). So yeah, I agree that the biggest difference is user-friendlyness / ergonomics (can't judge upon the power and durability). As they say: "Having the right tools does not make a craftsman", but if you use tools on a daily basis and can afford it, these things make life a bit better and more enjoyable.

Micro adjust is great when you get a stack of plywood, and you can set the exact depth of the cut so you can cut on top of the other sheets without sliding bearers under the sheet before cutting.

That festool jigsaw looks awesome. I can see if your doing site work install cabinets or kitchens that must be a game changer for things like scribe cuts. Dont most people use those festool jigsaw upside down with a down cutting blade?

Without even watching the video: The cheap tools mostly get the job done. Some result in slightly lower quality finishes (which can usually be fixed by cheap upgrades like a new blade on a saw), some result in slight inaccuracies, which often can be adjusted out. The main, and EXTREMELY important aspect about expensive tools, is that they are so much nicer to use. They have the power to do everything you want, they don't vibrate as much, they aren't as loud, they have protections built in, they have soft start, the list goes on and on. More often than not, cheap tools are perfectly fine, and will do what you need them to. Also more often than not, you'll notice that you enjoy working with the expensive tools so much more than you do with the cheap tools. Now, obviously, if you need to drill a hole once a year, don't buy an expensive tool just because it's nice to work with, just deal with the cheap tool for that small amount of time (or do buy an expensive one, you do you). For professionals who use the stuff every single day, there's no other option than to use expensive tools. Also, obviously, longevity and repairability are concerns on cheaper tools. Then again, while most expensive tools can be repaired, the repair often costs more than a new cheap tool.

I’ve owned the corded festool track saw, sold it bought the cordless version. Sold it and bought the Milwaukee cordless tracksaw. Love the saw. Just as good as any festool tracksaw that I have used. Festool’s are great tools but are extremely expensive and not worth it in my opinion. Can do just as good a job witn whatever tool you think you like. You’re not gonna be a better carpenter because you own festool 😂.

The problem with these types of comparisons is longevity. The Wen stuff is probably going to be Ok the first few times you use them. But plastic, and sometimes aluminum, parts are going to wear out and lose tolerance. You have to use these tools long-term to determine if they are actually worth it.

I picked up the wen tracksaw when it went on sale. I went in knowing that I was probably only going to use it for breaking down plywood and wouldn't do any angle cuts. So far, I haven't even taken it out of the box, but this definitely makes me feel better about the purchase. I already had a few wen tools that I was very happy with. bandsaw, drill press, oscillating sander, and now a dust collector. So far my only complaint about any is from the band saw. the t-track is very small and standard things wont fit it. like the bow featherboard.

Be great to see how different sanders compare, I was really surprised by that.. Makes we wonder if my Metabo need upgrading

I started using Festool first at work. I got addicted to them and now have a small hoard of them at home. If you use these tools to make a living, then by all means get the Festool system. But if you are just a hobbyist go with the cheaper tools.

You have to make a video building something using only vintage power tools and hand tools from like 1970s on down. I don't think I've seen any KZfaqr craftsman using only vintage tools. I'm sure it'll give you flashbacks of your childhood 👍🏻

I do hardwood floors and those orbital festools are the best on the market them being lower to the ground helps when getting under toe kicks

Never in my life would i feel the need to buy a $1000 router, but that festool looks worth the money! 👍

Finally a video about stuff i can afford, Well done and a great video

As for jigsaws I would put my Austrian made Bosch circa 1988 up against ANY other jigsaw. FYI, a well lit shop requires no built-in light. However: stroke speed, chip extraction and blade kick are paramount.

Solid video yet again!

I just like festool for the cool case/box they all come in now justify the price difference for that I would go the cheap brand but that case is very cool

One of the things to consider also is the ability of the smaller sander to get into more places. I also think that the location of the speed control slider on the Festool has less chance of being moved by accident.

I think a Build Video using only Wen tools would be awesome and im sure others will agree! (Bonus if you can include a wen jointer and a planer as well!) Especially given the fact that for most people on a lower budget, Wen seems to be there go-to. Seen lots of people with Wen 8 inch spiral head jointer or the Wen planer

Will work for Festool 🖐️. I own one Wen product (6” jointer) and have upgraded a few times since. That jointer has made a lot of money over the 3 years I’ve owned it. One day I’ll make the investment into a festool ROS. But seriously, I would love to come work with you for tools! PGH native and have been following since the beginning.

I would like to see 2 builds that are the same semi big that uses the same type of tools. Just to show how the time differences add up.

Where I understand the WEN track saw can’t compete is in 45 degree cuts. I don’t know if that’s true, but a KZfaq guy did a cut and it wasn’t a perfect 45 along the board as he said it deflects. Again, not sure if that’s true, but wish you would have tested that. The KZfaq guy is a full on Festool/Woodpecker/SawStop nothing can compete tool lover, so there is that. It would be interesting to match the WEN with the ETS 125 which would be more comparable. I have the ETS 125 and I think it’s about the same as my Dewalt and Bosch, but I didn’t compare times. The Festool might be a little better balanced which would help with fatigue. I recently purchased the $250 Bosch router with a plunge and solid base which clearly can’t compete with the Festool, but it’s a great alternative!

The Wen has a slow start. It's supposed to start slow. Without slow start the router would twist due to torque.

Based on experience….longevity. I can’t tell you how many sanders I’ve been thru because they burn out if you use them for extended periods.

I have a few Festool tools, domino, track saw, and a rotex150, but most others are Makita and a few Australian budget brand tools , my oldest and once upon a time was the most used tool is a Ryobi tradeline 9 1/4" circular saw, purchased it back in 1986 , before Ryobi gave up on quality tools, back 25 years ago I worked in a family run small specialist tool shop , most of the local tradies shopped with us if we didn't have it in stock we could order it in and any repairs were done in the workshop out the back, as the cheaper imported tools started to appear in store for repairs (we didn't sell them) we would often find minor manufacturing errors had caused the tools failure, for example bad crimping and pinched wiring , one of the biggest noise issues was cheap bearings, I replaced the bearings in two budget Routers that sounded like they were on their last legs one trim router 23 years ago and a plunge router 15 years ago and they're still going strong. I've only recently purchased an Aliexpress trim router with the 3 extra bases, right out of the box it's quieter and better finished the original one purchased 24 years ago.

This new channel is awesome!

You should have a build off using the Wen vs Festtool and see how the builds go.

thank you

This is fairly interesting. I'm sure there are (as I'm looking at the comments and seeing) ways to narrow the gap in some of these. At the end of the day, unless you really use these for your professional work, I don't think the Wen is a bad choice in any of these. Yes the sander is going to be faster, but if you aren't sanding 20 things a day you are just building spare time projects then no reason to step up. Its nice that these are good products that can get the job done at starting prices to get people into the space.

If I had a boatload of money I'd go Festool all the way. If I was a young man again and just started woodworking - Wen would be a decent option.

Great video thanks for sharing

Hi John! Great reviews! Fair ..i would LOVE you review festool vs Mafell everything ;) i think you will fall in love even more with Mafell

With the sanding, even if you're not selling pieces, I'd also still get something faster than I can sand by hand.

A great carpenter can make a good house with bad tools but a bad carpenter cannot make a good house with great tools

sadly the one thing that would make me NOT want the festool jigsaw is the strobe, it triggers seizures in those of us prone to them.

I would say the festool is the move for pros, and the wen is more for someone who does woodworking as a hobby or a homeowner trying to get a few projects done

Very interesting (and honest) comparisons. Next it would be interesting to see the same thing but with a mid range tool line, between WEN and Festooooool and see if the law of diminishing returns really applies

John talking about the Festool: "This router is the last plunge router I will ever purchase." But he bought the Wen after he bought the Festool... 🤔😆

"i have had this for YEARS", cant reccomend... that is why festool cost more. they are built for regular heavy use. i doubt you would get as much use of a cheaper one.

I have that wen jigsaw and I think I got it for like $15. super solid hard to beat. I think the most important thing to remember for it is buy good blades, good blades is like 80 or 90% of the battle with jigsaws in my opinion. I also have an almost identical router to the wen but mines from hammerhead but I think they are the same factory (think skill cordless comes out there too possibly) and I like it. I am terrified of routers though lol I dont know why I decided to own 3 kinds

The sander comparison is missing one crucial point, how much does the sander vibrate. Most of the time when I do sanding I end up sanding for 1 hour + and there it makes a very big difference how much you feel the vibration of the tool in your hand. I did use some cheaper sanders and my hand almost felt numb after I was done

Festool is a drug. I went ham and bought a track saw, a kapex, a vecturo, an impact driver, ct midi vac, the rotex 125, and the rsc. It sure doesn’t look like 6k in my garage though. Told my wife I needed it all for work, and disclosed 0 prices. I work in sales.