Opinions on Triton power tools???

[Grazman]

We are looking to upgrade some of our power tools at work and are unsure which way to go. We will be looking at a new tablesaw, slide compound mitre saw and router.

We are fibreglassers not carpenters or cabinet makers but these tools get use everyday and we use lots of timber in our work as well as do a lot of pattern making ourselves, so while we dont need massively expensive professional tools, accuracy would be great. However our boss doesnt really like to spend money...

Our tablesaw and slide compound mitre saw are both ryobi...They dont cut square, or straight, the 45 degree mitres arent 45 degrees, and they barely function, tho we've had them quite a few years now.

Router is a GMC that pieces have just broken off of over the years and could use updating.

Ive noticed that triton powers seem popular and dont seem that much dearer than the GMC/Ryobi etc counter parts. Who has experience with these? I dont think I can get my boss to fork out for the really expensive stuff, but If the triton stuff is ok I might be able to convince him to go that way. Does this stuff even compare to makita & Bosch stuff??

Opinions are most welcome!

[Dave50]

sorry, Makita for me, I use and rely on my tools each and everyday! breakdowns are more expensive than tools! mine take a hammering day in and day out and just keep going! accuracy never a problem!

[kiwioutdoors]

I have triton 9 1/4 inch skilly it was bought about 8 years ago. Its great.

BUT! it was built before the recent issues about uncertainty of supply and mixed reviews on quality. I would stick to Makita, DeWalt Hitachi you cant go far wrong with them. You will struggle with accuracy as far as Ryobi is concerned

I would not touch Triton Router Tables or Table saws. More trouble than they are worth in terms of Accuracy and setup. I have had both and struggled to get any good results from them.

Andrew

[Grazman]

Thanks guys maybe we'l have to keep looking. I havnt got any Hitachi Tools but the Makitas and Bosch's I personally own seem like they will never quit.

[silentC]

Hitachi is good but, as with any of the brands, make sure you don't buy at the bottom of the range. We've got a cordless drill on which the chuck is impossible to do up tight enough causing the bits to slip as soon as you hit something a bit hard. I've taken to doing it up with a pair of multigrips, which kind of defeats the purpose of a keyless chuck. However the impact driver that we paid >$600 for has not missed a beat in the 5 years we've owned it.

[GraemeCook]

Good Morning Grazman

I have had great service over the years from Makita and Hitachi and AEG power tools - and from a Triton 3 table. Personally, I think that bench has now been superceded by dedicated tablesaws - now cheaper and much more stable. Would add a caution against green Bosch, they are comparable to GMC, other Bosch is mostly good. Would also add Metabo to good brands list.

In my opinion the rolls royce of power tools is Festool - once you get over the sticker shock their quality is in a league of their own. I have just bought a Festool 150/3 sander - its much quieter than my old Rupes sander, sands much faster and to a smoother finish with swirls, and the dust collector vacuum system is unbelievably good - collects 99%+ of dust - sand some wood, rub your hand over it and it is free of dust. With fibreglass work where the dust is so nasty this must be a major attraction. Ditto, their router, where the foot is hollow and connects to the vacuum - almost dust free. Its German engineering at it best but their prices seem high. But not that much above Makita, Metabo, etc, professional quality equipment, as opposed to their handyman stuff.

Its worth spending an hour at a Festool demonstration centre, just to drool even if you decide it is too $$$$$.

Cheers.

Graeme

PS: The first generation of fibreglass workers mostly died very young from lung complaints. Am I right in assuming that the industry now has some pretty strict OH&S rules that you must comply with?

[Woodlee]

I have two Triton routers the TRA001 and the MOF001 , niether have I had any problems with ,the TRA001 is a very powerful machine and is suited to table use.
I also have a Makita 3600 , which Ive had for many years and is a real work horse.
I like my Triton thicknesser as well.
I also have a Triton ROS which is ok for what I paid for it.

Kev.