I know I am a little late to the game hearing about the parent company of Festool (TTS – Tooltechnic Systems) buying SawStop, but if you are not already aware here is the press release posted to the SawStop website
“We are proud to join a company with a shared passion for customer safety, product quality and meticulous engineering. Speaking for our entire team in Tualatin, Oregon and across North America, we are excited to join with TTS to bring safer woodworking to more people through new tools and in new markets around the world. With a family like TTS at our side, I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together.”
– SawStop President, Dr. Stephen Gass
I have to assume this deal has been in the works for quite some time since the acquisition is expected to be completed by July 2017. But I don’t think any one can argue that this is big news.
Although SawStop products are priced on the higher end of the market they are still affordable to the average hobbiest or small business owner with an abnormal obsession with woodworking. Taking into account that the pricing of most Festool products are easily the highest price in their respective category of tool, it will be interesting to see how this acquisition impacts the price of the SawStop across all their models.
Given the fact that for the time being SawStop will continue to operate independently, my hope is that the pricing does not change and this is just a method for Festool (TTS-Tooltechnic Systems) to add table saws to their tool lineup. Of course only time will tell, but the combination of top of the line German engineering and the safety of SawStop should prove to be a win win for all consumers.