Nick2cd Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 .....will several other tool manufacturers copy the technology or is this too much of a niche tool? i want to get a domino, but i just can't justify the price tag. how long do patents last? 5 years? if that's the case, it should be expiring in 2012, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lifesaver2000 Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 According to Wikipedia patents in the US are usually good for twenty years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 But there are always ways around patents...Dewalt did it with the tracksaw. I too wish there were a cheaper alternative to the Domino. Awesome tool, way too expensive for this hobbyist. I'd pay something like $400. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 But there are always ways around patents...Dewalt did it with the tracksaw. I too wish there were a cheaper alternative to the Domino. Awesome tool, way too expensive for this hobbyist. I'd pay something like $400. Dewalt did it because Festool can't patent the actual application just their design. The use of tracks and guides with circular saws has been around much longer than festool. Once the Asian market gets a hold of it I'm sure it will go much for much cheaper just like trition did with dual dowelers. IMO hobbyist take a look at the cost and rule it out to easily and don't realize they would move forward a lot faster. Even my seven year old grandson loves the domino and does more than he could ever do without it. Don 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryandetzel Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Dewalt did it because Festool cant patent the actual application just their design. The use of tracks and guides with circular saws has been around much longer than festool. Once the Asian market gets a hold of it Im sure it will go much for much cheaper just like trition did with dual dowelers. IMO hobbyist take a look at the cost and rule it out to easily and dont realize they would move forward alot faster. Even my seven year old grandson loves the domino and does more than he could ever do without it. Don That's my take on it, it's expensive but look at how much value this one single tool adds. You're "spending" much more in time wasted using other methods. I don't have one yet but this is on my list of purchases for sure. You could always try to rent it out too or sell some stuff to cover the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenMinshall Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 If Festool has a good IP department, their key technology will be covered by dozens of patents all set up to interact with each other and expiring at staggered times. By making incremental changes over time they can extend the protection on the key technologies much longer than a single patent. That said, if any of the big names wanted to copy the design they would have done so already. Patents are only as good as the inventor's ability to fund litigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 Dewalt did it because Festool can't patent the actual application just their design. The use of tracks and guides with circular saws has been around much longer than festool. Once the Asian market gets a hold of it I'm sure it will go much for much cheaper just like trition did with dual dowelers. IMO hobbyist take a look at the cost and rule it out to easily and don't realize they would move forward a lot faster. Even my seven year old grandson loves the domino and does more than he could ever do without it. Don Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have one. But there are so many other ways to make a mortise I just can't justify the cost. As purely a hobbyist, it's nothing more than a shortcut, and since I don't mind taking my time and enjoying the process, whatever method I might use, it really wouldn't be a critical tool in my shop...just a convenience. I'd buy a drum sander or a second bandsaw before a Domino if I had $800 laying around. That said, I'll still probably own one some day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wcndave Posted November 15, 2011 Report Share Posted November 15, 2011 I thought it was expensive, and in the uk, its about £900 (with box of biscuits and set of 5 cutters), which is about $1,400. However, this was my train of thought, and one that works well wit the wife too... I am going to get one some day, even if i have to save up. So if i getone in 3 years and get 15 years out of it, and get one today and get 18 years out of it, then i am 20% better off getting it today! My dads now getting some decent tools, but he's 76, so wont get as much value as if he'd stumped up years ago ;-) Seriously though, i have decided to really only get good kit, even as a hobbiest. I would say the domino opens so many design doors, speeds things up, feels like a traditional joint psychologically, i use it for jigs, furniture, and many others. When i first had it, i used it for the project i got it for, then it sat in a box for 8 months and i began to regret it, however then other projects, (larger ones) came up and i really think i will never regret it. Even as a hobbiest its a great buy. The quality is good so will last for life if looked after, and i think cheap alternatives will deceive to flatter, and i just think there is a huge difference in quality, so its worth it. The circular saw is next, and then the kapex ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreas Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 I often find my self drooling over the domino but I can't justify spending that much on a one-trick-pony. I'd rather spend less money and get a more versatile machine such as the woodrat. Granted, you can't beat the time savings that the domino offers, but I enjoy doing joinery and I don't mind spending extra time on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wcndave Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 The domino is a multi trick mule, and i have the woodrat too, so between them you can do everything! Wwodrat requires a lot of bits, and special jigs for angles, so i got the dom first... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I got my Domino second hand from a shop that was going under for $400. Keep your eyes peeled you might get lucky. I use mine constantly. I love being able to make a quick joint accurately in even quite small parts and have them line up beautifully. If it was gone tomorrow I would pay full price to replace it. I have 3 Lamello biscut machines that get little use these days, guess I should sell 1 or 2 of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeRANGER Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I got mine for a job building pedicure benches for a salon (my wife's). I convinced her that I had to have it because a fat client could implode any other design. She saved a lot of money not having to purchase benches, I walked away with a domino plus accessories! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted January 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 I got mine for a job building pedicure benches for a salon (my wife's). I convinced her that I had to have it because a fat client could implode any other design. She saved a lot of money not having to purchase benches, I walked away with a domino plus accessories! i like ur style! well played!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted January 22, 2012 Report Share Posted January 22, 2012 If I was doing woodworking as a business, I'd pony up without question. As a hobbiest, I am not paid an hourly rate. If the task takes an extra hour or two, it means I have a couple of extra hours of fun for the same cost of materials. I'd rather have the satisfaction of mastering my M&T technique than just getting the job done faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 3 minutes ago, Mike. said: Prescient. LOL Yeah really...wish list fulfilled. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted September 14, 2016 Report Share Posted September 14, 2016 Ha I think I've tasted the same words.. didn't mind the taste because I love the domino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted September 15, 2016 Report Share Posted September 15, 2016 Reading this thread and I was like "no way @Eric. doesn't have a Domino" then I noticed it was 5 years old... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minorhero Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 Patent will last 20 years. Just as vibrating cutters are now quite common and a quarter of the price they once were, the domino (or rather a domino like device) will undoubtedly be made by multiple manufacturers when their patent wanes. Probably around 2027. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 Or if Disney gets their way, no intellectual property will ever move into the public domain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 17, 2016 Report Share Posted September 17, 2016 I have terrible timing. I bought a Lamello biscuit joiner about a year before the patent expired, same with a Fein Multimaster. Paid to dollar for both, of course. I'll probable wait until 2026 to get a Domino, just to be consistent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SAIC MURRAY Posted February 10, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 I know this is an old post, but it caught my attention due to the enormous amount of "misinformation" that is here. The US Patent Office states the following... "After a patent has been in place for 20 years for utility patents and 14 years for design and plant patents, the invention becomes part of the public domain. This means the invention no longer has patent protection and is no longer off limits, so anyone can make, use, or sell the invention without infringement." YOU CAN NOT EXTEND A PATENT... you can however do a major redesign which according to the same office must" represent a minimum of a 50% change in original design and function" in order to receive a patent for such. I work for a Federal Law Enforcement Agency and we regularly investigate infringements on patents. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 12 minutes ago, SAIC MURRAY said: you can however do a major redesign which according to the same office must" represent a minimum of a 50% change in original design and function" in order to receive a patent for such. Good information, Thanks! It's scary have you been reading my mind. I tried to figure this out the other day. Sawstops patent is past 20 years but it must be that change aspect that applies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 As Festool is a German company, how does that affect the application of US patent protection? If at all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 11 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: As Festool is a German company, how does that affect the application of US patent protection? If at all? To the best of my knowledge it doesn't. They would have to apply for the US patent as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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