Festool USA printed U.S. prices for the TSC 55 KS on August 27, 2026. Its fall-launch press release lists the cordless track saw, item 577991, at $599, and the U.S. product page titles the same item TSC 55 KSEB-Basic. That $599 is the bare saw, with no battery, charger, or guide rail, and Festool says the saws, battery, and charger become available starting September 2026. European dealers had the saw earlier in 2026, so this is a U.S. price announcement and not a new invention. TMWB hasn't used it.
What is a track saw doing on plywood?
A track saw is a plunge saw that rides a rail. Plunge means the blade starts above the work and you lower it into the cut, instead of pushing the nose in from the edge. The rail is a straight guide, and the saw's base registers on it, so the cut follows the rail. That's how many shops break down a 4-by-8 sheet without lifting it onto a table saw. The basic saw doesn't include the rail.
The basic item does include a thin-kerf wood fine-cut blade (160 mm, 1.6 mm kerf, 20 mm arbor, which Festool's U.S. release calls 1/16 inch), a dust bag, a sight window, a splinterguard (a sacrificial edge that keeps plywood veneer from chipping), a 5 mm hex key, and a Systainer SYS3 M 337 case (Festool's stackable jobsite box).
What does Festool claim?
- Runtime up 31 percent with the TBX 8 battery against the comparison in its footnote, which calls the figure application-dependent. A thinner kerf means the motor removes less wood per inch, but a long rip and a short crosscut won't show the same gain.
- KickbackStop: meant to stop the saw if the blade grabs. No time or mechanism is given.
- Single battery: it replaces the two-battery TSC 55 K arrangement, so you need one pack on the tool and one to charge.
- Dust: a redesigned bag and a lockable port so a hose stays on through a turn. No capture percentage is printed.
What else is in the price list?
| Item | Number | Price |
|---|---|---|
| HKC 55 K cordless carpentry saw | 579303 | $599 |
| TBX 8 tabless battery (8.0 Ah) | 579271 | $165 |
| TBX 8 starter set | 578903 | $369 |
| Energy set | 578947 | $738 |
| SYS-MC 6/4 rapid charger | 578501 | $299 |
| CT SYS dust extractor (winter 2026) | 575280 | $399 |
| SYSLITE DUO-H I work light (winter 2026) | 578514 | $349 |
The HKC 55 K is a brushless carpentry saw with miter and bevel from 0 to 50 degrees, which Festool says is up to three times faster under the same application-dependent footnote. The TBX 8 has Bluetooth for extractor auto-start and the Festool app, AIRSTREAM cooling, and charging in "as little as 25 minutes" on compatible chargers, which is a best case. Tabless refers to cell construction where the electrode connects along its length, which cuts resistance and heat. The starter set isn't the pack plus charger at list ($165 plus $299 is $464), and the contents of the sets aren't itemized.
An earlier European spec table, from a different document, lists 18 volts, 3,500 to 5,200 rpm no-load, a 160 mm blade, 0 to 55 mm of cut depth (43 mm at 45 degrees), and 3.5 kg without accessories. I'm treating that as the European table, not the U.S. price release.
What do the European specifications say?
An earlier German press document, embargoed until January 5, 2026, gave a spec table that's a different source from the U.S. price release. Read strictly as that table, the saw runs at 18 volts with a no-load speed of 3,500 to 5,200 rpm (no-load means the blade is spinning in air), a 160 mm blade, bevel from -1 degree to 47 degrees, and cut depth from 0 to 55 mm, with 43 mm at 45 degrees. The dust port is 27/36 mm, which are Festool's two hose sizes, 27 mm on tools and 36 mm on extractors, and weight without accessories is 3.5 kg, about 7.7 pounds. Fifty-five millimeters is a little over 2 inches, and 43 mm is about 1.7 inches. A minus 1 degree bevel is a slight back-bevel. These figures come from the European table only.
What is the blade code, and what is a thin kerf?
The U.S. page lists a blade marked WOOD FINE CUT HW 160x1.6x20 FWWW35. European blade codes read diameter, kerf, and bore: 160 mm, a 1.6 mm kerf, and a 20 mm arbor. Kerf is the width of the slot the teeth remove, and HW is the usual European mark for a carbide tooth. The page doesn't expand FWWW35. Festool's U.S. release calls it a new 1/16 inch thin-kerf blade, and a sixteenth of an inch is 1.6 mm. A thinner kerf means the motor removes less wood per inch, which is the reason Festool gives for the runtime claim.
What about the TBX 8 battery and the HKC 55 K?
The TBX 8 is an 8.0 Ah pack at $165. An amp-hour is capacity, so in the simplest reading 8.0 Ah could supply 8 amps for one hour or 4 amps for two before voltage sag and cutoff. Bluetooth on the pack is for extractor auto-start and the Festool app, AIRSTREAM is Festool's name for the cooling, and charge time is "as little as 25 minutes" on compatible chargers, which is a best case. "Tabless" refers to cell construction: in a conventional cylindrical cell the electrode tabs are a narrow path that adds resistance and heat, while a tabless design connects the electrode along its length.
The HKC 55 K, item 579303, is a cordless carpentry saw at $599 with a brushless EC-TEC motor, which is Festool's name for a motor where electronics switch the coils so there are no carbon brushes to wear down. Festool says it's up to three times faster under the same application-dependent footnote, and it gets 1.6 mm thin-kerf blades, an FSK guide-rail miter setup, a plunge cut, and a bevel from 0 to 50 degrees. The CT SYS dust extractor ($399) and the SYSLITE DUO-H I hybrid work light ($349) start later, in winter 2026.
Who is it for?
A shop that breaks down sheet goods away from a full-size table saw and wants the single-battery saw. The saw is $599 bare, a TBX 8 pack is $165, a charger is extra, and a rail isn't priced in the lines I used. It's the wrong purchase if you need it today, since U.S. availability starts in September. Still unknown: rail price, set contents, KickbackStop's mechanism, and an exact September date.
