Ask a room of UK joiners which brand owns the workshop and you will get two answers: Trend and Festool. Trend built its name on routers, cutters and jigs – the practical end of joinery – while Festool built a reputation on system-perfect plunge saws, routers and dust extraction that cost a small fortune and are worth it to the people who buy them.
This comparison is for joiners and kitchen fitters deciding where to put their money in 2026. Prices are approximate UK street prices including VAT. The short version: these two brands are strongest in different places, and the smart buy is often one of each rather than all-in on either.
Our quick verdict
Buy Trend for cutters, jigs and value routing. Nobody touches Trend’s range of router cutters, hinge jigs, worktop jigs and stair jigs, and the T18S cordless router is a genuinely good tool for a fair price. Buy Festool for the plunge saw and the system. If you cut a lot of sheet goods and worktops on show, the TS 55 and the extractor-plus-rail ecosystem are still the benchmark.
If you had to pick one brand only, a working joiner is usually better served by Trend – because you will use cutters and jigs every single day, whereas the Festool premium is spent on refinement you notice most on finish work.
Brand overviews
Trend
Trend is a British company that has been making router cutters and jigs since the 1950s, and that heritage shows. Their cutter range is enormous and reliably good, their jigs – the worktop jig, the hinge jig, the Combi and stair jigs – are the trade standard, and in recent years their T18S cordless router and power tool range have given joiners a credible, keenly priced kit. Trend’s strength is being the practical, do-the-job brand that does not empty your account.
Festool
Festool is the German premium system brand. You do not just buy a Festool tool, you buy into the ecosystem – guide rails, Systainer cases, CT extractors and the MFT bench that all lock together. The plunge saws (TS 55, TS 60), the OF routers and the Domino jointer are beautifully engineered, and the dust extraction is class-leading. It is expensive, but the tools hold their value and the finish quality is why kitchen and furniture makers pay the premium.
Head to head at a glance
Approximate UK street prices for 2026; bare and kit configurations vary by retailer and promotion.
| Category | Trend | Festool | Who wins |
| Plunge / track saw | No mainstream plunge saw | TS 55 ~GBP 480-520 | Festool |
| Cordless router | T18S ~GBP 200 bare, ~GBP 570 kit | OFK/OF cordless ~GBP 450+ | Trend on value |
| Corded router | T11/T5 ~GBP 150-300 | OF 1400 ~GBP 520 | Trend on value |
| Router cutters | Vast, excellent range | Limited range | Trend |
| Jigs (hinge, worktop, stair) | Trade standard | Few equivalents | Trend |
| Dust extraction / system | Good, basic | Class-leading CT + rails | Festool |
| Resale value | Fair | Excellent | Festool |
Where Trend wins
Cutters and consumables. Trend’s router cutter range is deeper and generally better value than anything Festool offers, and as a joiner you buy cutters constantly. If you route daily, being on Trend for cutters just makes life easier.
Jigs. The worktop jig, hinge jig and lock jigs are what get kitchens and doors done accurately and fast. This is Trend’s home turf and Festool does not really compete here. A Trend worktop jig and a decent router will pay for themselves on the first kitchen.
Value routing. The T18S cordless router at around GBP 200 as a bare unit (roughly GBP 570 as a full kit with hinge jig) gives you cordless convenience and dual bases for a fraction of the Festool spend. For trimming, grooving and hinge work it is more than enough.
Where Festool wins
The plunge saw. This is the big one. Trend does not field a mainstream plunge saw, so if you want a track saw the Festool TS 55 is the natural pairing – and it is superb. For a joiner cutting carcasses, fillers and worktops where the edge shows, the TS 55 plus a CT extractor is a serious upgrade over a circular saw.
The system and the dust. Festool’s rails, Systainers and extractors clip together into a workflow that saves real time and keeps a workshop and a customer’s house clean. The M-class extraction is genuinely better for your lungs and for HSE. If you fit kitchens in occupied homes, that matters.
Finish and resale. On show-face work the Festool cut and finish is a step above, and when you sell a Festool on it holds its money far better than almost anything else. Over years of ownership that softens the headline price.
So which should a joiner buy?
For most working joiners the honest answer is both, bought in the right order. Start with Trend for your cutters, a jig or two and a value router – that is your daily bread. Then, when the finish work justifies it, add a Festool TS 55 and an extractor as your precision sheet-cutting setup. That combination costs less than going all-Festool and covers more of the actual jobs you do.
If budget forces one brand, pick the one that matches your work: kitchen and furniture makers who live on clean sheet cuts lean Festool; general joiners and site chippies who route, jig and cut timber all day get more done on Trend.
Cost of ownership over five years
Headline price is only half the story. Festool costs more up front, but the tools rarely die and they hold their value – a five-year-old TS 55 still sells for serious money, so your true cost of ownership is lower than the sticker suggests. Trend sits at the sensible end: you spend less to begin with, the cutters and jigs earn their keep on every job, and if a router wears out you replace it without wincing. Over five years a joiner who bills off clean sheet cuts will justify the Festool; one who lives on cutters and jigs will have spent less and earned just as well on Trend.
Factor in consumables too. Whichever router you own, you will buy far more in Trend cutters than you ever will in the tool itself, so being set up on Trend for cutters is a cost that never goes away – another reason the two brands so often end up side by side in the same workshop.
Beyond the headline tools
Trend’s range runs well past routers. The Airshield powered respirator is a favourite for dusty work, the jigs cover everything from hinges to stairs, and the T18S platform now stretches to other cordless tools. If you want one brand for the routing-and-jig side of joinery, Trend has the depth.
Festool’s range is built around the system: the Domino loose-tenon jointer has no real rival, the Kapex mitre saw is a workshop favourite, and the CT extractors tie the whole lot together with automatic tool triggering. If you commit to Festool, each new tool slots into a workflow you already own – which is exactly how they get you to keep buying.
The setup most working joiners end up with
Walk into enough UK workshops and you see the same kit again and again: a Festool TS 55 with a pair of rails and a CT extractor for the sheet work, and a Trend router loaded with Trend cutters plus a worktop jig and a hinge jig for the routing and fitting. That is not fence-sitting, it is the pragmatic answer – each brand doing what it does best. The mistake is going all-in on one badge for the prestige and then finding you have overpaid for cutters or under-bought on sheet-cutting quality.
If you are building a kit from scratch on a tight budget, start with a Trend router, a handful of cutters and one good jig, and pair it with a mid-price plunge saw rather than a Festool. Upgrade to the Festool once the finish work is paying for it. You will get more done, sooner, for less – and you can always trade up later.
Frequently asked questions
Does Trend make a track saw?
Not a mainstream plunge saw to rival the Festool TS 55. Trend focuses on routers, cutters, jigs and accessories, and does make guide-rail adaptors so their routers run on plunge-saw tracks. For a track saw itself, you would pair Trend routing kit with a Festool, Makita or Bosch plunge saw.
Are Trend cutters good enough for professional work?
Yes. Trend cutters are the trade standard in the UK for a reason – a broad range, consistent quality and fair prices. Plenty of professional joiners run Trend cutters in a Festool router without a second thought.
Is Festool worth the money?
For finish-critical work, yes. The cut quality, the dust extraction and the system integration save time and produce a better result, and the strong resale value cushions the cost. For rough carpentry and general site work, the premium is harder to justify.
Can I mix the two brands?
Absolutely, and most joiners do. Trend cutters and jigs alongside a Festool plunge saw and extractor is one of the most common – and sensible – workshop setups in the UK.
