I bought a $70 'Domino' on Alibaba

I bought a $70 domino off Alibaba and a $200 one from Canada. I test these two festool domino killers to see if they can cut mortises as good as the domino. The Tianli and Komax jigs definitely gave me a few surprises!

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0:00 Do you need a domino?
0:56 How they show up
2:12 Setting up for cuts
5:12 Edge to edge joint test
7:22 How fast are they?
8:06 Choosing the right bit
8:41 Face frame joint test
9:30 Could these kill you?
11:05 Edge butt joint test
13:02 The worst part of them
14:02 Center divider joint test
15:26 Which one to buy

[halsti]

imo, the domino is an absolute no brainer for any professional that needs it. as a hobby woodworker however, its a bit out of my budget. however, i have never really seen the point of all the jigs to mimic a domino. if you dont have a domino, just use a high quality doweling jig. those cost like 80 bucks and are great.

[Tool-Meister]

I debated (with myself) whether or not to buy a Domino machine over ten years ago, back when they shipped in the ORIGINAL style Systainer... Back then, the “Set” configuration was under $900. I’ve never regretted the purchase! One operation totally ignored in the review is the reference plate’s ability to adjust to angles. That ability really opened up my comfort building with mitered corners. A Domino or two in a mitered corner, at any angle up to 90 degrees, makes alignment and clamping extremely easy. That’s got to be worth SIX STARS!

[kevinintheusa]

I got the Tian Li about 2 years ago when I was making some new kitchen cabinets for our house. In the past, I had used pocket screws but I wanted to use dominos instead for the new ones. I looked at the Festool and for the project total, I didn't want to spend that much. I think I got the Tian Li for about $220.00 bucks delivered. For me, it worked well and once you get used to it you speed up a bit. I didn't do anything outrageous just used it to attach 3/4-inch panels to each other and also put the face frames together. I made a jig that helps with the face frames and it worked out great for me. If I did this all the time, I would invest in a Festool but for what I needed, it was fine. I will say that I haven't needed to use it since but my son has used it a few more times on some of his furniture and he has not had any problems getting it to work for him. I will also admit it is probably a little more dangerous but I used a foot peddle to turn my router on and off and always had a good grip on the tool. I love the harbor freight foot peddles for my table saw and miter saw too.

[skyehagen]

I have the TianLi, picked it up a couple of years ago. My hand got tired holding the router, so I drilled and tapped a hole in the top of the router mount. Then threaded a handle on it. Easier to hold, and move side to side. Mine came with an 8mm router bit, with a 8mm collect. Worked great with the 8mm Domino's. Based on your review, it looks like the TianLi has gone down in quality. My spring works, and doesn't fall down. Mine also has a different depth stop design. I've thought about taking the face frame into a machine shop, and having a couple of new plates made, something with a much smaller opening. Just haven't done it yet.

[MakeSomething]

Thanks for the shout Brad! I've been wondering about Komax jig. Great vid.

[Ultramesh]

It looks like you could replace your side locking bolts with longer ones on the Komax to make tighter slots.

[aBoogivogi]

If everything is adjusted with screws on the comex you can always get a narrower cut by replacing the screws with longer ones

[PaleRider]

Seems like with the Komax, you could do a few modifications and jigs, and it would work fine. For one, maybe put some longer set screws, for the side to side adjustment?

[NicBock]

The alibaba one is actually made to cut grove for keyhole fastener on cheap mdf furniture, that why the large cut. It just happen to be able to cut a domino mortise. By the way here in China you get the jig and the router for around 300RMB total (45$ total)

[BigHeinen]

With some longer adjustment bolts for side-to-side cut you could fine tune that tool. I know it's an added expense but it's still a 'decent' tool for very little investment.

[testman]

Main question is, what is the point of a domino for non pro. I mean using multiples top quality dowel will result in a better joint (more solid and cheaper). Taking into account that those jigs can be used for dowels as well...

[beesoffury]

Another thing to consider about the speed of a Domino is ease of use. It’s really intuitive. I can go months between when I use mine but when I need it, I don’t ever feel that I have to relearn anything. Just do.

[Barkley-ql]

I bought one of these about a year ago. It worked great for a little while. The lateral slide mechanism developed a lot of play. Now it cuts mortices that are malformed and cannot be used. I threw it away and purchased a Domino. over a hundred dollars wasted. I also bought one of the Mirka knock-offs from Amazon and it lasted about 10 minutes. I sent that one back. Beware of the lousy cheap tools.

[daddywoofdawg]

Makes me want to get the Komax and make some mods to it, faceplate, longer screws, etc

[mmgnqmc]

Thanks for this nice comparison! My solution is the Makita PJ7000, which is for me as a hobbyist is the perfect compromise in quality and price

[John-NeverStopLearning]

Komax has a simple fix for the slot width. Loca hardware store and purchase 2 longer machine thread screws.

[emillkim]

Anybody else lurking tools you don't understand but are planning your future workshop? Love this guy

[kevinlsims]

Change Out The Adjustment Bolts With Longer ones! I Really love pocket Screws! They Make Cabinet Fronts Easy As Can Be!

[sdoggie]

Dude you are awesome. Fantastic video. I've used the Domino but never considered something I can afford personally in my shop.

[Don-ulrx]

You could add longer bolt stops in the Komax to limit the side to side movement.