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For two decades, the Festool Domino has stood alone. If you wanted true loose tenon joinery in a handheld tool, you paid the Festool tax or you went without. That just changed. The Kreg Edge 20V Ionic Drive Loose Tenon Joiner is here, it is shipping, and it lands at a price point that makes you do a double take.
Order the Kreg Edge
It is in stock and shipping. Two ways to get it:
- Kreg Edge 20V Tenon Joiner Kit, $499 includes 4.0 Ah battery and charger
- Kreg Edge 20V Tenon Joiner, Tool Only, $449 best pick if you already own Blue Ion batteries
Starting at $449 for the bare tool and $499 for the kit with battery and charger, the Kreg Edge brings cordless loose tenon joinery to the workbench at roughly one-third the cost of the Festool Domino DF 500, which retails for $1,359. That is not a typo. That is a $910 difference.
I Got My Hands on the Kreg Edge
Spec sheets only tell you so much. I got the Edge into the shop and put it to work, so before you read the rest of this breakdown, watch what it actually does on real stock.
Everything below comes from that time with the tool plus the published specs. If you have a question the video did not answer, drop it in the comments over there and I will get to it.
Kreg Edge vs Festool Domino: Quick Comparison
Before getting into the details, here is a side by side look at how the two tools line up.
| Feature | Kreg Edge | Festool Domino DF 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $449 bare / $499 kit | $1,359 |
| Power | 20V cordless brushless (Blue Ion) | Corded, 420 watts, 13 ft. cord |
| Spindle Speed | Not published | 25,500 RPM |
| Mortise Sizes | 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm | 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm |
| Cutter Included | 6mm | 5mm |
| Max Plunge Depth | Not published | 28mm (1-1/16 in.) |
| Depth Stop Units | Imperial or metric, user swappable | Metric (12/15/20/25/28mm) |
| Stock Thickness | 7/16 in. to 2-3/8 in. centered, thicker in manual mode | Fence height 5-30mm (1/8 in. to 1-3/16 in.) |
| Fence Angle | Micro-adjustable height | 0 to 90 degrees, stops at 0, 22.5, 45, 67.5, 90 |
| Mortise Width | One-touch adjustment | Three increments by knob |
| Repeat Placement | Configurable edge stops, Narrow Stock Guide | Four self-referencing pins, cross stop, trim stop |
| Dust | Chip relief slots reduce need for extraction on short sessions | 27mm dust port, extractor recommended |
| Weight | Not published | 7.72 lbs. |
| Cutter Compatibility | Cutters and tenons swap between both tools | |
What is the Kreg Edge?
The Kreg Edge is a cordless loose tenon joiner. A brushless 20V motor drives an oscillating, high-speed carbide cutter that machines precise mortises in seconds. You then glue a pre-made hardwood tenon into both mortises to join the two pieces. The result is a hidden, exceptionally strong joint that is comparable to a traditional mortise and tenon, only faster and more repeatable.
This style of joinery has been the gold standard for furniture and cabinet building for years, but the entry price kept most hobbyists and even many small shops on the sidelines. The Edge changes that math entirely.
Six Features That Set the Kreg Edge Apart
1. Depth Stops in Imperial or Metric, Your Choice
The Domino reads in metric only, with plunge stops at 12, 15, 20, 25, and 28mm. The Kreg Edge lets you swap the depth stop between imperial and metric yourself, so if you spend your day thinking in fractions of an inch you can work that way, and if you would rather match the metric tenon sizes you can do that instead. The whole tool is built around common U.S. material sizes. Small thing on paper, big thing in practice.
2. Built-in Chip Relief Slots
The base of the Edge has chip relief slots that clear debris and reduce buildup during the cut. For shorter sessions, that minimizes the need to hook up a dust extractor at all. It does not make the dust disappear, so for a long run of mortises you will still want to connect extraction, but for quick setups and short runs you can skip dragging the hose out.
3. One-Touch Mortise Width Adjustment
This is the feature that saves you during glue-up. One touch widens the mortise so mating parts have a little play to slide into alignment, instead of fighting a joint that is machined too tight to adjust. Cut one snug mortise and one wide one and the assembly becomes forgiving without giving up accuracy.
4. Micro-Adjustable Fence and Configurable Edge Stops
The fence height is micro-adjustable, so you can dial it in for custom and non-standard material thicknesses without shimming or guessing. That matters more than it sounds if you work with planed lumber or sheet goods that drift off nominal sizing. Configurable edge stops then place mortises consistently on mating workpieces so you are not chasing alignment from part to part.
5. Included Accessories That Actually Earn Their Spot
The auto-centering Narrow Stock Guide eliminates measuring and marking on narrow boards. The Stability Base gives the tool a large, planted footprint for face mortising on panels, which is where a joiner like this usually gets tippy. Both are included, not upsells.
6. A Price That Actually Makes Sense
The bare tool comes in at $449. The full kit with a 4.0 Ah battery and charger is $499. That is roughly a third of the cost of the Festool Domino DF 500. For shops that have wanted loose tenon joinery but could not justify the spend, this is the answer.
Don't Forget the Cutters
Only the 6mm cutter ships in the box. If you want the other three sizes, they are a separate buy, and it is worth planning for that up front rather than getting the tool home and realizing you cannot cut an 8mm mortise for a table leg.
The Kreg Edge Loose Tenon Mortising Cutters come in 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm. Each one is carbide tipped and rated for 5,000 or more joints depending on what you are cutting, with spiral flutes that keep tearout down and leave a clean, finished mortise wall. They are sized to match Kreg loose tenons, and like everything else here, they work in the Festool Domino too.
My advice is to grab 8mm with the tool. That is the size that covers most furniture work, and 6mm alone will have you reaching for a bigger tenon within the first couple of projects.
The Tenon Math Nobody Talks About
Here is where it gets interesting. Since tenons swap between the Kreg Edge and the Festool Domino, you are free to buy whichever is cheaper. So I ran the numbers per tenon.
| Size | Kreg | Festool | Cheaper Per Tenon |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6mm | 75 ct, $15.99 21.3 cents each |
190 ct, $25.00 13.2 cents each |
Festool |
| 8mm | 50 ct, $15.99 32.0 cents each |
130 ct, $25.00 19.2 cents each |
Festool |
| 10mm | 25 ct, $13.99 56.0 cents each |
85 ct, $25.00 29.4 cents each |
Festool |
Festool wins on price per tenon across all three sizes, and it is not close. At 10mm you are looking at 56 cents versus 29 cents, so the Festool tenons come in at roughly half the cost per piece.
Length is worth checking too. The Kreg tenons in this comparison run 20mm, 22mm, and 24mm long, while the Festool 8mm and 10mm run 40mm and 50mm. Longer tenons mean more glue surface and deeper interlock, so on the bigger sizes you are getting more tenon for less money.
That said, shorter tenons are the right call for thinner stock, and Kreg designed theirs to pair with Kreg Edge cutters. Buy the size that fits the joint you are cutting first, then let price break the tie.
One more thing worth knowing: Festool tenons run from 4x20mm all the way to 10x50mm and come in beech or weatherproof sipo. If you are building anything that lives outside, the sipo option is the reason to look at Festool tenons regardless of what tool you own.
- Festool Beech Loose Tenons solid natural beech, cheapest per tenon, works in both tools
- Kreg Edge and Mortisemate Loose Tenons fluted solid hardwood, shorter lengths for thinner stock
How Strong Are Loose Tenon Joints?
Loose tenon joinery rivals traditional mortise and tenon in strength. The reason comes down to three things:
- Increased glue surface area. Mortises on both pieces mean more wood-to-glue contact than a dowel or biscuit ever offers.
- Deeper interlocking joints. The tenon extends into both workpieces, creating mechanical resistance against racking and pull-out.
- Precise alignment. Because the mortises are machined rather than chiseled, the fit is consistent every single time.
For tables, chairs, cabinets, face frames, panels, and doors, loose tenons are about as strong a hidden joint as you can ask for in a home shop.
What Comes in the Kit
The bare tool (model KPTEDGE100B) includes the same 6mm cutter, Narrow Stock Guide, Stability Base, and tenon sample pack, but requires a Kreg 20V Blue Ion 2.0 Ah or 4.0 Ah battery and charger, sold separately. Kreg recommends the 4.0 Ah pack.
Full Specifications
- Model: KPTEDGE100B (bare tool)
- Power: Cordless 20V Blue Ion, brushless motor
- Cutter: Oscillating high-speed carbide, 6mm included
- Mortise Sizes: 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm (5, 8, and 10mm cutters sold separately, carbide tipped, rated 5,000+ joints)
- Material Capacity: Centers mortises in 7/16 in. to 2-3/8 in. stock, thicker in manual mode
- Fence: Micro-adjustable height for custom and non-standard thicknesses
- Mortise Width: One-touch adjustment for forgiving assembly
- Placement: Configurable edge stops for repeatable mortise location
- Included Accessories: Auto-centering Narrow Stock Guide, Stability Base
- Dust: Built-in chip relief slots reduce buildup and the need for extraction on short sessions
- Battery Required: Kreg 20V Blue Ion 2.0 Ah (#71531) or 4.0 Ah (#71124)
Kit or Bare Tool? Here Is How I Would Decide
The Edge runs on the same Blue Ion battery platform as the rest of Kreg's cordless Ionic Drive lineup, so the right pick comes down to what is already sitting on your charger.
If you already own Blue Ion batteries, buy the bare tool at $449 and put the $50 toward cutters and tenons instead. If the Edge is your first Kreg cordless tool, the kit at $499 is the easy call. Fifty dollars for a 4.0 Ah battery and a charger is well under what those cost separately, and it puts you on the platform for every Ionic Drive tool that comes after.
Once you are on Blue Ion, the next tool I would add is the Kreg Rebel Pocket-Hole Joiner. It is the cordless evolution of the tool that built Kreg's reputation, and it gets used in nearly every project that comes through my shop.
You can browse the full Kreg 20V Ionic Drive lineup at Acme Tools or on Amazon.
How the Kreg Edge Fits Into the Bigger Picture
Kreg has been on a tear with its cordless tool lineup. Last year I covered the full Ionic Drive launch, which was the biggest single platform release the brand had ever done. The Edge is the next chapter in that story.
If you missed it, that video walks through all 10 of the original Ionic Drive tools and gives a feel for how serious Kreg has gotten about cordless. The Edge is the proof that they are not slowing down.
What About the Festool Domino?
The Festool Domino DF 500 is still the benchmark. Twenty years of refinement shows up in the details: a pendulum milling action that cuts smooth mortises with almost no effort, 25,500 RPM, a 4mm size the Edge does not offer, four self-referencing stop pins that fold away when you do not need them, a cross stop for repeat spacing, and a trim stop for stock as narrow as 7/8 inch. The latest version also upgraded the fence with clearer markings, a quick-release lever, and a double-column design. It comes in a Systainer.
It is also corded, at 420 watts on a 13 foot cord, and it weighs 7.72 pounds. For professionals running Dominos on production work, none of that is going anywhere.
But for the woodworker who looked at the $1,359 price tag and walked away, the Edge changes the conversation completely. You get into loose tenon joinery for $449 to $499 instead of $1,359, with a cordless tool that runs on a battery platform you can use across your whole shop. And because cutters and tenons cross over between the two, you are not locked into either brand's consumables.
Where to Buy the Kreg Edge
The Edge is available to order right now in both configurations.
- Kreg Edge 20V Tenon Joiner Kit, $499 includes 4.0 Ah battery and charger
- Kreg Edge 20V Tenon Joiner, Tool Only, $449 best pick if you already own Blue Ion batteries
- Kreg Edge Mortising Cutters 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, 10mm; only 6mm is in the box
- Festool Beech Loose Tenons cheapest per tenon, works in the Edge
- Kreg Loose Tenons shorter lengths for thinner stock
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Sign Up FreeFinal Take
The Festool Domino had a 20 year head start. The Kreg Edge just walked onto the field with cordless brushless power, imperial markings, micro-adjustable everything, and a price tag two-thirds lower. For a whole lot of shops, this is the tool that finally makes loose tenon joinery worth the spend.
Watch the video above for the full hands-on, and if loose tenon joinery has been sitting on your list, the barrier that kept you out just dropped by $910.
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