Coincidentally, just last night I watched this video from Stumpy Nubs showing how to create loose tenon joinery without the Domino. Of course, it does have some complexities, and assumes you have a table saw and plunge router.
I have the Festool Domino XL [1] and IMO router jigs like in that video are only superficially equivalent. The real benefit of the Domino is how it indexes cuts against edges using the mortise spacer tabs/accessories and the 0-90 degree fence, height adjusted using precise stops. It makes "measure twice, cut once" much smoother and setup is so fast that it's become my default method of joinery for anything where aesthetics matters. I sometimes use a single Domino jig for small parts [2] and clamped scrap wood spacers for awkward cuts, but the rest of the time I just use the built-in Domino functions and the included spacer accessory (which extends the length of the tabs to 200mm).
It's hard to describe just how much more useful the tool is compared to router jigs, pocket holes, etc. It changed how I design my work, how I prepare rough stock and cut it to final size, and how I work with wood movement.
[1] though I have the Seneca adapters and all that, I wish I had gotten the smaller one. Unless you're doing serious structural joinery the smaller Domino is much more convenient, and you can double up on tenons instead of reaching for a bigger one in most cases anyway.
Correct. Getting the bigger one is probably one of the worst decisions I’ve made in setting up my shop but at the time Festool wasn’t expecting any more to come out of their factories for at least a quarter. It’s more expensive than the 300 pound bandsaw and more awkward to use in most cases than the smaller domino. It was great retail therapy in the first year of the pandemic though.
You’ll know it if you need the larger domino, like if you’re selling a few heirloom quality beds a week for four or five figure sums, and then the expense will most likely be an afterthought.
I really like my DF500, and I'm inclined to agree with you about it being better overall now that you can use Domino Connect pieces with it. (If you're unfamiliar with the Domino Connect stuff--it makes it way easier to make a gift or something you have to ship. DIY flatpack, but way way nicer.)
To be clear, I'm not advocating for the work-around. To my eye, given the complexities of the work-around, and the fact I have no table saw, I'm pretty sure I'd go with the Domino. Besides, my Festool Kapex is a pure marvel that has made me a Festool fan.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx1Mg2mTMO0