they dont go on sale because we still buy them anyway and they dont need to.
welcome the fog.
any drill bit that that has a shank smaller than the max chuck capacity can be used. all hex bits can be used in the hex adapter that comes with the drill

happy drilling. the csx is a nice little drill and perfect for diy small jobs. wont be great for bigger screws but thats not what its designed for

Welcome to the FOG!

As Alan said, you can certainly use any drills (within the allowable shank size of the drill) and drivers with the keyless chuck.  If you want to use the Centrotec aspect of the drill then you will need to either buy Centrotec bits from Festool or buy an adaptor that will allow you to use standard wire detent 1/4" hex bits.  The exception to this is that if you don't have anything on the end of the drill (just the output shaft) then you can use standard 1/4" hex bits and tips in that, but they don't lock in place.  You may also want to note that the CXS has a max capacity of a 5/16" shank going into the keyless chuck which is less than the standard 3/8" minimum capacity of common drills here.

Why not on sale?  Festool develops a tool to its specs, then prices it.  The tool is sold on its merits - not its price.  Every dealer sells at the same price, so in order for a dealer to be more successful than the next dealer he has to stand out other than offering tools for a discount.  Occasionally Festool will offer a promotional price, but that doesn't happen frequently.  I have three Festool drills and three other brands of corded drills.  Guess which ones rarely get used.

Hope that this helps.

Peter

Thanks,

That is MacGyver.  He is sometimes referenced as the FOG dog by Festool USA guys and gals because he came to live with us during the Fogtainer marathon and was chronicled.  He even has his own blog although he sucks at posting on it lately.  I personally think his take on social networks is the most profound, but hey, I am his Dad.

Goldens Rule!  So do Newfies!


Peter

PS:  For our UK and GB members - he is half British Golden Retriever which is different from our standard Golden Retrievers.  He is skinnier, and more food fickle.

If you are home DIY and also budget oriented, a CSX and a corded drill for the 10% big stuff would probably work out. The CSX will become your favorite "pen knife" - but you still wouldn't use it to chop down a tree!

Seems the "best extremes" combo is becoming the CXS+T18 for NA as I read it ...

The kit is what makes these drills IMO. 

There are always Fes drills on Ebay that can be had at a reasonable price. 

Well, I went for the T12+3 over the CXS. I didn't much like the chuck size limitation or the fact that the chucks etc. didn't fit the other drills.

I found it was the right choice for me. Several times since buying it I've used drills with shanks 3/8 to 1/2 in it. It would have been a pain to have to drag out my big corded drill for these jobs. Since I bought it I haven't had to use any other drill.

It's the first Li ion battery drill I've owned - what a treat. The batteries stay charged, and recharge very quickly.

As far as fitting bits - yes it will work with anything, but wire detent are a little more convenient than power bits because they fit more of the chucks well.

I'm still thinking I might want a small driver for working with electronics but now I'm thinking something like an electric torque screwdriver.

Older model - good deal if there's still stock. When they were running them out in Oz they were $100~150 cheaper ... No light, classic systainer and 2.6 instead of 3.0 batteries.

"Always with the negative waves, Moriarty......"   But pardon me, isn't that a ton of money.  You sure you want to tie that much up in one drill?  If you were going out in the field then maybe.  But you aren't going to be more than 50 feet from you battery charger are you?  

As far as the other chucks go, I've built 4 kitchens and a library and a bathroom and other odds and ends in the last three years and I've never even held a right angle drill in my hands.  My son in law has one but I've never used it.  

You do what you need to do but surely you realize that you could replace all the cabinetry in you home with an 18v Ryobi as your only drill and have no problems at all.  And the same battery could power you weed eater and your hedge trimmer.  

Festool is the best no argument, but I've never been able to talk myself into it.  Forget Festool, I've never been able to talk myself into a nice Bosch or Makita.  Those kitchens and stuff I mentioned?  They were built with this.....



$175 from Home Depot three years ago and I've had no problems at all.  ($140 today on the net)  Spare batteries are $30 but I've never had to buy any.  The originals are holding about %80 of the charge they had on day one.  Funny.  I have a Domino and a Kapex but no Festool drills.  You're just starting out and I'm starting my 5th kitchen and you'll have a T drill and I won't.  Go figure.  

I was also thinking that way before i had Festool drills, but when i sold my Bosch ps20 and angle driver for a CXS i had no regrets at all. But probably because of the reasonable price of the CXS.
One year later i sold my Bosch 14.4V for a T15 with only regret that i didn't do it sooner.
You cannot judge them on price, especially when you don't own any. I have yet to see anyone complain about their Festool drill not being worth the price, While funnily enough you have a Kapex and it's not rare to find owners who think it's overpriced, including me.

Welcome to the slippery green slope!

I held off on the Festool drills for a long time, but was absolutely delighted when I succumbed.  I have the TDK 12 (bought at clearance price that is probably still available) and the CXS.  Both drills delight me every time I use them.  I do DIY and build furniture.  Frankly the CXS does 99 percent of what I need.  Yesterday I was screwing in 3 inch screws into hardwood and it never slowed down.  I mainly pull out the T12 when I'm in production mode and 2 drills speed things up.

The suggestion of a cheap corded drill is good.  They are powerful and cheap and last forever.  Easy to find on craigslist.

Beware of buying one drill of a pair without the kit.  The CXS kit (except for centrotec) is not useable on the T and C models or vice versa, same with batteries.

My suggestion:  buy the CXS for now, get a bigger drill when you build a deck or have a project that justifies it.

I agree with Kev.

15 years ago I started with a corded Makita hammer drill. 

I then got a Dewalt 14.4V hammer drill when I had to build a long fence in bad weather and didn't fancy using a corded tool outside.  It did a good job, but I rarely use it now. 

Most recently I got a CXS, which does 95% of my work, and only use one of the others if I need the extra chuck capacity, torque or hammer capability.  Having said that, the CXS will drive one of the 35mm diameter Forstner bits through softwood without breaking a sweat.

If I was buying again and could only afford two, it would be the CXS and Makita.

Just my tuppence worth.

Andrew

You could buy a Ryobi drill, or a Festool drill if you can afford them Then again, you can build kitchens by toe nailing the stiles and rails together, or you could pocket screw or mortise and tenon them together. I have two T15's and the price is secondary to the innovation and the time/struggle savings. I use the offset and right angle chucks all the time in building and installing kitchens and baths. They get used all day and have payed for themselves already. With enough experience, you finally decide that time is money and it is better to work efficiently and with less frustration. You can penny pinch and struggle with a giant noisy boat anchor power tool if you wish, too! Many chose not to.

Thanks, I actually only own one drill right now, which is the PC Hammer Drill. I had owned a Ryobi, and it just bit the dust, hence my looking for a new cordless drill. 

To be candid, I wouldn't even know what to do with a Domino Joiner or how to work one!

I'm just starting out, and need to build a few bookcases (nothing fancy) and build a fascia for a model train set. I have a tracksaw (not Festool) for the cutting, and was going to use the Kreg System to fasten the bookshelves...

I want to learn, and would love to someday be able to actually build a furniture grade piece, but thus far I have zero skill, and no clue what I'm doing! 

Look at some of the video's on this site showing the Domino joiner capabilities.  Once you own the Domino, woodworking will be much simpler.

Jack