Best drill/driver set Not named Festool

[mlfaber]

Festool first, Panasonic second.

 

[Holmz]

Festool first, Panasonic second.

Why?
Based on what?

 

[Throwback7r]

Have you tried to use the Hammer option on the PDC. For me it did not work. Festool even tried to fix the issue and 3 drills later I gave up.

I used to use Milwaukee drills and used them every day for years.  I started having problems with Milwaukee.  The drill that I have now is on its third transmission and its second motor.  I feel Milwaukee has lowered its quality.  I have used the m18 fuel and think its a great drill, I have no idea how it will hold up to time. 

I bought a t15 from the reconditioned sale,  and its an awesome drill.  I sold it when the PDC came out and now I use the PDC every day.  Today I went through a 25lb box of 2 1/2 decking screws.  Thats 2000 screws in one day and it did amazing.  It was a hot day around 96 degrees and working in the sun it did awesome.  Its by far one of the best drills I have ever owned.  My next drill will be a cxs for smaller jobs.  I like the t15 for its size but the pdc has more power and the hammer option.

As far as a impact drill. I think they are horrible.  They are too noisy to work with all day.  I only strips screws when the bit is either bad or not the right size for what I am working with.  I know people love them and I own one and rarely use it.  I only use it when I am doing auto repair or working on my mower. 

Please take a look at the Festool drills.  I use my tools professionally every day for hours and hours and so far I have been impressed.  I really like the centrotec system and the right hand attachment is a life saver.  Never really used the eccentric chuck when I owned the t15.  If not festool I would take a look at Makita or Bosch drills.  If you can find a Bosch that is made in Europe it sould be a good drill.

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

Have you tried to use the Hammer option on the PDC. For me it did not work. Festool even tried to fix the issue and 3 drills later I gave up.

I used to use Milwaukee drills and used them every day for years.  I started having problems with Milwaukee.  The drill that I have now is on its third transmission and its second motor.  I feel Milwaukee has lowered its quality.  I have used the m18 fuel and think its a great drill, I have no idea how it will hold up to time. 

I bought a t15 from the reconditioned sale,  and its an awesome drill.  I sold it when the PDC came out and now I use the PDC every day.  Today I went through a 25lb box of 2 1/2 decking screws.  Thats 2000 screws in one day and it did amazing.  It was a hot day around 96 degrees and working in the sun it did awesome.  Its by far one of the best drills I have ever owned.  My next drill will be a cxs for smaller jobs.  I like the t15 for its size but the pdc has more power and the hammer option.

As far as a impact drill. I think they are horrible.  They are too noisy to work with all day.  I only strips screws when the bit is either bad or not the right size for what I am working with.  I know people love them and I own one and rarely use it.  I only use it when I am doing auto repair or working on my mower. 

Please take a look at the Festool drills.  I use my tools professionally every day for hours and hours and so far I have been impressed.  I really like the centrotec system and the right hand attachment is a life saver.  Never really used the eccentric chuck when I owned the t15.  If not festool I would take a look at Makita or Bosch drills.  If you can find a Bosch that is made in Europe it sould be a good drill.

Yes my hammer option works greAt!!!  Definitely need hearing protection when im using it.  I normally only drill about 10 holes in hammer mode at a time.  If I need to drill a lot of holes i use my Bosch sds drill. 

 

[Throwback7r]

Yea i tried to drill a 3/8 hole in concrete and it would slip out of gear.  oh well .. just my luck

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

Yea i tried to drill a 3/8 hole in concrete and it would slip out of gear.  oh well .. just my luck

Thats weird,  ive never had that happen.  I have only drilled 1/4 and smaller so far.

 

[DB10]

Milwaukee Fuel brushless...there are over 40 different tools available in 12V and over 50 available in 18V. They are also releasing a 9AH battery in January for the 18V product line so their battery technology is current or better.

I also wish their gear wasn't made in China and I would be willing to pay 30% to 40% more if the stuff was manufactured somewhere else.  [2cents]

Personally I wouldn't let "Made in China" stand in the way of a great drill, both Hilti and Panasonic manufacture drills in China And I've had no complaints with either brands quality.

 

[rst]

I have used battery drills since BD first sold them in the early eighties.  I had a Freud when they came out and it worked really well.  Switched to Makita 9V and had all their versions.  When my daughter moved to Oregon I bought a Bosch 12V to build her an art room. 
As I had all the Makita stuff and batteries I stuck with them for a couple years.  When Milwaukee came out with their 12V system I started buying those and loved them.  I do glazing and automatic entrance work so work off ladders regularly and for long periods of time.  I own four 12V drills (all variants, some left in the shop...easier than walkn out to the van), the lights, recip, oscillating, right angle and dremel type.  I also have now have the 18V system drills, lights, wood and metal saws.  I love all of them and use all on a regular basis.  I do so many various trades that I would not trade my Milwaukees for any other system just because of the variants and besides they do everything I ask them to perform.

 

[waho6o9]

Ryobi's are indestructible but their batteries are rubbish.

I've used Makitas, Dewalts and now I'm set with Milwaukee Fuel and

that's what will be used for the foreseeable future.

I've heard Panasonics are good but never seen any one use them.

 

 

[Mort]

I've also been going back and forth on this. My wife wanted a drill for the house (my Milwaukee M18 Fuel is pretty heavy, and often buried deep in my workshop), and it's between the M12 drill/driver and the CXS. I'm having a hard time justifying why the CXS is twice the price, is it 2x better? Anybody with experience with both can shed some light on that?

 

[oldie]

Your main concern seems to be, not wanting to damage the heads of screws. 
So, as an alternative to impact drilling, wonder if the Metabo Impuls Drills would pique your interest. 

Richard (UK) 
(edit:  apologies - hadn't twigged that looking only at smaller 12v drills) 

 

[iamnothim]

I've also been going back and forth on this. My wife wanted a drill for the house (my Milwaukee M18 Fuel is pretty heavy, and often buried deep in my workshop), and it's between the M12 drill/driver and the CXS. I'm having a hard time justifying why the CXS is twice the price, is it 2x better? Anybody with experience with both can shed some light on that?

Yup.  I do.
About 6mos ago I was paneling my daughter's room and had a lot of drilling to do.  As I stated earlier I had my Milwaukee M12 drill & driver about 10 years.  It was working fine but it wasn't FESTOOL.

I watched HalfInchShy say this is the one tool he would actually say "Go buy one".  So I did.  I very much like not having a battery hanging under the handle and with my "home use" I didn't need the output of the larger batteries.  So the CSX fit that bill.

I really tried to like it.  It's a really nice screw gun for small screws. Not, IMO, again IMO, for 2 1/2" drywall screws.  No matter I thought it would be a fine drill.  Then I started putting pocket holes in all the stiles and rails.  This is before I got the Kreg table model with a vacuum port.  No matter.  The CSX was not cutting it.  I sent it back.

It's a tweener drill.  I didn't want to decide before each job which drill I should grab.

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[iamnothim]

Distilling down all the posts and factoring in my experience, what I will use the tool for, where I will use it, and price.
Milwaukee M12

The only compact battery drills I can find are the CSX/C15, Makita, and the M12.
Looks like I'll get another M12......  Unless.... I get bit by that nasty green bug.  [censored]

 

[deepcreek]

I'm a big fan of the Milwaukee M12 system.  Very powerful for their size.  No problems whatsoever.

 

[iamnothim]

I'm a big fan of the Milwaukee M12 system.  Very powerful for their size.  No problems whatsoever.

Love the Dog !

 

[sae]

Distilling down all the posts and factoring in my experience, what I will use the tool for, where I will use it, and price.
Milwaukee M12

The only compact battery drills I can find are the CSX/C15, Makita, and the M12.
Looks like I'll get another M12......  Unless.... I get bit by that nasty green bug.  [censored]

Sorry, I didn't realize this discussion was for 12v class of tools.

I had both M12 Fuel drill and screwdriver, I honestly didn't like either, mostly because of how large (and really top heavy) they are. They're barely 12v class anymore, my 18v Metabo brushless is 3.5 lbs with more than double the power, and the Fuel drill is near 3 lbs (3.5 w/ the extended pack).

I picked up Bosch's 12v brushless pocket driver, it's really a treat. The greatest thing is the clutch is near silent. No ear shattering rat-tat-tat-tat when it reaches the clutch limit, it's a very muted purr. It's not as powerful as the M12 Fuel, but it doesn't need to be. It's 1.6 lbs, and puts out a ton of torque for it's size.

 

[travisj]

I have no experience with either Festool or Milwaukee cordless products.  I have used DeWalt, Makita, B&D, Bosch, PC, and Ridgid.  My current go to drills are Ridgid.  I have an 18 hammer, 18 driver, and 18 impact.  My only reasoning at the time was I was sick of buying batteries for the DW stuff and Ridgid has the lifetime warranty.  I bring the batteries in every year and get new ones for free.  For that reason those are the drills that will bounce around in the back of the truck.  I have been looking for a "nice" drill to replace my little Bosch's and my 14.4 DeWalt for in the shop/garage (they all need batteries).  I have been thinking about the CXS, but I have some friends who make a living with their tools and I believe the Milwaukee stuff is in my future.  I do not know anyone who runs a newer Milwaukee cordless that wouldn't replace it with the same tool if needed.  The fact that you have gotten 10 years out of your set shows their worth.

 

[iamnothim]

I have no experience with either Festool or Milwaukee cordless products.  I have used DeWalt, Makita, B&D, Bosch, PC, and Ridgid.  My current go to drills are Ridgid.  I have an 18 hammer, 18 driver, and 18 impact.  My only reasoning at the time was I was sick of buying batteries for the DW stuff and Ridgid has the lifetime warranty.  I bring the batteries in every year and get new ones for free.  For that reason those are the drills that will bounce around in the back of the truck.  I have been looking for a "nice" drill to replace my little Bosch's and my 14.4 DeWalt for in the shop/garage (they all need batteries).  I have been thinking about the CXS, but I have some friends who make a living with their tools and I believe the Milwaukee stuff is in my future.  I do not know anyone who runs a newer Milwaukee cordless that wouldn't replace it with the same tool if needed.  The fact that you have gotten 10 years out of your set shows their worth.

Maybe 8yrs.  My memory is not-so-goot.  Probably when the M12 first came out I'm sure someone knows.  I was drawn to the small battery size.  Ya the impact is a bit noisy, but since I lost my hearing to R&R it doesn't bother me.  Gotta say... it sure blows a screw into wood.  Right skippy.

 

[jbasen]

Distilling down all the posts and factoring in my experience, what I will use the tool for, where I will use it, and price.
Milwaukee M12

The only compact battery drills I can find are the CSX/C15, Makita, and the M12.
Looks like I'll get another M12......  Unless.... I get bit by that nasty green bug.  [censored]

Sorry, I didn't realize this discussion was for 12v class of tools.

I had both M12 Fuel drill and screwdriver, I honestly didn't like either, mostly because of how large (and really top heavy) they are. They're barely 12v class anymore, my 18v Metabo brushless is 3.5 lbs with more than double the power, and the Fuel drill is near 3 lbs (3.5 w/ the extended pack).

I picked up Bosch's 12v brushless pocket driver, it's really a treat. The greatest thing is the clutch is near silent. No ear shattering rat-tat-tat-tat when it reaches the clutch limit, it's a very muted purr. It's not as powerful as the M12 Fuel, but it doesn't need to be. It's 1.6 lbs, and puts out a ton of torque for it's size.

I bought a Bosch 12v drill/driver and impact driver set years ago (pre-brushless technology).  I'm only a hobbyist so they don't get heavy use but they have worked flawlessly for me.  Light weight, nice power for their size, and very comfortable in your hand.  No complaints at all.

 

[bisongoods]

I have a renovation company as well as a small furniture & design business. I replaced all of my drills (spare my bosch SDS drill for concrete) with the T18 + 3 and the CXS set. I was using the Makita 18v for a while, bought the Millwaukee 18v, have had several of the 12v drills both makita and millwaukee. I was on site the other day and my employee was trying to drive a 6" screw through a post with his Milwaukee 18v brushless impact on a full charge and it wasn't doing it. The T18 put it away without skipping a beat, pretty sure I had the battery going for a day or more already. I felt stupid for dropping so much on a couple of drills for the first week or so, but after a bit of use it's probably one of my favourite, most used Festool purchases to date, and I have pretty much everything. I say if you can get past the price it's the best combo money can buy, especially when considering the extra chucks essentially make it like 3 seperate tools.