Best drills for woodworking

[jimmy986]

I am in the market for a new drill. I have milwaukee cordless products at work but I am getting ready to build a large woodshop on my property so I will be buying some new stuff to outfit my home shop. I had a CXS 12 maybe 5 years ago or so but sold it as I thought I was leaving the country for two years before Covid hit the month I was set to leave. I reallyl iked it and have the milwaukee version at work. I like having two drills, one for light stuff and one heavier duty. I really like the different bit holder options on the CXS/TXS. My Milwaukee and the CXS 12 was definitely under powered for drilling tough stuff but its great for a lot of home projects and probably 75% of my woodworking. With the new CXS/TXS 18 I'm now wondering if it is powerful enough to act as both drills. Or is it larger/heavier that I'll miss the small profile of the 12v? So my basic questions:
TXS or CXS?
12v or 18v?
Set or basic? (I have a vecturo so already have two 18v batteries and could buy the other accessories seperately)
Do I need two drills or would 1 suffice?
What drill would be comparable power wise to my 18v milwaukee drill/driver?

 

[mino]

For Festool going fresh, I would get all three, in below order:

CXS12 (installer, small stuff, is about twice as strong as the old CXS). Avoid CXS 18.

TPC 18 - the "main" heavy 4-speed drill. This is great especially for the high-speed stuff. Besides being a great drill.

T18 +3 - the go-to drill, quiet, smooth, just a pleasure to work with.

Now, you ask why 3 drills ? Well, you get two chucks with each .. and those are a godsend.

 

[Birdhunter]

It’s just a guess, but I think the 12volt still will fade away as 18volt still takes over. TSX or CSX is just ergonomics preference. I prefer the T form factor.

My favorite Festool drill is the T18. Awesome drill. I also like the Festool 18volt hammer drill. Forget the name.

 

[mino]

It’s just a guess, but I think the 12volt still will fade away as 18volt still takes over. TSX or CSX is just ergonomics preference. I prefer the T form factor.

My favorite Festool drill is the T18. Awesome drill. I also like the Festool 18volt hammer drill. Forget the name.

You may be thinking the "old" CXS 10.8 with its custom batteries and charger. That was indeed discontinued.

However Festool literally just introduced the CXS 12 late last year. It is going nowhere.
They made it because it is physically not possible to make a small/light-enough install drill using the full 5-cell 18V packs. Too big/heavy.

Onto the eternal C/T topic:
The C form fact is better for precise work.
But there one wants a small and light tool, hence the CXS 12 making all kinds of sense. That 12V means a 3-cell pack which is 100g lighter in addition of being smaller.

The T form factor is better for high-power/rough drill work.
With the C/TSX 18 and even more so the the C/T 18 series drills, those are already relatively big, too big for a C-style grip. So the T-style is better there. I had the former C 12 Li, the lightest of the C1x series, and it was just too heavy for the C-grip even with my big hands.

The CXS 18 is on the edge, a compromise that is not best at either task. Not small enough as an install driver and not strong-enough as a main drill. So better to avoid and go T18+3 for its unmatched smoothness and quietness on the power side and CXS12 on the precision side.

 

[Birdhunter]

I love the little Bosch GSR12V-300N 12V Max EC Brushless 3/8 In. Drill/Driver. They are perfect for light work.

 

[redcliff]

Now, you ask why 3 drills ? Well, you get two chucks with each .. and those are a godsend.

Yes, I have four that I use as I build out projects. Only occasionally do I need to change out bits, and centrotec is great for that.

Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

 

[redcliff]

PS. The new CSX 12 is my new favorite. Handles 90% of what I need in the shop and on site.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I use two CXS for general shop utility and have the new CXS-18 for heavier work. Because of my hand and wrist issues, the lighter weight D/Ds are my preference and they are surprisingly strong tools. I use them for a lot of home improvement work, too, when I don't need the extra power of the heavier D/D. If I were buying today, the smaller units would be, of course, the CXS-12s, but those didn't exist when I bought and I will not replace them before they are toast.

 

[derekcohen]

I recently purchased the CXS18, and consider it the one-size-fits-all. It is just a little larger than the CXS12, but so much more power. I do have the older C12, which has the 10.8v battery system (referred to as a 12v battery). This is still a decent drill for lighter work. It is noticably less powerful than a 20-year old Panasonic 12v drill, and this was the reason I opted to repalce the aged Panasonic with the CXS18 and not the CXS12.

The one downside to the new CXS range is that they are louder - not to the point of wanting to avoid using them, but louder than the old range.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Lincoln]

I have, and very happy with, a C18 and TPC18. Both are fantastic drill/drivers.
Will probably add a CXS12 in the near future.
I also have a TID18 (impact driver), which I'm not really a fan of. Rarely gets used, much prefer my 18v BL Metabo.

 

[morts10n]

Zero interest in any C series drill.....I have 2 early TXS...4 T15 and one Ti15...set for life!

 

[tjbnwi]

If it matters, in my shop I have 24 CXS drills, a mix of 10.8’s and 12’s. 1-T15, 2 T-18’s 1-C18.

Prior to the CSX drills I have a few sub-compact Bosch 10.8’s. Gave them away, swore I never own a sub-compact again. Then along came the CXS, best drills I’ve ever owned.

Tom

 

[Cheese]

I've pared my selection of drills down from this rather goofy collection to simply an original CXS 2.6, a newer CXS 12, a Milwaukee 2602 M18 and for very serious work a Milwaukee corded 1854. Hammer drills and other SDS drill variants are another story and are not part of this conversation.

The original CXS 2.6 is a small drill but it's great and the best for small installs. The new CXS 12 has the compact size of the original CXS 2.6 but more power...a lot more power. Unfortunately, it's also louder within a very narrow band of its rpm range. These 2 drills are used 90% of the time for any of my projects.

What was...

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What now is...

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[Crazyraceguy]

If it matters, in my shop I have 24 CXS drills, a mix of 10.8’s and 12’s. 1-T15, 2 T-18’s 1-C18.

Prior to the CSX drills I have a few sub-compact Bosch 10.8’s. Gave them away, swore I never own a sub-compact again. Then along came the CXS, best drills I’ve ever owned.

Tom

24 for how many people? You supply drills to employees?
This is always a weird subject for me. I came into the cabinet shop from working in the automotive trade, and before that a machine shop. In the auto shop you generally supply most of the tools yourself, big equipment belonging to the company. In the machine shop, it was pretty much only measuring tools and everything else belonged to the company. It was mostly consumables though, end mills, inserts, etc.
For most of the cabinet shop guys, the company supplies nearly everything, the main exceptions being drills/drivers and measuring tapes. These are considered personal enough to "use what you like"
Those of us in the "Special projects" department are a bit more involved. We supply what we need to get the job done, which can vary wildly. Over the years, I have gained quite a collection.

My original up-fit drills were the Bosch sub-compacts too. I started with the single-speed "Pocket driver", which was hex collet based. Bosch later added a bigger one with a drill chuck, and a right-angle unit too. I had all of them, as supplements to my main drills and impact drivers (Makita LXT)
When I discovered the CXS, all of the Bosch were sold off.
To this day, those are my favorites, Makita LXT and CXS, along with a corded Dewalt Hammer drill.

 

[Lincoln]

24 for how many people? You supply drills to employees?
This is always a weird subject for me. I came into the cabinet shop from working in the automotive trade, and before that a machine shop. In the auto shop you generally supply most of the tools yourself, big equipment belonging to the company. In the machine shop, it was pretty much only measuring tools and everything else belonged to the company. It was mostly consumables though, end mills, inserts, etc.
For most of the cabinet shop guys, the company supplies nearly everything, the main exceptions being drills/drivers and measuring tapes. These are considered personal enough to "use what you like"
Those of us in the "Special projects" department are a bit more involved. We supply what we need to get the job done, which can vary wildly. Over the years, I have gained quite a collection.
[/quote]

Down here in Aus, apprentices get a 'tool allowance' as part of their weekly pay. The expectation is that you will have a 'complete' set of tools for the job, by the time you've finished your four years. Government also give vouchers to use at registered tool suppliers, as an incentive to take up an apprenticeship.
Way back when I did mine, my employer held back my allowance until it had built up to a decent amount, then a couple of times a year we went shopping.

 

[tjbnwi]

If it matters, in my shop I have 24 CXS drills, a mix of 10.8’s and 12’s. 1-T15, 2 T-18’s 1-C18.

Prior to the CSX drills I have a few sub-compact Bosch 10.8’s. Gave them away, swore I never own a sub-compact again. Then along came the CXS, best drills I’ve ever owned.

Tom

24 for how many people? You supply drills to employees?
This is always a weird subject for me. I came into the cabinet shop from working in the automotive trade, and before that a machine shop. In the auto shop you generally supply most of the tools yourself, big equipment belonging to the company. In the machine shop, it was pretty much only measuring tools and everything else belonged to the company. It was mostly consumables though, end mills, inserts, etc.
For most of the cabinet shop guys, the company supplies nearly everything, the main exceptions being drills/drivers and measuring tapes. These are considered personal enough to "use what you like"
Those of us in the "Special projects" department are a bit more involved. We supply what we need to get the job done, which can vary wildly. Over the years, I have gained quite a collection.

My original up-fit drills were the Bosch sub-compacts too. I started with the single-speed "Pocket driver", which was hex collet based. Bosch later added a bigger one with a drill chuck, and a right-angle unit too. I had all of them, as supplements to my main drills and impact drivers (Makita LXT)
When I discovered the CXS, all of the Bosch were sold off.
To this day, those are my favorites, Makita LXT and CXS, along with a corded Dewalt Hammer drill.

8

There are 5 benches, two CXS drills per, I carry two for service work, two in the office just incase. Each bench has a ETS 125 R, DTS and ETS 125EC. All the block sanders are Festool. There is a wall in the shop that has around 100 Systainers of various tools.

Miter saws, 1 Omga on a Tiger Stop and 3 Kapexs.

I also come from the automotive field, I have 50+ years of automotive tools, some highly specialized ones. How many here have a rod stud/bolt stretch gauge? I own the machine shop equipment and tools. Cutting tools/tips can add up fast.

Tom

 

[luvmytoolz]

Down here in Aus, apprentices get a 'tool allowance' as part of their weekly pay. The expectation is that you will have a 'complete' set of tools for the job, by the time you've finished your four years. Government also give vouchers to use at registered tool suppliers, as an incentive to take up an apprenticeship.
Way back when I did mine, my employer held back my allowance until it had built up to a decent amount, then a couple of times a year we went shopping.

There's also the apprenticeship program Festool does here in OZ, where if you supply the proof of apprenticeship, they give you cashback into your bank $150 per $1k spent in one transaction, up to 4 times per year.

 

[Coen]

It’s just a guess, but I think the 12volt still will fade away as 18volt still takes over. TSX or CSX is just ergonomics preference. I prefer the T form factor.

My favorite Festool drill is the T18. Awesome drill. I also like the Festool 18volt hammer drill. Forget the name.

No; 14.4/"15" went the way of the dodo, along 36V. Across many brands it is 12V (3 cels) and 18V (5 cells) that survives.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

There are 5 benches, two CXS drills per, I carry two for service work, two in the office just incase. Each bench has a ETS 125 R, DTS and ETS 125EC. All the block sanders are Festool. There is a wall in the shop that has around 100 Systainers of various tools.

Miter saws, 1 Omga on a Tiger Stop and 3 Kapexs.

I also come from the automotive field, I have 50+ years of automotive tools, some highly specialized ones. How many here have a rod stud/bolt stretch gauge? I own the machine shop equipment and tools. Cutting tools/tips can add up fast.

Tom

So, you supply everything? If a guy quit or got fired, in the middle of the day, all he needs to do is grab his jacket and lunchbox?
That is quite literally the way it is, for 95% of the guys where I work.

For me, it is very different. I own everything in my area, essentially an entire cabinet shop, minus a table saw. It's all about efficiency. I never have to search for a tool, never have to adjust it for my situation, etc. That's why all the routers, multiple track saws, even as far as 2 router tables.
Now, no one ever forced me into this, totally my choice, but just part of my thinking/experience.

There is no official apprentice program, except maybe with unions? I only know of one union cabinet shop, but it is just a part of a much larger construction company.

As far as the bolt stretch gauge, yes. Well, I used to, but it was specific to connecting rods in engines. I sold it, to a friend, when I left that job.

I like the C style, for the small assembly drill. I thought about buying a T style unit as a spare, but decided against it. The Makitas to everything else I need. I may end up having to go with a CXS12, eventually, but I really don't need more power. I usually have the clutch set to around 6, on the small one.

 

[leakyroof]

All great advice ^^^^^.  I still have my old T15 +3 drill, it won't wear out or break, so I've never really needed to replace it with a comparable newer model from Festool. I also have the original CXS drill.  Small drill for tight work, and bigger drill for almost everything else.
I did buy the PDC drill to supplement and handle harder tasks than the T15+3 drill, but for most woodworking ,you wouldn't need it.
Buy to fit your hands and taste- a drill you hate to use is a drill you'll regret buying. At least with Festool, you have some time post purchase to return a drill if it just doesn't meet your expectations... [scratch chin] [scratch chin]
I marvel at how little I ever use my Corded Milwaukee Hole Shooter Drills. Cordless tools have come a long way over the years ... [blink] [blink]