Carvex 420 Cordless... worth it or not?

[Vladiator]

About to buy the new Carvex 420 and can't make up my mind if cordless is better than corded or not?

I wanted to get Carvex 420 cordless and a TI15 impact just to change all my tools to Festool from Makita 18V LXT line. For my cordless sawing needs I was using Makita LXT 18V 6.5"" circular saw but its applications were limited, it had short battery run times and would sometimes burn batteries when pushed to the limit, especially with 1.5 Ah batteries.

Carvex 420 cordless would be a great upgrade, but it seems that Festool doesn't have any clear future in terms of 18V impact driver and that got me worried since I use impact drivers a lot and would really like it if Festool had an 18V driver on the horizon.

Those of you who bought cordless or corded versions, what were your reasons for buying each kind?

And in my case, which option would make more sense?
1 - Buy carvex 420 cordless bare-bones set + 18V 4.2Ah battery for carvex + Full Ti15 set
2 - Buy carvex 420 cordless bare-bones set + Full Ti15 set. Use carvex with Ti15 14.4v 4.2 Ah batteries. Wait and see what Festool does with 18V product lines....
2 - Buy carvex 420 corded set & Keep my Makita 18V LXT impact
3 - Buy carvex 420 cordless full set + Wait for when Festool comes out with 18V impact.

All your advice would be greatly appreciated... Thank you in advance.

 

[batcave]

This is going to be good.  [big grin]

I am tempted to buy a cordless Carvex. I have two 15v drills. I would like to see how they run on 15v, but they sell them with 18v for a reason. I assume you will want at least three batteries. I think you should go with option 1.

Kevin

 

[jackandhenry]

I myself bought the corded carvex 420. Amazing machine and worth it. I would recommend the accessory kit as well. You save money with all the interchangeble bases and circle cutter. Well worth the money!!

Now the reason I bought the corded version. When you change the blades, bases, splinter guards, etc you normally would unplug the cord. I always do this with all their tools. With a battery operated version there is the chance you may forget to take out the battery and accidently turn the tool on which could be bad. I guess you could do that with the corded version too but this was my thinking since all if my festools are corded. Also the weight is much lighter with the corded version. Truly amazing machine!! 

Now the drill: I myself personally own 2 Hilti drills. Both cordless. One being an impact with 3 impact settings and the other being a regular drill. I am not saying to buy Hilti over festool but I love these drills. German made snd both are 18v with 3.2 amh. These batteries will last all week long on one charge sometimes. I wish festool made these. Maybe eventually they will!! I do also own the festool mini drill with the right angle attachments. Much less powerful but still a great drill for cabinet work and all around work.

Anyways hope this helps with any advice.

J

 

[Walk On Wood]

I love my cordless Carvex.  I also have the corded, but haven't used it since I bought the cordless.  Same power, and i think excellent runtime.  I would probably just buy both full sets (I have both full sets, as well as T18+3). If you use both a lot, you may be wanting the second charger.

 

[Kev]

For starters, the CARVEX runs really well on 15V.

As far as I'm concerned, the negatives on the cordless are the CMS module (it's not mains powered, so the remote power switch is negated) ... and you miss out on CT auto-on/off.

The pluses should be very obvious! [wink]

I have a mix of Festool and Protool 12V, 15V and 18V ...plus the CXS. Apart from the CXS, the chargers are compatible across the range, and the upward compatibility of the batteries means that you'd rarely be caught out.

I wouldn't hold out for a impact for 12+ months in 18V,

I have the Ti15, is a good impact driver, but it's not a drill replacement.

 

[Vladiator]

If only someone could do a test of how many linear feet can be cut with a 15v 4.2 Ah and the 18V 4.2 Ah batteries.

Kev, if i'm not mistaken CMS is a table for the router.... how does it relate to carvex? Or you meant that the corded carvex 420 is part of the compact system that Festool has a whole where you have separate dust extraction and separate power supply?

Jack: do you carry your hilti impacts in a systainer?

I just realized now that i am going to need a cordless caulk dispenser and makita / milwaukee seem to have good units. Maybe I should keep the makita impact and get the bare caulking gun tool. would save $200.

I can sell the makita drill/driver for $150 and get the TI but then would have to spend about as much buying the caulking gun with separate batteries and charger.

Decisions decisions

 

[bkharman]

If only someone could do a test of how many linear feet can be cut with a 15v 4.2 Ah and the 18V 4.2 Ah batteries.

Kev, if i'm not mistaken CMS is a table for the router.... how does it relate to carvex? Or you meant that the corded carvex 420 is part of the compact system that Festool has a whole where you have separate dust extraction and separate power supply?

Jack: do you carry your hilti impacts in a systainer?

I just realized now that i am going to need a cordless caulk dispenser and makita / milwaukee seem to have good units. Maybe I should keep the makita impact and get the bare caulking gun tool. would save $200.

I can sell the makita drill/driver for $150 and get the TI but then would have to spend about as much buying the caulking gun with separate batteries and charger.

Decisions decisions

Kev is Aussie. They (much like the rest of the world) have various inserts for the CMS. Outside or NA, you can get inserts for the TS 55/75, a jigsaw, sander, etc. The lovely folks at UL and other companies have banished such useful things in the US and CA.

 

[Kev]

If only someone could do a test of how many linear feet can be cut with a 15v 4.2 Ah and the 18V 4.2 Ah batteries.

Kev, if i'm not mistaken CMS is a table for the router.... how does it relate to carvex? Or you meant that the corded carvex 420 is part of the compact system that Festool has a whole where you have separate dust extraction and separate power supply?

Jack: do you carry your hilti impacts in a systainer?

I just realized now that i am going to need a cordless caulk dispenser and makita / milwaukee seem to have good units. Maybe I should keep the makita impact and get the bare caulking gun tool. would save $200.

I can sell the makita drill/driver for $150 and get the TI but then would have to spend about as much buying the caulking gun with separate batteries and charger.

Decisions decisions

ecause

Kev is Aussie. They (much like the rest of the world) have various inserts for the CMS. Outside or NA, you can get inserts for the TS 55/75, a jigsaw, sander, etc. The lovely folks at UL and other companies have banished such useful things in the US and CA.

Spot on blue!

I have a corded CARVEX for the CARVEX CMS module and I use the cordless CARVEX fro almost everything else ("almost" because I keep a barrel Hitachi for the stuff where DC isn't a consideration and I tend to like to keep my Festools pristine)

 

[Vladiator]

Today I've decided buy the CORDED Carvex 420 in barrel grip style... I also decided to get the accessory kit for it.

And as far as cordless needs are concerned, I've decided to abandon Makita LXT 18V line (i only had a 1/4 impact driver, 1/2" drill, 6.5" circular saw, and 2 1.5 AH batteries).

Ordered today M18 FUEL 1/4" impact driver, 2 XC 4.0 Ah batteries + Free included M18 FUEL sawzall all for $279. Considering I will sell the makita impact drill/driver combo for $150 and circular saw for $75 used, this whole cordless upgrade will cost me $54.

Reason why I did not choose the Festool cordless system is because they don't have an 18V impact.
I also leaned towards Milwaukee M18 line is because they have a really nice cordless caulking gun that i will need to use a lot and Makita 18V cordless gun is less widely available and i haven't seen many reviews about it.

Also because the M18 Fuel 1/4" impact and charger will probably fit into the Sys1 systainer, while the Makita LXT charger + impact driver need a Sys2 systainer. It was also nice to get the free M18 sawzall, but i will probably switch it for an M18 Hackzall which would fit in a regular footprint systainer nicely.

[big grin]