CXS

[JeremyH.]

I bought this after working an extra 30hrs or so...

When people say it's a nice little drill for around the house or whatever... My thought on that is WTF are they talking about? People with crack habits don't spend $300 on a drill...

It goes everywhere with me. Every install for cabinet, counters, tables, etc. The 90* chuck can't be overstated on usefulness. It allows you to grab and clamp it from behind with thumb and use fingers to clamp the thing you're screwing too (that might be moving, such as a door on hinge). I've squeezed the drill behind places I can only get my hands barely into, to use it; and with the 90* I can hold it in place and only need to merely touch the trigger to get it to go.

Got to put in couple dozen drawer guides? Well it takes a mere moment between vix bit and driver and I prefer holding a 2lb weight straight out into boxes instead of a 5lb one... and I don't have to lug another drill around. The other guys I work with will be using several drills, while I just switch chucks... And one of them claims the CXS is more powerful than the 18v Dewalt (not XRP). He might be right at low speed for precision driving of screws, but at full speed (how other brands rate their stuff) the 18v does much better for drilling holes.

The clutch on it has much more useful settings than other drills that allow me to sink all the little screws into delicate things like melamine, without stripping. The settings don't exist on many other drill/drivers for such small torque! But here I am not having to finish with a screw driver or prayer.

The front bit holder serves well as a screw caddy too. In fact I'd love if there were an extension for it so I could just dip it screws and then have a bunch more with me. This has been extremely useful when I'm on my back, underneath something, and needing like 12 3/8th screws with me.

I'm considering buying another Jacob's chuck for it just to increase efficiency.

What can't I do with it? Nothing yet... I won't use it if I'm driving deck screws. It almost never wimps out and turns off (a nice feature). I think the only times it hasn't had enough power was when something couldn't physically move, or if I held the chuck (still gives a good arm twist). I don't bother to drill holes with a speed bit or anything like that, since even the 15/18v big boys lack the balls of an AC drill for blowing through studs or whatever, but in general this is my favorite, always with me, tool. Part of that might be I keep better track of my bits and I'm not so old that I don't notice pozidriv screws and switch to that bit unlike some folks.

 

[SittingElf]

Oh you poor soul! [eek]

You have no idea yet that you have purchased THE gateway drug!  You might as well forget about food, clothing, new shoes, automobile maintenance, Starbucks, or anything else you normally spend money on. Once you've gone Green, it's instant addiction, and the CXS is the most dangerous entryway there is! [tongue]

[welcome] to your worst financial nightmare! [scared]... and to the FOG!  We've all been there....and there's no 12-step program, only fellow enablers.  [big grin]

Cheers,

Frank

 

[Green Mojo]

Totally agree. I love my CSX. Was working with it all day today.

 

[mike68au]

There is a 12 Step Program Frank..... "what are the next 12 Festools am i going to buy"

As for the CXS being a Dangerous entryway, it was my first Festool Tool that lead to my big addiction.

It to is also my go to drill and a constant companion when on site.

 

[#Tee]

its a cool little drill but lets not get carried away. go mix some cement with it

 

[BPCFinishing]

its a cool little drill but lets not get carried away. go mix some cement with it

Do small batches of grout count??!!! [big grin]

 

[JeremyH.]

its a cool little drill but lets not get carried away. go mix some cement with it

Ya but I wouldn't do that with a cordless either...

 

[Red Devil]

Jeremy,
U make it sound pretty good....
I want one now too...even though I already have all the drills I need..
Damn it!

 

[JeremyH.]

Don't worry, I want a C15 because of the eccentric chuck and heavier duty stuff where there's no AC... When I do cabinets and what not we pre-drill so almost every screw acts as a clamp; it's rare there's any need for serious power and the results are better. Although if I was decking T15 would be easier to hold... Yea I knew I caught a disease when I realized that I bough one tool instead of three from another company. I looked at a Milwaukee 12v for a driver, drill, and 90*.

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[Slartibartfass]

Get that larger Fastfix chuck for the CXS (not an official CxS accessory) so you can use larger diameter drill bits etc.. I did and use that one more often than the one supplied with the CXS.

see: https://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-496905-1-2-FastFix-Keyless-Chuck-p/496905.htm

 

[Cheese]

Get that larger Fastfix chuck for the CXS (not an official CxS accessory) so you can use larger diameter drill bits etc.. I did and use that one more often than the one supplied with the CXS.

see: https://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-496905-1-2-FastFix-Keyless-Chuck-p/496905.htm

If I need additional capacity for the CXS, I just swap-out the chuck from my C 15. 

 

[Slartibartfass]

Get that larger Fastfix chuck for the CXS (not an official CxS accessory) so you can use larger diameter drill bits etc.. I did and use that one more often than the one supplied with the CXS.

see: https://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-496905-1-2-FastFix-Keyless-Chuck-p/496905.htm

If I need additional capacity for the CXS, I just swap-out the chuck from my C 15.

You are absolutely correct. No need to buy one if you already have the larger one. I did not initially until I got myself a PDC 18/4 drill that also includes the larger one....

 

[TheTrooper]

Has anyone used the eccentric chuck with the CXS or will it not work

 

[bkharman]

I don't think you need it plus I don't think it will work with it.

It gets into tight spaces no issues.

Cheers. Bryan.

 

[JeremyH.]

I bought the 6in extender figuring it'll probably get me nearly parallel in very tight spaces, if I got the room. Otherwise it's close. I'd like the eccentric, but I can tell you that you'd have to put a handle on it to use it because it has a lock ring thing.

 

[elfick]

Has anyone used the eccentric chuck with the CXS or will it not work

It won't work. It uses Centrotec to connect to the drive shaft but FastFix to connect to the body. The CXS doesn't have a FastFix ring. That being said, I don't think you gain a whole lot as the shaft to outside body on the CXS isn't a whole lot more than than eccentric chuck IIRC. As others have said, use an extender or the RA chuck and you should be able to get in just about anywhere.  [cool]

 

[pingvinlakrits]

The CXS doesn't need the excentric chuck for the reason stated above. It is approximately the same distance from side or an inside corner to the center of the bit on the CXS as it is for the larger drills _with_ the excentric chuck mounted.

 

[JeromeM]

The CXS doesn't need the excentric chuck for the reason stated above. It is approximately the same distance from side or an inside corner to the center of the bit on the CXS as it is for the larger drills _with_ the excentric chuck mounted.

Having spent quality time with both the CXS and C12 before buying, a big part of that was with the excentric chuck you are wrong.

The CXS can not drive screws or drill holes as close to an inside join as an excentric chuck can. It gets closer than many other options but the excentric chuck gets closer by several mm.

I finally decided that the differences with the chucks were not worth the price and weight difference so got the CSX.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

Ok, I was just going by own experience and I have most likely not been as tight into the corners as you have. I have thus far never felt the near corner experience with the CXS limiting. In some cases I have used the bit extender though.

Also I was thinking of this old thread when replying:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/a-few-thoughts-on-the-cxs-%28time-for-me-to-eat-crow%29/30/

and this one:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/will-festool-introduce-a-fastfix-eccentric-chuck-for-the-cxs/

I am sure you are right though. It seems you are one of those that _really_ need to creep in tight into the corners. I have seen a comparison between the CXS and the other drills and the difference was quite small, I will see if I can dig it up.

 

[JeromeM]

Ok, I was just going by own experience and I have most likely not been as tight into the corners as you have. I have thus far never felt the near corner experience with the CXS limiting. In some cases I have used the bit extender though.

Also I was thinking of this old thread when replying:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/a-few-thoughts-on-the-cxs-%28time-for-me-to-eat-crow%29/30/

and this one:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/will-festool-introduce-a-fastfix-eccentric-chuck-for-the-cxs/

I am sure you are right though. It seems you are one of those that _really_ need to creep in tight into the corners. I have seen a comparison between the CXS and the other drills and the difference was quite small, I will see if I can dig it up.

If you accept that the requirements are to be able to drill or drive screws at 90 degrees to a surface and as close to an inside 90 corner as is possible, then with the CXS you have to use the right angle chuck. I agree that it can get close but the eccentric chuck can get almost 50% closer. Now that is only a few millimetres, but it is closer and it seems that the other threads are wrongly implying that the CXS makes the eccentric chuck redundant or can get as close to a corner, it doesn't, it can't.

You may not need to get that much closer, I decided I did not or at least the lighter weight of the CXS was more important than the few extra millimetres the eccentric chuck gives. I could also sacrifice the 90 degree angle and, in some cases, use a bit extender.

With the other drills that will accept the eccentric chuck you are drillin/screwing virtually in line with the drill so can easily put pressure on the screw or drill bit. With the CXS you are at right angles to the drill body so putting pressure on the drill bit or screw is a 2 handed operation.

Having all the correct information is important to me so I can make a choice based on fact, and not regret my choice later because of poor information. This is why I am writing at length on this point. At the time of the threads you link to I had not got my hands on the CXS and C12 I did this January and checked the specific point of distance from an inside corner and found that the previous posts were wrong in suggesting that the CSX can drill or drive as close as an eccentric chuck.