Drawbacks To Buying PDC in NA

[Staniam]

Hey guys,

    Obviously the PDC is NAINA right now (I tried searching before posting this question) but what are the drawbacks to ordering a PDC from somewhere like Ebay? There are companies that ship to NA and I assume shipping would be super high but there's gotta be some other reason more people aren't doing this right? I thought someone said something on here about no warranty since the item isn't supported in NA which would make a lot of sense but I was hoping for some more clarification from you FOG vets.

    I guess I'm just really itching for one and Festool has a sinister way of making me want to open my wallet.

 

[SittingElf]

As long as you have a 110V battery charger handy, there are no issues that I can see. The only other issue is if you need the eccentric chuck capability of the T15/18 systems. The PDC does not have an eccentric chuck made to fit it.

Warranty repair will be an issue because I'm not sure that NA repair locations have the ability to deal with them....yet.

Nonetheless, my PDC gets a lot of use, and it is a powerful drill. I love it!

Cheers,
Frank (away from my Festools in Nigeria for six weeks....ugh!)

 

[Staniam]

So I wouldn't be able to charge the batteries on the 18v charger I have for my Carvex? Or get an adapter to use the PDC charger? I don't use the essentric chuck much at all and I've got a T12 if I need to use it.

I do really want a heavy duty drill and for obvious reasons that PDC is at the top of my list. I may have to order one now.

My dad says it's only money and you can't take it with you so oh well.

 

[SittingElf]

Yes you CAN use the 18V charger you already have. That's what I do. You just can't use the 220V charger that comes with the Euro PDC unless you want to get a 110-220 step up transformer.
The 18V batteries don't care what charger you use...but the chargers themselves do.

Cheers,
Frank

 

[Staniam]

Awesome. Thanks for the info.

 

[peter halle]

If the batteries are Lithium Ion you might have issues with shipping to the US versus planes also.

Peter

 

[wow]

If the batteries are Lithium Ion you might have issues with shipping to the US versus planes also.

Peter

Peter is correct, as I've recently discovered. Many of the 'usual suspects' for shipping from the UK - like Parcels2Go - won't accept batteries on any kind.

I found that UPS will accept up to two batteries with the tool, no problem. If you have a UPS account (or know someone who does) you can ship it that way.

 

[SoonerFan]

After I got a CXS and Centrotec Installers Set I decided I wanted to switch to Centrotrec for all my drilling needs.  Thus I needed a more powerful drill.  I thought about the PDC because of the positive feedback here on FOG.  Ultimately for me (home owner and hobbyist) I decided after getting some feedback here that the T18+3 would cover 99%+ of the stuff I need to do.  I ordered the T18+3 and decided to have Festool add a FastFix Depth Stop chuck to the order. 

Warranty also played a role in my decision.  Festool has an industry leading warranty and I decided I wanted that warranty even though its highly unlikely that I will have a problem.  All that said, if you go with the PDC I am sure you will be happy, very happy based on what I have read about that drill.  Let us know if you go with the PDC and if you do how you like it.

 

[Staniam]

Wow, thanks for that clarification. I do have a UPS account. If I end up going with the PDC I'll make sure the company uses UPS. That actually makes things really tip in the PDC direction.

WOW when you ordered yours did you have the option of UPS or did you have to ask for it?

 

[wow]

Wow, thanks for that clarification. I do have a UPS account. If I end up going with the PDC I'll make sure the company uses UPS. That actually makes things really tip in the PDC direction.

WOW when you ordered yours did you have the option of UPS or did you have to ask for it?

I actually wasn't able to order mine directly because they wouldn't accept payment from a USA address. Fortunately I have a friend in the UK who snagged one for me, but I have to arrange the shipping for myself. I haven 't completed that since the PDC's only shipped from Germany late last week and haven't been received yet.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

As others have said, warranty may be a consideration. Not only will we be completely unable to offer repair until the PDC is (assuming it will be) offered in the U.S., but we will also not honor the warranty for tools purchased outside of the U.S. So, you will have to pay for any repairs, even during the first three years.