Oh, I haven't given up, Tom. Not completely anyway.
But I do think it's really stupid that they had to make a locking bit holder, to go into... their own locking bit holder. The magnetic bit holders work well enough unless you're using a hex shanked drill bit. Then you have to get used to pulling the bit out by hand, since the magnet won't hold on.
I have locking bit holders that I can use with the 3 jaw chuck. It works. It seems a bit silly, since one of the advantages of quick change chucks is to use the 3 jaw chuck for drilling during a drill and screw operation. But it works. More likely, for driving screws or using other quick change stuff, I'll just grab the Makita impact, since it started life with a locking bit holder as a chucking system. And really, I think I like the release mechanism better on the Makita anyway. Centrotec, you push in the chuck while pulling out the bit. Makita, pull on the collar while pulling on the bit. More intuitive to me. Easier one handed operation than the Ctec.
Truth is, Tom, I really want the C12 to be my go-to drill for everything. I really want to like it that much, and I do own a second one to use at home. I bought it when it just came out, and it was great. But then the trigger started having some issues... you have to squeeze it in the right spot to get full speed. The depth stop chuck came out, and wouldn't really fit in the case... later inserts solved that problem, but still, it seemed like poor planning. The drill itself is very powerful, and that's awesome. And the chuck system does add a huge level of versatility. But the bits seem to cost more than normal, without evident benefit. I do use hex shank driver bits a lot, and while hex shank is more and more widely available on everything from driver bits to drill bits to other things, what works in one hex shank chuck will work in almost any hex shank chuck... except for the centrotec. Given that I have the other drivers in the arsenal already, the odds that I'll go out and spend $30 more on a locking bit holder to go into the centrotec system just for kicks are low to no. You'd think that after spending $500+ on a drill and all the chucks that allow me to screw around corners and into the tight corners, that I'd be able to do everything I wanted, but instead they want $30 more for a piece that extends the driveline of a drill that's advertised, among other things, as being very compact. The picture on the page you linked me to, with the fast fix chuck connected to the locking bit holder, then daisy chained to the milwaukee driver, kinda tells the story perfectly. It just looks awkward to have to go through all that, just to be able to use that driver with this drill. I'm annoyed that Festool decided to go with a proprietary hex shank, with no apparent benefit to the end user, and despite an existing standard, and even while they do make an adapter to accept everyone else's hex shanks. Why would they do this? Eliminating runout on a hand-held drill seems a strange excuse.
Maybe (switching contexts here) they're trying to be like Shimano... who manufactures bicycle components that rely more and more on proprietary interfaces, ensuring that things like their disc brake rotors can only be used with their wheel hubs, and the like. One ensures the sales of the other. I would be more committed to the Centrotec system ONLY of I was really dedicated to the idea of making Festool my one and only tool brand, or if I was really particular about only using or carrying one drill around. I work in a shop, not on site, so that logic doesn't really make sense, and Festool doesn't market an impact driver over here, nor are they bringing Protool's impact over here.
I haven't figured it all out yet. I'll take a look at the T 15. Maybe it'll convince me to mothball the DeWalt and sell one or both of the C12s . I kinda doubt it, but I concede that it's possible.
