Festool Depth stop DC UNI FF leaves bit behind

[sdes]

I bought the Festool Cordless drill DRC 18/4 QUADRIVE a while back, and although it is a great tool, discovered the torque control was not really reliable enough to fix screws to a reliable depth. (There is a post elsewhere on here from me about that, where my 5 yr old mechanical Hitachi gave more reliable torque than all the electronic stuff that costs many times more in the Festool)

Anyhow, I was advised, if I wanted an accurate result, I should really invest another £90 in the DC UNI FF depth stop chuck. Well, I did, and used it to put in torx drive Spax floor screws (and a Spax bit) where it worked well.

Now working overhead putting up a plasterboard ceiling, using a Festool bit in the chuck, about every two or three screws it just leaves the bit behind in the screw, which is driving me slightly insane to say the least.  (if the driver is angled at all it does it every time, and yes, I have tried several different Festool bits).

On the much cheaper Festool Bit holder BHS 65 CE, for example, there is a lock collar, so there's no way this could occur.  seems there is plenty of space for a lock collar, but just a bit of bad "fitness for purpose" design. On the DC UNI FF there is weak magnetic retention and a spring circlip, but no lockable retention.

I'm fairly sure Festool will say it is pilot error as they have great design engineers, but is it just me or have other users encountered this issue?

 

[Phil Beckley]

I bought the Festool Cordless drill DRC 18/4 QUADRIVE a while back, and although it is a great tool, discovered the torque control was not really reliable enough to fix screws to a reliable depth. (There is a post elsewhere on here from me about that, where my 5 yr old mechanical Hitachi gave more reliable torque than all the electronic stuff that costs many times more in the Festool)

Anyhow, I was advised, if I wanted an accurate result, I should really invest another £90 in the DC UNI FF depth stop chuck. Well, I did, and used it to put in torx drive Spax floor screws (and a Spax bit) where it worked well.

Now working overhead putting up a plasterboard ceiling, using a Festool bit in the chuck, about every two or three screws it just leaves the bit behind in the screw, which is driving me slightly insane to say the least.  (if the driver is angled at all it does it every time, and yes, I have tried several different Festool bits).

On the much cheaper Festool Bit holder BHS 65 CE, for example, there is a lock collar, so there's no way this could occur.  seems there is plenty of space for a lock collar, but just a bit of bad "fitness for purpose" design. On the DC UNI FF there is weak magnetic retention and a spring circlip, but no lockable retention.

I'm fairly sure Festool will say it is pilot error as they have great design engineers, but is it just me or have other users encountered this issue?

Hi
  The application for fixing flooring fixings is ideal with the DC UNI FF - the chuck works very well on the higher torque application side. When it comes to fixing 'softer' materials such as plaster board a little more direct control is needed and that is were the DWC 2500 comes into its own.
  The BHS 65 CE system for locking the bit into position works well but whether it would be feasible for a similar system in the DC UNI FF is an area for the product development to look at.
rg
Phil

 

[grobkuschelig]

Maybe a tiny drop of locktite might fix the issue?
...not sure but that’s the first thing that came to my mind.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

I have had the bit sticking to the screws while working the UNI FF for the "recommended applications", it happens every now and then and it is a bit of a bother but I still like it a lot.

I have had a couple of BHC 55 fail (not locking the bit) but the last two I got work fine. The regular Festool bit holder is a joke, does not hold on to Festool bits and working overhead I had to stop every three/four screws and collect the bit from the screw. Bitholder went in the bin - no recycling on bad karma products.

After mixed success with the expensive plasterboard bitchuck (yep, you guessed it - the BIT keeps falling out...) I still have it around with two replacements over the years.  Still worth having in the kit for small renovations where you need to replace just a few boards. Ended up microshimming the bit holder with alu foil. So now it is "fixed".

One might think I am a heavy user - but I am not!

The DWC 2500 puts a smile on my face for sure. Did a reno that involved 52 sheets of plasterboard and with a tricky subsurface and bought me the DWC 2500. Fantastic machine! If I was doing a lot of them metal studs the DWC 4500 would be the ticket I guess but I get by fine with the DWC 2500. It is still a LOT faster than the C18 and the plasterboard chuck  and very precise.