My enjoyment of the Festools I have purchased have me now interested in looking at the drills but my history has me leaning toward an impact driver instead of a drill.
Back story - Long time ago I ordered a Dewalt 12v kit that came with a drill and a 1/4-inch impact driver. The intent was to have lighter versions than the 18v versions I already had. Over time over learned a few things that make me lean towards an impact driver:
1) the Dewalt impact seats pocket screws perfectly. I run the screw in full speed and once the sound of the motor changes tone, I'm done. All screws, all materials, perfect every time. Even better than setting a clutch on a drill.
2) setting counter sunk screws in plywood (and most other woods I've tried, is perfectly performed without risk to breaking fasteners and never slips on the heads. Run the screw till the impact struggles, let it impact three hits, and stop, I'm done. Correctly set depth on a tapered countersink may be the magic here.
3) all drilling is now done with the impact as well. I do have to be conscious of how quickly I can drill to depth but the effortless nature of the impacts capability feels like a time saver (keep in mind I'm a machinist so I'm aware that drill bits are better lived by constant RPM and feed rate to which an impact violates).
So with all that being said, if I were to get a Festool, I lean towards the impact because of habit however I've noticed that most (shown in project write ups) frequently I see drills. Is my discovery of the 1/4-inch impact's sweet spot a little known secret, a lucky observation of an inferior tool that just happens to strain right where a smart man needs to stop, or is there something awesome about the festool drills that makes the impact feature not necessary?
Back story - Long time ago I ordered a Dewalt 12v kit that came with a drill and a 1/4-inch impact driver. The intent was to have lighter versions than the 18v versions I already had. Over time over learned a few things that make me lean towards an impact driver:
1) the Dewalt impact seats pocket screws perfectly. I run the screw in full speed and once the sound of the motor changes tone, I'm done. All screws, all materials, perfect every time. Even better than setting a clutch on a drill.
2) setting counter sunk screws in plywood (and most other woods I've tried, is perfectly performed without risk to breaking fasteners and never slips on the heads. Run the screw till the impact struggles, let it impact three hits, and stop, I'm done. Correctly set depth on a tapered countersink may be the magic here.
3) all drilling is now done with the impact as well. I do have to be conscious of how quickly I can drill to depth but the effortless nature of the impacts capability feels like a time saver (keep in mind I'm a machinist so I'm aware that drill bits are better lived by constant RPM and feed rate to which an impact violates).
So with all that being said, if I were to get a Festool, I lean towards the impact because of habit however I've noticed that most (shown in project write ups) frequently I see drills. Is my discovery of the 1/4-inch impact's sweet spot a little known secret, a lucky observation of an inferior tool that just happens to strain right where a smart man needs to stop, or is there something awesome about the festool drills that makes the impact feature not necessary?
