Festool Drills

[MacMitch]

I have been using Festool tools for several years now: Table, saw, router. I have not tried a drill yet as I had several that I had invested in, including Makita drill & impact driver, Hitachi Impact drivers-2.... The batteries and drills I have are now "dying" off, at least the batteries are dying and I am thinking about Festool Drills.

I like the C!2 especially in terms of size. I have lugged 14 & 18 V drills around for quite a while and the weight does wear on one in long projects. I am a little foggy about the batteries. So far I do not have any hand tools using ION batteries although I have lots of other electronic gear using them. I see the C12 does not offer an ION battery option. I am wondering what sort of practical implications this might have in real use? I also see that another drill, even smaller, has been released in Europe and I am wondering if/when it might be available in the US? Bob Marino has the C12 on sale, great, but does that mean they are about to be replaced, maybe I'm a little paranoid but...

For the past few years I have used mostly Hitachi Impact drivers. I have been a big fan of these very powerful & compact devices. I am also aware of the limitations of the impact drivers in terms of the options available on them. I think the impact drivers were great for driving tons of screws fast, putting down flooring, plywood paneling, mostly construction oriented projects. In these projects I did not have the time to spend countersinking screw holes. The impact drivers would sink the screw in the wood without countersinks which was handy. Now, however, I am about to embark on more detailed work like cabinet making. I am thinking I will want much more control over screw depth/pressure, damage to wood surfaces...

Any thought on appropriate Festool drills/batteries for my work would be appreciated.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Mitch, there is a lithium C12 and C15 coming (ETA June).  The smaller drill might come in May.  As you noted the current version of the C12is on sale, might be a good investment if you need a new drill now and/or you're looking to save a few bucks.  There are tons of threads that will be helpful to you, here are a few:

New Tools R Comin'

Festool CXS drill - a new kid in town

Festool impact driver?

 

 

[Holzhacker]

Hi Mitch, the old 'which drill question' ...
I have a C12, if I needed one I would  buy one, especially on sale. From what has been posted, it does seem like the new C12/C15 will be replacing the old version. The main difference though may just be the battery, don't remember for sure. Check out Brice's links. I have the regular and large capacity batteries. The regular batteries are fine. I rarely (never) have a 'need' for the larger battery. I wouldn't worry about the batteries too much.
For your past work, it doesn't sound like the C12 will cut it. However, if you are going to do smaller more detailed work, the C12 is the drill. Since I got the T15, the C12 doesn't get used much. What it does get used for almost exclusively is for cabinet and assembly work. The size, weight and ergo's are great for small work. The T15 is great but not quite as good for small work. The C12 inside of cabinets or behind tight spaces ... so nice.
The T15 sounds more like the appropriate drill for the type of work you were doing. It has never whined about having to drive a long, fat Spax screw. The T15 is pretty expensive but worth it. You mentioned the weight issue. That is one of the best attributes of the T15, at the end of the day, my wrist doesn't hurt. If you are used to Hitachi or Dewalt cordless, you'll feel much better.
I'd buy the C12 now, move up to a T15 when a project needing it comes up, buy a standard Makita impact driver as needed again. Their cheap enough. The new CXS, but whoopy doo , looks like a high priced version of any other much cheaper 10.8 volt. Good for handy work, not much else. Good luck

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Hey Mitch,
Brice and Holzhacker pretty much nailed it.

Here's my two cents worth anyhow.  I have lots of Festools but held off on the drill for a long time, thinking what's the big deal, no dust control, won't run on a guide rail, not integrated with the MFT - what's so special about a Festool drill?

Well, I took advantage of the clearance price on a TDK and was just totally blown away by the ergonomics, the specialized chucks, the lack of runout, and just overall performance.

I mostly make chairs.  Each new line starts with a poplar prototype, often several prototypes before I get it right [embarassed].  I'll put them together with screws (3 inch #10's) and take them apart and put them back together many, many times.  The TDK never misses a beat.  I can use the same screw in and out dozens of times with no damage to the screw.

The main advantages of the LiIon battery are that it holds a charge better when not in use and stays productive right up until it dies.  Not sure this is worth waiting for given the attractive closeout prices on the old drills.

BTW, be sure to spring for the Centrotec bit set - really good bits and a sweet countersink.

 

[Rob-GB]

Mitch, I have used various cordless drills over the years but for me the T15 wins hands down.
For me it offers reliability due to not losing charge on the odd occasions it is not needed for a week, adaptability with the different chucks that mean I don't need to lug another specialised drill with me (such as an angled drill), quiet torque setting due to no ratcheting noise of most other drills - it just stops and makes a beep to let you know (much more sociable I think, while using less battery power) and again it will beep and stop when the battery requires a feed, which happens to me once or twice a week depending on my workload. (other drills required far more feeding  [wink] ) It is comfortable to hold and use all day when needed with little to no user fatigue.
The only downside of the T15 is that it does not have the hammer drilling capabilities of other cordless drill/drivers, but I tend to have mostly corded and vacuum hose attached tools so a corded SDS drill is not big problem. ;D
The Centrotec bits and drills are also great to use, though not entirely neccessary to make good use of the drill, they make life easier.

Rob.

 

[extiger]

My C-12 drill was packed into a shed for 16 months during a moving process. I retrieved it and both batteries still had power. When I connected the batteries to the charger, it took only half or 40% of the normal charging time to get them full. Not scientific, but I would guess it means retaining 50-60% of the charge for 16 months.

Gary Curtis

 

[AlexThePalex]

Forget about any drills that 'might' come to America one day.

Get the T15. N.o.w.

It's the best.

 

[MacMitch]

Great replies fellow Festoolers,
I am not doing professional work. I own a 12 acre dog park and have been working on construction projects for my home and business. Finished basement, enclosing porches, built a building for the dog business, wood shed....The major construction work is just about over now though.

I have plans to build cabinets and sleeping quarters for dogs which look to be my main projects for the next year. The dog "housing" will be boxes around 40" L x 30"W x 30" tall. They may be made of XDPE plastic which in some areas will be welded. I may make frames of heavier XDPE and screw/bolt lighter panels to them, sort of like cabinet carcasses. Certainly doors etc. will need hinges. I can't make wood enclosures for my dogs, German Shepherds, as they will just chew them up. The cabinets will not be fancy but functional. The dogs make tons of dust that gets everywhere, cabinets are about the only way to keep things reasonably dust free. I'm sure there will be other carpentry/trim type work to do too. My shop needs cabinets/mobile work stations..

I have a large corded Bosh hammer drill and bought a corded Milwaukee 3/8" angle drill recently too, my old electric had expired. My battery impact driver/drills may have a little life left in them the 18V battery drills would require new batteries and are too ancient to revive. I like the C12 and T15 drills. I have been thinking that my electric and impact drills could take the place of a drill like the T15 for a while longer. A compact drill that can get into lots of small areas is not something I currently have though, which is why I was thinking C12 first.

My 12" Dewalt miter/chop saw has seen 14 years of hard service. I have been thinking about something smaller, lighter with a slide. I would love to have a Kapex but I don't know that I can justify that large an expense for my smaller volume of work. Sure would be nice to have that saw on a second Festool table to supplement the TS55. I have the OF1400 router but the MFK700 would be great for edge trim on cabinets. Then there is the Domino. I was thinking pocket hole screw joinery for my cabinets but..

Maybe I just have too many tools on my mind to think clearly, probably not an uncommon problem on these pages.

 

[MacMitch]

Confused,
I had to search hard but I finally found the weights of the Festool drills on one of the dealers sites.

Unless the information is wrong both the T12 and T15 weigh less than the C12 (with the smallest batteries).  I may just have to ride over to Highland Hardware and get my hands on a T15. The weight difference between the T12 and T15 did not seem that great either. I hate passing on the good deal on a C12 but if I will end up with a T15 sometime anyway and it is actually lighter than the C12.....

 

[chrisrosenb]

Confused,
I had to search hard but I finally found the weights of the Festool drills on one of the dealers sites.

Unless the information is wrong both the T12 and T15 weigh less than the C12 (with the smallest batteries).  I may just have to ride over to Highland Hardware and get my hands on a T15. The weight difference between the T12 and T15 did not seem that great either. I hate passing on the good deal on a C12 but if I will end up with a T15 sometime anyway and it is actually lighter than the C12.....

The T drills have Ion batteries. Ion batteries are much lighter than NCad & NIMH batteries.

There is a new version of the C drills coming with with Ion batteries in the future. 

 

[MacMitch]

Right,

I have used ION batteries for some time and know they are lighter. It just seemed from most of what I had read on forums and dealer sites that the C12 with the "lighter" batteries was still the lighter drill, which apparently it isnt, at least now. Maybe the C12 is physically smaller but I am starting to wonder about that too. I imagine the C12 has some size advantage but with the front bar and older design I am wondering if there is even a significant size difference between the C12 and T12-15's?

I'm not saying the C12 is a bad drill I am just wondering if it's size/weight advantage has been eclipsed by the T12-15, at least until C12-15's come out with ION batteries? I like the larger bit holder on the front handle of the C12 but I am not sure the other differences were as I expected.

 

[Brice Burrell]

The main difference in the C and T models is how you hold the drill.  The T series drills you hold like all other cordless drill, with your hand slightly below the main body of the drill.  Where the C style drill you hold it higher up, more inline with the body as you would a corded drill.  There is a great deal of size difference in the two styles although the new C12 comes with a small battery making it the smallest of Festool's lithium ion drills.

 

[Bob Marino]

  Just a quick weight comparison amongst the drills.

C12 - with 2.4 Nicads    3.85 lbs

T 12    "        "  "            3.70 lbs

T 15    "        "  "            3.85 lbs 

T 12 with 2.6 Li- ons    3.10 lbs

T 15    "      "      "        3.30 lbs

Bob