Festool please bring Real impact driver

[Kev]

I've been sitting on the fence regarding the TI15.  I have a feeling that Festool might be working on an 18V version to match their other tools. No evidence, but it seems like a no-brainer for them.

I currently own the CXS, T18+3, PDC 18/4, and the BHC 18.  You would have to pry them from my cold, dead fingers to take them away from me! [tongue]  Each one has its own specific strengths, and I wouldn't be without any of them.

That being said, I'm missing an impact, and waiting till the end of the year to see if Festool does indeed offer an 18V version, AINA or not. If they don't, then I might just go for the 15, but reluctantly.

I DO hope they bring the PDC and BHC to NA soon for you guys. They are both simply AWESOME! [thumbs up]

Cheers,

Frank (Currently in Nigeria where Festool doesn't exist!)

OK, I'll bite ... why a T18 AND a PDC 18-4 ? ... and this is me asking [smile] ... at least I got a C15 and Ti15 combo so the CXS and the PDC18-4 weren't completely overlapped - actually ~10 Festool / Protool corded and cordless drills in all [embarassed]

 

[SittingElf]

Kev,

I had the T18+3 long before I got the PDC. Couldn't resist buying the new one while I was in Germany! (Along with the BHC and TSC55! [tongue])

I got the PDC 18/4 Basic instead of the Set, so it only came with the Centrotec and Jacobs heads. The T18+3 components like the right angle attachment and the eccentric chuck don't fit the PDC, so the T18 still has its uses!  No need to duplicate for those attachments.

All in all, the CXS is still my favorite drill for all-around, general use.

Cheers,

Frank

 

[elfick]

I got the PDC 18/4 Basic instead of the Set, so it only came with the Centrotec and Jacobs heads. The T18+3 components like the right angle attachment and the eccentric chuck don't fit the PDC, so the T18 still has its uses!  No need to duplicate for those attachments.

So you could have gotten the PDC set instead of the basic and sold the T18 without loosing any functionality in your lineup, right?

 

[SittingElf]

I got the PDC 18/4 Basic instead of the Set, so it only came with the Centrotec and Jacobs heads. The T18+3 components like the right angle attachment and the eccentric chuck don't fit the PDC, so the T18 still has its uses!  No need to duplicate for those attachments.

So you could have gotten the PDC set instead of the basic and sold the T18 without loosing any functionality in your lineup, right?

There is no Eccentric chuck for the PDC, so I 'would' lose some functionality.  I DO plan to buy the 3/8 socket adapter for the PDC.

Cheers,
Frank

 

[Kev]

I got the PDC 18/4 Basic instead of the Set, so it only came with the Centrotec and Jacobs heads. The T18+3 components like the right angle attachment and the eccentric chuck don't fit the PDC, so the T18 still has its uses!  No need to duplicate for those attachments.

So you could have gotten the PDC set instead of the basic and sold the T18 without loosing any functionality in your lineup, right?

There is no Eccentric chuck for the PDC, so I 'would' lose some functionality.  I DO plan to buy the 3/8 socket adapter for the PDC.

Cheers,
Frank

The eccentric chuck is why I went C15 set + Ti15 when I did the about face on the T18 for the PDC too.

The C15 is a surgical tool. Hard to explain, you have to try it for a while.

 

[abgoto]

For the folks that do not consider the Ti15 to be a "real" impact driver, what tasks are you unable to accomplish with this tool?  What makes an 18v Hilti, Milwaukee, etc superior?  Why would an 18v Festool impact driver be better than the 15v from a functional standpoint?

 

[PreferrablyWood]

For the folks that do not consider the Ti15 to be a "real" impact driver, what tasks are you unable to accomplish with this tool?  What makes an 18v Hilti, Milwaukee, etc superior?  Why would an 18v Festool impact driver be better than the 15v from a functional standpoint?

The Ti15 is a real impact driver, that can with an intermediary adaptor chuck use the normal jacobs chuck that comes with the C15, and T15, T18, as well as the angle, eccentric chucks, The Jacobs chuck that comes with the Ti 15 has the adaptor built in. The Ti15 has full impact functionallity when used along with it's centrotec chuck. So it is a real impact driver that can be converted to other functions, which I think makes it pretty unique. That it does the other functions less well than a dedicated drill driver has resulted in most complaints about the Ti 15, it's actual impact capability works fine, though perhaps not as fast as some of the competition.. I personally don't own any impact drill at this point, I will likely get the Ti 15, or the Ti 18 if they release one. The main advantage of the Ti 18 would be that it would be compatible with the batteries I use with my PDC 18 drill. Which would be great, but I do at present have a 15v battery that I got with my Carvex which I could use with the Ti 15 ...

 

[abgoto]

For the folks that do not consider the Ti15 to be a "real" impact driver, what tasks are you unable to accomplish with this tool?  What makes an 18v Hilti, Milwaukee, etc superior?  Why would an 18v Festool impact driver be better than the 15v from a functional standpoint?

The main advantage of the Ti 18 would be that it would be compatible with the batteries I use with my PDC 18 drill.

That makes sense.  In my case, I have a C 15, so a TI 15 seems like the perfect complement since I would not be using the impact driver as a drill.  For those wishing for a TI 18, there is an interesting typo on page 115 of the 2014 Festool USA catalog.

 

[neeleman]

Is it a mistype or speculation of the future TI 18?
Maybe Shane can give an explanation?
BTW.
The drill on the picture isn't a TI but a T+3 drill.

 

[Ijustlovequality]

I want to see a cordless planer and impacter for the 18v system but I'm told they're 18 months away:-/ I have the tsc55, brc, psbc420, and pdc, and they are all excellent in both function and build quality.

 

[promhandicam]

why festool doesn't have real impact driver like milwaukee or makita etc. something thats small and would have interchangeable batteries with 18v drill and stuff.

+1

I've got a 14.4 Hilti impact which I use a lot, but having just spent a grand upgrading to a TSC 55 REB, a BHC 18 and a PDC18/4, the only thing I'm missing is an 18v impact to complete the line up.

Cordless CARVEX needs to be part of that fleet [smile]

Damn you! I lasted all of about 2 weeks before picking up the phone to Warren at Bunnys Bolts.

 

[elfick]

I've been thinking... if Milwaukee can put out a 12v impact with such good reviews, Festool should be able to do one using the 11v-ish CSX battery. Having an impact that matches the CXS would be sweet.

 

[johnrichardson]

why festool doesn't have real impact driver like milwaukee or makita etc. something thats small and would have interchangeable batteries with 18v drill and stuff. i think it would be great combo kit with their drill or even better with PDC quadrive drill . sure think i'll be more money than other brands but I'm willing to pay that if i don't have to carry around another charger and more batteries . to me this think would sell like crazy we all use one so why there isn't any? and before some people start saying that there is festool impact  i mean "real " impact no bells and whistles no chucks  that make this thing huge. just the tool that works and have festool unbeatable quality

I just bought this Cordless SDS Hammer from Festool  this morning  ...the BHC 18V heres a couple of short videos

 

[Bob Gerritsen]

I have ranted enough about the Festool cordless drills/drivers that I won't do it again. But this thread actually took me down another line of reasoning...and I can't believe it took me this long to get there?!

[embarassed]

Given Festool's penchant for designing unique tools - think 'Domino' - perhaps they don't really INTEND to be best-of-class in the the drill/driver category? Hear me out before you pounce, please?

I'm not saying their drills/drivers are lower quality than we expect from Festool. Not al all.

What I'm saying is, it's hard to come up with a substantially different/innovative product in a highly mature product category. Sure, they can make it A LITTLE smoother. They can offer a better alternative (CentroTec) to the traditional chuck. And they can improve runout - A LITTLE - but other drills also make holes that are perfectly fine for maybe 99% of all applications.

So beyond that...what would YOU do?

I'm now starting to think that perhaps Festool only offers a drill/driver line AT ALL simply so that a typical cabinet builder/installer (i.e. typical Festool customer) can have another 'systainerized' tool that matches the rest of their system of track saws, Dominos, sanders. etc. And again, this isn't a SLAM on Festool - it's just an observation.

If I'm right, this explains the limited offering of impact drivers - oops, driveR, since there's only one. It also explains why there aren't other 'common' cordless tools from Festool like a reciprocating saw, angle grinder, 'true' impact, etc.

If all of the above speculation is correct, then it stands to reason that any of us would be well served by having another cordless line of tools in our arsenal for when they are needed. It therefore makes sense to invest in something like the Milwaukee M12 or M18 Fuel line as a nice complement to the relatively sparse offering of cordless tools by Festool.

And to make the point ONE MORE TIME, this *still* isn't a knock on Festool. They may have merely made a management decision that if they can't innovate the category, why bring out a 'me too' product even if it is slightly higher quality?

Hard to fault them for that, I guess...

[popcorn]

I think your reasoning makes plenty sense actually. However, I do think the C model was and still is very innovative and have used many of those ever since they were available as Festo models, think I'm on my fourth now.

The CXS I don't get as, like yourself, I am hooked on Bosch 10,8 for compact cordless drills and other products. Lovely small drills and silly cheap. Had Festool developed an actual smaller C model, meaning short, it would have been innovative in my book. Also, the CXS makes no sense to me if you already own another Festool with chucks. It must be Festool's way to convince non Festool users to give it a go. But then the competition is so much cheaper...

Anyway, after having used the C for the first time, I never looked back and couldn't really understand the T model in general anymore except for general construction (as opposed to cabinetry). However, for some reason it seems Festool is putting it's money more and more on the T, must be because most people prefer a T to a C, right?

B.

 

[carlb40]

Bob i prefer the C type drills myself, or used to. My first proper drill was one of those old 9.6v makita 9065. After that got nicked along with other tools, it was replaced with a 14.4v Dewalt version. Always really liked that drill. The balance was a bit front heavy but i always preferred it to other T drills.
I ended up with T drills after that as no one at the time seemed to make C drills. So now i'm replacing my 18v makitas with Festool in both C and T flavours  [big grin]