Festool TI 15 Impact Driver Review

[justinmcf]

I just received the new TI 15 Impact Driver this afternoon.
This will be a mini review until I have used the driver more extensively over the next few days and weeks.

I normally use batten screws for wide board decking.
So I have run a small test using batten screws into 90mm treated pine.
I timed from starting to drive until the screw is flush with the timber.

75mm (3 inch) batten screws = 6 seconds
100mm (4 inch batten screws = 9 seconds

All my drivers are on site at the moment so I will be conducting more in depth tests with Makita, Hilti and Festool drivers over the next few days.

The L.E.D light is the best light I have seen on an impact driver.
It is equivalent to a small torch in a dark room.
I gave Festool a hard time about the lack of L.E.D's on their drills in the past.
But all is forgiven, this is a great feature now.

Weight wise, I am very happy.
It is only 100 grams more heavy than the Makita and Hilti.

The stainless steel belt clip is a feature I have been asking for on Festool/Protool drills and drivers for a very long time.
Festool has certainly redeemed itself here also.
The southpaws amongst us will be very happy that the clip can be switched from right to left with a simple push on the clip.

The magnetic feature is not something I will use, as I have lost too many bits using the Protool 18 volt drill, which has the same feature.
I have noticed that there is no storage for bits inside the Systainer 1.
There is a big disappointment. I consider bits storage to be vital.

My first impressions of the Driver are that it is exactly what I want an Impact Driver to be.
It feels solid and runs solidly.
The light and belt clip are great.
I have not had the chance to use the standard chuck and right angle attachment. I will do so in the next few days.
I will also include photo's over the next few days too.

Justin.

 

[Glenn in Shailer]

...looking forward to it Justin.
The impact driver is my most used tool over the last 2 years.
My 14.4v panasonic has stood up well.

 

[j123j]

How does it compare to a panasonic or a hilti impactdriver? (speedwise)

 

[justinmcf]

I dont own panasonic drills and drivers so I will not do any comparison with panasonic.

I believe the Festool is slightly faster than the Makita 18 volt driver and about the same as the Hilti 14.4 volt driver.

I will be doing further detailed tests during the week.

Justin.

 

[Eli]

same batteries as the T15?

 

[justinmcf]

Hi Eli.
I do not own a Festool T15.
But I assume the batteries are the same.

I have been working on a timber (merbau) deck and I was able to give the Festool TI 15 a good work out using 75mm Stainless Steel batten screws.
I was able to screw in double the amount of screws using the Festool impact driver compared to the Makita. The Hilti and Festool were approx the same.

I really like being able to swap batteries with my Protool cordless range.
I can also use the Protool battery charger to charge my new Festool impact driver batteries.
I own the Protool Duradrive (Drywall Screwgun) which uses 10.8 volt 2.6ah Lithium-Ion batteries. These work perfectly in the Festool TI 15 impact driver.
I own the Protool QuaDrive (Cordless Drill) which uses 18 volt  2.6ah Lithium-Ion batteries. These do not work in the Festool TI 15 impact driver.
The Festool TI 15 impact driver batteries which are 14.4 volt 3.0ah Lithium-Ion batteries do work on the Protool 18 volt cordless drill.
None of the higher volt batteries work on the Protool Duradrive (Drywall Screwgun) which uses 10.8 volt batteries.
Clear as mud.......

Normally I would use an electric screw gun for screwing 75mm batten screws.
But I really wanted to test the Festool impact driver to its limit. It performed flawlessly all day. I only charged each battery once.
The motor did get warm, but that is to be expected when driving 1000 plus screws in 9 hours use.

I have still not used the chuck attachments.
But when I get round to using them, I will be adding more comments here.

Here's a few photo's of the Festool Impact driver, Protool charger, and Protool 18 volt drill with different batteries attached.
I have also included a few photo's of the finished deck made from treated pine joists and bearers, merbau/kwila 140mm x 22mm decking boards.

By the way, I have used the Festool 5mm countersink with depth stop which is awesome for this type of work. The finished depth of the stainless steel batten screw is consistent every time. I prefer the batten screw to be 1mm below the surface which is ideal for sanding the boards in preparation for sealing/oiling the deck.

Justin.

 

[Chub]

I really like being able to swap batteries with my Protool cordless range.
I can also use the Protool battery charger to charge my new Festool impact driver batteries.
I own the Protool Duradrive (Drywall Screwgun) which uses 10.8 volt 2.6ah Lithium-Ion batteries. These work perfectly in the Festool TI 15 impact driver.

Do you notice any difference in performance using the 10,8v batteries instead of the 14,4v?

 

[justinmcf]

I have not noticed any difference in performance using the 10.8 volt batteries.
The only difference would be the lifespan of the battery as there is less cells inside.

I would only use the 10.8 volt batteries as a last resort.
I reckon I should not need to use the 10.8 volt batteries as 2 batteries are supplied with the Festool impact driver.
But it's good to know I have some back up batteries.

Justin.

 

[Kolf Leading]

Hi Folks,

I'm glad to see that the TI-15 accepts the Protool 10.8V batteries.
I would really appreciate if anyone could check if the TI-15 also works with Festool's BPS-12 Li batteries from a T12+3.

I'm pretty sure it would work, but considering the amount of money involved, I just want to double-check.

Many thanks in advance!

 

[AlexThePalex]

I would really appreciate if anyone could check if the TI-15 also works with Festool's BPS-12 Li batteries from a T12+3.

I don't need to check, all Festool drills are backwards compatible with older batteries of equal and lower voltages.

 

[fatroman]

I'd be interested to hear what the sound difference is between the TI15 and the Makita 18v.

If the Festool's noticeable quieter, that'd be a real selling point for me.

 

[Kev]

I'd be interested to hear what the sound difference is between the TI15 and the Makita 18v.

If the Festool's noticeable quieter, that'd be a real selling point for me.

That's an interesting point ... I was playing with the damn thing and I didn't even think about noise. Either it was very quiet or I just wasn't expecting a quiet impact driver and didn't consider it.

 

[Paddyfin1]

I've had mine now for a month (thanks wife Christmas present)
It's very good I fought the bare carcass with tloc3 which fits my c15 and now have two drills,two batteries ( room for three) ,charger and all the various chucks etc which is cool
As an impact driver the new machine is great for first fix work etc
Not sure if it's better the Panasonic etc as a machine but as a part of the festool system it's awesome from the systainer 3 through to the battery compatibility, it means for me that I'm using all the same batteries etc and it all JUST WORKS
As a stand alone item others may be better but I've become a festool nut guess we all are

 

[UdayanB]

Have you had a chance to compare the Ti15 with the T18?  I install solar pv systems and do an equal amount of drilling and driving.  One thing that puts me off with the Ti15 is the fact that I have to keep changing chucks when switching from driving to drilling...a real inconvenience when on an 18-degree roof....  Any thoughts?

 

[Paddyfin1]

Just a further little note
I've been using the ti15 with the drywall attachment today, bloody hell it's quick but the balance is a little different due to the impact adapter but still very good
Will keep updated

 

[Deansocial]

i found anything cordless slow for drywall

 

[neth27]

I have just got one of these  [big grin] 22v and its tiny...

John..