How are the T15's?

[bbarlage]

Now that they have been out for a while, how are you guys with the T15+3 liking them?  My old Makita died so I'm in the market for a new drill and I also have a deck project I would like to build this fall.  I'm really struggling with the idea of taking such a nice drill outside to build a deck. Oh well, back to the topic.  I haven't seen much posted on them lately so I wanted to throw this topic out.  Also, has anyone used this drill on steel?

Thanks
Bill

 

[ForumMFG]

Bill,

Welcome to the Forum.

Your worried about taking such a nice drill outside to build a deck?  People in Germany would laugh at that comment.  Festool designs their tools to take abuse and work in the toughest conditions.  Festool tools are not meant for only the owner of a company to use and then clean it up before you put it back in the box as Christian (Festool USA CEO) would say.  With that said, please don't let that reason move you in a different direction.  The fact is that these tools will take a beating and still keep ticking.  I first bought the T12+3 and I took it back 2 weeks after I bought it to buy the T15+3 because it has a little more power.  It's a great drill.  Besides the power, electronic clutch, and brushless motor you can get up to 5 different chucks.  To me, it's like having 5 different drills.  You would save so much money on this feature alone and that was the main reason why I bought mine because I to have the Makita impact driver and Driver/Hammer drill.  The torque on these drills are amazing as well which is perfect for a lot of applications.  The brushless motors = Longer service like, longer life in general, and it allows the motor to operate more efficiently which in-return outputs more power.  The electronic clutch is unique.  When you set your setting then drive a screw in the drill just stops once it hits your setting.  You don't hear a clutch slipping or anything like that, it stops and you hear a beep.  It's really nice.  It has a lot of safety features to protect the drill such as a overload feature and a over heating feature.  If any of these situation occur, the drill will beep at you a couple times depending on what happened.  This is also a very nice feature.  Now we get to the batteries.  The batteries are so light weight!  Once you pick one up you will be amazed.  Even though they are very light, they pack a heck of alot of juice and there is also the same 3 year warranty on them.  So you can see all the awesome features of this drill that can help justify buying it.  I hope this information helps.

What else do you plan to use it for?  This can help you determine if you want to buy the T12 or the T15.  The price difference is so minimal that I would just buy the T15 which is what I should have done in the first place.

-Dave

 

[Martin Johnson]

Bill,

Won't be a problem....I'll let the non-festool employees sway you, but I used both the C-12 and T-15 +3 building a raised garden out of 4x4 treated lumber...(wet wood, dirt everywhere, and had to set the drills down in wet grass.)  Pre-drilled with the C-12 and drove 7" lag screws with the T-15 +3.  Performed flawlessly...these tools are made for the toughest demands...check out the video from our website...they are using Arizona sand (one of the most abrasive materials in the world) in the chamber...you can view it at about the 1:30 minute mark.  

http://www.festoolusa.com/products/cordless-drills/t-153-lithium-ion-cordless-drill-set-564250.html

It is interesting that "Built for the Toughest Demands" is the marketing tagline in the rest of the world.  We should probably incorporate it, as the US consumer thinks that they need to baby our tools...Doing a deck should be a breeze with any of our drills...and what do you have to lose...if you aren't satisfied, return it...the 30 day money back is there to encourage people to really use the tools...I know you won't be disappointed.  

Martin

 

[AlexThePalex]

The price difference between a T12 and a T15 is so small, I don't even understand why they bothered to make a T12 at all.

 

[Joe Jensen]

I have lots of drills.  Some have said I have a problem  ???

I have a T15+3 and it's a really nice drill/driver.  The best I own by far.  Having said that, I would MUCH prefer my 12V Panasonic impact driver to the Festool for building a deck.  The problem with impact drivers is that they really aren't drills.  Your really need a drill too if you have an inpact driver.

The impact driver (at least a really good one) drives 3" screws soo fast.  I'd say it would be 2-3X faster if you built a deck with the impact driver.

If you can only have one, then the Festool is nice.  But for the money, I'd buy a Panasonic or Makita kit with a drill/driver and an impact driver.  Or get the Festool and a great impact driver.

 

[John D]

I took my  T15 (and Kapex) on a mission trip to Mississippi to do Katrina reconstruction.  Per local code had to screw the floor sheeting down every 4 inches on the edge of each sheet and every 6 inches in the middle of every sheet.  Needless to say we drove a bunch of screws.  The T-15 held up great, the batteries held up much, much better than any other drill we had on hand.  The drill handled getting a bit muddy with no problem.  I am very impressed with the T15 and now hardly ever use my old Bosch drill.  

John

 

[bonesbr549]

I had recently (3 months prior) purchased the makita combo pack (light+drill+impact+case) and its great.  However after playing with one of the T15's and the electronic clutch I fell in love with it and had to have one.   While in no way could I truely justify it, I bought it to get the intro deal with the extra systainer.   (ok thats weak but what the heck).  Anyway I love it.   I still use the impact driver and light but the drill is now the wife's in the junk drawer for her use.  I've used it numerous times and its great, and I love the offset chuck.   Onlything I miss from the makita is the light, but thats not that important.   Batteries last a long time.  

 

[ForumMFG]

Bones,

Festool is coming out with a attachable LED light for the Drills.  You can see it here

 

[Brice Burrell]

I'm in the process of writing an extensive review of the T15. I was hoping to have it done by now but work has been keeping my busy. Should have it done in a week or two. I'll be writing about the T15's performance on a three month residential remodeling job. Here's a spoiler, the T15 is nearly a perfect tool, I say nearly because it's human nature to always want more. There isn't a better cordless drill out, sure some drills are more powerful but they lack the refinement of the T+3 series.

Drilling steel, no problem with the 5/16" mild steel I drilled. Tough, you bet, I tested that out the first few days of owning the T15. Dropped it twice, once from 9' and one time from 6' onto a wood floor. The drill didn't skip a beat. I can vouch for the dust test Martin talked about, not with Arizona sand but with plaster and coal dust from demoing walls in a 125 year old Victorian. Dust was everywhere, my drill was covered for days. No, don't baby a Festool drill, no need. Keep an eye out for the review in the couple of weeks.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I am glad to see people actually using these tools for remodeling and carpentry work.

My C12 has had a hard year of use so far, and it works like the day I bought it.

It might not look as good as it did when i bought it.

It has had a few roof slides into gutters, been in some nasty crawl spaces, and been in the mud and grime.

I have done numerous composite decks and porches with it.  The railings for those would be next to impossible to install without the extra chucks they offer.

Battery life is the best I have experienced.  Buy them, work them, no need to worry about them.

 

[Bob Marino]

I'm in the process of writing an extensive review of the T15. I was hoping to have it done by now but work has been keeping my busy. Should have it done in a week or two. I'll be writing about the T15's performance on a three month residential remodeling job. Here's a spoiler, the T15 is nearly a perfect tool, I say nearly because it's human nature to always want more. There isn't a better cordless drill out, sure some drills are more powerful but they lack the refinement of the T+3 series.

Drilling steel, no problem with the 5/16" mild steel I drilled. Tough, you bet, I tested that out the first few days of owning the T15. Dropped it twice, once from 9' and one time from 6' onto a wood floor. The drill didn't skip a beat. I can vouch for the dust test Martin talked about, not with Arizona sand but with plaster and coal dust from demoing walls in a 125 year old Victorian. Dust was everywhere, my drill was covered for days. No, don't baby a Festool drill, no need. Keep an eye out for the review in the couple of weeks.

Quite right - no need to baby these drills. Looking forward to reading your review.

Bob

 

[Neill]

I bought my C12 a little over a year ago and I love it.  Just used the angle chuck for the first time a few weeks ago and it works great.  Since I am a DIY'er / hobbyist my drill has not gotten much of a workout.

One of the things that I really appreciate with the C12 is the ergonomics / cosmetics of the tool with the "D" handle.  Does anyone know if there will be a "D" handle version in the lithium model?

Thanks in advance.

Neill

 

[Kapitaldream]

I have both the C12 and T15+3 and use them for both for deck work and repairs to commercial fish boats. Power has never been an issue and the eccentric chuck really is invaluable. The only problem I've had is when I was installing some temperature sensors on a fish packer. There was a light rain at the time and even though I was under cover the drill (C12) did get slightly wet. Several days later I tried to change the regular drill chuck on the C12 and it would not come off, period!
I called up Mark at FestoolUSA and they mentioned that they have had this problem before, but it is rare. I soaked it with WD40, bought the T15 so I could keep the next job moving along and in about two days the chuck came off. There was a light coat of rust on the shaft that then held the chuck fast. I have since then coated the shafts with a rust treatment to prevent future mishaps. All Festools are expensive but I fine that they pay for themselves with ease of use and accuracy.

 

[ForumMFG]

Does anyone know if the T15 or T12 has a heat rating?  I put a roof on my church yesterday and brought along my T15 just in case I needed it.  It was a hot sunny day so my T15 was exposed to high temperatures for a long time.  l was just wondering if it has any effect on the electronics?

 

[ForumMFG]

Just talked to festool and it shouldn't be a problem.  The only thing to worry about is the battery and that it does not reach 176 degrees.

 

[tbellemare]

Dave:

It's not a problem until you get it to its heat limit through ambient temperature and use. I used my C 12 one day to bore a bunch of holes in a big tree stump. A friend had a tree taken out and didn't have the stump ground (too cheap) so we were making 7/8" holes in the stump with a self-driven bit of questionable sharpness. They were to receive some stump-killer.

Anyway, it was about 103 degrees and we were in the sun so it might have been 110+. After about a dozen holes that were about 4" deep in this green hackberry stump, the drill beeped and didn't want to drill any more. I took it in the A/C and let it cool off. After about a half-hour, it was good for another round of holes (without charging the battery). I deduced that it overheated and cooled off.

I think that's what happened. The nice thing is that it protected itself. Smart drill!

Tom

 

[Greg_R]

Having said that, I would MUCH prefer my 12V Panasonic impact driver to the Festool for building a deck. 

+1.  An impact driver is built to drive screws and will make your deck job much more pleasant.  Panasonic is far ahead of the usual suspects when it comes to battery technology.  I have their NiMH and their LiOn powered drills and drivers and have had zero problems with either.