If you could buy any cordless drill, which would it be?

[Ken Milhinch]

In order of preference; Panasonic, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Metabo (compact)...everything else including Festool.
In my opinion (and remember it's only an opinion) Festool drills suck big time.

 

[mantonuc]

Hey Ken,

  I own a Makita 18 Volt impact driver that I like very much.  Also have an Makita 18 Volt Drill/driver.  It is big and heavy but has lot of power...  Finally, I have a Milwaukee 12 volt sub compact driver.  It has plenty of power and is very well balanced...  I really like the Makita LED lights because they stay on for roughly 15 seconds after hitting the trigger...  So, I can just touch the trigger and light the LED so I can see the screw without having to have the bit spinning.  The MilWaukee LED only lights when the trigger is depressed - that is not as useful...

  I do not own any of the Festool drills, but can you elaborate on why they suck (in your opinion)?

Matt

 

[Ken Milhinch]

Matt,
My opinon;
The C12 is ergonomically poor and feels unbalanced in the hand. Further, the one that I used to own fell apart after falling barely 3 feet to a concrete floor. Putting it back together, I was surprised to see how much of it was plastic.

The TDK which I used to own was very weak in the battery department, and was always lacking in power compared to my other drills.
All in all, I don't see the Festool drills as having any competitive advantage over some other brands, and I think the drills are the weak link in the Festool range.
Having said all that, I have a shop full of Festool tools and love them all - just not the drills.

I currently have a Dewalt 18V hammer drill/driver, a DeWalt 18V impact driver, a DeWalt 7.2V slim driver, a DeWalt 18V right angle drill/driver,two Porter cable 15.6V (?) drill/drivers, a Panasonic 15.6V drill/driver, a Metabo 7.2V compact drill/driver (amazing power for something so small) and a Milwaukee 14.4V drill/driver.

The one I reach for all the time is the Panasonic, because it is so well balanced in the hand, and the batteries are outstanding.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

My opinon;
The C12 is ergonomically poor and feels unbalanced in the hand.

The one I reach for all the time is the Panasonic, because it is so well balanced in the hand, and the batteries are outstanding.

That's odd - maybe we have different definitions of "balance"? In my opinion, the C12 has a beautiful balance! The centre of gravity is vertically in line with my index finger, so that the drill stays nearly horizontal when supported by the finger:

In comparison, my 15.6V Panasonic tilts backwards (and if that drill didn't have a hand guard, it would slip right off my finger):

All in all, I don't see the Festool drills as having any competitive advantage over some other brands, and I think the drills are the weak link in the Festool range...

I've got to disagree on this one too.  I reckon a Festool drill with a selection of FastFix chucks has a great number of advantages over a normal cordless drill with a fixed chuck. By simply changing the chuck, you can take to the site a drill with a standard keyless chuck, a drill with a 1/4" hex chuck, a drill with an offset chuck, a drill with a right-angle chuck, a drill with a depth stop for drywall - all in one unit! One case, one battery, one charger, but 5 drills!

Which just goes to show how opinions can differ... 

Forrest

 

[Eli]

I totally agree Forrest. I have three drills that never leave home, and one that does.

But it's.. um... actually like five.  8)

 

[Dan Uhlir]

I lost my TDK 12 long sad story. I miss it it was a great drill the chucks/system was awesome all the different sundries it was the best by far of any drill system I've ever used. During the winter-time as a ski technician I have a drill in my hand literally 6 hours a day that drill was the best my opinion.Any posidriv drive philips etc. to slip in that chuck was nice . I'm tired.
                                                                                                                                          Dan

 

[nickao]

My opinon;
The C12 is ergonomically poor and feels unbalanced in the hand.

The one I reach for all the time is the Panasonic, because it is so well balanced in the hand, and the batteries are outstanding.

That's odd - maybe we have different definitions of "balance"? In my opinion, the C12 has a beautiful balance! The centre of gravity is vertically in line with my index finger, so that the drill stays nearly horizontal when supported by the finger:

In comparison, my 15.6V Panasonic tilts backwards (and if that drill didn't have a hand guard, it would slip right off my finger):

All in all, I don't see the Festool drills as having any competitive advantage over some other brands, and I think the drills are the weak link in the Festool range...

I've got to disagree on this one too.  I reckon a Festool drill with a selection of FastFix chucks has a great number of advantages over a normal cordless drill with a fixed chuck. By simply changing the chuck, you can take to the site a drill with a standard keyless chuck, a drill with a 1/4" hex chuck, a drill with an offset chuck, a drill with a right-angle chuck, a drill with a depth stop for drywall - all in one unit! One case, one battery, one charger, but 5 drills!

Which just goes to show how opinions can differ... 

Forrest

Forrest that's a Panasonic Hammer drill!!! You do not compare a hammer drill to a regular drill.

You need to compare apples to apples. The 15.6V - 3.5ah drill by Panasonic is much smaller and lighter and of perfect balance. Its not what you are showing in the picture. You are using a totally ridiculous comparison. That Panasonic Hammer Drill will turn your wrists right off your arms and it req needs two hands for operation, It is for drilling in concrete and is a brute!It is not designed to be a small drill/driver. You may as well compare a little impact to a 15 amp corded drill and say well the corded drill is ergonomically crap.

The Panasonic 15.6V Drill of even 5 years ago(no Li Ion) is more powerful and feels better in my hand  than the current Festool, IMHO. You are showing the wrong tool for comparison.

I Don't want to sound harsh but someone that saw this and did not know better may think the Panasonic was less than perfect, its not.

I sold my Festool drivers the Panasonic are the biggest bang for the buck and worth twice their price.

This is a better drill for comparison:

15.6V Panasonic Drill

I do not want to keep changing chuck! I hate changing bits, let alone now the chuck too. I have a hammer, impact and three drills. I like them all set up with different bits as I need.  Even on the job site I prefer that, it may be more to carry but I can be much more productive that way. So what you see as a plus of having the five all in one case, I don't see as a plus. I see the Festool cost what 3 drills cost, three drills that I could use simultaneously for much more production. And actually what I think are better drills. Plus I can use the Panasonic Impact and Festool does not have that option. I got the Pany drill and impact for much less than what the Festool cost and the Impact and Drill/driver are an awesome combination to have.

 

[erikfsn]

Hey Justin, Thanks for the advice on getting the Makita 10.8 volt kit with impact wrench and driver. I happened to be in Home Depot today and they had it marked down to $129, so I got it. Very nice so far.
Erik

 

[jaegerhund]

Cool Erik -- good deal (literally)  ----- the only issue I've had with mine so far is the 1.3 Ah batteries need to be charged more often than I'm used to --- but that ain't nothing really.  I've used the impact driver mostly ---- putting down plywood decking on a roof and facia boards --- nice to have something so light and powerful and safe (doesn't torque you off your ladder) . 

Justin

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I purchased the Makita 18v Li drill last spring, a couple months before I discovered Festool.  I like the size and light weight compared to my old 12 v Porter Cable which went to my son.  The one thing I don't like about it is the chuck seems to slip too often or lose its grip on the bit.  Not good for a drill.  I would probably look at the Festool drills today and may look at getting one in the next year or so.

Best,
Todd

Slipping of drill bits in the chuck is exactly the same complaint I have about my ~5 yr old Makita 12V NiMH drill; otherwise it has proven a comfortable and reliable tool, albeit the original 2.6 AH batteries are now probaby about 1.0 AH.

Dave R.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Forrest that's a Panasonic Hammer drill!!! You do not compare a hammer drill to a regular drill.

You need to compare apples to apples.

Fair enough. Let's forget about the photo of my 15.6V Panasonic...

The 15.6V - 3.5ah drill by Panasonic is much smaller and lighter and of perfect balance....

This is a better drill for comparison:

15.6V Panasonic Drill

And a very nice drill it is too. Here's the photo...

However, the centre of gravity of that Panasonic appears to be even further back than my "brute" of a hammer drill!    Are you saying that if you balanced that drill in the manner I did, the Panasonic would remain level like the C12?

Just like I said in my post to Ken, maybe we have different definitions of what constitutes "balance"?

I do not want to keep changing chuck! I hate changing bits, let alone now the chuck too. I have a hammer, impact and three drills. I like them all set up with different bits as I need.  Even on the job site I prefer that, it may be more to carry but I can be much more productive that way. So what you see as a plus of having the five all in one case, I don't see as a plus. I see the Festool cost what 3 drills cost, three drills that I could use simultaneously for much more production. And actually what I think are better drills. Plus I can use the Panasonic Impact and Festool does not have that option. I got the Pany drill and impact for much less than what the Festool cost and the Impact and Drill/driver are an awesome combination to have.

Yes, I remember us having this discussion before about the C12 a few weeks ago - you like the idea of separates, and I like the idea of an all-in-one. Guess it's rather like the argument of having a planer/thicknesser (jointer/planer) rather than separate machines.

Having said that, I would be the first to admit that the C12 is a totally different machine from a hammer drill or an impact driver, which is why I prefer to take my Panasonic hammer and Panasonic impact to jobs as well as the C12. However neither of these machines are as flexible as the C12 with its selection of interchangeable chucks.

Forrest

 

[Tinker]

I have an old Makita 12v, a Hitachi 9v and the Festool CD-12.
For years, i have chucked up multiple drills.  The problem was that I had to have a separate charger for each.
This meant a huge loss of shelf space along with a forest of cords in a shop space not meant for any added clutter.
The batteries have given out completely on the hitachi and are getting tired on the Makita.
I have all of the chucks for the C-12 and find it much less problem (spelled >Clutter) with exchanging chucks. 
Now i have one tiny shelf space for one charger.  All of the chucks and the one drill take up a fraction of the old space and I only have to look for one cordless drill.  I recently had a chance to handle the new C-12 that looks just like my old CD, but was amazed at how much better balanced and lighter weight it seemed than my old model. 

PS: I avoided looking over that new model for quite some time.  I fear I will need to show increased restraint
Tinker

 

[Frank-Jan]

Tinker, you could save even more shelve-space by wallmounting that charger