Looking for feedback on the c12 and Centrotec bit assortm. in Sys

[mavrick1903]

Title says it all. considering my first Festool purchase of the c12 drill, and also wondering if the Centrotec bit assortm. in Sys is worth it?

What do you think of the c12 drill, which battery to get. I'm just a hobby guy so I dont think I need the 3ah NiMh batts are needed. are the extra chucks something to get?

what about the Centrotec bit assortm. in Sys? worth it? thoughts?

I've got a Fein (gasp) vac right now, and like it quite a bit. I do expect to pick up a CT22 down the road though as I wish my Fein had variable speed as the Festool does.

 

[Lancashire Fusilier]

I find the best part is the extra chucks as I tend to use the right angle and eccentric bit quite regularly as a hobbiest probably not many weekends go by where I don't use the drills.

I looked at the drill set and felt there was a lot of gear in there that I wouldn't use so purchased the brad point bit set and the counter sinks set seperately.

 

[mavrick1903]

bump. no other feed back?

 

[eweber]

The centrotec bit assortment is cool but is definitively a luxury for me.
I have used so far some of the drill bits the philips drivers and the pozidrive ones, the counter sink and the bit holders.
I don't have much use for the torx bit (even though I had to actually use one once so far  ). I don't see myselt using the extra chuks for a while. I think the main value of the kit is that it comes in a systainer with a nice insert.

The C12 itslef is very nice. I have the 1.3A batteries and found them very suitable for my needs especially given the fact that they charge so fast.
The extra chucks are definitively worse the investment. I am constanly using them.

Emmanuel

 

[Jim McFarland]

mavrick1903, this thread has a lot of discussion regarding the Centrotec set....
http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=1526.0

Re C12: I'm satisfied with the 1.3 battery and I really like the right angle chuck.

By the way, welcome to the FOG!

 

[greg mann]

The interchangeable chucks are the single most unique and valuable aspect of the C12, IMO. The quality of the tool is top-notch, for sure, but there are other brands that are pretty good as well. It's the versatility of the C12 with the attachments that sets it apart. It's a problem solver. I have the combo chamfering attachments and the brad point drill set along with various bit drivers and that does it pretty well for me. If I need a larger hole I just use the chuck with a Jobbers drill.

I do feel a little smug as I have a bona-fide centrotec mount #2 square drive bit. Works great. All you need to do is buy an Apex brand #3 square drive, cut off the tail of the hex at the groove, circle grind the shank to .272 diameter in a whirly-jig on a surface grinder, grind a new retaining groove in the appropriate place, regrind the #3 to a #2, and circle grind the adjoining shank area at that end for clearance in a counterbore (i.e., for a Kreg pocket). Takes about a half-hour for the first one. As my Grandma used to say' " Each man is crazy in his own way."  ;D

 

[PeterK]

Well Greg - sounds like you could sell those bits. Your price would have to be like Festool's though as your manufacturing cost would be about $30 per bit!!!!  ;D

I have looked hard at the bit set but just can't see the setup being worth the money. Far too many pieces not really needed. Wish Festool would sell the various drill bits in sets. Would love to have the centrotec bits as a package and not individual like the brad point ones.

Pete

 

[greg mann]

Peter, what I am referring to as the brad point set is the 3mm thru 10mm 'wood point set' #492519. These are very high quality and usually provide a size suitable for this range. I do not have the big set and have not looked at everything in it very closely. I am sure there are things in it that would be helpful to add but I agree that it is probably not worth buying for me. I could be convinced otherwise if someone wants to try hard enough.  ;D

You are right about the square drives. At this time I am not taking orders for them. :

Ironically, I recently bought a Makita impact driver which somewhat mitigates the need for this bit in the Centotec. The only drawback to the impact driver (ID) is its relative lack of sensitivity. I don't use many pocket screws but if I did I think it would be preferable to have the overload protection the C12 offers. It would be pretty easy to fall asleep at the switch with an ID.

 

[Dan Clermont]

I just got my C12 a couple of weeks back. Drove a couple of hundred screws on the original 1.3Ah battery and then wondered if it really was cordless so I let my neighbor borrow it to drill 1/2" holes for electrical. He conifrmed that he finally had to charge a battery. The same guy now claims his new 18Volt cordless must be defective cause the C12 with the 1.3Ah outperformed his Dewalt. Go figure.

Guess what I am saying with the above statement is the 1.3Ah is probably good enough unless your going to build decks for a living.

I was lucky enough to win the Centrotec kit on the FOG with a contest put on by Timmy at Festool Junkie awhile back Timmy C at Festool Junkie

The kit does seem expensive and I wish it had bits smaller then 3mm (or maybe that is 3.5mm). Anyhow, the thing to remember is each drill bit has its own centrotec adaptor so it quickly attaches to the Centrotec Fast Fix chuck. This is huge IMO. I love the depth stop chuck as it doesn't clog like my Lee Valley version. If you amortize the extra Pozi, philips and Torx bits which wear out the kit truly is a savings.

My Centrotec Sortainer lives attached to the bottom of my C12 drill Sortainer.

Just my two cents
Dan Clermont

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I think ?Jerry Work? and others summed up well the battery choices some time ago.  If you are working near to a place the battery charger can be used, get the 1.3AH battery and save yourself having to lift the additional weight of a larger battery.  If your planning to work at remote locations where you cannot recharge the batteries during your workday, get the bigger or biggest batteries available.

Dave R.

 

[Lancashire Fusilier]

Just something on batteries and charging. I found that my charger and subsequent batteries were getting real hot during the charging process as I usually left them on charge (rightly or wrongly) for days and sometimes weeks at a time while using the second battery and waiting for that to run out of charge.  What this meant was that when I did want to charge the second battery the flashing red light would come on the charger indicating it was too hot to charge. As I knew I wouldn't remember to turn it off every time I charged a battery I put a cheap timer inline with the charger cord that means the charger only comes on for an hour per day which is enough to charge any batteries but not enough to overheat them. Seems to work for me. Thought I would share that with others.

Cheers