Need Help Choosing a Drill

[Patrick Cox]

Hello,
I am a new Festool user and I am considering a Festool Drill.  I am also new to woodworking and currently I have a small 12V Ryobi cordless drill that I use for most tasks and then I have an old Craftsman corded drill that I use to drill pocket holes.  I am considering purchasing a new higher quality general purpose cordless drill.  My project plans for the next year are shop cabinetry and furniture, sheet goods cabinetry for our home, bench for the front porch and some small hardwood tables.  I am working with pocket holes currently but hope to purchase a Domino in the not to distant future.

So thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Birdhunter]

If you can visit a Festool dealer and handle the array of Festool drills, you will make a better decision. The two Festool drill form factors, T handle and C handle, feel very different in the hand. Unless you actually have the drill in your hands, you can't really judge which you will prefer.

I have several of the Festool drills, If I had to keep just one, it would be the 18 volt T handle drill.

Whichever drill you pick, I strongly suggest getting the complete set with all the attachments. It's my opinion that the attachments differentiate Festool drills from other brands.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The choice for American customers isn't that big anymore, now Festool USA has dropped the 12 and 15 volt models.

So considering you mainly want to use it for furniture and jobs around the house, a T18 or C18 sounds like your best option. They're basically the same except for the shape of the handle, and which one you prefer is up to you alone. Try them in the store.

Besides the T18/C18 drills there's only the PDC18 & DRC18 which are more robust drills for the rougher jobs, and the smaller 10.8v TXS/CXS drills, which are for the small jobs.

 

[ear3]

Two points to consider:

1. If you are dealing with limited resources, and if the purchase of a Festool drill would significantly delay the acquisition of another tool, like the Domino, I would focus my efforts more on getting the Domino first, and then getting a less expensive though by no means inferior drill set like the Milwaukee Fuel.  Dollar for dollar, the Domino will enhance your woodworking capabilities much more than a Festool drill will vs. each one's respective competitors (Domino vs. biscuit joiner or dowel jig; Festool drill vs. other brand drill).  Don't get me wrong -- the Festool drills are great.  There are  more powerful drills on the market, but the Festool ones have zero runout on the chuck, and the trigger sensitivity allows very delicate and deliberate operations.  There are even people who think there are better drills on the market, but I don't think there's anyone who would argue that there is anything quite like the Domino.

2. While I think the T18 is a great all around choice, if you anticipate the need for a hammer drill you might also want to consider the PDC.  The other thing I like about the PDC is the drilling capabilities at speed 4 -- I use this when drilling pocket holes, and it cuts the drilling time in half. 
 

 

[Patrick Cox]

Two points to consider:

1. If you are dealing with limited resources, and if the purchase of a Festool drill would significantly delay the acquisition of another tool, like the Domino, I would focus my efforts more on getting the Domino first, and then getting a less expensive though by no means inferior drill set like the Milwaukee Fuel.  Dollar for dollar, the Domino will enhance your woodworking capabilities much more than a Festool drill will vs. each one's respective competitors (Domino vs. biscuit joiner or dowel jig; Festool drill vs. other brand drill).  Don't get me wrong -- the Festool drills are great.  There are  more powerful drills on the market, but the Festool ones have zero runout on the chuck, and the trigger sensitivity allows very delicate and deliberate operations.  There are even people who think there are better drills on the market, but I don't think there's anyone who would argue that there is anything quite like the Domino.

2. While I think the T18 is a great all around choice, if you anticipate the need for a hammer drill you might also want to consider the PDC.  The other thing I like about the PDC is the drilling capabilities at speed 4 -- I use this when drilling pocket holes, and it cuts the drilling time in half. 

Edited to add one more question -

Thanks for your reply.  One question - When would one want a hammer drill vs regular drill for woodworking? 

Also, did you mean Impact Driver or Hammer Drill?

Thanks.

 

[Holmz]

Never

 

[Patrick Cox]

Never

Hi,
I just watched a couple of videos on drills.  It sounds like there are...

1. Regular Drils
2. Impact Drivers
3. Hammer Drills  (The video said these are mainly for things like drilling into concrete.)

It sounds like an Impact Driver might be useful for woodworking is it seems to help with driving screws.  Is this correct?

Thanks.

 

[Holmz]

Use your corded drill for drilling.
The Panasonic is renowned for a battery powered impact.

I have a small cordless for general work. And a 230v Bosch hammer drill for concrete.

 

[MrGinCT]

While I have lots of festoons  [big grin] I went with he Milwaukee line of cordless drills and impact driver.  A WHOLE lot less money and IMHO just as good as a drill, especially their brushless models.  I have their 12 volt right angle and their traditional pistol grip style which is a perfect combination for most of what you will want to do with it.
I just purchased their 18volt Brushless combo drill/driver/hammer to replace their older 18 volt drill driver and I'm totally happy with it.  Absolutely no issues with the amount of power to do anything I want it to do, including using it to drill pocket holes with my Kreg jig in hard maple. 

 

[Kev]

The stand out with Festool is the variety of chucks and the Cetrotec system. In use the C18 and T18 are incredibly smooth and easy to control precisely.

Other drill/drivers are cheaper, can be more powerful and have batteries that are compatible with a wide variety of "stuff".

There's a lot of people that are negative when it comes to Festool drill/drivers, but many of them have probably never used them for a serious amount of time.

Festool offer a 30 day money back trial in the US .. can't imagine why anyone would hesitate trying them out.

Impact drivers and impact wrenches can be useful, but as an addition - not as an alternative.

 

[ear3]

Correct.

So if it's just wood, then you would never need a hammer drill.  But if you ever wan't to put an anchor into brick or concrete, the hammer function is absolutely necessary.

When it comes to impact drivers, these are mostly useful if you do a lot of framing or deep screw sinking, as you will be less likely to strip the screw head and can therefore drive stuff deeper than with most conventional drills.

Never

Hi,
I just watched a couple of videos on drills.  It sounds like there are...

1. Regular Drils
2. Impact Drivers
3. Hammer Drills  (The video said these are mainly for things like drilling into concrete.)

It sounds like an Impact Driver might be useful for woodworking is it seems to help with driving screws.  Is this correct?

Thanks.

 

[RKA]

I would encourage you to focus your purchasing on the other standout tools Festool offers like the Domino.  The thing with the drills is you're also buying into a battery platform.  And this platform will probably be useful for other purposes around the house beyond woodworking.  The brushless offerings from the other tool manufacturers are quite good and the range of tools exceptional in most cases.  Festool's range of tools is highly focused, and while they are expanding, their decision to discontinue the impact driver suggests they intend to remain highly focused. 

The impact driver is useful for running screws where the holes haven't been completely pre-drilled.  Running screws into pocket holes would be a good application, but generally, you won't use it much in woodworking and you can get by without it.  But around the house I have had many uses for an impact driver.  It's just so much easier to use rather than dealing with the reactive forces of a drill.  I'd never want to go back. 

The hammer drill function on the drill is rarely used.  Only for concrete work and there is very little of that around the house (for me).  In any case, a cordless hammer drill is okay for 1/2" or smaller holes but once you start approaching larger holes approaching 1", it's a compromise.  You can rent a rotary hammer drill from the big box store for fairly cheap if the need should arise, so I wouldn't make this a priority on your list unless you know you'll have projects involving concrete. 

Now, the two things I've found quite good on the Festool drills (to repeat Kev's comments) are the various interchangeable heads and the trigger control on the models with the EcTec (brushless) motors.  If you don't mind the premium you're paying for this, you'll enjoy using them.  The TSX and CSX are interesting options, very compact and useful for cabinet work, but I find the trigger control well behind the other models Festool offers and I would hold off until they decide to update these drills (which could be a while).  The battery platform for this is unique to these drills only, but I find their ergonomics are otherwise better than the 12V offerings from the major tool manufacturers (personal preference), so if you need something like this, get it. 

I would recommend Milwaukee Fuel as an alternative for a drill and impact driver combo.  They also offer a 5 year warranty, they are quite powerful and the range of other tools offered is quite good.  You lose the various interchangeable heads though, if that's important to you, your decision is made.  $300 or so will get you their top of the line kit with 2 batteries.  You can probably expect Father's Day promotions on them in the coming month.  Usually these come in the form of extra tools or free batteries, but it's something. 

 

[McNally Family]

Correct.

So if it's just wood, then you would never need a hammer drill.  But if you ever wan't to put an anchor into brick or concrete, the hammer function is absolutely necessary.

When it comes to impact drivers, these are mostly useful if you do a lot of framing or deep screw sinking, as you will be less likely to strip the screw head and can therefore drive stuff deeper than with most conventional drills.

Never

Hi,
I just watched a couple of videos on drills.  It sounds like there are...

1. Regular Drils
2. Impact Drivers
3. Hammer Drills  (The video said these are mainly for things like drilling into concrete.)

It sounds like an Impact Driver might be useful for woodworking is it seems to help with driving screws.  Is this correct?

Thanks.

I can give you a real life example of when you might think you need/want the Hammer/Percussion function of either the BHC/PDC drill, but at least in my case, I found my 20 year old corded Milwaukee Hammer Drill filled my need, and is getting me through our project today.

My Son and I are in the process of building our shop (now that we have the area cleaned up).  Naturally, this involves attaching things to the concrete block walls (wood rack, pegboard, plywood, and so forth).  In this case, we are using TapCon fasteners, in both 1/4" and 3/16" size.  The hammer drill function is only needed to drill the holes, while my Festool C18 drill does a fine job of screwing in the fasteners themselves.  Rather than drop the money for either the Percussion or Hammer drill, even for the Basic set (I already have the batteries), I am saving that money for another purchase that will serve me on ALL my future projects, not just this one specific task.

Of course, if you earn your living attaching things to block walls, please disregard everything I just said.....Otherwise, if you don't have an old corded hammer drill, go rent one when you need it, for the day! 

 

[rljatl]

There is one reason to consider the PDC over the C/T18 that I have never seen mentioned...

The 43mm diameter collar behind the drill chuck on the PDC works with some after market accessories like this drill guide (non-adjustable and fixed at 90 degrees).  The drill guide is handy when you need to make sure you are drilling holes at 90 degrees.  It was the deciding factor for me, in addition to the fast drill speed.

Drill Guide

So, that makes three differentiators for the PDC dill compared to the C/T18 drills.
1. Hammer drill function.
2. Fast drill speed.
3. 43mm collar.

 

[ear3]

[member=18283]zxcv[/member] I did not know that.  Thanks.  Did you have it shipped to the States?

There is one reason to consider the PDC over the C/T18 that I have never seen mentioned...

The 43mm diameter collar behind the drill chuck on the PDC works with some after market accessories like this drill guide (non-adjustable and fixed at 90 degrees).  The drill guide is handy when you need to make sure you are drilling holes at 90 degrees.  It was the deciding factor for me, in addition to the fast drill speed.

Drill Guide

So, that makes three differentiators for the PDC dill compared to the C/T18 drills.
1. Hammer drill function.
2. Fast drill speed.
3. 43mm collar.

 

[McNally Family]

There is one reason to consider the PDC over the C/T18 that I have never seen mentioned...

The 43mm diameter collar behind the drill chuck on the PDC works with some after market accessories like this drill guide (non-adjustable and fixed at 90 degrees).  The drill guide is handy when you need to make sure you are drilling holes at 90 degrees.  It was the deciding factor for me, in addition to the fast drill speed.

Drill Guide

So, that makes three differentiators for the PDC dill compared to the C/T18 drills.
1. Hammer drill function.
2. Fast drill speed.
3. 43mm collar.

That is interesting.  Here is a link to an older thread on this topic, but I don't know how up to date it is.  It does however offer solutions (seems easier to resolve if you live in UK).
http://festoolownersgroup.com/other...that-is-equivalent-to-the-one-from-axminster/

 

[Patrick Cox]

Well, I started working on my first project today using my MFT3 and CT26 and I have discovered two things about drills.

1. I like having a corded drill for drilling pocket holes because when the drill is plugged into the CT26, the CT26 will automatically turn on when I start drilling.  This is very nice as opposed to having the vacuum run all of the time while changing out boards for drilling holes.  So I will definitely keep using my old corded drill for this task.

2. I think my 12V cordless Ryobi drill is a bit weak for driving pocket screws.  If I just have a couple then it is not so bad but as the numbers increase, I feel like I would benefit from a bit more driving power.  (Not battery life but driving power.)  So, will stepping up to an 18v brushless drill do that for me? 

And if I went the Festool route, is this the option?...
http://festools-online.com/564615-festool-c18-li-ion-cordless-drills-c18-plus.html

And then for Milwaukee, is this the right kit?...
http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-269...UTF8&qid=1462742697&sr=8-4&keywords=milwaukee+m18

And then for Dewalt I found this one...
http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCK281...ie=UTF8&qid=1462742761&sr=8-1&keywords=dewalt+20v+brushless

Thanks!

 

[Nat X]

As much as I love all four of my Festool drills, I'd never buy one just to drive a Kreg jig. If that's your primary use case then I'd go the cheaper route as you will not benefit from the swappable chucks very much. You can also try Kreg's plastic mass-market Foreman product. I absolutely hated it and sent it back immediately, but some people think it's the bee's knees.

 

[Patrick Cox]

As much as I love all four of my Festool drills, I'd never buy one just to drive a Kreg jig. If that's your primary use case then I'd go the cheaper route as you will not benefit from the swappable chucks very much. You can also try Kreg's plastic mass-market Foreman product. I absolutely hated it and sent it back immediately, but some people think it's the bee's knees.

Thanks for your reply.  I am sure I will use a drill for more than driving pocket hole screws.  How do you use your drills for woodworking?

 

[RKA]

You might be surprised at the power you get out of brushless 12V tools compared to your old Ryobi.  I would take a trip out to the store and give em a go.

For the Milwaukee M18, get the 27XX models.  They have the second generation brushless motors.  A little more power and some improvements to the build quality.  They just released new models with Bluetooth connectivity and configurable settings, so last years should be available for a good discount soon.