NEW Centrotec Drill Bits in NA

[tbellemare]

Festool has launched a new set of Centrotec HSS Drill Bits in NA.

[attachthumb=#1]

They are like the bit that comes with a Centrotec Starter Set that most people got with their Festool Drill.
They consist of:

• Centrotec Shank Holder;
• 3 Spiral Drill Bits;
• Set Screw;
• Allen Wrench

and are HSS for drilling metal, plastic, or wood.

There are 8 sizes:

• 3.0 mm - $7.50
• 3.5 mm - $8.00
• 4.0 mm - $8.50
• 4.5 mm - $10.00
• 5.0 mm - $10.50
• 5.5 mm - $11.00
• 6.0 mm - $11.50
• 6.5 mm - $12.00

In addition, they launched Replacement Bits for the above assemblies that come in packages of 10 bits each.

[attachthumb=#2]

There are also 8 sizes:

• 3.0 mm - $10.50
• 3.5 mm - $11.50
• 4.0 mm - $13.00
• 4.5 mm - $14.50
• 5.0 mm - $15.50
• 5.5 mm - $16.50
• 6.0 mm - $17.50
• 6.5 mm - $20.50

Tom

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Thanks, Tom. 

Finally, what I am seeing in my 2009 Festool USA catalog is starting to make sense.  It appears that Festool USA and Festool customers would have greatly benefitted from having additional proof readers BEFORE that new catalog went to the printer!!

Are you now certain of the quantities of drill bits that are included at the stated price?

And what does a purchaser obtain when buying one unit of one of the listed Centrotec bits with bit holder?  One twist drill of the stated size and one Centrotec bit holder?

Dave R.

 

[tbellemare]

Dave:

There are 3 twist drills and the holder/set screw/allen wrench combination in the numbers at the top of the above post. They come in a "clamshell" package.

There are 10 twist drills in each of the repalcement bit packages and they come in a "Reusable plastic sleeve".

It's always tough to get everything right in any documentation without multiple people, who have different perspectives, going through it.

Tom

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Tom,

You have done a great job in describing precisely what is included.  I cannot say the same for the new 2009 Festool USA catalog entries in this product area.  I tried checking FestoolUSA online but could not find the products listed in your post when I searched under drills, accessories and bits.  Never saw any listings for the Centrotec shank holders or drill bits to fit them, just the integral shank Centrotec spiral (twist) drill bits.

If I understand your post correctly, if I order  Festool 493421 - Centrotec HSS Spiral Drill Bit, 3.0 mm
[FES493421] from your linked website, for the stated price, I will receive a

    * Centrotec Shank Holder;
    * 3 Spiral Drill Bits;
    * Set Screw;
    * Allen Wrench

Please correct me if I am misreading your post.

The quantities of drill bits at the stated price are very important bits of information in my opinion.  To me, the presence or absence of multiple twist drill bits at the stated prices will determine whether or not I am interested in these products rather than competitive brands.  If the information you posted is correct and I have correctly understood it, those products and prices are attractive to me.  But knowing FestoolUSA's pricing on some other items, I was skeptical and wanted to be sure.

I apologize if my chain of posts is aggravating you or others.  I have spent a lifetime working as an engineer and patent attorney and from that have learned that the little details that many skip over are often the critical information that determine whether or not something will actually work as intended, and whether or not a patent is valid or worthless.  And that efforts to provide accurate and complete information can avoid many later disputes with unhappy customers and clients.

Dave R.

 

[tbellemare]

"efforts to provide accurate and complete information can avoid many later disputes with unhappy customers and clients"

I couldn't agree with that statement more, Dave. I am always happy to make things as clear as I can. I may fail on occasion but will gladly try again until I get it right.

I learned a long time ago through designing systems, both real and virtual, that the Devil is in the Detail. Getting the specifications right is critical to a satisfactory result.

"If I understand your post correctly, if I order   Festool 493421 - Centrotec HSS Spiral Drill Bit, 3.0 mm
[FES493421] from your linked website, for the stated price, I will receive a

    * Centrotec Shank Holder;
    * 3 Spiral Drill Bits;
    * Set Screw;
    * Allen Wrench

Please correct me if I am misreading your post."

No correction is needed...

I have been wondering when these would become available. Being able to use quality drill bits that work with metal and the Centrotec chuck is something I've been wanting personally for a while. It's really nice that they sell the replacement drills also because I don't own a Drill Doctor or have any other way to sharpen drill bits.

Tom

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Thanks, again, Tom.    I will definitely consider these Festool drill product offerings.

Did you happen to work for any company's facility in Euless or Ft. Worth?  I know there are several aerospace companies who have manufacturing facilities there.  And Billie Bob's.

Dave R.

 

[Jimhart]

For those of you eye doctors out there, the word scotoma has a medical meaning I'm aware of.

It's also used by professional copywriters to refer to the fact that copywriters are almost incapable of seeing their own mistakes.  They say that the reason is that the writer knows what they intended to say and that's what they see when they read their own copy.

I usually try to have my writing proofed by someone who knows little about the subject matter. They will not only catch your typos, it is a great acid test for whether you are communicating clearly.  If the neophyte understands you, then almost everyone reading it will understand.

I would suggest they put out a new catalog for a couple of weeks in PDF form before sending it to the printer and solicit feedback.

Jim

 

[tbellemare]

That's a great idea as an inexpensive answer to proofreading, Jim!

Whenever I have thought I had a good "elevator speech" (10-second explanation of something) in the past, I tried it on several people that had no a priori knowlege before going public with it.

Dave:

I never actually worked in the DFW area but performed engineering/manufacturing efficiency consulting at a few facilities around there and all over NA. I've also met with aerospace companies in the area about PBL solutions.

Tom

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Jimhart,

I agree completely with your explanations and suggestions for mitigating errors and improving the quality of the information in future catalogs.  Having someone not familiar with the copy and subject being proofread can work wonders.  Setting the draft aside for a couple of days then coming back to it for review also helps, but is still at risk as you described.  I have experienced that problem many times with my own writing, and the more intensely you push yourself to meet some deadline, the greater the risk that you'll not see what is actually written versus what you intended to write.  I know of some law firms who have a rule that no written product goes out from the firm without at least one attorney besides the author having first read through it and approved it. 

Tom, thanks, again, for the clarifications.

Dave R.

 

[JJ Wavra]

I saw these in the catalog and was excited about it.  Are they available now or on March 1st etc.?

 

[Daniel_n]

Festool has launched a new set of Centrotec HSS Drill Bits in NA.

[attachthumb=#1]

They are like the bit that comes with a Centrotec Starter Set that most people got with their Festool Drill.
They consist of:

• Centrotec Shank Holder;
• 3 Spiral Drill Bits;
• Set Screw;
• Allen Wrench

and are HSS for drilling metal, plastic, or wood.

There are 8 sizes:

• 3.0 mm - $7.50
• 3.5 mm - $8.00
• 4.0 mm - $8.50
• 4.5 mm - $10.00
• 5.0 mm - $10.50
• 5.5 mm - $11.00
• 6.0 mm - $11.50
• 6.5 mm - $12.00

Tom

In Sweden 8,0 and 10,0 HSS spiral drill bits have recently become available. Festool order number:

8,0 495308
10,0 495309

I don't know if they are available i NA however.

//Daniel

 

[tbellemare]

The Festool Centrotec Bits are available now.

Tom

 

[Warrior]

I have the bit systainer set and love the drill bits. I wish there were some larger sizes available though, especially the brad points. 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 mm bits would come in handy.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Does anyone know if Festool will ever again offer that large Bit Systainer set they once offered in USA?  I did not own a Festool drill at the time of that limited offer, but think its availability with the extra Centrotec chucks would make the Festool drills and drill sets with the extra special purpose chucks more attractive to a buyer  (Hint: me).

Dave R.

 

[tbellemare]

Dave:

I don't know anything definitive but there are rumors that it is likely to reappear but in a different configuration. I'll pry a bit and see if I can learn anything new. The last I heard was a few months ago.

Tom

 

[romlee]

Tom,
I have noticed that images of the new bit Systainer set available in Europe display a bit holder driver handle.  Do you know if this handle holds the Centrotec bits?  Or does it simply hold the Centrotec 1/4" bit adaptor? 

I'd love to get my hands on the handle if it holds the Centrotec long pozidrive and phillips bits that came with last year's Systainer set without having to use the 1/4" adaptor.  Clearly, it's not a matter of NEED to have.  It's a matter of WANT to have.  Pretty pathetic, actually.

Thanks,
Rom

 

[Forrest Anderson]

I have noticed that images of the new bit Systainer set available in Europe display a bit holder driver handle.  Do you know if this handle holds the Centrotec bits?  Or does it simply hold the Centrotec 1/4" bit adaptor? 

I'd love to get my hands on the handle if it holds the Centrotec long pozidrive and phillips bits that came with last year's Systainer set without having to use the 1/4" adaptor. 

The item you refer to is probably the "CENTROTEC-DRIVE", Order No 495228, and which is illustrated in my post last March:

You slip the standard Centrotec chuck onto the end, and then insert a Centrotec bit into the chuck, and you're ready. See the photo in Dan Clark's message in the above thread:

Also of interest might be the thread at http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2756.0

If you can't get it through your own national Festool dealer network, the driver is available on UK eBay and if you ask the seller (or any UK Festool dealer), they may be willing to ship internationally.

Forrest

 

[romlee]

Thank you, Forrest.

Best Regards,
Rom

 

[romlee]

Hello, all.

Thanks to Forrest's kind suggestion, I went to the eBay UK site and found two Festool shops that sell the Centrotec screwdriver handle referred to in his ealier post.  Unfortunately, none will sell or ship the screwdriver handle to the US.  I've contacted Festool USA and learned the item is NAINA.

Would anyone with experience purchasing and receiving a Festool accessory such as this have a UK shop name and email address that I might try? 

Regards,

Rom

 

[tomweston]

Hi fellow Festoolians in the US.

I have a great relationship with my local Festool distributor and I would be willing to post the said handle to you deprived people in the US. With the current exchange rate, it may work in your favour...that'll be a first.

Personally, I use one of these handles - but I prefer the WERA range of handles.

I love the CENTROTEC system - I believe that Festool are launching a set of CENTROTEC Forstner bits...oh luvley jubley.

The local distributor is BloMax (blo-max.com - but their site is down at the momnet) - I will be talk to the owner tomorrow...

PS I will ship anything to the US if needed - just dread the postage costs.

Now if only I can afford the Tanos boxes!!!

Yours

Tom