The runout was why I was looking forward to the TID18 and I concur, Festool delivered an impact driver with waaaaay more runout than any of my other impacts. [mad] I first used it with a 70mm wera rapidaptor and my god, the windmills. It was a horrible first impression and a huge disappointment coming from Festool. It’s literally their thing, y’know?
The whole front end slides back and forth, too (the fan isn’t moving back and forth, so seems just from the hammer/impact mechanism and down the shaft to the bit holder). I pick it up and hear a clunk as it slides either back or forward. Again, none of my Chinese home store impacts do this.
The belt clip is thin, pliable garbage. It’s not deburred, either, but it does have a captive screw. [blink]
That’s the negative nancy material up front.
In actual use, sweating bucketloads in the sun and stinking up my Thorogoods, I haven’t paid attention to that stuff (keeping the length down to 2”/50mm power bits and 2”/50mm bit holders). The trigger doesn’t blast off like a Makita. It’s closer to a PDC/C18/T18 and so it at least shows off in that area. Initially, I found it to be poorly balanced, slippery and uncomfortable. The flush over-molding has “worn in” and so it isn’t sliding around in my hand anymore resulting in those thoughts going away.
The driving power is there. I was expecting it to be less powerful and so I am pleasantly surprised.
Outside of the issues I mentioned, the build quality, fit and finish is all good. Despite the play, the bit retaining chuck is heavy duty with nice knurling on the ball detent release collar. You can hear a nice affirmative “ca-chunk” when you push a power bit in. The speed selector feels to be a true (albeit tiny) mechanical switch underneath the rubbery plastic as opposed to the membrane panels on some competitor products.
Since the other manufacturers have no common sense, Festool scores an easy win once again with magnetic bit storage built into the housing. This is a huge deal for me at my job as I am frequently faced with repairing something that has been “fixed” many times over across four or five decades with zero consistencies. I honestly often find slotted, phillips, robertson and torx screws mixed together in a hodge podge on individual wall fixtures, jambs, furnaces, railings and so on.
The systainer should have been a smaller size but, as a positive, this allows room for fasteners and other miscellany of the moment and the TID18 is controllable enough that I can do without carrying another driver. Meaning, it’s a lightweight package that fits a box of anchors or screws. All of the other drills and impacts are in combo drawer systainers with attic lids, loaded with accessories (including socket sets). I usually pull what I need from them atm while the TID18 systainer I’ve been carrying around. The side handle built into the new and very much improved systainer has a lot to do with that, too.
Just to make sure everyone is on the same page as me: the new systainers are absolutely excellent.
I obviously haven’t had the impact long enough to give a true opinion on it, but I do say it is growing on me. It may turn out to be my favourite. Earlier in another post I rated it behind the Makita and Bosch I’m currently running but I’m putting it ahead of the bosch now (not counting the socket capability) and it’s kind of getting neck and neck with the Makita on personal preference.
