PDC test

[Staniam]

My only other complaint is the belt hooks/clips.  They don't really work that good.  There's not a good place to clip when wearing a tool belt.  When I find a spot it gets knocked off easily.  I will not use them in fear of dropping the drill. 

You can use the standard belt clip that snaps onto the underside of the battery itself. You just need to pop off the bumpers that come with the PDC and get a couple clips from your dealer or Festool.

 

[sae]

I have had the PDC since it's release in the US.  It is an awesome drill.  I do wish it had more torque.  When putting 3in screws into hard lumber or lvl's it beeps on speed 3.  When I switch to speed 2 it sinks the screws with no issues.  The issue with speed 2 is the rpms are lower resulting in slower production.  My bosses Milwaukee Fuel M18 will sink them with no issues at 1800rpm.  That's the only time I wish I have more torque. 

Ever thought about an impact driver? I haven't use a drill as a driver for a couple years now.

Impact driver for anything larger than drywall screws. For cabinet work, I have the little brushless Bosch 12v pocket driver, which although not electronic clutch has a nearly silent mechanical clutch, which is essential b/c cabinets resonate like heck, whereas large timber has enough mass to not resonate the impacts.

 

[demographic]

Ever thought about an impact driver? I haven't use a drill as a driver for a couple years now.

Impact driver for anything larger than drywall screws. For cabinet work, I have the little brushless Bosch 12v pocket driver, which although not electronic clutch has a nearly silent mechanical clutch, which is essential b/c cabinets resonate like heck, whereas large timber has enough mass to not resonate the impacts.

Yeah, maybe Festool will consider making an 18 volt one [wink]

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

My only other complaint is the belt hooks/clips.  They don't really work that good.  There's not a good place to clip when wearing a tool belt.  When I find a spot it gets knocked off easily.  I will not use them in fear of dropping the drill. 

You can use the standard belt clip that snaps onto the underside of the battery itself. You just need to pop off the bumpers that come with the PDC and get a couple clips from your dealer or Festool.

That's a good idea,  I will try them out. 

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

I have had the PDC since it's release in the US.  It is an awesome drill.  I do wish it had more torque.  When putting 3in screws into hard lumber or lvl's it beeps on speed 3.  When I switch to speed 2 it sinks the screws with no issues.  The issue with speed 2 is the rpms are lower resulting in slower production.  My bosses Milwaukee Fuel M18 will sink them with no issues at 1800rpm.  That's the only time I wish I have more torque. 

Ever thought about an impact driver? I haven't use a drill as a driver for a couple years now.

Impact driver for anything larger than drywall screws. For cabinet work, I have the little brushless Bosch 12v pocket driver, which although not electronic clutch has a nearly silent mechanical clutch, which is essential b/c cabinets resonate like heck, whereas large timber has enough mass to not resonate the impacts.

I have a Milwaukee impact driver and I will not use it being it's loud.  Not only is an impact loud to me but my clinets.  Even if Festool made one I would not even consider buying it unless it was quiet. 

 

[bobfog]

I have had the PDC since it's release in the US.  It is an awesome drill.  I do wish it had more torque.  When putting 3in screws into hard lumber or lvl's it beeps on speed 3.  When I switch to speed 2 it sinks the screws with no issues.  The issue with speed 2 is the rpms are lower resulting in slower production.  My bosses Milwaukee Fuel M18 will sink them with no issues at 1800rpm.  That's the only time I wish I have more torque. 

Ever thought about an impact driver? I haven't use a drill as a driver for a couple years now.

Impact driver for anything larger than drywall screws. For cabinet work, I have the little brushless Bosch 12v pocket driver, which although not electronic clutch has a nearly silent mechanical clutch, which is essential b/c cabinets resonate like heck, whereas large timber has enough mass to not resonate the impacts.

I have a Milwaukee impact driver and I will not use it being it's loud.  Not only is an impact loud to me but my clinets.  Even if Festool made one I would not even consider buying it unless it was quiet.

I don't think an impact driver will ever be quiet, unless it's at the expense of functionality. Also certain aspects of construction/DIY are loud, it's unavoidable. I hate people who use an impact for anything and everything where a normal drill driver would be sufficient, but sometimes an impact driver is the most appropriate tool.

 

[Kev]

I don't think an impact driver will ever be quiet, unless it's at the expense of functionality. Also certain aspects of construction/DIY are loud, it's unavoidable. I hate people who use an impact for anything and everything where a normal drill driver would be sufficient, but sometimes an impact driver is the most appropriate tool.

I've got one of those brainless imbeciles living next door. It makes me ponder creative ways to apply a quiet drill to do away with the problem!!

 

[Shane Holland]

I don't think an impact driver will ever be quiet, unless it's at the expense of functionality.

Yup, there is a tool called an oil-impulse driver available that works similar to an impact but it does sacrifice torque for sound dampening.

 

[Mort]

Ridgid just came out with a (supposedly) quiet impact driver, is that what it is?

And maybe this is a bit off topic, but I have Milwaukee Fuel stuff and on the drill the low speed mode is high torque but on the impact driver and 1/2" impact, the higher torque settings are also higher speed.

What up with that?

 

[Frank-Jan]

And maybe this is a bit off topic, but I have Milwaukee Fuel stuff and on the drill the low speed mode is high torque but on the impact driver and 1/2" impact, the higher torque settings are also higher speed.

What up with that?

On a normal drill it's comparable with the speeds on a bike... in a lower gear you can ride uphill with less effort but you won't go as fast... On an impactdriver, if the flywheel turns faster it will hit harder.

I first saw the makita impulsedriver at a building fair in 2006 or so... recently I spotted the updated version online; apparantly they were introduced in august 2014 already... The impulse driver doesn't only sacrifice torque, but it has a much bigger impact on your budget aswell.
Nonetheless if you need to work in an environment where noise is a big issue, I think they're a good solution.

 

[Shane Holland]

One other consideration with the impulse technology is that due to the oil viscosity that you may not be able to use it in temps below freezing. But they are definitely quieter than a traditional impact. Just had my paws on one last week.

 

[Mort]

One other consideration with the impulse technology is that due to the oil viscosity that you may not be able to use it in temps below freezing.

Well, that pretty much takes care of five months of the year. Sweet for Florida though.

 

[Kev]

One other consideration with the impulse technology is that due to the oil viscosity that you may not be able to use it in temps below freezing.

Well, that pretty much takes care of five months of the year. Sweet for Florida though.

I really like the look of that Makita .. and what's this thing you call "freezing" ??

 

[Grakat]

It's a North American thing Kev. They would love our winters.

 

[Kev]

It's a North American thing Kev. They would love our winters.

Imagine what our summer would do to them .. !! [big grin]

 

[StianRL]

Almost feels wrong to make my first FOG comment a non Festool one (and also slightly of topic since not directly related to the PDC...), but I just have to recommend the Makita oil impact (model DTS 141 in Europe). I used to have a small 10.8v Dewalt impact that I never used because of how loud it was. Now I use the Makita impact all the time and without needing ear protection. Guess I should wear it anyway but I just don't feel the need. With the 2ah battery it is very light and the short body also makes it very useful in tight Spaces. The torque is sufficient for my needs, however I have not used it for bigger screws than 6mm x 150mm (about 1/4" x 6"). Used a lot of those to reinforce 8" beams and it was really quick with the impact driver.

I love my Festools for the dc but also have a thing for low noise tools. Therefore my CTL Midi is my favourite "tool". Quiet and takes care of the dust. Maybe the next step for Festool should be to be more quiet than the competition, not just make less mess. A perfect start would be a quiet impact.

 

[Kev]

Almost feels wrong to make my first FOG comment a non Festool one (and also slightly of topic since not directly related to the PDC...), but I just have to recommend the Makita oil impact (model DTS 141 in Europe). I used to have a small 10.8v Dewalt impact that I never used because of how loud it was. Now I use the Makita impact all the time and without needing ear protection. Guess I should wear it anyway but I just don't feel the need. With the 2ah battery it is very light and the short body also makes it very useful in tight Spaces. The torque is sufficient for my needs, however I have not used it for bigger screws than 6mm x 150mm (about 1/4" x 6"). Used a lot of those to reinforce 8" beams and it was really quick with the impact driver.

I love my Festools for the dc but also have a thing for low noise tools. Therefore my CTL Midi is my favourite "tool". Quiet and takes care of the dust. Maybe the next step for Festool should be to be more quiet than the competition, not just make less mess. A perfect start would be a quiet impact.

In Oz it's the DTS141Z at $529AUD street price (just the skin). Very expensive for a Makita .. if I already had Makita 18V stuff I could be tempted - but there's nothing in the stable!

 

[jb.bouw]

First post here,

Got the pdc a week now. I hope it can replace my corded percussion drill, my angle drill, my good old Makita 14.4 v cordless drill and impact driver. Thus far I only missed my impact driver once or twice (loosening old rusty screws). I didn't mis the noise.

I'm happy with it, it has more power than my old wireless stuff, I tried putting in a 6x150 mm screw in a solid piece of maranti (tropical hard wood) with my old impact driver, and it stalled (which is odd, because it should have 120 Nm off torque), the pdc drove it in. It has less play (wobble). Also the light is positioned better than with my old tools.

I agree the belt hook is crap, like someone already mentioned. I'm also not a big fan of proprietary connections. centrotec is expensive, I like the quickchange, but 40 euros for a countersink... This is probably my biggest gripe with festool, you're not just buying a tool, you're buying into a system.

A bandscrew mechanism to use with this machine would also be greatly appreciated.

I bought this machine because a plumber I work with has the protocol version of it, I've seen the abuse it can take. 82 mm saw holes were no problem, neither was putting in tiny screws. I still need to work out the speed/torque settings though.

About the video in the op, meh, I buy my tools after seeing them in action. I'm not brand loyal. I just want gear that gets me the same result every time. I've never had trouble with consistency with festool.

I'm migrating from 14.4 to 18 volt, the only stuff I'd be able to reuse are some chargers. If there's a time to switch brand it would be now I think.

 

[semenza]

Welcome to the forum!

  Great to here your personal experience with the drill.

Seth

 

[TomE]

Kinda off topic but who uses spade bits any more? If I have to do quick and dirty holes I use speed bores.

I do, because they are inexpensive.  I also like I can keep a set in a nice small flat pack that doesn't take up a lot of space.

My favorite 'spade bit' is the Bosch Daredevil, hardly use my speed bores anymore when running through framework.