Quick Festool Cordless Drill Question

[RONWEN]

"Always with the negative waves, Moriarty......"   But pardon me, isn't that a ton of money.  You sure you want to tie that much up in one drill?  If you were going out in the field then maybe.  But you aren't going to be more than 50 feet from you battery charger are you?  

As far as the other chucks go, I've built 4 kitchens and a library and a bathroom and other odds and ends in the last three years and I've never even held a right angle drill in my hands.  My son in law has one but I've never used it.  

You do what you need to do but surely you realize that you could replace all the cabinetry in you home with an 18v Ryobi as your only drill and have no problems at all.  And the same battery could power you weed eater and your hedge trimmer.  

Festool is the best no argument, but I've never been able to talk myself into it.  Forget Festool, I've never been able to talk myself into a nice Bosch or Makita.  Those kitchens and stuff I mentioned?  They were built with this.....

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$175 from Home Depot three years ago and I've had no problems at all.  ($140 today on the net)  Spare batteries are $30 but I've never had to buy any.  The originals are holding about %80 of the charge they had on day one.  Funny.  I have a Domino and a Kapex but no Festool drills.  You're just starting out and I'm starting my 5th kitchen and you'll have a T drill and I won't.  Go figure.  

Ahhh, you are dating yourself!  Kelly's Heros was one of those sub-classics for "our" generation.  OddBall--The greatest American Hero.  [wink]

8:58 on this YouTube video.  [big grin]
ODDBALL THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO

I don't quite follow -- I would class those Makitas you have as "T" drills.  [huh]

 

[Roseland]

I agree with Kev.

15 years ago I started with a corded Makita hammer drill. 

I then got a Dewalt 14.4V hammer drill when I had to build a long fence in bad weather and didn't fancy using a corded tool outside.  It did a good job, but I rarely use it now. 

Most recently I got a CXS, which does 95% of my work, and only use one of the others if I need the extra chuck capacity, torque or hammer capability.  Having said that, the CXS will drive one of the 35mm diameter Forstner bits through softwood without breaking a sweat.

If I was buying again and could only afford two, it would be the CXS and Makita.

Just my tuppence worth.

Andrew

 

[PC4CAB]

Great stuff guys, and really gets me thinking about what to buy... At this point I'm sold on Festool, but just can't justify the price... If I were to buy one, it would be the CXS, but I'm still confused as to if I can use regular drill bits and screw bits with it, or if I need to purchase what appears to be equally expensive Festool bits...

I do have an 18v Porter Cable Hammer Drill, so the CXS would work great as my "daily" drill/driver, but as a very entry level DIYer, I struggle with the price... If this stuff was 10-15% cheaper, it would be an easier decision for sure.

Guess I need to research other cordless drills, see the price on them and then circle back to the CXS for comparison...

 

[morts10n]

You could buy a Ryobi drill, or a Festool drill if you can afford them Then again, you can build kitchens by toe nailing the stiles and rails together, or you could pocket screw or mortise and tenon them together. I have two T15's and the price is secondary to the innovation and the time/struggle savings. I use the offset and right angle chucks all the time in building and installing kitchens and baths. They get used all day and have payed for themselves already. With enough experience, you finally decide that time is money and it is better to work efficiently and with less frustration. You can penny pinch and struggle with a giant noisy boat anchor power tool if you wish, too! Many chose not to.

 

[jacko9]

PC4CAb,  You already own two drills so, why don't you spend your money on a tool that you don't already own like the Festool Domino Joiner or a high quality sander like the Festool ETS 150/3?

 

[PC4CAB]

PC4CAb,  You already own two drills so, why don't you spend your money on a tool that you don't already own like the Festool Domino Joiner or a high quality sander like the Festool ETS 150/3?

Thanks, I actually only own one drill right now, which is the PC Hammer Drill. I had owned a Ryobi, and it just bit the dust, hence my looking for a new cordless drill.  [smile]

To be candid, I wouldn't even know what to do with a Domino Joiner or how to work one!

I'm just starting out, and need to build a few bookcases (nothing fancy) and build a fascia for a model train set. I have a tracksaw (not Festool) for the cutting, and was going to use the Kreg System to fasten the bookshelves...

I want to learn, and would love to someday be able to actually build a furniture grade piece, but thus far I have zero skill, and no clue what I'm doing!  [eek]

 

[Jesse Cloud]

.... I'm still confused as to if I can use regular drill bits and screw bits with it, or if I need to purchase what appears to be equally expensive Festool bits...

.......

The short answer is that the Festool drills can use regular drill bits and screw bits.

The fine print is:
The Festool drills have multiple chucks in the kit.  One of the chucks is just like what you see on any other drill and it takes the same bits that other drills do.    The rub is that smaller drills won't take real large bits.  The CXS takes bits with shanks from 1/32 to 5/16.  The T12, T15, and T18 go up to 1/2 inch shanks.

As for screw bits, the little driver bits with a hex bottom fit right into the shaft on all the festool drills.

The "centrotech" Festool drill bits and drivers are cool.  They snap in and out and have very little runout, making for a very precise hole - but if you are happy with regular bits, you don't need to buy the centrotec (though you will be happy when you do - put it on your Christmas wish list).

 

[jacko9]

PC4CAb,  You already own two drills so, why don't you spend your money on a tool that you don't already own like the Festool Domino Joiner or a high quality sander like the Festool ETS 150/3?

Thanks, I actually only own one drill right now, which is the PC Hammer Drill. I had owned a Ryobi, and it just bit the dust, hence my looking for a new cordless drill.  [smile]

To be candid, I wouldn't even know what to do with a Domino Joiner or how to work one!

I'm just starting out, and need to build a few bookcases (nothing fancy) and build a fascia for a model train set. I have a tracksaw (not Festool) for the cutting, and was going to use the Kreg System to fasten the bookshelves...

I want to learn, and would love to someday be able to actually build a furniture grade piece, but thus far I have zero skill, and no clue what I'm doing!  [eek]

Look at some of the video's on this site showing the Domino joiner capabilities.  Once you own the Domino, woodworking will be much simpler.

Jack