So sell me on the idea of a Festool drill

[williaty]

I've taken a good gulp of the koolaid and now have a decent system. I have a corded Milwaukee Magnum drill that gets used for all my heavy-duty drilling needs. However, since my last DeWalt cordless ground to a halt, I haven't had a cordless drill. I have some of the Milwaukee M18 cordless tools, so I could just buy one of their cordless drills (bare tool) for $130 and be good to go. On the other hand, a lot of the Festool stuff has really surprised me with how useful it's been. But a drill's a drill, right? Then again, I said that about the vacs and I think my CT-MIDI might just be my favorite tool.

So what really sets the Festool drills apart? As far as use, any real drilling gets done with the corded drill because I hate using cordless as a drill for more than a hole in a 2x4. So the new cordless drill would be for driving screws (which I think cordlesses do way better than cordeds) and maybe drilling a couple of holes in the wall to hang something when I don't feel like dragging out the extension cord.

 

[PaulMarcel]

If you are primarily going to be driving screws, the CXS will be fantastic.  Enough power for some hard driving but a nice small footprint and ergonomics for a lot of driving.  The right-angle chuck and minimal clearance needs with the Centrotec chuck (or bare) let you get in a lot of tight places.  I recently used the CXS to reach into a wall cavity about 18" blind to drive screws.  I used the right-angle chuck for some and straight for the others.  I can't think of another drill that would have done that so easily.  Last year for a cabinet install, I needed the right-angle chuck to screw in a desk attachment of sorts to an existing cabinet.

If you think the C-12 or other larger drill is more appropriate, you'll want to get the eccentric chuck for it as it lets you get within 1/2" of the wall (CXS does that without said chuck).

I've lent mine out to friends and trusted neighbors.  There are many more on the block now (CXS in this case).

 

[williaty]

Hmm, had a look at the CXS. Watched your video on it. It looks like a nice drill, but the keyless chuck capacity is just too low for me. While I think I would almost never need to put a drill bit in the chuck larger than 1/4, that "almost" worries me. If I needed to drill a couple of 1/2" holes somewhere I couldn't get electricity to, I'd be pretty mad if I didn't have the chuck capacity in a drill I'd paid that much for.

Which leaves the T-number and C-number drills. Honestly, given their prices, I'm not really sure what a drill could do that's enough better than another drill to justify that price. There's no dust collection, which I've recently learned I appreciate and I'll pay money for. They don't integrate with the rest of the Festool system I have. Not sure I see the rationale.

 

[agehall]

To be quite frank, if you are looking for a decent 18V workhorse-drill, take a long, hard look at the Makita combo-kit with an impact driver and a drill that sells for about $275+tax at Home Depot. I'm sure the larger Festool drills are great, but I too fail to justify the cost for my own situation. Rather get the Maktia kit for your drilling needs and LARGE screws and then complement it with a CXS for everyday use. I find the CXS much more neat and easier to handle in everyday situations but I still use my Maktias for the real heavy duty tasks.

 

[Kev]

The Festool drills shine when you try them side by side over a period of time. I find the Festool CXS, T's and C's just feel better in my hand.

Weight, balance, chucks, Centrotec, etc all just work. Then there's warranty, support, quality, Systainer ...

I appreciate the Festool drill experience - but I knew I would after just playing with them for a few minutes.

Maybe Festool drills aren't for everyone - they're a premium price tool for sure.

 

[agehall]

For me, as a non-professional, the festool drills are probably the least attractive offering, at least apart from the CXS, which I find a lot better than all other 10V drills I have tried. I'm sure that if you are a professional, working on job sites, you would appreciate the warranty, insurance and the systainer. While those are nice for me to have, they are non-essential as I always keep my tools at home anyway. I pay for Festools when I consider the actual tool far superior to others, with regards to my needs.

I do agree with Kev that the accessories for the drills, such as the excentric chuck, the angle tool etc are nice, but I get everything except the excentric chuck on my CXS.

Things might have been different if I had not owned the Maktias when I started sipping the cool-aid. But on the other hand, I really like those drills, so I'm pretty sure I'll buy a new set whenever my current ones wear out in about 10 years or so..

I think Kev does make one very important point though: Feel out the different drills. If you think the Festools feels a lot better than any others, go for it. The fit of the handle in your hands will be important for how you handle the drill and ultimately the performance of it as well as the quality of the resulting work.

 

[waynelang2001]

Hmm, had a look at the CXS. Watched your video on it. It looks like a nice drill, but the keyless chuck capacity is just too low for me. While I think I would almost never need to put a drill bit in the chuck larger than 1/4, that "almost" worries me. If I needed to drill a couple of 1/2" holes somewhere I couldn't get electricity to, I'd be pretty mad if I didn't have the chuck capacity in a drill I'd paid that much for.

Which leaves the T-number and C-number drills. Honestly, given their prices, I'm not really sure what a drill could do that's enough better than another drill to justify that price. There's no dust collection, which I've recently learned I appreciate and I'll pay money for. They don't integrate with the rest of the Festool system I have. Not sure I see the rationale.

You could still get the CXS and get a larger chuck aswell, it makes the drill abit front heavy but for a few holes that will be fine.

 

[Kev]

For me, as a non-professional,

me too - it's just that I've developed a systainer addiction!  [embarassed]

 

[agehall]

For me, as a non-professional,

me too - it's just that I've developed a systainer addiction!  [embarassed]

You do know you can buy systainers separately, right?

 

[Kev]

For me, as a non-professional,

me too - it's just that I've developed a systainer addiction!  [embarassed]

You do know you can buy systainers separately, right?

What's the fun in buying empty ones? (plus the word "addiction" is probably under station my problem a little)

 

[hockey_magnet]

Mostly what Kev indicated but having owned and used Makitas and Milwaukees before getting my C15 I can tell you the maind difference for me is the low speed control when driving screws and the low speed torque as well. I can give a screw a final 1/4 turn with my C15 easily, with the others, I could never do that consistently, usually I'd end up driving the screw too far or stripping the hole.

 

[BMH]

My last drill was a Panasonic. Great drill, incredible torque and battery life. I have switch to festool T3 because of the attachments. I have been slowly remodeling my house and have been working in very tight spaces from  6" duct work in 7.5"  ceiling, cabinet work and deck work. I have been using the right angle chuck and eccentric chuck on every one of those projects, and now with the centrotec installer kit I have a very fine tool. It is a very expensive combination but well worth it if you use it regularly. I look at every tool that I buy and balance the cost benefit of each tool, time saved versus cost of the tool. I waited three years before I bought it because I didn't have the projects to justify it. Now I do and it has paid for itself in two projects.

If you have the work for it, it will pay for itself in a short time.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

I held out on the Festool drills for a long time, after all "a drill is a drill."  Now I use my cxs just about every day (hobbiest).  If you aren't a professional and are doing this for fun, then get something that delights you every time you use it - thats the cxs for me.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Hmm, had a look at the CXS. Watched your video on it. It looks like a nice drill, but the keyless chuck capacity is just too low for me. While I think I would almost never need to put a drill bit in the chuck larger than 1/4, that "almost" worries me. If I needed to drill a couple of 1/2" holes somewhere I couldn't get electricity to, I'd be pretty mad if I didn't have the chuck capacity in a drill I'd paid that much for.....

You could still get the CXS and get a larger chuck aswell, it makes the drill abit front heavy but for a few holes that will be fine.

Another (much cheaper) option is use spade bits for the rare occasion you'll need larger hole in remote a location. 

 

[declinetostate]

I'm a little bit of a tool addict all together. I have more drills than I could ever use. I have used dewalt, makita, ridgid, and for my full size the more recent was a milwaukee 18volt kit. I started to try out the smaller 10.8s and have drills from milwaukee, ridgid, and bosch in that size. I have never been happy with any of them. Some are too heavy, some have too short of a battery life. Some have sticky switches and grinding speed controls that don't seem to hit home easily. I've been on the festool kick and the drills have been really hard to justify but last month I decided to pick up the cxs for some upcoming kitchen installs. I have to tell you I love that drill! I figured I'd use it in combination with my 18volt milwaukee but I have to say the milwaukee sat idle most of the time. The drill has enough power to drive 3" screws and the faster speed setting really does work for drilling. Don't under estimate the attachments. I wasn't sure I'd use them but I found myself leaving a drill bit in the key less and a drive bit in the centrotec and switching back and forth with a snap. The right angle attachment will make my corded ones obsolete. The reason I picked the cxs was because I could actually stomach the price. Yesterday I went and picked up a t18 set. I keep telling myself I'm crazy for spending so much money on drills but they work and they work well. Now I have tons of drills and drivers sitting in my basement collecting dust. If I'm lucky I can sell them on craigslist and get a little bit of my money back. If I add up all the money I've spend on those drills it adds up to much more than what I've spend on the two festools. Yes it might be fifteen drills and drivers but if they are going to sit idle than they weren't a good deal. Even if each one was fairly inexpensive when I purchased it. Not once have I purchased a festool without worrying about the higher price but once I've used them a couple of times I have never regretted the purchase and I never look back.

 

[honeydoman]

Will....  we do not have to sell you,  festool gives you 30 DAYS  to use it after you buy it and if you are not sold then return it  full refund.... how can you beat that... put it to the test.

WOW  i sound like shane !   ;D

you will like them  interchangeable chucks, and a whole bunch of things as said... go for it.. now  your 30 days will start at high noon tomorrow !

 

[Lucas Pekowski]

Festool Cordless Drill Myth?

 

[fdengel]

I couldn't figure out the point of paying that much for the drills either until I bought one.

 

[morts10n]

I bought the full kit T15+3 a yr. ago and liked it so much that I bought a second basic kit. Having the "attic" lids on the systainers makes it much easier for me since I now carry all of my most-needed bits WITH the drills, instead of in a seperate systainer. The angled chuck and eccentric chuck are INDISPENSABLE for installation work. A real eye opener for me is when I work with a friend who has Ryobi and Dewalt drills. Sure you can buy a lot of either of those drills for the price of a Festool drill, but the problem with that is that you'll have Ryobi or Dewalt drills instead of Festool drills. You only cry once if you buy Festools!! ( Unless they upgrade that line right after you buy them!!  [mad]) Rolls Royce owners never talk about how many Ford Focuses they could have bought for the money.

 

[pugilato]

If I needed to drill a couple of 1/2" holes somewhere I couldn't get electricity to, I'd be pretty mad if I didn't have the chuck capacity in a drill I'd paid that much for.

An extension cord might be an option... The CXS is a fine piece of equipment and will cover the great majority of normal needs. I also have a Ryobi drill and impact driver which work quite well (except for the batteries, which need replacement every 12 months on average and are very heavy).