Square drive bits for Centrotec

[Inner10]

Im sure its not as big of an issue with wood, but in concrete TORX is so reisitant to cam-out that you can easily snap the head off your fastner when using an SDS drill to drive them (or other big drill that offers poor control). 

 

[jvsteenb]

I would imagine so..... It's also easy to snap the head of an M8 bolt with a  3' extension bar on your spanner......
Still I would be way more p*ssed if the head rounded over, or the spanner gave up.

Regards,

Job

 

[Joe Jensen]

I gave up on Robertson bits for the Festool. Just ordered a full assortment of Torx from GRK.  100 or like 20 sizes.

Anyone want to buy an assortment of Robertson from McFeelies

 

[spikfot]

I have two boxes of Kreg screws (shipping to Sweden cost more than the screws) so I'm going to jump on the wagon here with the square-drive plea. Another thing, I ordered the 2008 centrotec doodad systainer and was really bummed to find that there was no centrotec locking bit holder(bhs65mm) in the box.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I have to admint, I was a "No square drive Festool hater" until I found the Centrotec Bit Holder "Bhs 65mm".  Here is a link;

http://www.festoolusa.com/products/cordless-drills/centrotec-drill-bits/pilot-bit-with-depth-stop/centrotec-bit-holder-bhs-65mm-492648.html

It has a locking collar, and with short hex shank bits, it's not longer combined than a Centrotec Festool bit.  The only downsides are that it is slightly floppy, but way better than more magnetic holders.  And, if you have a recess and need a longer shaft bit, the combo would likely be longer than a Centrotec bit.  I'd prefer a centrotec solution, but this $29.50 locking collar bit holder is darn good.

This does seem like a good compromise for those times when diameter isn't an issue.  I have to admit the biggest complaint I have about using square drive bits in the Centrotec bit extender is leaving the bit stuck in the screw head.....this would solve that.

But for those occasions were you dont want the extra bit diameter or bit length, a Centrotec bit would sure be nice.  I'd even be happy to pay less money for a lesser quality Centrotec bit.

Don't bet on the Festool Centrotec bit holder BHS 65 extension (Item 492648) working that well.  I recently received mine and upon comparing its function to my nearly new Centrotec bit holder BH 60 (Item 492539) supplied with my new T 12 +3 drill set, I found that can pull the Festool supplied 25mm bits out of the BHS 65 with locking collar just as easily (or with as much difficulty, if you prefer) with my hand as from the BH 60 bit holder.  In other words, the locking mechanism is not a true locking mechanism, but it does assist in release of the bit.  I visually confirmed that the quick release collar on my BHS 65 was working properly in the sense that sliding the collar allows the detent gripping wire ring to retract.  The BHS 65 is not worth the $29.50 in my opinion since both bit holders are magnetic which feature I like.  Save yourself ~US$9.50 by buying the BH 60 bit holder, or least try it at the store before purchasing.  The power of the magnet in the BH60 is sufficient to firmly hold 3/4 inch long Phillips head screws with the drill assembly pointing straight down.  This is very handy for installation work.  If there was a good combination bit holder, one that would equally well hold both wire detent and ball detent bits, that would be of value and use to me.  Making your own Centrotec compatible [Robertson] bits appears to be rather simple, if you want to reduce the wobble of conventional bits of lengths longer than 25mm.  The dealer that sold me my drill showed me what is different about Centrotec and how I could modify regular 1/4 inch hex drive bits to fit Centrotec.

Dave R.

 

[Brice Burrell]

Dave, in regards to the BHS 65, I believe it is made to lock on to both wire and ball-detent bits. I borrowed the BHS from Dan Clark so I could comment on its function for my T15 review. While I didn't try to pull the bits outs of the BHS, I didn't have any trouble with ball-detent drill bit pulling out as I withdrew the bit from the hole after drilling. Have you tried using a ball-detent drill bit with your BHS? Maybe yours is bad.

 

[RONWEN]

I gave up on Robertson bits for the Festool. Just ordered a full assortment of Torx from GRK.  100 or like 20 sizes.

Anyone want to buy an assortment of Robertson from McFeelies

I'm somewhat disappointed in the McFeely's square drives -- they seem to cam out awfully easy.  Where is the best deal on GRK torx screws?

 

[sw1211]

I gave up on Robertson bits for the Festool. Just ordered a full assortment of Torx from GRK.  100 or like 20 sizes.

Anyone want to buy an assortment of Robertson from McFeelies

I'm somewhat disappointed in the McFeely's square drives -- they seem to cam out awfully easy.  Where is the best deal on GRK torx screws?

Rockler carries a limited supply of GRX or try here

 

[AlexThePalex]

Don't bet on the Festool Centrotec bit holder BHS 65 extension (Item 492648) working that well.  I recently received mine and upon comparing its function to my nearly new Centrotec bit holder BH 60 (Item 492539) supplied with my new T 12 +3 drill set, I found that can pull the Festool supplied 25mm bits out of the BHS 65 with locking collar just as easily (or with as much difficulty, if you prefer) with my hand as from the BH 60 bit holder.  In other words, the locking mechanism is not a true locking mechanism, but it does assist in release of the bit. 

I guess yours must have a little defect because after reading this I tried to pull a couple of different bits out of my BHS 65 but I didn't succeed one time. They were all secured very tightly.

Over all it functions quite ok but I do have some annoyances with it. I am used to work with a bit holder that, I'm sorry to say, was of much higher quality than this BHS 65 yet was a whole lot cheaper, namely 5 euros against the BHS 65's 27 euro. I got the other holder for over 10 years now and there's not a dent nor a spec of rust on it and it still works as it should. It's simply indestructible and the moving collar has a very smooth action. The BHS 65's collar on the other hand doesn't move so well I think. It's a bit wobbly and it sometimes gets stuck behind the ring around the nozzle opening. It also feels a bit rough, as if you move the collar over sanding paper whereas my old bit holder's collar just glides with great ease.

I also think the magnet in the BHS 65 is way too strong. It is not needed to hold the bit. In fact, it makes removing the bit too much of a hassle. Very often do I need to put a lot of force into gripping the little part of the bit that sticks out to take it out. It might be nice if you want to drive a screw into something and stick the screw on the bit. But when you have to loosen a screw, I find it pretty irritating that every screw keeps sticking onto it and you have to remove them by hand. 

Finally, I think the tip of the BHS is too wide. If a screw is sunken a bit deeper into the material the tip of the BHS will hit the material. On my older bit holder the tip was beveled so the bit holder could get deeper into the screw hole. 

The BHS 65 is not worth the $29.50 in my opinion since both bit holders are magnetic which feature I like.  Save yourself ~US$9.50 by buying the BH 60 bit holder, or least try it at the store before purchasing. The power of the magnet in the BH60 is sufficient to firmly hold 3/4 inch long Phillips head screws with the drill assembly pointing straight down.  This is very handy for installation work. 

I agree with you that the BH60 is much better value for the money. I like this one. The magnet is very strong and keeps the bit perfectly in place. I haven't had one pulling out yet while this would happen over and over again with other bit holders I used. And since it is thinner than the BHS65 it is also much easier to take the bit out because your fingers get a better grip on the bit. Before I got this one, I never liked non-locking bit holders. But I like this one very much. I find myself using the BH60 more and more over the BHS65. 

[attachthumb=#]

 

[PaulMarcel]

Joining this thread a lil late... only came up on my recent unread list after the previous posting.

I've had on my to-do list the regrinding of a couple drive bits for the C12, which is a relatively recent acquisition.  When I read this thread, I said, "oh yeah..." and went to do the grinding much like lcc and Jim Becker mentioned earlier.

I have a couple sets of #1 and #2 Robertson drives so I picked one to gently file down the hex corners then work in a ball detent.  Maybe 10 minutes for both including finding a file that walked away.  Fit like a dream and don't wiggle.  I also did the same to the Kreg #2 that came with my pocket screw set... okay, much longer cuz that puppy is made out of diamonds or something, but nothing a Dremel with a grinding bit couldn't hog out.  It, too, fits perfectly.

Picture below shows, left to right, the Festool drive bit adaptor, McFeelys #1, McFeelys #2, and an unmodified McFeelys #2 and the bastards that did it

Highly recommended.

[attachimg=#]

 

[Jim Becker]

The BHS65 works very well...and I'm pretty much dependent on it at this point...but it does extend the length of the drill/driver which reduces the benefit of the Festool tool design.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The BHS65 works very well...and I'm pretty much dependent on it at this point...but it does extend the length of the drill/driver which reduces the benefit of the Festool tool design.

For me, the benefit of the design doesn't lie in the fact that the drill is shorter than others but in the fact that you can change your bit very fast. Most of the time you're not bothered by the length of the drill.

 

[Brice Burrell]

The BHS65 works very well...and I'm pretty much dependent on it at this point...but it does extend the length of the drill/driver which reduces the benefit of the Festool tool design.

Well, yes that's true. It makes the overall length of drill long longer but compared to using a keyless the size is nearly the same.

 

[Jim Becker]

No question that the adapter isn't much different in length than using the keyless (which has only been on my drill/driver once in about three years). But one of the appeals of the tool is close-quarters work, such as inside cabinetry. I can insert a wire-detent bit into the raw tool to drive in that case, but it's not secure. And I use Robertson/square drive fasteners which have a healthy grip on the bit, so when the fastener is driven, the bit stays in the recess instead of the drill/driver.

I'm sorry, but I really remain bugged by the lack of native support for Robertson/Square Drive fasteners from Festool. They are the preference for many industries as well as thousands of folks who "do this" for fun. It makes no sense to me that the same manufacturers that can produce the more complex bit styles can't also product quality Robertson/square drive bits for an acceptable cost. It sure doesn't seem like Rocket Science to me. Maybe McFeely's will finally realize an opportunity here and produce them since Festool hasn't stepped up since I brought this up years ago.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Why make an inferior drive bit when everyone should be using Torx anyways?

 

[Inner10]

Why make an inferior drive bit when everyone should be using Torx anyways?

Because they hold the screw better. [tongue]

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Why make an inferior drive bit when everyone should be using Torx anyways?

Because they hold the screw better. [tongue]

Get a magnetic tip then.  [cool]

 

[Jim Becker]

Why make an inferior drive bit when everyone should be using Torx anyways?

We shouldn't have to change screw formats, especially from a proven design that we like and do not consider "inferior" in any way. I'm not saying that Torx is in any way undesirable for folks who like it. Same thing for other formats. But missing a major and respected recess type from the excellent Centrotec design remains disappointing.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

But to them, square drive is inferior.  Not many square drives screws across the pond.

I really don't understand the love for a square drive.  They always turn into circle drives.

 

[Inner10]

Warner if you want to get into the best its probably the Wurth A-Drive.

As for not being used 'across the pond' you are absolutely correct.  I bought a Wera screwdriver and it came with a bunch of Pozi Drives, I didn't even know there were different sizes of Pozi.  I never encounter them except on weird European equipment and maby need one twice a year.

I know everything is done on a cost basis, but a little accommodation to the NA market would be nice to see.  Not having a drive to support your most popular screw really reduces the added benefit.  For me I would love to have one of thier drills for the right angle and 0-space chuck; but they do not offer an impact driver and the centrotech offers no benefit.  If I were to go for it I would be carrying around 2 different chargers and 2 different batteries....not worth it.

The second I see an impact driver and centrotech drives I would use I will buy one.