T-15 drill chuck

I dont think I've ever seen a T15 here in Finland that doesnt have a ratcheting chuck...
 
iv got a c12. its 5-6years old.
the chuck is rubish. just a jmb said, you tighten it up really tight , then use it for a while. then you put the drill down or let your arm go down to your  side. then you go to drill or screw and then guess what no bit [scared]. worse is that you dont know where its gone.
 
Alan m said:
iv got a c12. its 5-6years old.
the chuck is rubish. just a jmb said, you tighten it up really tight , then use it for a while. then you put the drill down or let your arm go down to your  side. then you go to drill or screw and then guess what no bit [scared]. worse is that you dont know where its gone.

Yeah love it when that happens! NOT!  Makes me angry so  much so I almost threw my T15 across the room!  Instead I removed the chuck and slammed it onto the floor hopping it would turn into a ratchet chuck............ no didnt work still is a crap chuck!

JMB
 
Alan m said:
iv got a c12. its 5-6years old.
the chuck is rubish. just a jmb said, you tighten it up really tight , then use it for a while. then you put the drill down or let your arm go down to your  side. then you go to drill or screw and then guess what no bit [scared]. worse is that you dont know where its gone.

normally point down in a new oak floor [crying]
 
Shane Holland said:
All of the chucks since about 2008 have had the ratcheting action.

Shame I bought mine before 2008. 

Its the reason why I wont buy the T15 impact drill  and reason why I wont buy the Domino XL  cus I would of bought both of them when they where released and had them sitting at home now but cus of my chuck problem with my T15 and the fact festool dont recall or offer a discount or something for the newer version chuck.

Im not happy and wont be buying any newly released tools untill atleast 1 year old.  Cus no doubt they will change a problem the Impact drill has or Domino and im pretty sure they will have a problem.    The Carvex was another one I bought to soon aswell. 

Its actually a safety problem imagine some one standing under me my flat spade bit drops out and sticks in their shoulders!

Fool me once, shame on you fool me twice, shame on me!  I wont be doing it a third time!

JMB
 
Shane Holland said:
All of the chucks since about 2008 have had the ratcheting action.

I can't speak for the American market, but for Holland that's certainly not true. The ratcheting chuck is here in stores since the introduction of the new C12/15 Li and updated T12/15/18 models in 2011.

My T15 is a 2008 model and has the old chuck. Holland is not like the USA where dealers are rare. In a 25 kilometer radius around me I've got at least 50 dealers and since I'm an avid and exploring biker I've been to almost all of them. Never did I see the ratcheting chuck anywhere on any of the models older than the ones mentioned above.

First time I learned about the ratcheting chuck was last year, 2010, when I assisted my nephew in purchasing a Protool PDC 18-4 Tec Li drill. He left the drill with me the first day because he wanted me to check it out to see if everything was allright so I had a good play with it. I really loved the ratcheting chuck right away. That thing was nice. A lot nicer than what I had on my T15. I wanted one.

Checked all the Festool websites (NL, UK, DE, USA) and Protool websites to see what chucks were on offer. Only Protool offered the ratcheting chuck, not Festool. Believe me, if it's not on the German Festool site, it doesn't exist.  Next day, I went to a couple of dealers I use most, asked about the chuck but the answer was unanimous: no such thing offered by Festool. Only one dealer who also sold Protool next to Festool even knew what chuck I was talking about and told me only Protool offers it. They called Festool right in front of me. So I think, ok, well who cares if it got a green or an orange stripe, I'll get the Protool. But I chucked when I realised that would set me back €54. I'm not that rich that I just shell out such a sum for something I already have, well, more or less..... more less.

The only reasons I tolerate the chuck I currently have is that it's so very expensive to replace it and that I hardly use it. Try to avoid it as much as possible. I mostly use Centrotec bits. I love my T15, I think it's a fabulous drill and I think the same about the Centrotec system, but that Jacobs chuck that came with it is really crap.

I think it is great that Festool USA offers such good service in the States. I'd only wish I could say the same about Festool NL. But unfortunately, I can't.
 
Shane Holland said:
All of the chucks since about 2008 have had the ratcheting action.

My T-15 with a March 2009 manufacture date on it came with the non-ratcheting chuck, so I'd guess it was some time after that.

- Mike
 
Tom:

1/  When I first used drills, there was no such thing as keyless chucks (at least to my knowledge). I was taught to run it up snug with the motor and then tighten the chuck with the key, REAL TIGHT. I've always done the same with keyless chucks.
Agree with this.  My ancient B&D hammer still doing its job – but, long since, have wacked chuck-key with hammer to be sure.  Now only used for the odd drilling into hard brick.

2/  By the way, the previous chucks hold fine if you give them that last securing twist by hand. You can't just run them up using the motor.
Well, watched your video – my old skin (between thumb & pointy) would soon get red raw; having to use that amount of ‘grip & twist.’
Also, would be more reassuring if bits were then used to drill lots of holes into (hard) wood.  Didn’t JMB do something like that in another thread?

3/  The new chuck does seem better...
As often pointed out in different threads, people can have different experiences with the same product.
But that doesn’t mean (and I’m sure it wasn’t meant) that others don’t have genuine, and valid, concerns.
How come?  Maybe production run tolerances, how someone uses a tool, etc.
In the context of this thread, your comment might be perceived as just (a tiny, itsy, bitsy amount) patronizing – particularly when considering others might be bubbling with frustration.

4/  I bought a C12 earlier this year, at what I considered a reasonable price.  Just checked – manufactured in 2008.  Has non-ratchet chuck.  Like yourself, thus far, no prob’s – like Alex, rarely used.  In one way makes it worst; because if used frequently, any potential ‘flaw’ would show up much more quickly.  Makes me wonder if they threw it in just to complete the set.
But!  Will I become dissatisfied in the future?  Wonder how I’d get on with the 3 year guarantee if I do?  (rhetorical questions.)

Please do not misunderstand the tone of some of above comments.  [embarassed]
Feel somewhat obliged to acknowledge the truly impressive support you, and others, give on this forum.  Thank you.

Alex.
+1 regarding customer support in USA.  Get the impression support here, at best, inconsistent.  Could I be been ‘green’ with envy?

Last comment – honest.
Bought DeWalt 18v package just over 6 years ago.  Flexible neck torch, circular saw + 2 blades, jig-saw + assorted blades, 115mm angle-grinder + 2 discs, right angled drill, reciprocating saw + some blades, twin battery charger, 4 batteries, the 2 different vacuum cleaners, a huge storage box, and, the XRP 3-speed hammer drill.  The lot came to just shy of £900 (just found receipt lol.)  The ratchet chuck has never let me down.  In fact, none it has let me down. I cannot speak highly enough of the kit – well batteries could be better – but times move on.
Now I don’t know, for e.g. what a T15 or whatever, cost back then – but do you know what?
For what Festool charges, I wouldn’t expect any hassle.
If anything turned out to have some sort of ‘short-coming’, I would expect it to be sorted – without any big discussion or cost to me.
Yes, for example, change JMBs’ chuck, and be pleased to do it – the cost to Festool isn’t what we pay!!
My expectations might be high, but so is the cost of Festool equipment.
 
oldie said:
Tom:

1/   When I first used drills, there was no such thing as keyless chucks (at least to my knowledge). I was taught to run it up snug with the motor and then tighten the chuck with the key, REAL TIGHT. I've always done the same with keyless chucks.
Agree with this.  My ancient B&D hammer still doing its job – but, long since, have wacked chuck-key with hammer to be sure.  Now only used for the odd drilling into hard brick.

2/   By the way, the previous chucks hold fine if you give them that last securing twist by hand. You can't just run them up using the motor.
Well, watched your video – my old skin (between thumb & pointy) would soon get red raw; having to use that amount of ‘grip & twist.’
Also, would be more reassuring if bits were then used to drill lots of holes into (hard) wood.  Didn’t JMB do something like that in another thread?

3/   The new chuck does seem better...
As often pointed out in different threads, people can have different experiences with the same product.
But that doesn’t mean (and I’m sure it wasn’t meant) that others don’t have genuine, and valid, concerns.
How come?  Maybe production run tolerances, how someone uses a tool, etc.
In the context of this thread, your comment might be perceived as just (a tiny, itsy, bitsy amount) patronizing – particularly when considering others might be bubbling with frustration.

4/   I bought a C12 earlier this year, at what I considered a reasonable price.  Just checked – manufactured in 2008.  Has non-ratchet chuck.  Like yourself, thus far, no prob’s – like Alex, rarely used.  In one way makes it worst; because if used frequently, any potential ‘flaw’ would show up much more quickly.  Makes me wonder if they threw it in just to complete the set.
But!  Will I become dissatisfied in the future?  Wonder how I’d get on with the 3 year guarantee if I do?  (rhetorical questions.)

Please do not misunderstand the tone of some of above comments.   [embarassed]
Feel somewhat obliged to acknowledge the truly impressive support you, and others, give on this forum.  Thank you.

Alex.
+1 regarding customer support in USA.  Get the impression support here, at best, inconsistent.  Could I be been ‘green’ with envy?

Last comment – honest.
Bought DeWalt 18v package just over 6 years ago.  Flexible neck torch, circular saw + 2 blades, jig-saw + assorted blades, 115mm angle-grinder + 2 discs, right angled drill, reciprocating saw + some blades, twin battery charger, 4 batteries, the 2 different vacuum cleaners, a huge storage box, and, the XRP 3-speed hammer drill.  The lot came to just shy of £900 (just found receipt lol.)  The ratchet chuck has never let me down.  In fact, none it has let me down. I cannot speak highly enough of the kit – well batteries could be better – but times move on.
Now I don’t know, for e.g. what a T15 or whatever, cost back then – but do you know what?
For what Festool charges, I wouldn’t expect any hassle.
If anything turned out to have some sort of ‘short-coming’, I would expect it to be sorted – without any big discussion or cost to me.
Yes, for example, change JMBs’ chuck, and be pleased to do it – the cost to Festool isn’t what we pay!!
My expectations might be high, but so is the cost of Festool equipment.

[size=12pt]You have it all wrong festool is sold on service not on price[/size]

While this appears to work in the states it is not my experience here in the UK
 
When on jobs sites some guys would comment on how strange it was that I would never carry my C12 with the bit pointing down. It was always horizontal and I did this without thinking about it. After reading this it just dawned on me...I started doing it to keep the Kreg bit from falling out of the Jacobs chuck, lol. I must be a little slow. [smile] The chuck on the T18 is much better though. So much, in fact, that between my four jacobs chucks I always make sure that the ratcheting one stays with the shiny new T18.
 
Well, I broke down and bought a new chuck.  So far, no complaints with the new chuck.  Much better than the unchucker it replaced. 
 
Back
Top