T-18 video review

[vwdave]

Here's 3 videos I did on the new T-18 drill.  I always preferred the c-drills for their grip and never had the desire to purchase a t-handle drill.  Well I'm glad I didn't place my order for the new c-15.  The T-18 feels really nice in my hands and balances very well, I also can't get over the power it has in such a lightweight compact frame.  The T-18 drill is lighter than my c-12 drill and I find myself reaching for it constantly now.

Festool T-18 Drill Open Box 564 397
open-box
Festool T-18 Different Chuck Applications
using the different chucks
Festool T-18 Driving Fasteners demo
driving some fasteners

Thanks
Dave

 

[dbworkshop]

Dave stop teasing me already!  Just got tracking info from bob...won't be able to lay hands on that bad boy till Wednesday.  Will definitely be taking that and all the goodies (installers kit & zobos) to work Thursday for a little head to head with my coworkers 18v milwaukees . Yeah, yeah I know it may be a little unfair but they've got it coming.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Dave stop teasing me already!  Just got tracking info from bob...won't be able to lay hands on that bad boy till Wednesday.  Will definitely be taking that and all the goodies (installers kit & zobos) to work Thursday for a little head to head with my coworkers 18v milwaukees . Yeah, yeah I know it may be a little unfair but they've got it coming.

We'll see about that!  Don't count yer chickens just yet.

 

[dbworkshop]

Don't get me wrong Ken...after all Milwaukee is my hometown team.  I love their tools.  I should as they take up most of the room in my truck.  I just had some problems with tools it seemed they rushed to market...  But all is forgotten as I know a couple fellas on the inside, so repairs are usually warrentied and the yearly employee tool sale (who doesn't love a $39 sawsall or $20 impact.). I mostly buy Festool for the functionality it provides. I will be interested to see how the new drill stacks up though.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

db,

I've got something planned with Dave Reinhold.  Something we've been discussing for a while.  A real drill comparision. We'll update everyone when this comes to fruition.

 

[fifo28]

Great video!  So now I have a big question!  If the T 18 will work with all batteries (which is really great) will the T-15 do the same thing?  Meaning can I use the 18v battery on the T-15 drill and essentially get a T-18?  Is the drill body the same and the batteries add extra power.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Great video!  So now I have a big question!  If the T 18 will work with all batteries (which is really great) will the T-15 do the same thing?  Meaning can I use the 18v battery on the T-15 drill and essentially get a T-18?  Is the drill body the same and the batteries add extra power.

No.  Can't go up in battery voltage, only down.  Different motors.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

I've got something planned with Dave Reinhold.  Something we've been discussing for a while.  A real drill comparision. We'll update everyone when this comes to fruition.

Take a 6" driver bit and bridge the T18 with your favorite drill, run them against each other head-to-head and watch the smoke come pouring out of the other drill. I've heard rumor of someone doing this with a C12 a few years ago. Then there's the video from Joe Fusco from 4 years ago...

Where There's Smoke. . .

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Shane,

I too have heard those stories before.  I honestly don't know if that really tells anything, but when I talk about testing drills, I mean in a realistic way, but to an extreme.  Using large bits drilling holes in dense materials without any rest is quite taxing on a motor and the geartrain.  I've smoked a couple of drills (nothing the surgeon general would be concerned with) during tests.  Really there are two types of drill tests.  Endurance, like when driving successive screws and power, when drilling with large bits.  Sometimes there isn't a clear winner for both categories.  We shall see.

 

[fshanno]

Is there any way (non-magnetic way)  to lock a 1/4" hex shank locking bit in a Festool drill without chucking it or chucking an adapter?  What about pocket hole joinery and the T18?  Does Festool offer a 6" long #2 square head driver bit?  If not what's the best way to fix a Kreg driver bit?

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Is there any way (non-magnetic way)  to lock a 1/4" hex shank locking bit in a Festool drill without chucking it or chucking an adapter?  What about pocket hole joinery and the T18?  Does Festool offer a 6" long #2 square head driver bit?  If not what's the best way to fix a Kreg driver bit?

Come on, you know better.  It's been beaten to death that Festool doesn't offer square drive anything.  Those guys are too cool to be square, or as Huey Lewis put it, "Too hip to be square."  Just use the Jacobs style chuck or the bit adapter that plugs into the Centrotec shaft and accepts standard 1/4" bits.  That adapter is sold separately or included in the 2011 Centrotec kit.

 

[tbellemare]

You can also stick 1/4" hex bits directly into the output shaft of the drills.

Tom

 

[vwdave]

You also could make up your own square drive centrotec bits.  Here's a video that Paul Marcel did showing this process.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VTVeBTaAq44#!

Dave

 

[FulThrotl]

Dave stop teasing me already!  Just got tracking info from bob...won't be able to lay hands on that bad boy till Wednesday.  Will definitely be taking that and all the goodies (installers kit & zobos) to work Thursday for a little head to head with my coworkers 18v milwaukees . Yeah, yeah I know it may be a little unfair but they've got it coming.

We'll see about that!  Don't count yer chickens just yet.

i have a truck full of dead chickens. i have a bunch of different Milwaukee 18 volt tools.
i have a 3 bay fast charger, and six lithium batteries.

2 of which work.

bought the 18 volt festoodle drill today, with the centrotek drill pack.

took it home, looked at what $1,100 looks like sitting on the floor, and
charged a battery. when it was full, i went and put a 1/2" wood bit in,
and went in the backyard, to a seasoned 4 x 6 beam, and started drilling
thru the 4" side, on high speed, one after another without turning the drill off.

did 5 dozen, and the drill didn't seem to slow down at all, and the fuel
gauge shows a full tank. bit was too hot to touch.

60 half inch holes, thru a 4x.... i've got a set of selfeed bits up to 4 1/2".
we will see where it chokes at, but this thing is freaking strong.

randy

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Dave stop teasing me already!  Just got tracking info from bob...won't be able to lay hands on that bad boy till Wednesday.  Will definitely be taking that and all the goodies (installers kit & zobos) to work Thursday for a little head to head with my coworkers 18v milwaukees . Yeah, yeah I know it may be a little unfair but they've got it coming.

We'll see about that!  Don't count yer chickens just yet.

i have a truck full of dead chickens. i have a bunch of different Milwaukee 18 volt tools.
i have a 3 bay fast charger, and six lithium batteries.

2 of which work.

bought the 18 volt festoodle drill today, with the centrotek drill pack.

took it home, looked at what $1,100 looks like sitting on the floor, and
charged a battery. when it was full, i went and put a 1/2" wood bit in,
and went in the backyard, to a seasoned 4 x 6 beam, and started drilling
thru the 4" side, on high speed, one after another without turning the drill off.

did 5 dozen, and the drill didn't seem to slow down at all, and the fuel
gauge shows a full tank. bit was too hot to touch.

60 half inch holes, thru a 4x.... i've got a set of selfeed bits up to 4 1/2".
we will see where it chokes at, but this thing is freaking strong.

randy

Randy,

KFC called.  They want their ingredients back!  [big grin]

So now that you put a ****load of holes in your kids swingset, you better get those Sipo dominos glued in before they get home from school.  [tongue]

 

[jhall]

Thanks to your  video i could wait any longer.  My t18 is on it's way.

 

[Deansocial]

Dave stop teasing me already!  Just got tracking info from bob...won't be able to lay hands on that bad boy till Wednesday.  Will definitely be taking that and all the goodies (installers kit & zobos) to work Thursday for a little head to head with my coworkers 18v milwaukees . Yeah, yeah I know it may be a little unfair but they've got it coming.

We'll see about that!  Don't count yer chickens just yet.

i have a truck full of dead chickens. i have a bunch of different Milwaukee 18 volt tools.
i have a 3 bay fast charger, and six lithium batteries.

2 of which work.

bought the 18 volt festoodle drill today, with the centrotek drill pack.

took it home, looked at what $1,100 looks like sitting on the floor, and
charged a battery. when it was full, i went and put a 1/2" wood bit in,
and went in the backyard, to a seasoned 4 x 6 beam, and started drilling
thru the 4" side, on high speed, one after another without turning the drill off.

did 5 dozen, and the drill didn't seem to slow down at all, and the fuel
gauge shows a full tank. bit was too hot to touch.

60 half inch holes, thru a 4x.... i've got a set of selfeed bits up to 4 1/2".
we will see where it chokes at, but this thing is freaking strong.

randy

knock your sen out with that 1, i here the service department is very good over there

 

[Demetrius]

Bought my T18 on the first week of October and have been using it lightly since.  Today drove about 25  3/8" by 2"lags with the 90 degree adaptor, a few 5" and they all went in like butter.  Finished up putting a pressure treated deck all on a single charge.  I also own the T15, T12, C12 and CXS.  The T15 has gotten the most abuse thus far and is still like the day I took it out of its box.  I own all the latest Bosch, Dewalt and Makita drills which my crew use on a daily basis.  But none stand up to the battery capacity of the Festool drills.  Let alone the convenience of the attachments that have solved many a headache and have been a joy to use.

Demetrius

 

[vwdave]

I've been using the t-18 everyday now and still loving it. I just did a room of recessed panels and had to drill over 200 pocket screws in 3/4 poplar. I put a fresh battery in the t-18 and went to town. The t-18 drilled every hole with the same battery, and the battery meter was still reading 1 bar. So far the t-18 has been able to handle everything I've thrown at it and I'm super impressed with it. I never thought I would like another drill as much as my c-12, but since the t-18 the c-12 barely comes out.

Dave

 

[fifo28]

I compared my T-18 to my friends T-15 and I have to say, I believe the T-15 is a dead drill.  The T-15 is only a hair lighter and in your hands its almost impossible to distinguish the two.  With the increased power and capacity of the T-18 I don't know why anyone would get the T-15.