T15 vs. T18

A

aprikh1

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Oct 30, 2011
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I am debating between the T15 and the T18. One of these drills will be used to supplement my CXS, and will be my go to heavy duty drill. When I reviewed the specs I noticed that the T18 is heavier by 5 ounces, but offers only a marginal power boost when compared to the T15. 398.3 in. lbs vs. 350 in. lbs; a 13% difference.

I am DIYer, so battery life is not important to me; however, weight is. Is there something that I would miss with the T18 vs T15? The price difference between the two is marginal, so I am on the fence. Finally, sometime in the future, I would be interested in purchasing a Festool impact driver. As far as I have heard, there are no plans for a Ti18, and my 18 volt batteries could not be used between the T18 and Ti15 if I went that route.

With that in mind, which drill would you guys pick?
 
I think you answered your own question.  If the battery life isn't that important but you plan on getting the TI-15, If and when it comes to the US, I would get the t-15.  This way you could share batteries between tools, which to me is rather important.  In the UK you could buy the TI-15 as a bare tool and you would be able to use your batteries from your T-15.

Either drill is killer though and don't think you could go wrong with either.  The weight differences is almost unnoticeable.

Dave
 
Well I was pretty sure my T15 spins faster than T18  cus used my mates and I was so sure mine was driving screws in faster than his new T18!  

Then yesterday I was working with Dean social and tried his T18 and again his sounded alot slower than my T15  so me and Dean has a race!   We screwed a couple of screws into softwood  and the T15 and T18 we bang on equal!  Then he got his panasonic impact drill out and it drove the scew in ALOT quicker than my T15! I lost  [tongue]
 
Battery life is not going to be an issue. My T-15 smokes the competition in this regard and I've an older model one. I have been considering upgrading to a T-18 lately but it's just a thought. i've held them both and the weight difference is barely noticeable. Impact drivers have their purpose but I can't stand them for general screwing. I have less need for an impact driver than a regular drill driver but there is the odd occasion where one would come in handy as much as I hate to say it. I don't know what the price difference would be for a NA release of te Ti15 and a panasonic Impact but i can see the panasonic being reasonably cheaper. Owning a t drill already i don't know what use you'd have for the chuck attachments on the festool impact.

IMO go T-18 and save money buying a panasonic impact.
 
I bought the t-15 before the t-18 was announced. Were I deciding now i'd get the t-18 (especially if I already had a CXS). The t-15 has only let me down on one occasion. I was driving some lag bolts and the force required was apparently great enough that it caused the t-15 protection circuitry to stop the driver a fraction of a second after I pulled the trigger. Had to do them by hand. This caught me off guard as it was something I never experienced on lesser drivers. Perhaps because they lack protection circuitry and would have been happy to burn themselves out in the attempt. Don't know if the t-18 would have done any better but I bring it up just as an example of when I needed more power.

A second consideration is that the Carvex is 18v. When it comes to NA I want to be able to share batteries with that tool, as well as any future Festool 18v tools (i'm hoping for more).
 
You won't miss anything by getting the T15. Powerfull drill by itself. Just a tad less powerful as the T18 but you'll not going to need that tad very often. The batteries last very long.

I'm not impressed by the Ti15 impact driver. I've got to agree with those who say you'd better get a Panasonic. Very good stuff.

The Carvex is not 18 volt only, you can use any battery from 12-15-18 volt.
 
JBird said:
I bought the t-15 before the t-18 was announced. Were I deciding now i'd get the t-18 (especially if I already had a CXS). The t-15 has only let me down on one occasion. I was driving some lag bolts and the force required was apparently great enough that it caused the t-15 protection circuitry to stop the driver a fraction of a second after I pulled the trigger. Had to do them by hand. This caught me off guard as it was something I never experienced on lesser drivers. Perhaps because they lack protection circuitry and would have been happy to burn themselves out in the attempt. Don't know if the t-18 would have done any better but I bring it up just as an example of when I needed more power.

A second consideration is that the Carvex is 18v. When it comes to NA I want to be able to share batteries with that tool, as well as any future Festool 18v tools (i'm hoping for more).
Click to expand...

Carvex is  12v 14v 18v!  It takes BOTH  T15 and T18 batteries so the carvex doesnt come into it.
 
jmbfestool said:
JBird said:
A second consideration is that the Carvex is 18v. When it comes to NA I want to be able to share batteries with that tool, as well as any future Festool 18v tools (i'm hoping for more).
Click to expand...

Carvex is   12v 14v 18v!   It takes BOTH  T15 and T18 batteries so the carvex doesnt come into it.
Click to expand...

The Carvex comes with an 18v battery which cannot be used on the t-15. For space and organizational considerations I would prefer to have just a single battery type in use. I certainly wouldn't want to downgrade my 18v tools to 15v as a matter of regular practice.
 
JBird said:
jmbfestool said:
JBird said:
A second consideration is that the Carvex is 18v. When it comes to NA I want to be able to share batteries with that tool, as well as any future Festool 18v tools (i'm hoping for more).
Click to expand...

Carvex is   12v 14v 18v!   It takes BOTH  T15 and T18 batteries so the carvex doesnt come into it.
Click to expand...

The Carvex comes with an 18v battery which cannot be used on the t-15. For space and organizational considerations I would prefer to have just a single battery type in use. I certainly wouldn't want to downgrade my 18v tools to 15v as a matter of regular practice.
Click to expand...

What Alex said!  +1  You can get the Carvex in 15 and 18V.

Their is no actual complete NAKED option for the Carvex  as far as I know in the UK  closes to naked is option one  PSC 400 GG plus
which is

no charger supplied
Battery pack BPS 15 Li 2.6 Ah
2 x saw blades
SYSTAINER SYS 3 T-LOC

Then you got two more options which both include a charger and some accessories.  I dont know why festool don't do a COMPLETELY naked option.
 
There is a combined set (498401/498402 in UK) which contains the following:
- Carvex PSC 400 EB 18V
- T18+3
- battery loader TRC3
- 2x Akkupack Li-Ion 3,0 Ah
- SYSTAINER SYS 3 DF T-LOC
- further some small pieces for the drill and jigsaw

Cost €854 or £748.80

I hope for you that it will also be released over there.
5953MONTSET_02a_498401.jpg
 
Well based on everyone’s responses, I think I will go with the T15. This way if I decide to get the impact driver down the road, batteries can be shared between the two tools. I am not too concerned with the Carvex, since I cannot see myself using the jigsaw without dust collection, and if I am going to be hooking up a vacuum hose to the unit, I might as well hook-up power as well.

Also, I double-checked, and the SYSLIGHT is compatible with the 15 volt batteries from the T15, so I am good to go there as well. It also seems that T15 is much more widely adopted than the T18, allowing for an easier sourcing or replacement parts down the road.

If anyone wants to sell me their T15, and upgrade to the T18, let me know :)
 
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