Anybody ever use Festool cordless drills?

[ejmeier]

Was poking through a magazine, and I came across an intriguing company. Festool out of Germany.

I was wondering if anyone has ever used any of their tools, or if they are any good. Their 12v cordless drill looks very interesting, almost exactly what I was looking for. (Minus the price, ouch.)

http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=2&prodid=564180
http://www.festoolusa.com/supplyImages/c12_564180.jpg
Apparently the motor is actually brushless.

Not a ton of torque when compared to some of the other newer drills like Makita, but it looks like it is really well made, lightweight and compact.

[exmt]

Sounds good if its from Germany. I still like my old DeWalt though...

[Fast Fred]

DeWalt is the way to go these days. I have a 14v and an 18v. Both serve a purpose for me, as i use them daily for work. The 18v has enough torque to break your wrist, no doubt.

15 years ago when I started, who would have imagined a battery powered sawzall or circular saw? I would have laughed in your face if you told me then that I'd be blown away by the power of a battery tool back then. They sure have come a long way in a short time.
Keep in mind when purchasing a drill like that, that you may someday need a replacement battery. They don't last forever. Will it be available in 5 years?
I have an old DeWalt radial arm saw that's about 40 - 50 years old. All original, and works like the day it was made.
I must sound like I work for DeWalt. I don't. I just like to tell people about something good (or bad) when I find it.

[GoldStripe]

Just about every Festool made gets rave reviews in all the magazines I've seen. I'm not sure about the drill in particular. What keeps them out of my garage is the price. Youch!! Have you priced one? I have the Festool catalog that I got from Woodcraft and everything they make is expensive.

[GoldStripe]

What I want to see more info on is the V28 stuff from Milwaukee. All the others, DeWalt, Craftsmen, etc, have crappy batteries IMHO. The longevity of NiCads sucks. Some of the newer stuff from those guys are using NiMH which is 100 times better. The V28s are using Lithium Ion which I think is the best yet. The warranty on those batteries in 5 years or 2000 charges.

[Russ Braaten]

If you are looking for a great drill for a reasonable price go with a Hatachi. I like it more than the Dewalt. Then send me the $200 you save. :)

[BeanAnimal]

Fred, your the only electician I know that uses dewalt... most of them seem to use the hitachi or panasonic stuff (graybar and other electric suppliers must push them). I have used them... but prefer the dewalts for most stuff.

For high end drills I like the Hilti stuff. Bosch makes a good industrial cordless as well.

[GoldStripe]

Most people do not have experience with Festool so you may be hard pressed to get an actual user out there. I like my Hitachi miter saw and was going to get their powerful cordless. My step bro just bought the big Hitachi cordless and he likes it but the torque factor he thinks is overrated. Granted, it's important to have torque but that's not the only thing that's important. This is why I wanted to see the Milwaukee drill.

On another note, brushless motor tech is very interesting to me. The first time I heard of this was in remote control car motors. I think that eventually everything will be brushless.

[Reefugee]

I haven't purchase or used any Festool, but I frequent quite a few woodworking forums. The consensus is that Festool makes great (if not the best) tools. However, most of the people felt that for the price difference, it's not worth it.

For me - all my power tools are Dewalt, Porter Cable, Bosch, or Makita. I usually avoid Black & Decker, Craftsman, and Ryobi.

[AndyL]

Worth noting also is hilti just replaced its SFH 150A with the 151A (mmm more powah). cdn retail price for the 150A was 260 with the pair of 3.0ah li-ion and charger in the kit.

Bosch is currently on my sh*tlist crappy warranty "crack in the case - it's been dropped, no warranty" crappy chucks. Dewalt hasn't been the same since black and decker took over - the XRPs even though the packaging hasn't changed - are no longer full metal gears (unless you blow em up 4 times). And they still haven't fixed that annoyingly weak trigger.

I buy cordless drills for construction crews - does it show? At least with hilti you never have problems with warranty. May not be an 18v drill - but I can tell ya the 3 speed gearbox makes sure you never notice.

[TAB]

True the newer dewalts have plastic gears and clutchs.... IF I was going to buy a cordless I would go with Mikita right now.


But really no cordless drill is good for more then about 15 mins of actual work. The batterys just don't last for every day use.

[BeanAnimal]

I have not been a makita fan since the ol slender 9.6v days when the ruled the roost. I have a friend who buys each new model... I nave not been impressed with any of them.

I am OK with the dewalts. Plastic gears or not, they stand up pretty well to most use and are decent for the price.

As stated before (and others have metnioned) for high torque or rugged use, you cant beat the Hilti.

Honestly, the DeWalt XRP2 batteries seem to be wonderful. I have 5 of them and rarely get into the 2nd one unless I am using the drill to mix thinset or grout. The 24V and 36V rotary hammers have been even better (Bosch used to make good one, I don't know about the current model).

Bean

[GoldStripe]

I have not been a makita fan since the ol slender 9.6v days when the ruled the roost.

My Dad still has and uses one of those. LOL They are great for little jobs where there's no sense lugging out one of the big boys.

[TroyPierce]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7198283#post7198283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GoldStripe
My Dad still has and uses one of those. LOL They are great for little jobs where there's no sense lugging out one of the big boys.
Are you kidding! There's ALWAYS a reason to haul out the biggest, testosterone-filled, over-powered tool in your inventory. If it can't sheer the head off the screw, it ain't the right tool for the job.

Remember: More Power!!! :thumbsup:

Grunting like Tim, the Tool-Man, Taylor.

[GoldStripe]

Sometimes the big one won't fit. Wait, uhh what are we talkin' about again? LMAO :)

Hey TroyPierce, I'm from Baltimore originally. Well Pasadena but close enough.

[ejmeier]

Hmmmm, so nobody so far actually owns this drill?

I guess its expensive, but not really all that much more than the lithium ion drills. Makita's is well over $300 for the drill/charger alone.

I guess the reason I was so interested in it was because it seemed so innovative, and also lightweight. Doesn't anybody care about weight? When I was building my stand, I had to stretch my arm out and reach up in the stand to drive a screw, and that drill got heavy FAST. Turned into a 5-6 lb brick in my hand.

Don't get me wrong, I like to have a lot of power in a drill too, but I find myself saying "I wish this drill were smaller/lighter" much more often than I say to myself, "I wish this drill were stronger." I just don't want to go down to something so small that I think it is "chincy." Maybe I just need an impact driver.

[AcroSteve]

Although I have never owned one, I would like one of everything they make.

Suposedly, they are very well engineered and perform great.

[tynmissy]

i love my milwaukee 18v hammer drill, a little heavy with the metal gears but the reversable battery makes it sit in my hand like feather. i use it every day. was 250 with 2 batterys and charger

[lakee911]

I thought that I would revive this thread. I have their cordless drill and it's really a wonderful product. I use it and abuse it and keeps on going. I can mix two 5gal buckets of mortar on a single charge with that drill.

I'm considering buying their circular saw now ... Little pricey but it would be the last one I get.

[dantimdad]

I got to try the festool drill, saw and a sander that didn't hit the market in a demo. It is insanely powerful for it's size and it's so light, it's like it's not even there compared to some of the others.

That being said, no, I don't think it's worth the money. I would go with the new Hitachi over any I have tried. The panasonic comes in a distant second. Followed closely by the new Milwaukee.

All of these I have tried. I currently use ye olde reliable ryobi I have had for years. Their first 14.4 volt model. Say what you will, but, I would estimate driving over 5000 screws with it and drilling as many holes. It has never once failed to deliver. True after this much time, the charge doesn't last as long and the chuck has become a little finicky but, for the (IIRC) $89 I paid for it, it was well worth the money.

I need a second drill now and will buy the Hitachi as soon as funds permit.

dantimdad

[rfd515]

Tom Silva on TOH uses a Festool.

He seems to know what he's doing.

[tatkinson]

I think when it comes to tools it's like Ford people and Chevy people. By that I mean people tend to be pretty brand loyal, and usually for a reason. The thing about tools is that they only break when you're using them so from my perspective it makes absolutely no sense to buy cheap tools. That being said, assuming you are comparing quality products it all comes down to personal preference. There is no question that Festool is a quality brand but that does not mean that you'll be happy with the product. I made an impulse buy on a Festool router and sander - I went in for glue and they were having a promotion. I used them a couple of times and quite liked the sander but alas I have gone back to my used and abused Milwaukees. For me, the Festools both felt plastic-y and every time I used them I get ****ed about how much I felt I overpaid. They were/are quality but they just didn't feel right to me... but they were not nearly the quality the price would suggest. When it comes to drills I wouldn't trade a V28 Milwaukee for the world and I think I just might cry when it finally goes. It is a little heavy but the battery lasts forever and charges fast. I only use a drill as a driver for big things, for the rest I kick it old-school... you know, with a screw driver. But I can be a bit of a traditionalist sometimes.

Bottom line, if the Festool floats your boat and is worth the $$ to you then that's all that matters. It's a quality product and you won't be disappointed. That being said, you aren't going to be doing anything heavy-duty with that size drill so go out and look at all the good brands and see what feels best in your hand. If it doesn't feel right in your hand then it's worthless no matter how much you paid. There are a lot of sub-compact drivers on the market today with impressive specs and low price tags. Just my .02

[mille239]

Cannot say enough good things about festools... I have the drill, the Random orbital sander, and ther jigsaw... all extremely well built, powerful, and quiet. you won't be sorry. Like aquarium equipment... buy quality the first time.

[GlassReef]

I'll go out on a limb here and say Festool probably makes the best portable power tools in the world. The quality of their circular saw system is unbelievable. Of course there is a downside - the price - probably averages twice that of their best competitors.

If you want the very best, buy Festool. If you want very good, buy DeWalt, Hilti, Panasonic, Milwaukee, etc.