Festool C 12 owners

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Would you buy it again? This close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but am having a hard time liking the looks of this drill. There is no way I'm going to be able to see one locally before I buy either. Should I do it?

[Erik Frederiksen]

You might also try the Festool Owners Group forum. There's a thread or two there about this. As I remember, most people who posted loved their C12s.

[James Hart]

I have Dewalt, Porter Cable and Bosch cordless drills. All OK. Since I picked up a C12 none of them have been used once. It doesn't look like much, but it is.
You have 30 days to return it, no questions asked. I'll be really, really surprised if you decide to do that.

Jim

[John Sanford]

Okay, this one I don't get. I've used Bosch, Makita and DeWalt contractor grade cordless drills, and have a Milwaukee 3/8" corded. I don't see how a cordless drill would be that much better than them. Help us out here, what's so great about the C 12?

[Ken Milhinch]

My opinion ? Awkward, unbalanced, and the handle will not suit you if you have a small hand. Further, the batteries are average. I sold mine as soon as possible. I now have only Milwaukee & Panasonic. You will hear others sing the praises of the offset and right angled chucks, but ask yourself how often you will use them. They don't make up for the drill's other shortcomings in my opinion. (I have lots of Festool tools, but I wouldn't buy their drills with other people's money !)

[Jim Dailey]

I've owned lots of Dewalt's & Makita's. Good drills no complaints.

I now own a Festool 15 volt & a pair of C12's. I know I am going to get beat up by some on this comment... "like the others the Festool are good drills". :rolleyes: However the reason after I bought one, I got two more was ease of the flexibility of swapping out the interchangeable chucks; keyless chuck, right angle chuck, Centrotec chuck etc.

The Centrotec chuck is a love/hate situation. I like it's compact size & inherent flexibility of it's precision design in swapping Centrotec bit's BUT the stubborn German's refuse to produce a Centrotec square drive for the US market. Yea I know I can & do use the square drive in the Centrotec magnetic holder. If they can make a pozidrive and a Phillip's and a torx bit they sure as hell at $16.50 can make a square drive for the US market...

As far as the C12's design with the closed loop handle and as some have called it the "index finger rest" above the trigger... I switch back & forth between the 15 volt & the C12's & never give it a thought about the C12's design. All I care about is that it works.

Hope this helps,
jim

[Ken Milhinch]

....BUT the stubborn German's refuse to produce a Centrotec square drive for the US market. ....jim

Jim, That's a bit like the stubborn Americans who cling to the imperial measurement system when the rest of the world is metric. :D

[Greg Pavlov]

Jim, That's a bit like the stubborn Americans who cling to the imperial measurement system when the rest of the world is metric. :D
Or the wierd Australians who insist on doing winter in July and August.... ;)

[Bob Childress]

Ken's whingeing notwithstanding, I recently bought a C-12 and wish I had gotten it long ago. I use the different chucks all the time, the drill has lots of torque, and it is lightweight and compact. :)

Horses for courses, I suppose.

[Ken Milhinch]

Ken's whingeing notwithstanding, I recently bought a C-12 and wish I had gotten it long ago. I use the different chucks all the time, the drill has lots of torque, and it is lightweight and compact. :)

Horses for courses, I suppose.

Why does my expression of an opinion constitute whingeing ??

[Ken Milhinch]

Or the wierd Australians who insist on doing winter in July and August.... ;)

Yes, I would prefer winter went all year round, especially after the last couple of days here. (104 degrees in your measure)

[Bob Childress]

Why does my expression of an opinion constitute whingeing ??

Not having a go at you, just taking a bit of p . . . :rolleyes::D

Are you sure you're Australian? :p:p

[Jason White]

They're very different from other cordless drills.

Definitely hold one in your hand before you buy one. Some people hate how they feel, others love them.

That said, if you don't like it they will take it back within 30 days, I believe.

Jason


Would you buy it again? This close to pulling the trigger on one of these, but am having a hard time liking the looks of this drill. There is no way I'm going to be able to see one locally before I buy either. Should I do it?

[Peter Kuhlman]

I have Panasonic, Makita, Crapsman, Bosch and the C12. There are many good drills available on the market. My C12 was purchased with all of the add-on chucks and the offset chuck has saved my butt several times! I have had absolutley no complaints about the NiCad batteries. They hold a charge for a long time and have great power. I have 2 of each battery offered. The 12 volt C12 has power way beyond it's voltage rating and I have driven some very large lag screws with it. None of my other NiCad powered tools are even close. None of my other battery technology tools offer significantly better performance. My Milwaukee V28 LiIon are way worse for holding a charge while unused. The handle on the C12 feels overly large to my hands and the balance is kind of weird - sure different than the "traditional" type drills. While it gets plenty of use, I find myself in the shop using my little 10.8 volt Bosch tools far more often due to size and weight. Just don't need all that power for long periods of time in the shop. We have several C12s that are used by my electricians at work and they sure can take a beating. A real advantage they have is that they are sealed - no open cooling vents so no gunk gets in to muck them up. No arcing and sparking either as they are brushless. Pete

[Jim Dailey]

Ken,

I have to agree with you about what you said "That's a bit like the stubborn Americans who cling to the imperial measurement system when the rest of the world is metric. "...

We should have followed thru on the change to metric when we started to back in the 80's... :o

As for your weather comments.... well right now your 104 temps look pretty dam good to me.... :rolleyes: We will be in the MINUS 50 below range wind chill range (on either C or F scales tonight) with actual air temps in the MINUS 25 below F :eek::eek::eek:

Nice to hear from you guy's "down under",
jim

[Eddie Shih]

The one thing I read by all the comments missing here is that the motor C12 uses is a differnt kind of motor. What I remember is that it is a brushless type of motor. What's so good about it ? From a guy in Woodcraft told me and I verified it. I think it is true.

Usually when you try to drill a screw into a tough surface you would like to use slower speed, the problem is that all the other drill you used will lose its torque when it is on slower speed. What C12 gives you is the "control", you can drill the screw really slow but it doesn't lose its power and torque while you drill it slowly.

C12 has its shortcomings but I really like it and it is lighter than the 18 volts models but it has the same power like those.

I have a Ridgid 18 volts cordless and it is so heavy. Currently, I only use C12 mostly. BTW, I also have a Bosch Screw Driver Type Drill, and I like that a lot as well.

[Ken Milhinch]

Not having a go at you, just taking a bit of p . . . :rolleyes::D

Are you sure you're Australian? :p:p

Bob,

Sorry, I didn't read it that way because when an Australian uses the word "whingeing" it is definitely derogatory. No problem though, I take the p*ss as much as anyone.:)

[Chris Padilla]

I have a C-12 from Festool. It was one of my first purchases about 4-5 years ago. Would you believe that both batteries are still fine?! I use it quite a bit, leave the batteries on the charger 24-7...I dunno...they are still going strong.

On the contrary, I have TDK-15.6 and both of its batteries died at about the 3.5 year mark. I have had both rebuilt by Primecell and I should be good for a while.

I like both drills and use them interchangeably.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thanks for the info guys. Not sure what I'll decide yet, probably hold off for a while. Wish the C12 had a traditional grip, and I'd own one. Brushless is what caught my attention initially.

[Clifford Mescher]

I have a C-12 from Festool. It was one of my first purchases about 4-5 years ago. Would you believe that both batteries are still fine?! I use it quite a bit, leave the batteries on the charger 24-7...I dunno...they are still going strong.

On the contrary, I have TDK-15.6 and both of its batteries died at about the 3.5 year mark. I have had both rebuilt by Primecell and I should be good for a while.

I like both drills and use them interchangeably.
Chris, were you happy with Primecell? Are the batteries better now then the originals? Clifford.

[Tom Hummel]

I have the C-12 and it is my go to drill. One thing that is really nice about the D shape is the chuck is in direct alignment with your forearm in use. If you are in a situation where you need to push it is a straight push. You are not working against the angle of the traditional T handle.

[Scott Coffelt]

I don't have the "C" series, but I've had a TDK for many years. By far the best drill I have had (Dewalt, PC, Makita). The batteries last, and when they need a charge the charger only takes 15 minutes. The inter changeable chucks are excellent, frankly until you have them you do not realize the value. I just bought the right angle, found an immediate need that I could not have performed without it. Could I buy a seperate right angle dril, sure but why when I can have one that does all I need with a simple chuck change.

As for the "C" series, I've held them, the balance is not as nice as the "T" series, but I really like the condensed depth.

[Chris Padilla]

Chris, were you happy with Primecell? Are the batteries better now then the originals? Clifford.

Clifford,

As Primecell advertises, they do seem to go longer between charges. In all honesty, it is hard to tell with the drills: I don't rightly recall exactly how much time they ran when new and I'm not sure how much they run with the rebuilt. All I know is that Primecell rebuilds for about half the cost of a new battery from Festool and that was good enough for me.

The real proof will come soon. I'm having them rebuild the battery I use on my commute bicycle. I know PRECISELY how long that sucker lasted between charges so I'm anxious to try it out. I just got notice that they are sending it back so I'll have more data soon....

[Chris Padilla]

I don't have the "C" series, but I've had a TDK for many years. By far the best drill I have had (Dewalt, PC, Makita). The batteries last, and when they need a charge the charger only takes 15 minutes. The inter changeable chucks are excellent, frankly until you have them you do not realize the value. I just bought the right angle, found an immediate need that I could not have performed without it. Could I buy a seperate right angle dril, sure but why when I can have one that does all I need with a simple chuck change.

As for the "C" series, I've held them, the balance is not as nice as the "T" series, but I really like the condensed depth.

The interchangeable chucks: PRICELESS!!! The right angle and eccentric chucks are worth their weight in gold!! That eccentric makes life so much easier in confined space...it is a brilliant concept. The quick-change chuck is also very nice.

[Clifford Mescher]

Clifford,

As Primecell advertises, they do seem to go longer between charges. In all honesty, it is hard to tell with the drills: I don't rightly recall exactly how much time they ran when new and I'm not sure how much they run with the rebuilt. All I know is that Primecell rebuilds for about half the cost of a new battery from Festool and that was good enough for me.

The real proof will come soon. I'm having them rebuild the battery I use on my commute bicycle. I know PRECISELY how long that sucker lasted between charges so I'm anxious to try it out. I just got notice that they are sending it back so I'll have more data soon....
Thanks, I'm going to check them out. Clifford.

[Scott Coffelt]

The interchangeable chucks: PRICELESS!!! The right angle and eccentric chucks are worth their weight in gold!! That eccentric makes life so much easier in confined space...it is a brilliant concept. The quick-change chuck is also very nice.

Yep, the chucks alone make it worth the extra price. I bought the basic drill when I got mine, then added the chucks along the way. I've been wanting the right agle, some guy had a new one on Ebay for a "Best offer", so I offered $60, he took it. I don't have the drywall chuck yet, but not sure I want it. I had a new PC drywall gun, never used it.

The essentric gets used all the time when I install drawer slides.