On 2/2/2012 7:39 PM, Dave wrote:
On 02 Feb 2012 18:00:54 GMT, (Scott Lurndal)
I find it hard to believe that a GBP 500 cordless driver (USD 800)
is that much better than a USD 100 (GBP 63) DeWalt 18v.

Admittedly, there's varying degrees of betterness when it comes to
certain Festool products. But then, I do own a DeWalt 18v drill and
don't yet own any Festool drills. For all I know, Festool is markedly
better, but I'll leave that to someone else to expound.

My original real cordless drill was a Panasonic, then a DeWalt followed
by another DeWalt and than I turned to a Makita.

Of those listed the Panasonic was a hands down winner, the electronics
and brake were far superior to any of others. The Panasonic would
actually apply the brake to the chuck when slowing down quickly, you
could here it engage just like you had let go of the trigger however it
would continue to spin at the lower speed. Basically the chuck did not
coast down to speed it instantly went to that speed.
My batteries for the 12 volt Makita had been replaced once and it was
time to get rebuild them again. It is 7 years old. Other than that I
was happy with it and the same age Makita impact driver.

For Christmas my wife bought me the T15-3 Festool drill. I have been
interested in that series since they had been introduced a few years ago.
The T15-3 Festool by far is the best quality, strongest, and most
versatile drill of all that I have owned. Its electronics and brake are
similar if not better than the one on the Panasonic. The clutch is far
superior with it being electronic vs. the slipping clutch. When the
desired clutch settin is reached the drill stops until you release and
pull the trigger again. The brushless motor design seems to perform
above average as advertised. I have yet to use my impact driver since
Christmas. In the past I have always drilled pocket holes with a corded
drill for speed. The Festool drill does this with greater ease and with
no bogging down even in oak
I have used the eccentric attachment 1 time and the right angle
attachment at least 4 times in the last month. The drill comes with 2,
3amp Lithium Ion batteries. They stay in a relatively warm garage so I
have not had any issues with them yet.
So I really really like the drill.