40 months ago I spent a fortune on a new Festool C12 drill and
accessories - around £420.

There were a number of sceptical replies then.
Yesterday, I replaced it with a new one, minus the accessories at £375.
I had gone in to enquire about a new battery (£100), but was told it's
far better to get the new drill as it had Li-ion batteries etc.
So for £175 extra over a pair of new batteries, I got a new drill, 2
batteries, charger and variuos small bits.

Looking at finshed auctions on Ebay, it looks like I'll get anywhere
between £100 and £250 for the old drill. Taking off the £100 of
accessories I still have, the worst case would be the old drill costing
me £220 for 3.5 years of daily work use.
Being as my old blue Bosch cost £120 and lasted not much more than 6
months, I reckon that is pretty good.

As to the 'old' drill. It was brilliant. Unless you have used them, you
dont realise how easy they are to use - very smooth, powerful (as good
as an 18v Dewalt I think.) and controllable. The accessories in the kit
make it the most versatile drill out there.
It is classed as a drill driver, no hammer function, but it is rare for
me to get out the SDS drill, as this one gets though most masonry
without the hammer action.
Battery life was amazing - when new, it would get up to a week on one
battery. I soon realised that there was no need to take out the charger
or spare battery in the van, as you could be sure that a charged battery
would be good for an entire kitchen refit. In the last months, battery
performance has dropped off, and they need to be charged every 2 or 3
days, that's why I went in to enquire about new batteries.

The new drill was sold to me pretty quickly. It weighs a lot less than
the old one (which wasnt an heavyweight either), probably due to the
Li-ion batteries, and being as a pair of batteries for the old one cost
half the price of the new one, I thought it time to replace it. It is
very slightly different to the old one, same basic shape/design, but a
couple of extra gadgets on board - LED light, new switch for drilling or
driving to save moving the torque setting round.
The only downside compared to the old one is the inner layer of the case
is poorly designed in my view. The old one had 3 compartments where
drill bits etc could be kept, and pre-formed holes for all of the
accessories. the new one doesnt, which seem a bit of a backward step.
Festool are now also giving a theft insurance whereby if it is stolen,
they will replace it with a new one for £100, as well as the 3 year
warranty.
I can fully recommend this drill. Pricey initially, but great value
after a couple of years.

Alan.
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In article ,
A.Lee wrote:
It is classed as a drill driver, no hammer function, but it is rare for
me to get out the SDS drill, as this one gets though most masonry
without the hammer action.

That must be down to the bit you're using, not the drill. All any drill
has to do is turn at the correct speed.

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*Black holes are where God divided by zero *

Dave Plowman London SW
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