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I'm no battery expert, but apparently over-discharged batteries can start a chemical reaction that damages the battery. The same is true with over-charging batteries. The electronics monitor the voltage output of the battery to prevent over discharging, the drill will not operate if too low of a voltage is detected. Festool's "smart" battery charger constantly monitors the battery's charging and when the battery reaches a full charge the charger switches over to maintenance mode keeping the battery fully charged. Festool says their smart charger can safely "top off" a battery's charge at any time. The specs say the lithium batteries reach full charge in 70 minutes, however, I've found the charge times to be much shorter, around 40 minutes or less. Between the electronics and the smart charger Festool claims that new lithium batteries should have a long service lifespan. So far the track record for the lifespan of lithium batteries for other power tool manufacturers has not been particularly good. I do have some faith in Festool's claims because their three year warranty now covers the batteries as well.
While on the subject of batteries I should mention the T+3 series drills and charger will accept Festool's TDK and C12 nickel-based batteries. The new lithium batteries, however, are not backward compatible with older Festool drill models.
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No problem, Just Chuck It
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One thing that really sets Festool's drill apart from the competition is their Centrotec and Fast Fix chuck systems. They add a level of versatility to Festool's offerings that other drills can't match. With the Centrotec chuck and four Fast Fix accessory chucks there's not much the T15 can't do.
As I mentioned earlier the T15 set comes with the Centrotec chuck and three of the four Fast Fix chucks. I'll also be including the Depth-Stop chuck, the Centrotec counter sink with depth stop and the Centrotec wood drill bit set in this review (these items are not included in the T15 set.)
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The T15 is a little different than other drills, instead of a permanently attached three jaw keyless chuck it has an output shaft that a hex bit can inserted or Festool chuck attached. With a bit inserted in the output shaft, the T15 measures only 6 9/16". To get an idea just how small this is, here's a photo for comparison between the T15 and one of the shortest drills on the market today.
Admittedly I didn't see the appeal of the Centrotec system before owning the T15: after all, there are lots of quick bit changing systems on the market and none of them I liked. While the Centrotec's quick change feature is nice, I've not taken full advantage of it (I'll explain why later in the review). What changed my mind about the system is just how light weight and well balanced the drill is with it. Missing is the front heavy feeling that other drills have. With the Centrotec chuck on the T15 you really have to try the drill out to believe how incredibly light and perfectly balanced it is.
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The Centrotec fast bit changing system allows the user to change from screw driving tips to drill bits and back again quickly. The Centrotec chuck attaches to the output shaft of the T15 with a quick release collar and the bits also have a quick release feature. The chuck is very light since it's most made of plastic. The Centrotec bits have long shaft that insert through the chuck and into the output shaft of the drill. Virtually none of the drill's torque is lost with this connection plus there is reduced runout. (With a little photo editing magic I've made the Centrotec chuck translucent so you can see the bit extension inserted directly into output shaft. As you can see from the picture my T15 is well used.)
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The wood drill bits have a brad point and the standard bits are regular twist bits- both made of high speed steel and available in metric sizes only. The standard kit includes two replacement bits. The adjustable depth stop counter sink bit is offered in three metric sizes, all made of HSS. Both the stop and the drill bit are adjustable. My experience with these bits is somewhat limited but my impressions so far are quite good. I'll offer more on my use of these bits later in the review.
The bit holders have a strong magnet, other than the fact they are made to fit the Centrotec chuck they're much like any other bit holder. I'm still using the original standard Philips bit that came with the T15 so I haven't tried any of the replacement bits yet. The standard bit has seen a lot of use and is holding up very well.
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The heart of the Festool cordless drill system is the Fast Fix accessory chucks. These things were made to solve problems. Need to drill a hole right next to an adjacent surface without marring or scratching it; how about around a corner or set screws to an exact depth? No problem, these chucks have you covered. Left to right, back row: right angle chuck, eccentric chuck, depth stop chuck. Notice these chucks have a gray locking ring on the bottom to attach them to the drill's locking flange. Front row of photo: Centrotec chuck, 1/2" keyless chuck, these attach with a locking collar to the output shaft.
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Above you can see both the output shaft and the metal locking flange on the T15. The right angle, eccentric and depth stop chucks attach to the locking flange quickly-just twist the gray ring on the bottom of the chucks. That's not all, the right angel and eccentric chucks can be at-tached and positioned in at any angle relative to the drill. Sixteen positions (22.5° increments) allow the chucks to point up, down, left, right or anywhere in between.
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Taking a close look at the right angle attachment you can see it has the same output shaft as the T15. That means it will accept both the Centrotec and keyless chucks. These two chuck combinations are all that will work together, the rest of the chucks only work independently of each other. Below are pictures of the Festool chucks.
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The keyless, three jaw Jacobs style chuck works like any other keyless chuck on bits up to 1/2" in diameter. Tightening a bit is a one hand operation. The chuck attaches to the output shaft of the T15 or right angle chuck.
The eccentric chuck has its bit attachment point offset from the center. This allows you to drill/drive right next to an adjacent surface. It has a quick release locking collar like most impact drivers. Nothing on the chuck rotates except the bit, so you aren't going to mar the work surface with a spinning chuck as you can with the keyless chuck when you get too close.
The right angle chuck is one of the most useful drill accessories I've ever owned. It shortens the drill's drill/drive length considerably allowing access to places most other drills simply can't get to. You'll see a lot more on the right angle chuck later.
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