Do Japanese bits fit in FESTOOL Centrotec? And other FESTOOL compatibility questions answered.

[@homerj1640]

Thanks for this video. The odd thing is that the chuck in the Festool CXS drill is extremely magnetic and holds C6 bits fairly well. I resisted the centrotec system for a very long time. Ironically, it was this bzeug channel that turned me into a no bit wobble snob and I simply was not satisfied by Makita 1/4" chucks. The CXS replaces a hand driver for me, as it becomes an extension of my hand. It works great for pocket hole screws. The 90 degree Chuck is also very handy. I will likely get a bigger Festool drill at some point, but for now I still use my wobbly Makitas for 3" screws.

[@GeraldTheMaker]

thank you so much for sharing the information. I have many festools and i know how valuable these info is.

[@FixitFred]

I saw a video where they modified a centrotec chuck to fit on the milwaukee installation drill/driver as a new head. Cool idea

[@musicfind4020]

Thanks for the breakdown, So the benefits to the user are marginal and the disadvantages are multiple, proprietary accessories speak to corporate culture, money grab?

[@cdogdrankthekoolaid]

Hey fren. I have 2 festool drills with the centrotec chuck. I bought the green festool centrotec bit holder so that i can use my pb swiss bits and still retain the amazing centring capability of the centrotec chuck.

[@ГригорийЛапшин-н1ц]

I have an exercise at home. I have trimmed corners of Japanise Vessel bit to hit into Festool Centroteck adaptor. It worked OK. Bit slide throught and even can reach magnet on the shaft. But it seems that cut before the anvil is wider that the on on Festool bits. So Vessel easily jump out of magnet and wobble in chuck. It is not terrible. It's like the bit in the impact driver holder. But most importantly, 13mm anvil length is enough for the bit to reach the shaft and transfer torque.

[@efektmurowany]

A had to change bit chuck to festool one as my metabo quick chuck wobbles as jelly 😂

[@eliasklein9174]

Just roundover the bits and they fit perfectly.

[@DDB168]

That was great, clears it up well and I'll stay away from it 😂

[@bzeug]

Ha! Yes I am also done buying Centrotec. I'll just use them for videos. I could have almost bought another Makita impact for what I spent on Centrotec.

[@gutierrezmoreno8974]

the centrotech countersink can be mounted directly into a drill chunk?

[@Size15s]

Deep into the weeds of the different bit systems! My question is what combo of driver/bit adapter, and bits are best for 1) bit holder 2) stubby bit holder 3) T-Handle bit holder 4) ratchet bit holder 5) ratchet T-Handle bit holder 6) drill-driver 7) impact driver I suspect the Wiha CentroFix and PB Swiss Tool Ratchet 6510.R, and PB Swiss E6 bits, and Wiha MaxxTor TY E6 bits will be contenders?

[@keramzytowymocarz7104]

All houpe in China

[@Yoggoth]

I had modified Wiha Centrofix bit holder to work with Centrotec chuck and Festool drill. It works so far. Its wobble is ok with short bits, but if I will get a quality set of long bits in future, I will probably also modify them to fit directly into Centrotec. I see no reson to get Centrotec adapter for non Festool drill though.

[@michaelmazzen]

A lot of Fish drills with hex works with centrotec Axminster also has a lot of Bits specifically made to the fit centrotec

[@UnderBakedOverEngineered]

This is a good reference for the centrotec design that I have found: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnWklKCqarOFp6M After doing some more digging around I think I understand partially why they have 'made it incompatible'. Festool took a systemic approach to the problem of mounting a bit into a hand driver with the possibility of quick one hand changes. Because they had the enviable freedom of blank sheet design, they could alter each part of the drive train for 'optimal performance'. The rotational torque gets to use a tight tolerance socket, that is really some kind of weird 12 point socket since the points of the hex are flattened, so maximum torque and minimal rotational axis slop. The two different diameters also helps with maintaining concentricity with the lower snap-ring holding it in place while not being subject to the larger forces encountered during drilling. Also the taper allows the base of the bit/drive socket and the bearings further up to engage with lateral forces roughly at the same time to minimize pivot leverage issues. I still dislike the proprietary nature of it, but I think it's time to develop an open standard that has the same benefits with some limited backwards compatibility. I would propose using the 8mm or 5/16" Hex for the upper anvil standard that houses the groove and maintaining the 1/4" hex with shaved edges for the lower anvil (or biting the bullet and just making it star lobe) with the corner notches for C6 DIN but use the 14mm anvil length. I think this would allow the bits to be used in standard shallow depth hand drivers magnetically and locked mechanically in full length hand drivers. Since the 8mm standard requires a larger anvil diameter either way, you could add power grooves on the outside (over the portion that only has 1/4" hex bore to maintain minimum material thickness) for the quick change collet to mount onto the shaft. Then the quick change only has to hold the bit and can transmit longitudinal forces away from the bit itself onto the tool drive train. Even if this has to be wrenched down and uses something like Nord-Lock washers to prevent loosening, it still is an improvement to accessing the drive shaft for removing snapped bits in the field. Vessel already makes 8mm 'power bits' so I'd toss some money at a crowd funding for a prototype run from them. Current generation impacts would not automatically hold the bit via the power groove, but could with a collet swap from manufactures. Newer drivers could be made to the standard with minimal machine differences. Even without creating a brand new standard, it seems there is room for improvement with what already exists. E6 and C6 dual compliant 1/4 hex shank bits offer a snap ring on the bottom anvil that could be used for concentric holding. Using Smalley's style snap rings with a quick change collet that is tapered to push it in as it locks in the power groove should give it enough strength; you just need to beef up the holding on the power groove to compensate. Make it a 3 or 4 ball bearing situation and increase the spring strength on the quick change collet. It will increase the wear rates on the bits and collet parts but that might be worth the trade off. I couldn't find any three ball or 4 ballbearing quick change chucks in modern use though, do you know of a reason why not? (or why someone shouldn't drill a cross hold on their current impact anvils to add 2 more ball bearings?) It took far too long to find the name for the notches on some of the insert bits ('power grooves' or 'retaining notch' for snap rings in older iterations of quick change chucks) so I think a video that explains terminology and purpose of what we see in bits could be useful. Also a comparison of run out using various power tools and bits. You mentioned in the Vessel cushion video reduced wobble when drilling but I'm curious how much less wobble. Makita speaks of the reduced runout in their JDM impacts, but how much of a difference is there really?

[@elpresidente8730]

I cannot afford Festool stuff so I use budget power tools with the odd Makita product thrown in, which works fine for my hobby needs. I bought a set of ¼" quick change bit holders by Rolson tools (the same thing in different lengths), cost me about 10 euros and this effectively does what a centrotec chuck does. I really hate it when manufacturers go down a propriety road and deviate from a tried and tested standard just so they can jack up the price of their product.

[@wingsdesire1]

THANK YOU!! ❤

[@harrisedgar]

Wonderful...!!! Thank you.

[@chrisschrama]

There is a simple solution; grind, turn or file the outside diameter of the hex inserts. And they will fit in a centrotec bit holder.

[@chrisschrama]

Or do this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIW5lnWKlqakapY

[@TennojiM]

Hate proprietary standards.

[@ГригорийЛапшин-н1ц]

I have seen on KZbin that you can machine regular ¹⁄₄ bit to Centrotec size. But then your bit will work only under load, since the European anvil isn't long enough to engage with the driver part. The is possibility that Japanese bits will work, but I have no prof. And I'm too lazy to order a file to trim my Vessel bits to try... Thanks for videos, you make great ones!

[@IanSmithKSP]

Gotta love Festool design - chuck is made specifically to NOT work with most styles of bit. Isn't that great. I've been a fan of festool for years and a chronic user of the Rotex line of sanders. Our company has over about two dozen Festool tools. Almost every single one has broken at some point and had to be sent in for repairs. Some of them are on their second round. This is disappointing and completely undermines their "premium" marketing. Their tools simply don't last, and their design is akin to Apple at times given that their whole goal is to lock people into an ecosystem, and make other tools incompatible. Have a festool chop saw? Gotta get the Festool blades which are inferior to other brands. Their design isn't so much about making better tools its about sucking money out of wealthy hobbyists. Festool should be ignored. Especially now that they make so many tools in the Czech Republic aka German Mexico.

[@Yoggoth]

Thay have some unique tools. Recently they started to sell brushless corded track saw TS 60. Going to buy one in future. Their 4-gear brushless corded drill DR 18/4 is unique, I have and like it. What I don't like is going in the direction of battery-powered tools, which is unnecessary in most cases and expensive and not eco-friendly.

[@Michelle-Eden]

A sexual metaphor might have been more amusing than a linguistic one.

[@alexrains1893]

That "standard" is downright hostile to the consumer, I can't think of a single advantage over using it compared to anything else at all.

[@aussiehardwood6196]

I wont buy Festool for all the 'reject' reasons in this video. And the fact the real producers behind their products make stuff that fits everything. With Festool u pat a premium to be screwed.

[@peterryan7340]

Well I won't bother buying Festool