Festool 576868 Cordless Drill CXS 12 2.5-Plus

I have had the 10.8 v CSX for years and absolutely love it. It has enough power to drive almost everything including lag bolts, though not necessarily as fast as an impact, it’ll still drive them in a pinch. I even drove over it with my Jeep at one point and it still works just fine to this day, except for the torque clutch sometimes doesn’t want to work perfectly (it still works). So when this 12v version came out I jumped on it and this thing has some power! It’s got all the features of the 10.8 and then some. If you appreciate well made tools, buy it and you won’t be disappointed. Other tool manufacturers (DeWalt, Hilti & Milwaukee) have now also come out with their own copies of the original CSX and while the Milwaukee version is probably the best of those options it is LOUD and I did not like the forward/reverse button feature but it does come with all the attachments except for the centrotech bit chuck as it’s proprietary to festool. That’s not a deal breaker for me as I don’t really think that it’s that much of a benefit for but stabilization, however there’s no substitute for the Festool.

Awesome

Well, I really wanted to like this drill more than I do. But, I honestly don’t, all because the motor noise is annoying as all get out. At speeds above midpoint, the frequency of the whine from it is shrill and screechy. My cellphone’s DB meter app registers levels in excess of 94 at the higher speeds. Unless I wear ear plugs, if using the drill in close quarters the noise is highly uncomfortable to downright objectionable. When operated at speeds lower than midpoint (level 6), the noise is less noticeable and not nearly as problematic for me. But, using only slow speeds is not always practical, as I prefer to drill holes at higher speeds. I don’t know what internal component is responsible for the whiny noise, but I suspect it’s source is electronic and not mechanical. On the positive side, this drill has good power and the many accessories make it very versatile. While that is certainly important, the whine from it is really a big disappointment. I do have another Festool drill, a TI 18. Compared to the CXS 12, the TI 18 is far superior insofar as it does not whine, and is actually a pleasure to use for lengthy periods. Dang that Festool didn’t figure out how to eliminate this objectionable noise before putting it on the market. Oh, I have investigated online at other sites since buying the CXS 12. Turns out what I am reporting is not unique to my drill. Other owners are reporting the same thing about the whiny noise from their drills. My bad that I didn’t do more investigation before buying it, but I assumed the high standard set by the TI 18 would carry over to the new CSX 12. I will be returning the CXS 12 drill for now, with hopes that Festool can correct this annoying characteristic so that I can re-purchase one in the future. Update: Nov. 21 So, I feel it important to update any changes with this drill. Today, in preparation for returning it, I was once again running it through all the electronic clutch speeds one more time. What I was trying to figure out was where the whiny noise was originating. I discovered that most of the noise was being emitted through the air vents located on the top of the drill body. And, when putting the drill closer to my ear, I was puzzled by what sounded like gravel in the gears! Well, there was no gravel, but the grinding sound, like gears that weren’t properly meshing, seemed to further aggravate the whiny noise at higher speeds. What the? Not being able to dismantle it due to it being new, I shook it while running it at a number of orientations: up, down, left, right, circular, any position possible. Evidently that did something, as the grindy gravel in the gears sound vanished! With that, a noticeable improvement in the noise level had taken place. Another what the? Next, ran it though all the clutch settings again while resting it on the workbench. Still no more gravelly grindy noise. I don’t know what to make of this, but whatever was going on with the rough, gravelly grindy noise has gone away, at least for now. I’m going to delay the return while I keep at this thing for a few more days. Not knowing if there is a brass or nylon gearset inside of it, if there is, that may have been the issue. Perhaps something was acting like gravel/sand in the gears? Whatever the case, if it doesn’t return after several more days, I will contact Hartville Tool to let them know what has happened and to be prepared for a return should that part of the noise issue return. I have another 60 days to return it, so will see what happens in that time. Also, I am going to contact Festool and brief them with my experience with the new CXS 12 as well. Perhaps they can shed some more light on what’s up with my drill. It may be a bonafide warranty matter they would want to know about, if they don’t already know. This drill is quite new in USA, as I’m only the second person writing a review here about it. Hopefully, others will have better initial experiences with it, as I mentioned before it has a nice feature set that will appeal to all sorts of users.

I like this little drill, so I bought a second one. I also owned the old one but this one is definitely an upgrade over it. This one has the dial adjuster and the beep like its big brother. It's a bit wider than the old model, but not much, and it's still very compact. It's basically a mini version of the 18v model. The only fault I find with it is that you can't put your whole hand on the grip unless you have super tiny hands. I don't have large hands, and even I can only fit three fingers on the grip at once. This isn't an issue though because you just put one finger along the body, or you could leave your pinky out along the bottom. I prefer to use my pointer finger straight on the body and one benefit of this is it gives you a bit more control. If you are used to using your whole hand then not being able to on this drill might feel weird at first, but once you start using it you'll get used to it very fast. It is a bit loud at higher speeds as well. But this doesn't bother me.

I had the old CXS and loved it, but I found it to be a bit underpowered and didn't like the idea of having to worry about motor brushes. Surely it's time for a new model with a more powerful brushless motor, right? Well, here it is! It took them far too long, but they have really delivered. What's new? -Brushless motor and about twice the power (maybe more?), so no more replacing brushes. However, the cost of this is noise. It's like 20 dB louder at peak and at max RPMs, there is a HUGE spike at 2.5 kHz that is just painful. Honestly, it would be fine if not for that. Fortunately, when it comes to actually using the drill, I find I rarely pull the trigger the full way anyway, so it isn't an issue in practice. Still shouldn't be like that, it is an install driver after all and people are going to be using it inside cabinets and at clients' houses. As another user mentioned, you can also set the torque setting to 6 or lower to limit the max RPM, but that's not really the intent of those settings, so it's better to just use trigger control. -Electronic clutch. This one is likely to be polarizing, but I like it a lot. I think some people think the clutch is for setting the depth of a screw, but it's for setting the torque. I find it to be incredibly consistent at that. Also note that when set to driving mode (aka a number rather than drill mode), it will ramp up to speed slower, presumably to aid with driving screws. -A new 12v battery platform that uses the same charger as everything else they sell. This is a massive upgrade, though I do wish they made a kit without the charger as I really don't need that now. -A proper FastFix chuck that is now compatible with every other Festool drill accessory. There's even space for a few more in the Systainer! -It's smaller now, both top to bottom and front to back. It weighs a bit more, but it's not that noticeable. The size decrease, however, is a big upgrade. Just remember you are SUPPOSED to hold it with your index finger along the side. That is why the grip is smaller. -Improved lighting. It's brighter, it stays on after you let go of the trigger, and you can even turn it completely off or on. -New Systainer with attic. Pair this with their new bit cassettes and it's a really nice package. As mentioned above, there's also room inside to store an eccentric chuck and the drywall depth stop chuck. However, the cost of all this is that it's nearly twice the height of the old CXS Systainer. I wish they could find a way to make cases that are half the width and sell one that fits just the drill and chucks, no charger. -A small thing, but the forward/reverse switch on mine is pretty stiff. It has already started to loosen up a bit with use, so I don't think it will be an issue long term, but it is something I noticed. All in all, if it weren't for the shrieking, this would be a near perfect upgrade. I'm kinda surprised that a company so focused on making "polite" tools (low vibration, low dust, low noise) would let this one slip through, but here we are. I'm still keeping it, though, as it's rarely an issue in actual use and it's just so pleasant to use otherwise. Hopefully they can release an update that addresses the noise, but I think that's just how the motor sounds, so I'm not holding my breath.

Love my festool tools, I have a bunch, but I have to say the last few tools are I’ve bought don’t seem to have been as well thought out as you would expect for the cost premium. First it was that horrible new cordless systainer vacuum, don’t even get me started on that, I returned it. Now the CXS upgrade. More power, ok, great. Though that was never a problem with the old one. This is a finishing driver, you don’t need tons of power. This thing is SO LOUD. Particularly bad when you’ve got your head in a cabinet with the driver. Also, the form factor of the old CXS was nothing short of magic. It was just perfect. This is too wide and clunky and the grip isn’t the same for getting your hand directly behind the driver which was so great before. How they could not see that these two problems are huge downgrades is beyond me. It’s like they’re obsessed with adhering to their battery form factor now and no longer thinking about making great tools. The should have just upgraded the old body to accept all the chucks, but not change so many of the things that were great about it. It seems to me they’re definitely taking a different approach with how they make their tools. Sad to see.

It's no secret that this drill emits a high pitched irritating whine at high rpm. There's even a YouTube video that describes the issue with decibel readings etc. I returned mine because I thought it was unacceptable in a high priced premium drill like this. However, if you use it primarily to set screws the noise will not be a problem for you. Hoping Festool is able to modify the drill to improve the noise level.