What about the battery-powered 18V models for parquet floor fitters which Festool sells? To find out more, we called on Sandy Van Der Vreken, marketing manager at Festool Belgium. We hardly need to ask Ms Van Der Vreken a question since the battery story virtually tells itself. This story shows a very clear main theme: When Festool launches an 18V machine on the market, it basically has to do the same work as its counterpart with leads.

1x18V of 2x18V
Sandy Van Der Vreken comments: ‘If we launch an 18V version on the market, it has to have the same power as a machine connected to the mains. There’s one exception at the moment, the battery drill, which is only available in a battery version. Obviously, it’s possible that a cable-free machine needs more power than you can achieve with 18V. In that case we have a simple solution and opt for having two 18V batteries. That’s the case, for instance, with our circular saw, mitre saw, and table saw.’

‘For that matter, we think of more than just the machine itself. All our vacuum cleaners also have two batteries, where power and endurance are necessary. Other machines are already powerful with 18V, but there the capacity simply changes from, for instance, three to five amps. In the autumn, we’re also launching eight-amp batteries on the market to provide even greater endurance.’

Obviously, the key question is how Festool manages to achieve the same performances with all its battery tools. The answer is short and to the point: This is due to the brushless EC motor, which allows for an easy connection of motor and battery.
‘A motor is the core piece of any electric tool and, as part of the electrical drive line, it also has a decisive effect on the performances of the machine. With our electric tools, “EC” stands for “Electronically Commutated”, which is another name for brushless-technology. Brushless motors have been standard for years in our sector and we use our experience to provide a suitable motor for every application in the leads and battery segment. The big advantage of this EC technology is that there is no friction whatsoever, so the energy is transferred to the machine itself for the full 100%.’

Battery means more than a battery
All in one breath the story turns to the batteries. Various companies use a battery for use with various makes. That isn’t the case with Festool. Why not?
Ms Van Der Vreken explains: ‘For us, a battery is more than just a battery. We have different shapes of batteries, which are also adapted to the machine. An example: Take our sanding machines. The obvious aim here was to make them as compact as possible. However, if you fit a battery onto a sanding machine, that changes the weight. That’s why we included three-amp batteries in the body of the machine, so you no longer notice that change. The shape of the battery also makes it possible to attach an adaptor to it so you can work hybrid with a cable or with a battery.’

‘I also mention specifically that we give an all-inclusive three-year guarantee on both the batteries and chargers. Our batteries also have a Bluetooth® function. The batteries are part of a system, which includes dust extraction. The Bluetooth® is connected to a vacuum cleaner and communicates once the machine is switched on, so the vacuum cleaner starts automatically. Moreover, our batteries also include a Festool work App application. You can use this tool to register all devices and it gives you lots of information. For instance, you see where the battery was used last time and you can retrieve all the information about the battery. Is it empty, semi-charged, or fully charged?’
‘Our chargers also work with Airstream. Airstream ensures that you use air from outdoors to cool the battery. The benefit is obvious: Your battery cools down much faster after use!’

Battery-powered is the top trend
An important question is how big the market share of battery-powered tools will become in the next few years. Indeed, it is clear that mobile work with a battery is becoming an increasing reality.

Sandy Van Der Vreken stresses: ‘Leads are not dead, but using a battery will certainly become more common. We still offer versions of almost all machines with leads, but we notice that 18V and mobile work is become more popular. We’ve even found a solution if there’s no power supply available, but you still want to work with leads. To that end we’ve launched the SYS Power Station. This is one very big battery which consists of 24 batteries, onto which you can connect a leads-powered tool.’

Kickback stop
‘Finally, I’d like to talk about something else, our specific solution to avoid a literal ‘kickback’ with drilling or sawing works. Sometimes the forces between the work piece and the machine can suddenly become very strong, something which can have serious consequences.’
‘Our new kickback-stop-technology was used for the first time with the battery-drill machines QUADRIVE TDC 18/4 and TPC 18/4 and with the new battery-circular saw TSC 55 K. Take a circular saw, for instance. If it cuts at high speed, the forces increase strongly due to chip formation. From a certain point the machine can tilt away at an angle. As the sawing blade is driven further, the machine speeds up at the back and towards the user, so it ‘kicks’ back. The consequences can be threefold: Your guide rail gets broken, the saw plane on your product is wrong, and you can even pick up a hand injury. Admit it, you can hardly call an automatic kickback prevention system a luxury nowadays.’