For those of you with Festool and other brand cordless tools ... do you buy Centrotec bits or an adapter so you use all your existing 1/4” bits?

Both. Whatever I need. Or come across.

But take Festool. The RAS is no longer produced and NO ONE ELSE has respective product like it on the market. This means "Festool not succeed means I cannot buy the tool at all". So naturally, I would care for that not happening.

I would not care for a mass market product like that - as there is no risk I will no longer be able to buy a casual power drill regardless if Milwaukee went out of business. Most likely I would not be able to buy "CXS analogue" if Festool stopped making it. A fundamentally different scenario.

So I agree with you, but this is also something that varies by country.  In the US, you basically have the mass market tools, and then a niche of Festool, and a niche in the niche of Mafell.  All the Festool stuff is already hard to get/niche/not available here to start.  Tools that were offered, just go away (folks could create a long list), or just were never offered.  So with that, buying anything Festool becomes a questionable move, as you don't know when the rug will be pulled out.  Like you say, if something goes away, and you just go to another brand, then not a big deal, but here, Festool can be the only brand with a tool of a type out there.  Buying anything Festool is a risk.  In Europe, there is basically no risk of the tool just going away regionally there, but still be around elsewhere (CMS being the only real strange story). And if a tool goes away, you have such a large install base of Festool stuff, you're not left with a freak tool. And then you have manufactures of similar stuff to Festool, which either don't exist here, or they sell just a tiny portion of their stuff here.  Batteries will always make things harder.  The good news it the tool is now global verses corded, the bad news is you have a battery system, so tossing it for something else is never fun.   For those who use their tools every day (professionals), regular battery/tool replacement might just be normal. But for those who are hobbiest, it becomes a bigger issue.   You see in the US where Milwaukee, dewalt have branched out to things like yard tools and everything else one can think of, so folks can maximize battery usage of those systems.

I’ve never understood the desire for the Festool cordless drill/drivers ... is it brand loyalty, same batteries as the cordless circular saw, actually better quality/ergonomics??

For me it is because of better quality and ergonomics.  I make no claim to quantify.  I own drills and drivers from DeWalt, Milwaukee and Festool. My Milwaukee Surge is my daily workhorse.  Although I own 2 CSX's my go to light drill is my Milwaukee 4 in 1, followed closely by my CSX.  For cabinet assembly I choose the CSX.  For heavy drilling, my Festool PDC 18, no question. 

The Festool drills just feel better in my hands.  I want to own tools I enjoy using.  Adding new battery platforms is not a real concern for me.

Given that these tools will last MANY years, price is not an overriding factor.  If it were price alone it be at Harbor Freight.

Like others have said; no need to hate, just don't buy.  I don't hate Makita but I don't own any either.  I came close to buying their cordless router several times and still might buy one (after all it comes in a Systainer!)

For those of you with Festool and other brand cordless tools ... do you buy Centrotec bits or an adapter so you use all your existing 1/4” bits?

My CSX came with a magnetic 1/4" adapter. But I spent probably $200 picking up Centrotec bits from Festool and Snappy. Maybe a little more than that actually... The Snappy sets are good kit, imo. The drill set is perfectly fine, if Imperial. And the countersinks and center (Vix) bits are serviceable. On top of that I've tried to get only the bits I'm using regularly - Phillips and Pozi 2&3s, 1&2 Robertsons, a few Torx. Lately I've been doing a lot of door and cabinet hardware and it's been great moving from job to job with just the CSX and the few five or six bits I need.     

I like the CXS, does everything it should and is super comfortable to use. I think the battery situation is a bit weird, but doesn't worry me that much. Great drill/driver for cabinet work, door hardware etc.
My go to cordless platform is Fein - build quality is superb, batteries are fantastic. They don't have a huge range, but cover enough to keep me happy.
One platform will never be enough. I currently run - Fein, Festool, Hikoki and Mafell.
If I had Festool saws, instead of Mafell, I'd probably use their drills as well.

I just got a T18 Easy kit through the recon sale only for the batteries (@DynaGlide, isn't that the cheapest kit for the batteries).

My plan was to sell the drill maybe for $120 and keep the batteries. Would have been a cheap way to get two 4Ah batteries with bluetooth. Now that I have the drill, it's so much nicer than my Milwaukee M18 brushless (not the FUEL). The first thing I noticed was how quiet it is. The Milwaukee is super loud for a drill compared to the T18. Big difference for me. Second, the electronic torque setting through the dial in the back is much more precise. I also really like that there is a separate switch for drilling versus driving so you can leave the torque setting untouched when switching. Third, the overall feel is certainly better but I wouldn't have kept the T18 just for that.

My 2 cents from someone with a small collection of drills.

I just picked up the TID 18 set. Not because I particularly wanted the TID 18 but because it was the cheapest path to getting into the 18V batteries for the Vecturo. It's a nice enough impact, feels good in the hand. Had I not needed the 18V batteries, I would've gotten a Milwaukee Surge instead.

@DynaGlide I am following that same thought process.  I have the Vecturo coming this week and I wanted another drill with same battery config.  I still don't know enough about the features of each drill.  The only for sure thing is I don't need a noisy hammer drill.  Can you tell me which T18 set you got?  I also saw the T 18 E but I don't know what the E stands for.  I do have simple drilling needs, nothing special but this set below looks to be a good choice for me.

Festool 576494 Screw&drill Set TID18 HPC 4,0I-Set T18

I just got a T18 Easy kit through the recon sale only for the batteries (@DynaGlide, isn't that the cheapest kit for the batteries).

My plan was to sell the drill maybe for $120 and keep the batteries. Would have been a cheap way to get two 4Ah batteries with bluetooth. Now that I have the drill, it's so much nicer than my Milwaukee M18 brushless (not the FUEL). The first thing I noticed was how quiet it is. The Milwaukee is super loud for a drill compared to the T18. Big difference for me. Second, the electronic torque setting through the dial in the back is much more precise. I also really like that there is a separate switch for drilling versus driving so you can leave the torque setting untouched when switching. Third, the overall feel is certainly better but I wouldn't have kept the T18 just for that.

My 2 cents from someone with a small collection of drills.

I'd be interested in that drill if you sell it.

I just got a T18 Easy kit through the recon sale only for the batteries

@Josh2 Hey Josh, on that T18 E, can you tell me if this model has a clutch? 

I am tempted to keep it but will DM if I change my mind over the next 3 days.

Quote from: Josh2 on February 17, 2021, 08:52 AM

I just got a T18 Easy kit through the recon sale only for the batteries (@DynaGlide, isn't that the cheapest kit for the batteries).

My plan was to sell the drill maybe for $120 and keep the batteries. Would have been a cheap way to get two 4Ah batteries with bluetooth. Now that I have the drill, it's so much nicer than my Milwaukee M18 brushless (not the FUEL). The first thing I noticed was how quiet it is. The Milwaukee is super loud for a drill compared to the T18. Big difference for me. Second, the electronic torque setting through the dial in the back is much more precise. I also really like that there is a separate switch for drilling versus driving so you can leave the torque setting untouched when switching. Third, the overall feel is certainly better but I wouldn't have kept the T18 just for that.

My 2 cents from someone with a small collection of drills.

I'd be interested in that drill if you sell it.

Yes, the T18 E has that functionality. What you are talking is the drill clutch to control the torque. On most drills, it's behind the chuck in the front of the drill. On the T18 it's a small dial on the back of the drill and is arguably (more precise, you can switch between drilling and driving without changing the setting).

Maybe there is T18 E left on the recon sales, which would bring the price down to about $240 but reduce warranty to 1 year.

Quote from: Josh2 on February 17, 2021, 01:26 PM

It has the dial in the back for electronic torque control (not sure if you still call it clutch). No traditional clutch in the front. I think that is the same as the standard T18+3. Does that answer your question?

Thanks Josh.  I have to admit my lack of skill in this area (most areas I am finding out...).  I don't know if clutch is the proper term but what I am looking for is the function to change a dial so that when the screw gets so far down (flush preferable), it stops driving it anymore and makes different noise.

I hope the T 18 E has this because for $300 I get 2 more batteries and, essentially, another drill and systainer for $60 since the batteries list at $120 a piece.  But even if it doesn't, I still have plenty of drills that do.

Quote from: Josh2 on February 17, 2021, 01:26 PM

It has the dial in the back for electronic torque control (not sure if you still call it clutch). No traditional clutch in the front. I think that is the same as the standard T18+3. Does that answer your question?

Thanks Josh.  I have to admit my lack of skill in this area (most areas I am finding out...).  I don't know if clutch is the proper term but what I am looking for is the function to change a dial so that when the screw gets so far down (flush preferable), it stops driving it anymore and makes different noise.

I hope the T 18 E has this because for $300 I get 2 more batteries and, essentially, another drill and systainer for $60 since the batteries list at $120 a piece.  But even if it doesn't, I still have plenty of drills that do.

Get the T18.
Scratch this.
Just checked the US prices. The  T18E Plus option is very much a "tool for free" scenario. Impossible to argue against that.

original:
Not for Centrotec per se. But for getting 2 QUICK-change chucks. One for screw bits, Jacobs for drill bits. This alone is well worth the price difference.

You may decide to expand on that or not. But it is well worth the price difference between 18e and "18 proper". Worst case, you can still sell it along ...

I ordered the T 18 E yesterday and found the Festool Live video that was specifically for this drill.  Answered a lot of questions, glad I found it.

Are there any tips/sets you recommend I pickup for it?

Make sure you have the higher 2.6 Ah battery as the original 1.5 Ah battery goes away pretty quickly.

Unless somebody opened the batteries I've two 2.6 batteries.  Thanks!