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The batteries are 2.4 amp hour NiCds. Festool does offer NiMH at a significantly higher price as an accessory but I have not found a TDK version which comes with the NiMH instead of the NiCd.

Note the different keying of the batteries so you can't put the wrong one on your drill.

A search of the internet revealed that at least for the 12 volt version, it is one of the highest capacity drills available. More on battery life in the test section though it is difficult to determine how well the battery will last since it's so user dependent. Prior to some torque tests I used the drills for a month without ever charging them. But I wasn't building anything which required lots of drilling or screwing.

The charger is is rated to charge your battery in about 45 minutes. It's a smart charger knowing when your battery is fully charged and doing so while keeping it at a safe current and temperature. The same charger will charge any of the TDK batteries. You can also leave your battery in a plugged in charger indefinitely as the charger will keep the battery ready for use. There is a warning however that a discharged battery which is left in an unplugged charger will be damaged after 30 days from deep discharging.

Another nice feature of the charger is that it has mounting holes which allow it to be wall mounted.

Some other Features:

Batteries slide on and off by squeezing the green buttons. This is really effortless. I did find that I was always trying to pull the battery out rather than slide it off...the older I get the longer it takes me to adjust for change.
The TDK batteries also have a self cleaning contact feature. As you slide the battery in the contacts make via a spade-like connection. This sliding of the spade end into the female causes abrasion which keeps the contacts clean.

The TDK boasts a magnetic bit holder. It can securely hold up to 4 of the small bits pictured at right and a little less securely some of the CENTROTEC bits. If you were drilling some pilot holes you can see that the Phillips bit in the far right photo can be stored but it will be a little awkward. I think that the bit storage was designed into the TDK before the arrival of CENTROTEC.

The trigger and forward/lock/reverse button are pictured at left. Nothing much to say about them except that the reversing button isn't marked so you'll have to figure it out for yourself ;). At right is the clutch and gear selector. There are 19 clutch settings in each speed range. At first I wondered what I would want so many but I've since found it nice to dial in exactly what I need for the specific task. Ergonomically the clutch is great to work with as you adjust it with your thumb. A bit easier to operate than the ring type. The gear selector is not as nice to work with (neither is my Bosch's). It requires firm thumb pressure to change gears. Like all drills I've ever used you can only change gears while the drill is stopped. I think that changing gears with cold fingers might be a challenge. I don't know if this can be solved short of a large button which protrudes, and that would mess with the overall size of the drill.


Brush covers make changing brushes easy.

...and a little human factors discussion.

I think the balance on these drills is excellent. The red mark in the photo at right marks where my very unscientific testing places the center of gravity.

All the buttons are in the right place and are very easy to reach. As I mentioned above you can even change the clutch torque setting with the one hand.

No matter which chuck you use, changing bits is a two handed operation, one to operate the chuck and one to insert the bit. The one-handed FastFix chuck feature is important not because it only takes one hand, but because you dont have to grab that little collar while your tightening the bit, and because of that I think you get more torque on the chuck while tightening.

As I said earlier the drills feel heavy. At 4.4 lbs. for the 12v it really isn't but if you're used to the home owner quality drills this is going to feel heavy. An internet sweep revealed that the TDK weights are in line with the other quality drills. What is deceiving with the TDK is that you get a very heavy duty drill in a compact form factor. I don't know of another manufacturer which sells a drill this small that is still made for heavy duty.

The grip may be just a little narrow for my liking. I don't have big hands and I find the grip bordering on too small. The grip does have a non slip padding on it which helps but I think it needs to be a bit wider (thicker).
Here's one last size comparison pic before we get into use and testing.

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