909 (Nine Zero Nine) is soon coming out with a new 12V drill/driver that they say is the world’s most advanced design. The new TOUCH drill does away with the electro-mechanical switch found in most modern cordless drills, and replaces it with touch-sensitive controls.
To activate the drill/driver in its forward direction, squeeze the grip with your index finger. For the reverse direction, squeeze the grip with your middle finger.
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In the Touch drill’s Indiegogo campaign, it says that the tool’s touch-based trigger switch was engineered using a quantum physics-based solution.
A test sample of the 909 came in last night, and it does seem to be quite innovative. I wouldn’t say that the pressure, capacitive, or resistive switch – whatever it is – is a quantum mechanics solution, but the verdict is up in the air until I dissect the tool or learn more from the Touch drill’s inventor.
The drill/driver is compact, lightweight, and seems to be built with plenty of power. Its unconventional trigger takes a bit of time to get used to, but does feel more intuitive with each use. I have a feeling that the reverse switch will take me a little more time to get the hang of.
The Touch drill also features a side-positioned gearbox speed range switch for easier one-hand mode selection. I don’t see as much benefit in this as with the unique trigger controls, but I don’t see a downside either.
The Touch drill seems to be very well designed and well built, and I look forward to spending some more time putting it through a battery of performance tests.
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A 12V Max 4.0Ah battery, compact universal charger, and full complement of bells and whistles round out the package.
A Touch impact driver is also available, and while a sample is sitting here on my test bench for a couple of hours now, I haven’t yet taken it out of the box.
The tool’s inventor is seeking to raise funds via the indiegogo fund raising platform. If you want to get your hands on a first-run Touch drill/driver or impact driver kit, you’ll have to make a $199 pledge. A combo kit and 20V brushless impact driver are also available.
Buy Now(via Indiegogo)
While I would love to give the Touch drill a glowing First Impression review, the fact is I need more time to make up my mind. My intent for this Review in Progress post is to draw out any questions or concerns you might have while testing is still underway.
Speed control sensitivity is one aspect I am looking at closely, but there might be other considerations that are not quite as obvious to me.
Not every unique and innovative tool design is going to be the spearhead for industry-wide changes. Dewalt’s gyroscopic screwdriver (recently reviewed here) is an excellent example of this. As well engineered as the new Dewalt driver might be, I don’t think it has the potential to be game changing.
Similarly, although I am quite impressed and optimistic about the new line of 909 Touch power tools, I am somewhat hesitant that new and different will equate to better.
In the meantime, please let me know if you have any thoughts, questions, or concerns about the new Touch drill and driver. And if you think it’s something you would like to own, the Indiegogo campaign will be live for another 4-1/2 weeks, with product estimated to ship out in November 2013.
SteveR
I suspect we’ll all have to try this new configuration for ourselves. I tried to simulate it with my DeWalt DCD785, but it only has the one trigger switch. If I try to simulate the change from index to middle finger, it falls apart; you have to switch your hand upward slightly, and the ergonomics of the handle (as designed) no longer work right. One trouble point is the small trigger button you have to hold in; this may cause numbness or other issues compared to a large, broader trigger switch (think “point loading”). Also, a regular trigger switch gives you control over the speed of the drill, from barely running to fast; this switch doesn’t appear to give you that “gas pedal” control; am I missing something?
The video declares you get 4 times the runtime and 3 times the power, but doesn’t explain how, or what that’s compared to. A little help, here?
My other concern would be with the size of the battery; it looks too square (and small) to support the drill upright when you set it down. Looking at it again, it appears that it might fall over. Some won’t care if you have to lay it down; others want their drill to stand upright (because of space limitations where they’re working, or convenience in picking it up again).
I assume this design is brushless, so that would be a good thing; it does use lithium battery technology as well. It sounds like it comes with just one battery; two would be better (you may develop a defective battery or have just dropped it, and then where are you?). What’s the charging time on it? I look forward to your review, but I’d also like to hear what contractors have to say about it. Using a product all day long tends to identifiy good aspects as well as problem areas more rapidly.
Javier
I seen this the other day on its website. Seems interesting. The handle and battery design seem like they were borrowed from dewalt which looks comfortable. I am eager to read your review to see if their claims about a much stronger and longer run time it has over current 12v drills is true. With such claims I thought maybe it was brushless, who knows it could be but it didn’t say on the site. Also no torque specs were found on the site for either the drill or impact. I also wonder how long the drill is.
skfarmer
who or what is 9 0 9 and where did they come from? a new brand on me………
Stuart
909’s USA market penetration has been shallow, but the same Australia-based parent company produces a bunch of mid-level power tools under/for various brands.
The company is not a fly-by-night operation. The i-drill from a few years back is one of the products designed and produced by the same team.
Dennis
I have been waiting for a quantum physics-based drilling solution. That way when I find myself leaping through time trying to put right what once went wrong, I can bring a drill with me. That should prove usefull.
Corey
Captain Jack Harkness: Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks, “Ooh, this could be a little more sonic”?
The Doctor: What, you’ve never been bored?
jesse
Just imagine going back in time and seeing that hole you mistakenly drilled gradually being filled in with sawdust until the workpiece appears as it was before the drilling began. DIYers’ dream come true.
RKA
For me the question is how well can you modulate speed and torque. And this is entirely subjective. Most drills and impact drivers have a hair trigger that goes from 0 to 60 in a flash. For drilling that’s fine, although there are cases when I’m trying to limit the speed, such as drilling tile where I don’t want to overheat the bit. For screwing I almost always use the power tool to run the screw down, and finish by hand so I don’t inadvertently strip something. With a little concentration I can get it to within 75% of the torque I want, but again, I’ll finish the job with a regular screwdriver.
fred
I wish the inventor well but I suspect that this is a hard market to break in to.
In the days when portable power tools all came with a cord or air-hose – one could imagine an independent inventor of the “better mousetrap” going it alone” while establishing a modest market for their new tool and/or ultimately selling their IP to one of the bigger brands. With cordless tools – it seems better to buy into a lineup that gives you enough different tools for your needs – all using the same platform of batteries and chargers. Some years ago, one of my guys asked that we buy a Panasonic cordless drill based on his positive experience with one. I explained why we were buying Makita 18V and Milwaukee 12V Li Ion tools and why buying one-offs (except where there were no other equivalent tools – e.g. a cordless rebar cutter) were generally not something we wanted to do.
jay k.
I’m really looking forward to the review… 12volt is by far my favorite platform. It just seems that if this was such a game changer, the bigger names would have something similar already, all my life I had a ‘normal trigger’ control, why has it not changed sooner? (Just an opinion)
matt
I dont think I would want my selector switch for the gear box on the side.. Drills spend most of their time thrown on to the side. Seems like it would get banged up much more then on the top. If I only had one hand I could see the need for moving that switch but most of the time if I need to change gears using my other hand is not a issue(Actually I can never ever think of a time I was troubled by a 2 handed gear change).
I was never real happy with the half inch impacts that had the rocker switch for Forward/Reverse action. this setup seems the same. They work but felt awkward and are easier to run in wrong direction.
Dan
Just a guess, but if they’re using a “quantum based solution” it’s probably QTC/Quantum Tunneling Composite. It’s inexpensive enough to be used in flashlight variable output switches, it would make perfect sense in this application, though I’m not sure how it would hold up to the currents in a power tool.
Iron-Iceberg
I have use the Milwakee corded impact with the rocker switch. I HATED it. Too easy to bump it the wrong way.
The normal fwd. rev. switch above the trigger works great. Why reinvent the wheel?
Innovation for innovation sake.
Sam
By a ‘Quantum Mechanics based solution’ they probably mean that they have made the switch using a material called QTC (Quantum Tunneling Composite). Basically, the more pressure you exert on it, the less resistance it has, so the harder you press it, the more electricity it lets through. It is effectively a pressure switch with an infinite number of different speeds. I imagine it has been implemented with a separate on/off pressure switch (so one lets it start, the other controls the speed with infinite precision). Overall, a pretty cool idea, and one that could work really well.
Mike
Maybe it’s just me but I use my middle finger often as my trigger finger. I think it helps getting my hand and force more centered with the drill. I think if you want to reinvent and break thru the drill driver market you need something new. Maybe a driver that is more like a palm nailer or something. So many people have a problems keeping the drill in line with the screw with holding it traditionally.
Greengineer
That battery looks suspiciously like a DeWalt pack…so does the tool foot interface. hmmmmmm Seems less creative than they claim to be
Bob
I disagreeabout the Dewalt gyroscopic screwdrivers. After using both variants of the gyros, I have to say…I won’t ever be going back. Once you use them, I think you’ll agree, they are game changing. They are quite intuitive. So, I guess the new touch trigger may be the way of the future. But, I do agree, not every invention is innovation.