Fein ASCM12 Four Speeds = Greate


Independent Review


by Peter Brett


It may seem as though all that the trades want in a cordless drill is endless power and lots of batteries to keep that power constantly on tap. My own experience, and many of the tradespeople I chat to, tells me that there are many fitters of various kinds who don’t need the raw power of 18


or 24volt or whatever, because along with that power comes bulk – and bulk is not great when you are fitting hinges or drawer slides inside a kitchen cabinet, for example. Also, battery Ah is


not necessarily that important either. I have used a small 4Ah cordless combi for several days on a job without having to top up the charge. What a smaller


driver also ought to offer is precision control. Two speeds may be enough on an 18v drill where power is the name of the game, but control and accuracy are required on smaller fitting jobs and this is where a smaller 12v machine can be the answer. Fein is just one of


the manufacturers that has developed a compact 12v drill/driver to service the market. What I looked for when I tested this machine on various site jobs was flexibility, versatility, perfect control, ease of use and particularly quick changes between modes. One minute I may be driving screws, the next, drilling small holes and later, sinking a slot for a cabinet hinge. Later I might need to remove the chuck to drive a screw inside a 300mm wide cabinet. The Fein ASCM12 is part of a range of three


To see a video demonstration with this review, scan the QR code which will take you through to the ToolBUSINESS+HIRE website.


12v drivers and is unique in the sense of having four selectable speeds via a sliding switch on the top of the machine. One of the things I liked about the switch is


that it can be moved so quickly between speed settings that you will use them. In fact the more I used the drill and became used to the speeds needed for different tasks, the easier it became to move the switch. Although the trigger is speed sensitive and it


is possible to hold a slow speed in whatever position has been selected for starting a screw, for example, the trigger very quickly accelerates


to max speed once it is pressed a little harder. Accordingly, the maximum speeds are set as follows, 400, 700, 1,400 and 2,500 rpm, which should allow the user to choose the correct speeds for just about any task and thus retain control. The Fein ASCM12 follows the usual layout of cordless drills these days – motor


along the top casing, T handle and battery pack slid onto the bottom. The “Made in Germany” quality of the tool is evident wherever you look. The carefully placed rubber mouldings that protect the casing and provide the user with a good ergonomic grip, the smoothness of operation of all the controls, and finally the balanced “feel” of the tool in your hand makes it the kind of “go to” favourite tool that trades like in their toolkits. I had occasion


to thank the rubber “bumper” mouldings a couple of times for their protective qualities – while I was using it on site the Fein fell 2m from a conservatory roof onto a brick followed a bit later by a 1m fall off a


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