Bosch Pro 18V 2.0Ah Cordless Combi drill & impact driver

[TRITON]

£125. Seems a good deal. £55 off
https://www.diy.com/departments/bos...ombi-drill-impact-driver/3165140943161_BQ.prd
I'm sitting here wondering if i can afford this next possible, trying to resist, handy thing to have tool. Sent to much recently, and its certainly cheap.

I do funny to think about it, am in need of an impact driver.

 

[mikej460]

They are very useful and for £125 this is a better spec and cheaper than Screwfix Erbauer twin deal Erbauer EID18-Li / ECD18-Li-2 18V 2 x 2.0Ah Li-Ion EXT Brushless Cordless Twin Pack

You may soon find 2Ah doesn't last long enough on larger jobs but you can always upgrade when budget allows

 

[TRITON]

They are very useful and for £125 this is a better spec and cheaper than Screwfix Erbauer twin deal Erbauer EID18-Li / ECD18-Li-2 18V 2 x 2.0Ah Li-Ion EXT Brushless Cordless Twin Pack

You may soon find 2Ah doesn't last long enough on larger jobs but you can always upgrade when budget allows

I've already a Bosch combi. with a couple of 4ah batteries. Sometimes especially around the lighter tasks i wish i didnt have such a brick of a battery to balance in midair. A 2nd gun is vital really(or several) the added smaller batteries and an impact driver, which im likely going to need as i've to put decking in my garden.
Plenty of good reasons if you ask me.

 

[Sideways]

I have been impressed by the newer Bosch core battery packs based on the larger 20700 or 21700 lithium cells. The 4Ah procore packs have a street price around £50 and are much smaller than the old 4Ah batteries. I find the bosch stuff comfortable and decently built so not a bad system to buy into.
If you want a cordless multi tool, it's been announced that Fein will be adopting the Bosch battery platform too later this year.

 

[TRITON]

Interesting about Fein. They're pretty much known for starting the oscillating saw revolution.

The battery in this pic looks very much like the bosch.
https://ffx.co.uk/product/Get/Fein-...8-18V-2X3.0Ah-Multimaster-Multi-Tool-Set-30Pc

 

[niemeyjt]

After 20 or so Bosch tools - both 18v and the older 24v - my advice would be to treat the above as you would a Parkside or other supermarket tool - i.e as a disposable tool to throw when it breaks. I have been waiting over 18 months for Bosch spares - so disposal looks like the Bosch preferred route as well.

*Throw, of course, into WEEE bins.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've already a Bosch combi. with a couple of 4ah batteries. Sometimes especially around the lighter tasks i wish i didnt have such a brick of a battery to balance in midair...

I lent my 2ah drill to a builder doing some work for me - his boss had gone off with his gear in his van - he was used to using 5ah batteries and said how much nicer to use mine was. Sheer grunt and long life are good to have sometimes, but lightness on occasion wins out.

 

[Herr Nilsson]

Sounds like you need and will benefit from a half decent impact driver for your upcoming decking project, whereby the GDR model above looks like it will fit the bill, plus you get a “bonus” combi drill with it! Therefore if you can’t find the same model cheaper, go for it!

However if you’re looking for the accompanying GSD combi drill to be a new king pin in your tool arsenal, then I don’t think that model will fulfill that brief. IMO it is under powered at 55Nm, if you want it to drill holes (max 10mm!) in concrete lintels etc or 30mm+ arbour holes etc (in wood). It will struggle! Also, due to it being a bit bulky, I don’t think it will serve as a decent “electric screwdriver”, if that’s what you need.

Not meaning to be all “my drill is bigger than yours…” but in comparison I have a Milwaukee M18 Fuel (FPD) combi that kicks out 130Nm and has a 13mm chuck. This drill is perfect for drilling in concrete, mixing the odd batch of plaster/tile adhesive or drilling sequential holes through joist. Cannot imagine using something with less than half the torque to do those kind of jobs, but hey, your current drill might already be up to that sort of donkey work.

Also, FWIW, as a non-pro/avid DIYer, I survived several years just fine on 2x 2.0Ah batts. However, I recently bought one of Milwaukee’s ‘High Ouput’ 3.0Ah batts and the extra power was quite noticeable!!

Certainly, having a dedicated drill to make pilot holes and an impact driver to follow up with screws REALLY helps with your work flow. Therefore if you only want to drill 3-4mm pilot holes in the field, then the GSD is going to work just fine.

However, similar to you(?), I’m missing a super lightweight drill .. in my case, for all matters assembly related (Eg, kitchen cabinet construction), as using my combi drill (even with the 2.0Ah batt) is sometimes a bit cumbersome, although it is possible to use the impact driver on speed 1 and a light finger. However, I don’t think the GSB combi drill above is anything to get excited about in that respect.

But if you are thinking now or in the future that you need something a bit more lightweight, then don’t rule out going with a 10.8V/12V option for the impact driver (bought now), as the lower volt units can still pack a decent punch, plus batts are cheaper.

Last bit of food for thought. My mate recently bought his first impact driver (Dewalt DCF887D2) and interestingly Mode 1 (of 3) disengages the impact function, so you can drill in cabinet screws etc without the risk of threading and it is really compact.

…Oh the joy of propriety battery systems !!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have the Milwaukee, an excellent bit of kit. I have the impact driver as well, and the impact can be switched off on that one as well. It's a feature I don't think the budget ones have.

 

[MikeK]

After 20 or so Bosch tools - both 18v and the older 24v - my advice would be to treat the above as you would a Parkside or other supermarket tool - i.e as a disposable tool to throw when it breaks. I have been waiting over 18 months for Bosch spares - so disposal looks like the Bosch preferred route as well.

*Throw, of course, into WEEE bins.

If your experience is with the Bosch green tool line, I agree with you. The green line is consumer grade and should be considered disposable. However, in my experience, the blue line is a higher class of tools and after nearly six years of daily use, I never experienced any mechanical or electrical failures in the blue professional cordless drills, impact drivers, or saws. In about a quarter of the jobs, I was in remote locations without commercial power and the nearest hardware store I could access was thousands of miles away. My tools had to be reliable because while failure was an option, it was a very bad and expensive option.

When I retired, I kept the GSR18VE-2-LI drill, with the all metal quick release chuck, and bought two impact drivers (GDR18V-LI and GDR18V-1800C) for use in my shop. The impact drivers were bare tools without the L-Boxx or battery and shared the same batteries and charger as the drill. The GDR18V-1800C is brushless and has an adjustable impact range, but both are variable speed. I have a Bosch 36V SDS drill for masonry, so had no interest in a combination drill. Buried somewhere in my garage, I think I still have a corded Bosch green combination drill, but it was not very effective at either job.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We need to be careful listening to recommendations based on old tools. I have three Bosch routers and an angle grinder that are probably at least 125 years old between them that have been bullet proof, but from what I've heard about new Bosch stuff (and Makita) there are much better options on the market. We also have to be careful to compare like with like - my Milwaukee is twice the drill my DeWalt was - but it was way more money.

 

[niemeyjt]

If your experience is with the Bosch green tool line, I agree with you. The green line is consumer grade and should be considered disposable. However, in my experience, the blue line is a higher class of tools and after nearly six years of daily use, I never experienced any mechanical or electrical failures in the blue professional cordless drills, impact drivers, or saws. In about a quarter of the jobs, I was in remote locations without commercial power and the nearest hardware store I could access was thousands of miles away. My tools had to be reliable because while failure was an option, it was a very bad and expensive option.

When I retired, I kept the GSR18VE-2-LI drill, with the all metal quick release chuck, and bought two impact drivers (GDR18V-LI and GDR18V-1800C) for use in my shop. The impact drivers were bare tools without the L-Boxx or battery and shared the same batteries and charger as the drill. The GDR18V-1800C is brushless and has an adjustable impact range, but both are variable speed. I have a Bosch 36V SDS drill for masonry, so had no interest in a combination drill. Buried somewhere in my garage, I think I still have a corded Bosch green combination drill, but it was not very effective at either job.

It is blue line parts I am awaiting - I agree about green line.

 

[Jameshow]

https://its.co.uk/pd/DCK211D2T-Dewa...XQ6LP7HNFomPGwoYZwMicSdECYIuQTsaAmfQEALw_wcB#
Not a bad deal either Makita twin pack is £125 at B and q too.

Depending on which system you use.

 

[Mcdemon]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[TRITON]

Picked up one of these from B&Q today, and it was even bought for me :

£125 as advertised and comes with an L-Boxx. Those themselves are 20 quid which brings the price down to 105. The GDR 18v-160 impact driver retails at 90 quid for the bare tool, so you effectively get - The GSB 18v-21, 2x 2ah batteries, and the fast charger for about £15.

I know it doesnt quite work like that, but i was in the market for the impact driver, so inc the extra stuff,L-boxx etc, thats worked out extremely well.