BOSCH GSB18V-1330CB14 PROFACTOR™ 18V Connected-Ready 1/2 In. Hammer Drill/Driver Kit with (1) CORE18V® 8 Ah High Power Battery

Underrated Brand, you get a lot of bang for your dollar. Love the ergonomics of all their hand tools, all day hand comfort in comparison to other big brands. The build quality is excellent, as it comes with a metal chuck... thank you, hate the plastic ones. Battery life is great, 8 Ah lasted me most of the day doing various work. Charge time from nearly empty to full was just over an hour at about 1' 15" . The kickback sensor feature is pretty sweet, well done, this drill is a beast, it has the ability to produce some real torque and speed. Hammer drill was interesting, drilled 3/16" 2" deep pilot holes into foundation slab, took about 2 min each. Bricks and other masonry no problem, concrete slab ehhh probably better tools out there for the job but still doable at the cost of time and patience. Overall great drill that looks and feels to last a decade+ like my previous Bosch Drill.

I was installing a new gate with the latch that drops downward into the ground, and I needed to drill a 1" hole in concrete. Burned out my corded, 4 amp drill, which was fine for small concrete anchors in cinderblocks, but not for a 1" hole in concrete retaining wall blocks. You need a hammer drill for that. Happily, this guy got the job done, and was forever dubbed, "Drilliam Hammersmith."

The best hammer drill on this category

Lo que más me gusto, es la robustez del producto.

Oulet

Received in an oversized box that had no packing to protect the tool from rough handling. So, initially I thought the Bosch Tool Box was out of shape from a rough ride in transit. Well, the more I looked at it…I could tell it had been opened before. Opened the box to find there was “NO Extended Handle” inside. And the Battery was already installed on the tool. That’s a first…anyways, this supposedly Brand New Tool is believed to be Refurbished! So I’m sending it back as is…as it’s missing essential part.

TL;DR: The drill works great and has plenty of power behind it but is let down by the chuck. I've now used it in masonry, wood, and metal projects and the power of the drill was more than adequate for the job. I used the Irwin Speedbor auger bits to drill 1-1/8" holes through some old, tough, wooden joists to run some wiring and it ripped through them without hesitation. I also had to widen some holes in some heavy duty shelving where manufacturing had slightly undersized some of the 1/2" holes for the casters. I would estimate that at most I was widening the hole by 1/16". Fortunately I had some brand new, very sharp, and very high quality M35 (5% Cobalt), straight shank, 1/2" bits. I put one in and tightened it down. The moment it began to cut into the metal, the bit froze and the chuck started spinning on the shank of the drill bits. At that point, I thought I hadn't tightened it enough, so I really cranked down on the chuck to make sure it was firmly in place, and the same thing happened, with the bit spinning over the surface of the drill bits. I eventually dug around and found a cheap set of bits that had a 1/2" twist drill with a 3/8" shank that also had a flat ground into it. That went through the metal without even blinking. I'm extremely disappointed by the holding power of the chuck. Given the drill had more than enough power to go through the metal, it's highly disappointing that the chuck couldn't properly grip the shaft of the bit. This may only be a problem in larger diameters (I haven't had problems with smaller bits), but that's when you really need the best grip. Being able to hold up to 13mm was one of the major reasons for buying this drill too. Regrettably this appears to be a great drill being held back by a chuck not built to the same quality.

I'm back to attempt another review. Pictures show two old school corded 1/2" drills, a DeWalt cordless hammer drill (1/2" chuck, not a brushless motor), and the Bosch with all the latest advancements in rechargeable battery technology. Note the much greater leverage in the Bosch other-hand grip. The torque this drill can apply to a job really is comparable to the low RPM corded drills and far exceeds what the early DeWalt cordless can generate. I show the Bosch handle to point out how much it can be loosened for ease of installation, which is a two-handed procedure. The battery pack photo is shown to point out that the release button, which on most batteries is pressed down, while this release is horizontal, parallel with the base of the battery. The battery charger is heavy duty and even has a cooling fan, which came on for the initial battery charging, which took at least an hour. The battery was shipped installed, with just one power level light displayed when checked. That would be the first thing to address. For an 8 Ah battery this is quite compact and light weight. Very impressive. There is an available upgrade that I cannot speak to because I don't have a smartphone. This allows for a smartphone interface, which might be useful for those who are more up to speed than I am. The ability to set drilling angles is an intriguing feature. I'd have been content with vertical, horizontal, and any setting in between. Instruction manuals are complete and easy to follow. Probably the only thing a pro might want would be a second battery. Three-year warranty is worth setting up. As long as electrical power is available, I'll be using my corded drills for mixing up three-gallon batches of mortar, separated sheet rock mud, and five-gallon buckets of paint. If needed, the Bosch can do these things and more. It's not an impact driver, but the available torque justifies the nice little impact driver bits provided. For relatively light duty drilling and fastening, I think I will suggest using the torque setting clutch. Just to keep this beast under control. Don't ask for more power than needed. I'm very happy with this product. Highly recommended for those who need these capabilities.