This is a great go to drill for concrete, stone and light structural steel. I haven't used it on anything heaver than a small I beam but it did 1/2" holes just fine with a good bit. This is a good all around replacement for a 3/4" HD drill or even a 1" in some cases. The trigger pull is nice and makes slow starts easy. The side handle is friction fit so it can be anywhere except directly in front of the trigger (you can put it there but it interferes with the trigger and visa versa). This is a viable replacement for a ¾" drive drill (my old Craftsman finally gave out) and it does a better job on concrete and stone. If you are looking for something that does 1" or larger holes this is not it (well occasional 1"); but for more mundane work its just fine. The case is well made and the keyless chuck works just fine. Great warrantee.
Now the down side (not much):
Its large and heavy, not quite as big as my old sears ¾" but weighs a little more with the battery.
Handle all ready mentioned.
The case is well made but not well designed. It only holds a few loose bits (small) and stubby driver bits that need a magnetic bit attachment. Plenty of room for a better arrangement or even provision for one of Bosch's driver bit kits.
Battery life? In my use I can't drill enough in heavy materials any more that the second battery isn't recharged. But this may be an issue in hot environments or if you leave the batteries in direct sun light (I work mostly above 10,000'). A friend who does a lot of engineered stone cabinet work (he's 24 and 6'4" large for his size) wound up buying a 3rd battery but he's happy now.
A couple real nits. There is no index on the clutch, given the overall fit an finish (made in Switzerland not China) it's a surprise. The manual says there is a bit compartment in the handle--a couple of rubber extrusions which can hold a driver bit is not a compartment!
BTW the serial number is on the handle under the battery. Bosch 17618-01 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Brute Tough Litheon Hammer Drill/Driver with 2 Fat Batteries
This is a positive review for Bosch tools. The problems I had are because of my own lack of knowledge. I did a reasonably good search for information; just not quite good enough. That cost me a lot of time, so I decided to write this; because I didn't encounter information, even in Wikipedia, that really enabled me to understand what tool I needed for my application.
My son and I wanted to build a deck together. The location is bounded on two sides by concrete foundation, so we decided to put in about 50 feet of pressure-treated 2x10 for a ledger. This was to be attached to the 30-year-old concrete foundation by 20 or so 1/2-inch anchor bolts drilled in about 3.5 inches. The concrete contains quartzite gravel and also plenty of rebar.
This is the environment into which the Bosch Brute-tough hammer drill with a Bosch carbide SDS+ 1/2-inch bit was placed into service. The drill became inoperative, (I think because of dust contamintation), within two days after drilling only 5 holes. Two days of use but 30+ days of ownership, so the drill couldn't be returned. I called Bosch support and they registered my drill for their 3 year support program that includes 1 year of tool replacement - all for free! The second drill came in about a week, but it too became inoperable within one day after drilling only 2 holes. I called Bosch again and this time asked what I was doing wrong. The support person left me on hold to ask someone else about the problem and upon returning said, "This drill isn't right for your application. You need a rotary hammer." He then sent me a 3rd drill, 2nd day air at Bosch's expense. This third drill is not going near any concrete foundations, needless to say. It is a very powerful chordless drill quite useful for the proper application; like drilling holes in wet pressure-treated lumber or driving half-inch hex head wood screws. I also don't see how Bosch support could be much better. Therefore, I recently bought a factory-Reconditioned Bosch 11224VSR-46 6.9 Amp 7/8-Inch SDS Rotary Hammer for $140.00 from Amazon that I haven't had time yet to receive.
Anyway, this is what is in a name in the American retail market. Brute tough hammer drill, concrete mutilator ultimate destruction drill, girly man fierce hammer drill; they're all the same - drills. Those other words don't legally have any meaning. In the case of the Bosch hammer drill the action is more back-and-forth than really hammering. In contrast, the specs of the 11224VSR rotary hammer address all of the issues that I was having with the 17618; a mechanism to properly break through the concrete at a good rate, a chuck that holds the bit without it slipping and which allows the bit to move freely in an inline hammering motion separate from the chuck, a design that keeps concrete dust out and minimizes vibration, and so on. It's probably not as convenient for drill or driver work compared to the Bosch 17618, but it is appropriate for the concrete work that I need to do. At the time I bought the hammer drill I didn't know what a rotary hammer was.
I'm building a large deck out of 2x treated boards. Am now working on my second 25# box of screws. One battery charge lasts me most of the day putting in these screws. Only caution: this is a heavy drill! But like every Bosch tool I have, it gets the job done.
I use this drill extensively, I have been very pleased with all of its functions. I still have my specialty drills, but it is so nice to not have to unload half my truck to access other tools for 5 minutes of use. It has been a huge timesaver, the amount of torque is very impressive for a battery drill.
Out of the box it had troubles switching between hammer and drill mode and to the last several positions on the clutch. This seemed to go away after I switched it back and forth several times. However, while testing it was switching from drill to hammer mode by itself. Back to the store it goes.
Other thoughts (no stars deducted for these): it is really powerful and heavy. In my opinion somewhat top-heavy because the battery is lighter than expected. It is not really feasible to use it as a screwdriver on a smaller projects. - Hammer Drill - Litheon - Rotary Hammer - Cordless'
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