alright this is actually the first review i've ever written so sorry if it is confusing. But I've been a dewalt man for years and we have seven dewalt cordless drills. Recently I decided to try the new bosch litheon ion drills since they claimed to be the best made. Well this drill did not disapoint! First off this thing is made in switzerland and when you look at it you can tell by the fit and finish. In other words this is very well built and will last for many years. The next thing that I noticed is how smooth this thing is and how well the variable speed trigger works. It is very easy to control how fast your screw goes in where as my dewalts are a lot more touchy. Don't get me wrong I love dewalt and still do but you can't beat the quality and smoothness of this bosch drill. When you pull the trigger it is so quiet that it makes you think that it is not as powerful as the dewalt but in my comparison tests it puts in a screw just as fast! I also like how the light is on the bottom of the drill, that way it proves to be more useful than if it is right below the chuck cause when it is right below the chuck it seems like alot of shadows are cast. Also the handle and grip is more comfortable than my dewalts. Anyways to sum it up this drill is awesome and I would give it a nod over the dewalt, the only thing I would say dewalt would be better at right now is there 18 volt impact driver that you can also buy a chuck for which would turn it into a drill as well. There is nothing out there that will beat dewalts 18volt litheon ion impact driver but I didn't really care to spend the extra 100 dollars that would take to buy it as well as the additional chuck. Bosch 37618-01 18-Volt 1/2-Inch Brute Tough Litheon Drill/Driver with 2-Fat Batteries
I have purchased several of these drills and had to return about 2/3s of them for excessive chuck runout. Basically, this means the drill bit wobbles around an excessive amount. I previously owned a 1995 era Milwaukee that was Made in Germany and even after 15 years and countless drops, it was dead-on.
These drills are labeled as Made in Switzerland which is why I bought them (trying to steer clear of the sea of Made in China tools). Sadly, Bosch does not live up to its name or country of origin with the drill chucks. This has been a problem for years with Bosch drills it seems (Google for PS30 or PS31 -- same problems).
Otherwise, it's an excellent tool. Batteries last a long time and has lots of power. 3" deck screws into sopping wet lumber is no problem. Just check for runout and be ready to return several of them until you get one that does not have the runout problem).
** If you work for Bosch ** -- PLEASE PLEASE send this note to someone who can do something about this problem. These are great tools but hardly lives up to the Bosch name (or German engineering) solely because of persistent check runout problems.
I purchased the bosch 36V drill/driver and wasn't happy. I was expecting more from it. Well this 18V baby delivered. AT 18V's it has more rpm then the 36V (1800 to 1400), more torgue (650 to 600), a metal chuck with 25 position clutch. The 36V has a plastice chuck with 15 position clutch. It's smaller and lighter...there's even a small LED light on it. The best part, other then it's great performance, is that Bosch has a rebate for a free 18V litheon slim pack battery on this model. Get it, you won't be sorry.
I use this drill daily as a professional and have been extremely impressed with its power and finesse. I reluctantly shelled out the dough for this after semi-retiring my Makita 14.4v NiMh drill driver, which had been excellent. Here is a general breakdown of my impressions gained through experience with the tool:
The Good:
1. Powerful! My old Makita would get hot and wheezy when using a 5/8 electrician's wood auger after using it on only one 2x4 stud. My first experience of this Bosch was using an old and dull 3/4 inch butterfly wood bit to bore through eight old 2x4 studs. I expected the drill to work a little bit, but it powered through the wood so fast it was silly- no bogging, no drop in RPM, no effort. I actually checked the wood to make sure it was sound and not full of termites. This tool has the power and torque you would expect from a professional-grade, medium-duty drill/driver, and then some.
2. Smooth - Or maybe you can call this a quality feel: The motor is much quieter than I expected for a drill of this size, and motor is so smooth that it feels precision-balanced. It is so smooth, in fact, that you don't expect it to have the guts that it does.
3. Ergonomics:
- The trigger feel is outstanding and gives you a lot of feel for bringing on the torque- you can easily and progressively take the motor from a slow walk to full blast. I appreciate being able to modulate the power this easily and it really adds to the flexibility of the tool. There are many excellent VSR drills out there, but I've never had one that was so easy to finesse as this one.
- The grip is soft and fits very well in my hand. The weight bias is slanted toward the motor, which is typical, but the fat pack battery creates a balance point right at the trigger, creating a really nice feel and balance. Lighter than some, this is still a heavy drill to be using for hours on end, but the fit and balance really reduce fatigue. It is surprisingly comfortable for its weight.
4. Features - Mostly, this is a list that you would expect from a professional tool in this class and price: Variable speed, two speed motor (control on top), keyless chuck. The chuck does have a nice lock-out feature that keeps the motor from turning while you are tightening the chuck with one hand- nice. The forward/reverse button is easily actuated with thumb and forefinger- my hands are large, but fingers not terribly long. The chuck has 25 clutch positions, and has worked well. One thing I really like is the placement of an LED light at the base of the drill, above the battery- It shines on whatever you are working on without the chuck getting in the way and creating a shadow. It is bright and effective. It has an electric brake that stops the motor cold if you release the trigger quickly- so fast, in fact, that the inertia from the spinning motor noticeably kicks the drill to the side.
5. Warranty - The motor comes with a three year warranty, which is great. If this drill is as reliable as my old Makita, I'll never use it but it's nice to know it is there if the drill or batteries fail.
Wish list:
1. While not lowering the value of the tool, in my opinion, it would be nice to have a rare earth magnet at the base. There are, however, two soft rubber receivers on either side to hold spare bits
Other thoughts:
The battery charger is high-tech and actually has fan that comes on to cool the battery and charging unit. The batteries do charge fast- typically faster than the claimed 30 minute time advertised, in my experience. Unlike my 12v mini-drivers, I've never used up my 18v Litheon batteries before the last one is recharged, and I've tried. Battery life on the fat pack batteries has been excellent, though of course it depends on how hard you are working the tool. This tool is manufactured in Switzerland, just like my watch!
Perhaps a bit pricey for occasional use, this tool has earned it's keep in my daily-use professional toolkit. It is a tough yet precise tool built for rugged professional duty. I recommend it! - Cordless Drills - 18v - Drills - Litheon'
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