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Thoughts on Bosch 18v -and red


seawalker

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I'm a fan of Bosch and we all know they make great tools, and I was really excited about their hybrid brushless impact driver which I waited a long time to trickle over from Europe. But I feel the need to lament here and am debating on switching.

frankly, im not sure I love the IDH182 that much because it is big for an impact driver or even a impact wrench compared to Milwaukee stuff. The handle is slim but the body is bulky and heavy. As far as the the 1/2 chuck I THINK it does transfer a bit more torque from what Testing I've done on my car. But you can not use any 3/8ths adapter or it will loose too much torque. But I do think that with 1/2 impact sockets it does perform well for car stuff.

Second, they just are not updating their 18v line here in the states. The sawzaw is still a 2 speed model! Their flexi click drill looks cool but who knows if it's coming here to the U.S.

I suppose I'm getting red envy or possibly yellow when Dewalt releases their new compact brushless line. And especially taking advantage of Home Depots Black Friday deal on gen2.

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Welcome to the forum Seawalker! So in heavily invested in the Bosch line and have a couple of M12 tools. Great products. I'm hearing Dewalt is going to increase their brushless line up and I am increasing my stock of Makita tools too but what your asking will more likely than not cause world war 4 so in a nutshell.....everything pales in comparison to Festool. :P

But seriously...you can't really go wrong with either line but my tools in the Milwaukee line are limited because they don't offer quite the variety that Bosch does when I try comes to woodworking. Or Makita too.....or Dewalt too..... But Milwaukee makes some phenomenal tools and they are generally speaking releasing new tools constantly.

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Sooner or later all makers will expand their brushless offerings. It's really just a matter of time. If you use lithium batteries you already have electronics controlling the battery so it's a small step to add controllers for the brushless motors etc. It is weird when you see great tools in one market and not another but they must think they won't sell if they don't bring a tool from one market to another...

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I'm a fan of Bosch and we all know they make great tools, and I was really excited about their hybrid brushless impact driver which I waited a long time to trickle over from Europe. But I feel the need to lament here and am debating on switching.

frankly, im not sure I love the IDH182 that much because it is big for an impact driver or even a impact wrench compared to Milwaukee stuff. The handle is slim but the body is bulky and heavy. As far as the the 1/2 chuck I THINK it does transfer a bit more torque from what Testing I've done on my car. But you can not use any 3/8ths adapter or it will loose too much torque. But I do think that with 1/2 impact sockets it does perform well for car stuff.

Second, they just are not updating their 18v line here in the states. The sawzaw is still a 2 speed model! Their flexi click drill looks cool but who knows if it's coming here to the U.S.

I suppose I'm getting red envy or possibly yellow when Dewalt releases their new compact brushless line. And especially taking advantage of Home Depots Black Friday deal on gen2.

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Whether you go red or yellow at HD when you buy the kit you get 150 towards abate tools, they have the fuel circ saw for 199 so you could pick up the gen 2 kit with circ for 450.

Jimbo

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I've got Bosch and Milwaukee. Nothing wrong with two! 

 

The Bosch multi-tool (in particular) and jigsaw will be a downgrade in going to Red. Most other tools would be an upgrade, though i still love the BL hybrid. What people don't realise on the bosch impacts is how quiet they are.

 

I think the main reasons to change / compliment with Red would be FUEL recip, hammer drill, grinder, circ saw, big SDS and HT Wrench (in roughly that order). I think the recip is the only rubbish tool in Bosch's line (though I haven't used it).

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The more I use my Bosch impact, the more I like not only the tool itself (although the speed button really needs work) but the case is phenomenally handy on a job site. For my hands, it's the perfect size and weight. If you're looking for even more power, maybe you need to go with a dedicated 3/8-inch impact wrench?

 

I've tried a few reciprocal saws from different brands including DeWalt, Hilti, and Metabo, and while some are faster than a Milwaukee, none that I tried worked as smoothly or as quietly, so regardless what other tools I own I will probably always be using a Milwaukee sawzall.

 

So at the end of the day, I will always be a supporter of mix and match tool sets. Buy what works best for each tool and screw brand loyalty.

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The only problem is people are brand loyal only because of the cost of jumping into a new battery platform :(

 

But that's not 'brand loyalty', just a sensible economic decision. They loyalty comes when you feel the need to defend the brands honor because you spent money on it.

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I think a conscious effort to use a battery platform because they have the tools you need/want is fine. The "lock-in" to a specific brand due to batteries is a little overstated though when all the tool makers have kits with batteries included that can get you on the battery platform pretty cheap....

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i love my bosch tools and am looking to expand mine. I get that new tools come out all the time but that doesnt render that other tool obsolete. The tool worked great before but when that new tool comes out it is automatically junk. I am currently looking at the bosch cordless recip saw myself. I am looking to replace my craftsman 18v recip saw. That saw is old and I guarantee I did not use it to its full potential and I probably wont with the new one either. I think people look to hard into numbers and specs. Look at Jay bates recent vid on his second channel where he is doing tool talk. He builds amazing items with ryobi products. Are they the best? no but it has a lot to do with the person behind the tool. 

 

Don't get me wrong, if you have the means and just want a new "better" tool, go for it. I play pool a lot. I could buy a $100 cue and play just as well as my custom cue. But I have the custom cue and play with it because I wanted it. 

 

All I'm saying is stats are not everything. I have a microwave with twenty buttons and they do not all get used. 

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The only problem is people are brand loyal only because of the cost of jumping into a new battery platform :(

Jason, I don't think that's the main driving factor for most brand-loyals. It's in all of us to gravitate towards a sense of security and buying into a brand that we know or feel comfortable with satisfies that need regardless of the performance of individual tools from that brand. To buy the best tool for each job takes a lot more effort and will put you into unknown territory and intensify the feeling of risk. 

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Well to reiterate what Dwain said, I've got the MXH multi tool and it is absolutely phenomenal! Plus the new batteries they just introduced, the 6.0 and the wireless 4.0 is a real nice thing. I've got so many different platforms in my shop it's scary but everybody brings something to my shop. Even Ryobi, that air strike Brad is awesome! No increasing my Makita line again with some phenomenal tools, it's pure chaos down there!!! I agree with Jason and Petros too, battery line plus psyche!!! This post is fun to read!

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Oh and my Bosch IDH182 brushless impact with wireless set up? Absolutely awesome machine. Grip is fantastic, super powerful, not overly load, extremely compact. My only gripe is the 1/4" shank....you need to use long bits or a bit holder or the short bits get stuck in the 1/2" shank! Fantastic tool though.

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I like the Milwaukee chuck, grip and where the light is better than the Bosch...luckily with either, you can't really go wrong. I am not positive but I don't think Bosch has a battery power indicator, which would kinda suck. What Bosch has that is by far superior than everyone else is their quick change, I use it on my Milwaukee drill and I couldn't be happier. It barely wobbles(All other quick change wobbles, I'm talking with 6" bits for wobble testing sake) and it's one handed operation, you don't have to pull and hold to release the bit.

 

This is the "Click-Change" quick change:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004R9LC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

 

BTW, don't buy this kit now. It's $19.47, it's been going up and down in price. Lowest I've seen is $13, it was steady at $15 for the past week until I guess today.

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I like the Milwaukee chuck, grip and where the light is better than the Bosch...luckily with either, you can't really go wrong. I am not positive but I don't think Bosch has a battery power indicator, which would kinda suck. What Bosch has that is by far superior than everyone else is their quick change, I use it on my Milwaukee drill and I couldn't be happier. It barely wobbles(All other quick change wobbles, I'm talking with 6" bits for wobble testing sake) and it's one handed operation, you don't have to pull and hold to release the bit.

This is the "Click-Change" quick change:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004R9LC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

BTW, don't buy this kit now. It's $19.47, it's been going up and down in price. Lowest I've seen is $13, it was steady at $15 for the past week until I guess today.

Bosch batteries have power indicators. Makita is just now putting indicators on their batteries.

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I like the Milwaukee chuck, grip and where the light is better than the Bosch...luckily with either, you can't really go wrong. I am not positive but I don't think Bosch has a battery power indicator, which would kinda suck. What Bosch has that is by far superior than everyone else is their quick change, I use it on my Milwaukee drill and I couldn't be happier. It barely wobbles(All other quick change wobbles, I'm talking with 6" bits for wobble testing sake) and it's one handed operation, you don't have to pull and hold to release the bit.

 

This is the "Click-Change" quick change:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004R9LC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

 

BTW, don't buy this kit now. It's $19.47, it's been going up and down in price. Lowest I've seen is $13, it was steady at $15 for the past week until I guess today.

All the 18v batteries have indicators. The 12v tools have the indicators on the tool just like Milwaukee. The lights on the IDH182 are on a ring around the chuck and are actually quite good. I'm assuming you mean that older impact (brushed) which has the light in the standard location?

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It's hard not to drink the marketing KoolAid.

Every month there are new features and models, it's overwhelming.

I switched everything from Makita to Milwaukee. Milwaukee had so many more tools than Makita and I assumed Fuel would be life changing. Sure there were some cool features, but I actually missed the Makita stuff.

At the end of the day, they all get the job done. I currently use Hilti, which probably has the least amount of tools in their lineup. I have never been happier. I don't obsess about what everyone else is doing anymore!

If you keep looking over the fence you will never appreciate what's in your own yard.

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I think a conscious effort to use a battery platform because they have the tools you need/want is fine. The "lock-in" to a specific brand due to batteries is a little overstated though when all the tool makers have kits with batteries included that can get you on the battery platform pretty cheap....

I don't know about that. The best value kits are impact/drill, and that's not likely the two tools you're looking to add.

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