Here are 5 reasons you should buy this Bosch impact-rated screwdriver bit set today.
1: It’s on sale again, for $10. This is the set I bought to try them out. There’s also a 44pc set for $16 which I’ll link to below. This 24pc set yo-yos between $10 and $15 throughout the year, but it’s mostly been $15 (or higher for a time) for the past 6 months.
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2. They’re good quality bits. I haven’t done any A vs. B testing yet, but I’ve been using the bits for some time and so far they’ve been working out well. They seem to last a long time and I haven’t broken any yet.
I still have a couple of assortments, and picked up some bulk packs last holiday season. I use these bits with cordless drills as much as I do with impact drivers. Come to think of it, I don’t buy non-impact screwdriver bits at all anymore, at least not for power tool use.
3. The bit case is reusable. I haven’t fully taken advantage of Bosch’s custom case system, but I do like these cases for holding other bits. While all bit holder cases are reusable, with Bosch’s system you can buy replacement bit sets that pop right in.
The last couple of times I checked, starting off with this bit set was more cost-effective than building your own custom case, although if you piece together a set you do have more control over the bit loadout.
4. The cases are well-built and easy to use. I suppose this ties to reason 3, but in addition to the cases being reusable, they’re actually easy to use. The clear lid seems tough and very impact resistant, but more importantly, the bits are easy to get in and out. You don’t slide the bits in, you pivot them out and then pivot them back in. Bosch engineers somehow solved one of the most frustrating parts of other brands’ bit storage boxes.
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5. You can pocket a whole row of bits if you need to. If you need a couple of bits but don’t want the whole bit box to come with you, take out the entire row and pocket it. I’ve done this with 1″ insert bits and would advise against doing it with 2″ bits, nutdrivers, or drill bits, although you could probably toss a row of larger bits into a tool bag or tote.
Price: $10 for the 24pc set with clear lid, $16 for the 44pc set
Buy Now(Bosch 24pc bit set via Amazon)
See Also(Bosch 44pc bit set via Amazon)
Matthew
I like all of the reasons you laid out. What I like even more is that other brands have started copying Bosch’s bit retention/extraction method. I picked up a set of Craftsman impact bits and the case is laid out similarly and I really like it.
What I really like about this Bosch set is that there are no flat/standard driver bits. I never understood why manufacturers kept putting them in impact rated kits.
Chris
What do you mean flat/standard?
Joe H
I believe he means slotted bits.
Frank D
I picked up a craftsman, as it was on special at lowes and I wanted a few extra bits … the locking tab sticks outside of the case halves? Who came up with that idea?
TonyT
Maybe because some of the Craftsman bit cases are designed to lock together in a stack?
Christo Thomas
I bought 44 pc set a month back. Pretty good and so easy to use. But plating came off from the tip on screw bits.
Andrew
Seems like a solid buy. Been using the Dewalt set, basically the same set for a couple years. No issues whatsoever with the bits. The case is trash though. Spend more time putting the bits back in the slot then using them if only used a couple of times. Makes a new kit like this tempting for 10 bucks.
GEORGE MICHENER
I bought this last time it was on sale. The only bits that shattered are the ones I used. and I mean “engage your saftey squints”shattered!!I’m using them with my lowly B&D impact driver in modern junk (soft) lumber for small around the house projects. To ad insult to injury, when these things break they usually get jammed up in the screw heads and you have to pick them out with a tool. Am I the only one having such horrible luck with these. All my phillips and torx are broken off. I have bargain bin non impact bits from many years ago stocked up and they seem to be holding up to impacts better than these. Nice case tho- very similar to the dewalt drill bit cases from a couple decades ago..only clear in front
Clifford Alloway
Sounds like a bad batch, regardless of brand (bosch, millwaukee, dewalt, and makita)I haven’t broken any impact rated bits.
As far as preference we like millwaukee, then bosch.
Ryan
I’ve been using the same three bits from Bosch for legitimately 4 years and have yet to break them or wear them out. It mush have been a bad batch or somehow did something wrong.
GEORGE MICHENER
maybe the lil B&D was too much for them.I gotta go to the shop and grab the dewalts or the metabos we use for steel buildings LOL!
BigGelectrician
I stripped them out noticeably quicker than other brands, and I do this for a living so it’s not cause of the user. So I’ve had bad luck with Bosh bits too.
GEORGE MICHENER
stripping I could understand and blame on operator error… but the shearing is actually a little worrisome , and a pita to pick the bit out of the screws alot of times
GEORGE MICHENER
just to be clear I meant MY operator error-NOT yours
Stuart
Yikes that’s not good!
Maybe it’s a bad batch? But is that likely for different bit styles to be affected?
The problem with impact bits is that you get a balance between impact protection and break resistance. Generally, if you get more wear resistance, the chance and potential of breakage goes up. If you get more break resistance, wear resistance can go down.
I usually use these bits with Spax screws into soft and hard woods.
Toolfreak
How did they shatter? If the bits snapped at the thin part between the chuck and the fastener, I would guess that’s a consequence of the thin-neck design. Part of the reason I still have lots of older impact bits that are the same thickness from chuck to fastener. If they broke closer to the chuck, it might be an issue with the chuck or how the tool spins the bit.
Whatever the case is, I would probably contact Bosch or get their attention by posting a photo of the carnage online and see what happens. Sending the bits in question or just the entire case back in exchange for a new one seems like it would be a good thing for them to do and check out what the issue is, if it’s just an overhardened batch or bad QC.
Cr8on
Bosch by far are my preferred bits. I use them daily and have only broke one #2 philips that I recall. I am on my second set only because of losing a few. Also the bit holder is probably the best I’ve used.
Chad
Love the 44 piece set bought 2 sets on for the travel bags and one for the house!
work great and they do hold up very well!
heck my just buy a few more to have floating around !
Stephen
I have Milwaukee and Bosch impact bit sets. The Milwaukee bits are incredibly frustrating to remove from the case. The fit is far too tight. The Bosch design works much better because you can leverage/tilt the bits in and out.
Even if you told me the Milwaukee bits lasted 10x longer, I would still buy the Bosch system for the bitholding design of the case alone.
Chris
Yeah those Milwaukee cases are GARBAGE
DannyK
I switched to Wiha impact bit sets with a bit holder and mini ratchet in a small tin box that fits in your pant pocket. Bits sit vertically in plastic slot, so much easier to take out and put back. The mini ratchet works better stubby screwdriver in tight quarter. But it’s $30 so it costs more than typical stuff, but worth it IMO.
Corey Moore
I use the Terminator impact bit set from wiha, minus the rachet but same tin, and they’re fantastic all around. Have since relegated all my older remaining Milwaukee, Makita, and Dewalt to loaning.
Rob Potson
6 dollars more gets you a bigger bosch kit
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-Impact-Screwdriving-Custom-SDMS44/dp/B073HRZ86J/
Chris
FYI – He already linked it at the end of the description.
GEORGE MICHENER
nice find!. I’m going to try them again since you all have been having good luck with them. Maybe it was a bad batch ,but mine were scary brittle. I have tons of those impulse buy bin bits from the counter at my local home improvement store and they hold up fine and theyre non impact rated! well anyways in this kit….twice as many for me to break break-lol
Stuart
You could also consider a 5-pack of bits or similar, just in case the bits just aren’t a good fit.
GEORGE MICHENER
Eh, what the hey…go big or go home I say. And I do love the cases, I have them loaded up with All kinds of bits ?
Eric
I’ve been a fan of the Milwaukee cases, not so much the bits though. You can customize them as well. And there’s room to stand the 1″ bits up on end and still close the case, if you do it that way you could put over 100 bits in there in individual spots. With enough room to get your fingers on either side and easily pull them out. On the other hand I’ve been happy with the Makita gold bits, but the case is terribly inefficient as far as use of space.
Jim Felt
We use both Bosch and Milwaukee bit cases and honestly everyone seems to have virtually opposite ideas as to which brand of cases is better or worse. Mostly worse.
As no one comments on stuff that just works as intended or at least as expected.
Aaron
I feel like every Bosch bit set I see is in a different case shape. I’m leaning towards the new interlocking DeWalt bit cases for main kit recently as well as piles of chaotic bit cases in secondary it loaner kits.
R
Where can I find the interlocking bit cases you’re talking about?
Bonson
Totally with you. I impulse bought the Wiha Terminator set 3 years ago and it goes with me everywhere. The case is extremely small and fits in pockets / toolboxes so easily. The bits have never broken, so I’m confident in carrying only one of each bit type/size.
https://www.wihatools.com/bits/impact-bits/impact-insert-bit-buddy-set-ph-sq-tx
Joe Kay
i generally love this case and set but the real *wink* feature for me is the 4 twee little secret bit storage slots along the right side/latch edge.
Shawn
I’ve tried most all the major brands and rank
Makita bit sets far away as the best. Milwaukee is pretty good, the rest don’t seem to last that long. Despite being a dewalt power tool user I don’t care for their bits.
This set is lacking some of the features you get out of the Makita gold set that was recently on sale.
JoeM
I wouldn’t get through finding 5 reasons to buy Bosch bits. I wouldn’t even get past “Reason 1: Bosch makes amazing Bits and Blades.”
I, like Shawn there, am a DeWALT tool user. But, aside from their special types of bits for impact use, their bits end up as metal shavings, or wear down somehow, in very obvious ways. For a simple screwdriver, that’s okay, kinda… but the fit has to be right, and the bits have to last at least some amount of time without wear to them when they’re in an Impact Driver.
The rest of it? I’m going to be dead honest here… I don’t care. Maybe I’m too much of a control freak, maybe there’s something wrong with me, I don’t know… I just know that a case is a case to me, with each one being used the way it will be used for any given task. Now, there are some really nice DREMEL Parts cases that I could use for millions of other things, but they’re no good for holding bits. I have yet to find a bit case, made by ANY company, that is as flexible in its configuration, or supplies you with the ability to properly set up a bit case EXACTLY as you see fit, that actually suits my personal needs. There’s always flaws. DeWALT came close, key word there being CLOSE, but they’re still REALLY flawed to me.
It’s nice to know that bit set is so inexpensive right now… in the USA… But it is not the same in Canada, I’m afraid. And all their sales end up showing up when I don’t have money, so… I’ll invest when I get a chance to. Other priorities to think of.
The What?
I have a few questions regarding if there is any integral fact behind the claim “impact rated” bits or if it’s simply a gimmick for the purpose of revenue enhancement. Why aren’t the bits heavier and thicker? Impact sockets are noticeably different from thin wall chrome sockets. The same can’t be said of bits that claim to be impact rated. The only physical difference is color. So why aren’t impact rated bits larger and heavier than any other ¼” hex shaft bits? Why weren’t there ever any screwdrivers rated for screwdriving or rated screw fastening bits for drills advertised and marketed in the past? Drills and screwdrivers were used to drive in fasteners for over a century and yet you won’t find anything saying that screw fastening bits or screwdrivers were rated for their intended purpose. Why aren’t spade bits or auger bits impact rated? Anybody? Why aren’t torx drive and hex drive sockets impact rated? They’re used in the same exact manner as a torx and hex bit except they’re used with an impact wrench. Yet they are not impact rated and there’s no flex zone anywhere on the socket bit and they’re made of the same vanadium that quarter inch hex bits are made of and the socket they’re encased in doesn’t prevent the bit from twisting or breaking. An impact driver doesn’t even come close to producing the amount of torque that an impact wrench has. Why aren’t manufacturer supplied bits that come with fasteners such as spax, hedlok, timberlok, Simpson, grip rite, deckmate, and many other fastener manufacturers advertised as “impact rated” ? Why does the phrase seem to only apply to big box brands that manufacture tools? I recently purchased a set of metric nut drivers from an unknown brand and there was no mention of impact rated and yet the sae nut drivers that were on Amazon sold by big box brands were all advertised as being impact rated. These questions are more than just the obvious reasons why you shouldn’t buy into the “impact rated” bs that is marketed and sold for a higher price just because it’s printed on the packaging and powder coated to look like an impact socket. And by no means am I saying that these bits aren’t quality because people wouldn’t be buying them if they weren’t. However it would be great if they could stop the whole gimmick especially since they can’t prove that they have something to stand on as to why or how these bits are impact bits and why they cost more than brands that don’t advertise their bits as being impact bits. I just took an impact rated bit and tested it with a wire brush wheel to see if the black coloring on it was part of the alloy or just a powder coat to make it look like the black vanadium alloy for an impact socket. Guess which one I discovered.
Stuart
Some spade bits are impact-rated, or at least recommended/approved for use with impact drivers.
Tool steel is hard and wear resistant. Impact drivers can very easily break non-impact-rated bits. They don’t deform, the tips can just break and shear right off.
Impact-rated tool steels are tougher and not quite as hard. When used with cordless drills, they (in theory) won’t be as wear-resistant as non-impact bits.
Modern impact-rated bits also have “torsion” zones, or reduced diameter sections that can twist a little to absorb excess energy. With non-impact-rated bits, any excess energy is transmitted everywhere, and the thinnest or weakest parts, often the tips, can break. But with impact-rated tool steel being tougher and less brittle, the torsion zones allow for some energy to be stored elastically, meaning there will be some momentary twisting before the excess torque is transmitted or released without permanent deformation.
This is one are where you don’t have to believe any marketing. Insert bits and power bits are often inexpensive enough where you can try different brands or styles and see what works best for you.
The average cordless impact driver delivers what, 3X the max torque of the average compact cordless drill, and it’s transmitted in a more violent manner.
There are impact-rated Torx bits, and although rarer I’ve seen impact-rated hex bits.
It’s not a gimmick.
With impact sockets, the idea is similar. I’d say that impact sockets are thicker than non-impact because you need a little more material to compare with the strength of non-impact sockets.
Rob
No joke, I’ve been running PB Swiss bits in my impact for a couple of years and they hold up great. They’re a better fit than my Wiha impact bits, and, so, Bob’s your Uncle.
That said:
There totally are impact rated drill bits on the market. They aren’t super popular.
There totally are impact rated hex/torx sockets on the market. Some are machined as part of the socket. Others may or may not have impact rated bits. Either way, if it’s a bit replaceable socket…the bit is probably much cheaper than said socket.
The steel has nothing to do with impact rated vs non. It’s mostly the heat treatment. Yes, on cheaper sockets, they’ll be extremely thick. Try some Stahlwille or Wright impact sockets and you’ll find that they aren’t much thicker than their chrome counterparts. To be fair, they don’t make the thinnest chrome sockets out there.
Zephyr and Apex have totally, historically, made all sorts of grade bits (different hardness and ductility).
The whole marketing speak “torsion” zone thing is why sockets are thick and bits aren’t. We’re talking two completely different drive designs…apples and oranges. However, there are sockets with a similar style torsion zone (softer in the middle, harderer at the ends). Resultingly, they are shallow sockets that are the length of deep sockets. Not exactly desireable. Generally, the approach is different between the two. Impact rated bits should be thinner than average bits.
Yes, there are controlled demonstrations of impact rated vs standard drive bits readily available for the masses.
All of that said, the common lack of a clutch mechanism on impact drivers means one could likely wear down the drive tip of a bit well before concerns of impact related breakage in real world use come into play. I wouldn’t bother worrying about it while driving screws into pine. However, if I’m using an impact driver to remove scaled over, rusted screws in the same kind of application where an old fashioned manual impact screwdriver (which use…impact rated bits) could be used, then yes, I would grab the impact bits.
As to the topic at hand… in a pinch I’d grab Bosch bits over the home store competition, but otherwise, nah I’m good. Bosch owns the jigsaw blade and recip saw blade and oscillating tool blade plant, and Freud, and an abrasives company, and masonry drill bit plants. Good stuff indeed. But I’ve never met someone who took a tour of a Bosch driver bit plant…. and those cases are laughably large. Basic Rose brand retail packaging still wins the day when it comes to most things and the usual fancy driver bit contenders cover their end of the storage bargain.
John D
Thanks for the heads up! I grabbed a couple of sets, mostly for the cases and some of the bits I use more often.
I have a bunch of these bosch impact tough bits and they’re holding up great.
R
Has anyone found a way to get empty inserts for these cases?
Stuart
Not really. They have small bit clips, but economically it’s better to just buy another one of these cases (when on sale for $10) and use it for its parts.