Over at Amazon, the price on this Bosch 12V Max cordless drill kit has been dropped down to $99. Thank you to Brian for the heads-up!
It is unclear why Bosch is slashing the prices on some of their 12V Max brushless drill and driver kits. Their 12V Max FlexiClick kit is also still on sale.
Advertisement
Why are their tools so much cheaper all of a sudden? $99 is the lowest price ever for this Bosch GSR12V-300B22 cordless drill kit. Why?
Bosch had very weak Holiday 2020 promotions, so maybe they’re trying to make up for it now?
Normally I like price drops and sales, but the timing and nature of these unannounced promos is a bit unusual. I can’t tell you if this is a good tool, but it’s a great price.
Sale Price: $99
Bosch never officially announced the drill that’s on sale here, model GSR12V-300, and our multiple requests for insights or a test sample were ignored, and so I can’t tell you how it compares to anything.
Advertisement
I’ve lost favor for Bosch 12V Max cordless power tools, but this seems like a good deal. Personally, I’d pick the Dewalt 12V Max Xtreme cordless drill over this one. Dewalt’s slide-pack ergonomics are much better than Bosch’s, which places the stem-style battery in the handle grip.
For power? Milwaukee M12 Fuel.
I still use some Bosch 12V Max cordless power tools on occasion, mainly some of the tools I ordered from Europe since they’re not available in the USA, but other brands’ drills and drivers are a better fit for my needs.
The Dewalt kit is also $99 right now, but this is also its semi-regular price. The Bosch deal has a greater sense of urgency and uncertainty, as its $99 price might just be temporary.
Price: $99
Buy Now: Dewalt Kit via Amazon
Buy Now: Dewalt Kit via CPO
Read More
Bosch’s Upgraded 12V Brushless Drill is on Sale – Should You Buy it?
Jack Ofalltrades
Just say NO to “wall wart “chargers like the one on this Bosch. Blocky transformers get in the way and thin wires are not robust enough for a jobsite.
Jim Felt
Yes. Maybe their product development people copied a cheap consumer toy charger?
Dopey. Or way worse.
Tim D.
Agreed, and sadly these are getting more popular on “name brand” tools. I expect this from Black & Decker, but when you get to Ryobi and Bosch, it’s unacceptable.
I realize Ryobi is kind of on the lower end of things, but I definitely consider them a step up from B&D, Hyper Tough, etc.
Steve Goodman
Absolutely a big no to block transformer chargers. Also of all my power tools, used professionally until failure, bosch is far and away the shortest lifespan. So I’m out general on Bosch. Except the jam saw. Love the jam saw.
GM
Despite the charger, this is still a great deal. 2 BAT414 batteries are $78 on Amazon right now so you’re getting the drill and the charger for $22. And the “wall wart” charger is a semi-rapid charger and fine for DIYers. If you’re really using the Bosch 12v system on a jobsite you should have already invested in a GAL12V-40 rapid charger or two so the included charger is irrelevant.
CountyCork
Almost a 1000 near perfect reviews on Amazon. You don’t see that often. I have old brushless version which I reàlly love otherwise I’d buy this now.
Stuart
Those reviews span many years across multiple product generations.
For instance, when I hit the page, it says I purchased different variations because I ordered samples and giveaways of the older versions.
You have to read each review carefully to see which models they’re actually talking about.
CountyCork
That’s sneaky of Amazon to do. They should allow filtering of the version.
MoogleMan3
They do; you have to go to the reviews page and select “format” and “Gen 2”.
CountyCork
Thanks for that tip. The review you gave make me want to pull the trigger.
Big Richard
You say for power to go with the the M12 Fuel, but isn’t the DeWalt rated at 57.5 Nm (~500 in-lbs) while the Fuel is “only” 350 in-lbs? The DeWalt number is hard torque, not sure what M12’s is (DeWalt is also rated at 25.5 Nm, ~225 in-lbs, soft torque. I know specs aren’t everything, and while admittedly I haven’t used the M12 much I actually thought the DeWalt felt more powerful as well. Both great either way.
Addicted2Red
Dewalt doesn’t give their tool ratings in in-lbs. They only list UWO which is meaningless as testing specs aren’t released and only Dewalts/stanly uses those figures.
The only rating I could find easily for dewalts 12v listed above was around 25nm which equates to 221.27 in-lbs. Not sure where you’re getting your 57.5Nm figure from. That number is insanely high for a drill. Maybe the impact driver?
Big Richard
I’m well aware DeWalt doesn’t give in-lb ratings, that is why I gave its Nm rating and converted it to in-lbs.
DeWalt UK’s product page for the DCD701 lists hard torque at 57.5 Nm and soft torque at 25.5 Nm. I wouldn’t make it up.
https://www.dewalt.co.uk/products/dcd701d2-gb–12v-xr-brushless-sub-compact-drill-driver-2-x-2ah
Stuart
For power I go for the M12 Fuel.
I seriously doubt the Dewalt can deliver 500 in-lbs, but I’ve never pushed it to its limits.
Compact and comfortable? Dewalt 12V
Compact and powerful? Milwaukee M12 Fuel
Power? 18V/20V Max
I’ll see if I can test application speeds over the weekend.
Big Richard
Yeh, you have to take every brand’s ratings with a grain of salt, as there is no universal standard method of measuring torque that they all abide by. And as I mentioned, specs are not everything.
But you bring up another good point when you said you could test application speeds. That’s the kicker, drill performance is variable across different applications. You could test ten different applications, and the DeWalt may perform better at 5 and the Milwaukee may perform better at 5. So which one is more powerful will depend on the task at hand, and thus be different for different users.
For your applications it sounds like the Milwaukee is your go to for power, for my applications I felt the DeWalt performed better. Guess it’s best to have both.
Dave
I’ve replaced my M12 Fuel items with the dewalt for the ones that are available save the jacket. The power is roughly equal. The Dewalts feel and are cheaper, but the angle and grip are far superior on the Dewalt. Dewalt needs to get on the ratchet and dremel tool bus.
Oflannabhra
I bought one of these and retrofit my brushed Flexiclick gearbox and chuck onto it. Now I have a brushless Flexiclick.
https://imgur.com/gallery/JpqvV
Scar
Ha, I did the same thing using the PS32 when it got down to $75 during holiday sales 2018 (thanks Toolguyd!). I love the retrofitted Flexiclick, but the brushed drill gets some use too
Ross
Is it worth to buy and retrofit? Or just spend the extra $50 and get the brushless Flexiclick (on sale for $150)?
MoogleMan3
Great deal on a great drill. I bought this at launch and it’s been working great for me. It fixed my issues with the PS32; mainly the lack of a rubber grip. It’s a good bit lighter than the milwaukee M12 2503 I also have. The bosch is a bit more powerful.
I used to have the makita FD07R1 as well, and that had the best grip, but I sold it a while back. Dewalt lost my business after they let their 12v line stagnate for around 8 years before they released brushless tools, several years after everyone else.
Sticking with the major brands, there’s not really a “bad” choice in the 12v drill range. Shop for features, battery platform, etc.
John
And people will still go buy Harbor Freight crap at the same price or more.
Stacey Jones
The only Bosch thing that looks cool is the Flexiclick, but I don’t like it enough to buy into their battery system. Not enough other tools of interest. I’ve got Ryobi for 18v & 40v because they make everything. Just got into Makita 18v for the better quality cordless woodworking tool. I’ve also got drills and drivers in the Hitachi 12v, dirt cheap and light/compact. If I bought into another 12v it would probably be Milwaukee…
RayRay
>I can’t tell you if this is a good tool, but it’s a great price.
Uhhhh… about the logic of that statement…
Tim D.
I see no fault in that logic. You don’t have to have used a tool or know if it performs well to know if its a good price. Camelcamelcamel has it listed at $159 almost all the time ($153 avg), with the lowest price being $134.
At $99 its 37% off. This is $35 cheaper than it’s previous lowest price ever.
Stuart
The last between-promo-season deal price I posted about was $135.
https://toolguyd.com/bosch-12v-brushless-drill-gsr12v-300-deal-040320/
At the time I said: But even at the $135.15 (after coupon) sale price, I can’t help but feel that the GSR12V-300 is a tad high-priced compared to the competition.
$99 seems better, or at least more competitive.
Stuart
Here’s the full sentence:
I can’t tell you if this is a good tool, because Bosch’s PR has been largely ineffectual but if I force myself to be objective for the sake of readers’ interests, I would say that it’s a great price for what could be an okayish tool based on their track record.
Adabhael
I think we can all agree it’s a low price, the question of greatness reminds me of something NYC Mayor David Dinkins, said: “If they’re selling elephants two for a quarter, that’s a great bargain. But only if you have a quarter—and only if you need elephants.”
Roger
I gave up on Bosch 12V years ago when they didn’t do any expansion, except two tools after many years. Refresh in BL doesn’t count. I have the brushed drill. It has clutch selector issues. Still used for pilot holes, but only because I have it.
For $99 you can get the now (as in hoping they expand) potential DeWalt X12, or just go 18/20V for almost the same price. There are way better options.
Robert Cunner
Agree – I much prefer the Dewalt 12v X12.
Julian Tracy
Looks like it’s still got the craptastic 3/8” chuck that they used on the Flexi-click drivers. You can barely tighten that enough to get a 1/4” bit to tighten up. The least grip-able or tight holding chuck on a small drill I’ve used since way back, when the first keyless chucks were introduced.
The Milwaukee M12 small chucks are worlds apart in usability.
Scar
Fair point. It is the only non-locking chuck I’ve used on a modern 12 or 18v drill (meaning a 1/16th turn backward doesn’t lock it in place).
The clutch is nice though unlike the electronic clutch on the M12 gen 2. So I have been using the flexiclick for driving small screws mostly.
Gary
Ordered on last week at that price. Pairing it with my Flexiclick which is fantastic for cabinetry and punch out work that I do.
Wil
I purchased one of these wanting to love it, and I found that it’s quite loud and there was a lot of runout. I sent it back for warranty repair and there is still a fair amount of wobble. My Makita subcompact hammer drill with with an adjustable chuck adapter for SDS has less wobble.
Nathan S
I have the brushed Flexi-click and like it well enough for what it does. Compared to Milwaukee’s offering, even the price on brushless Flexi-click is easier to swallow. I also like the Bosch FL12 light. But I can’t yet bring myself to purchase anything else on the 12V Bosch line (maybe the palm router…?).
Not sure about this deal, especially with Stuart’s recommendation of the Dewalt 12V brushless at the same price, even though I have the 12V Bosch battery system.
Brad
I have the PS-32, which was Bosch’s previous brushless 12V drill/driver generation, and it’s been great. No plan to “upgrade” to this. More than enough power and features for the vast majority of tasks, and for the rare job that requires more power, I just use my old corded Milwaukee hole shooter beasts, so I don’t even own an 18V/20V class battery or tool. It also came with a different, non-“wall wart” charger.
Unlike Stuart, I actually prefer Bosch’s battery, but to each his own. I also own the Bosch 12V brushless oscillating tool, recip saw, and brushless impact driver (PS-42), and they’ve been great as well. I might get their little palm router and/or brushless flexi-click, but other than that, I think I’m all set for battery tools, at least until they come out with a new model of hammer drill.