Note: This Bosch UK or EU product is not available in the USA.
Bosch has announced that new brushless cordless lithium-ion power tools will soon be hitting UK and European markets. Included in the brushless EC motor tool expansion is an 18V cordless drywall screwdriver, an 18V oscillating multi-tool, a 10.8V (12V Max) compact drill/driver, and a 10.8V (12V Max) compact screwdriver.
General Benefits
Bosch’s EC brushless motor technology is said to provide freedom from maintenance, double the lifetime compared to tools without EC motors, and up to 30% more runtime per battery charge.
30% more runtime due to the brushless motor plus 33% more runtime due to the recent 1.5Ah to 2.0Ah upgrade means a lot more time working and a lot less time waiting for the charger.
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The new drill/driver and screwdriver are described by Bosch as being the lightest and shortest in the respective 10.8V (12V Max) class.
Brushless Drill/Driver
- 163 mm (6.4″) length
- 0.9 kg (2 lbs) weight
- 20Nm (177 in-lbs) peak torque
- 0-400/0-1300 RPM
- 20+max setting adjustable chuck
- Drills up to 10mm in steel, 30mm in wood
- Can drive up to 770 4 x 40mm screws into softwood with 2.0Ah battery
- LED worklight
- Built-in battery fuel gauge
- GSR 10,8 V-EC
Brushless Screwdriver
- 135 mm (5.3) length
- 0.7 kg (1.54 lbs) weight
- 20Nm (177 in-lbs) peak torque
- Universal 1/4″ hex bit holder
- 0-400/0-1300 RPM
- 20+max setting adjustable chuck
- LED worklight
- Built-in battery fuel gauge
- GSR 10,8 V-EC HX
The new drill/driver and screwdriver will be available in europe starting in September.
First Impression
*Interestingly, unless the 20Nm peak torque rating is an error, and I don’t think it is, the new brushless drill and driver are going to be 33% less powerful than the brushed models. Bosch’s brushed motor 10.8V/12V Max drill/driver and screwdriver are rated at delivering 30Nm (265 in-lbs) at peak torque.
What is interesting is that, instead of pushing the torque envelope, Bosch has decided to emphasize on runtime, size, and weight.
I think I see what Bosch is going for here. Assuming that the brushless tools will be sold alongside the brushed ones, Bosch has created a strong differentiation along the lines of efficiency and runtime.
It is unclear whether Bosch will be coming out with a brushless impact driver in this class. It wouldn’t really make sense to, especially if the brushless motor version would deliver lower peak torque than the brushed version. When talking about impact drivers, longer runtimes would of course be appreciated, but not at the expense of power.
JimmyZ says
great, I’ve been waiting for this for a year, hope it won’t take another year to hit China.
JimmyZ says
just finished reading, the 20 Nm torque rating is unbelievable, while Milwaukee M12 FUEL is 40Nm…
John S says
interesting…
Javier says
They got the size right. This is what I feel 12 volt tools should be in terms of how small and lightweight they are. Since both are identical in power it would make more sense to me to buy the screwdriver over the drill. Theres an abundance of drill bits with 1/4″ hex bits.
Stuart says
Agreed. It’s a nice direction for Bosch to be headed in.
Rather than trying to compete with compact 18V drills/drivers, it widens the gap between 12V and 18V performance a little further.
It could be risky, but they still have their brushed motor 12V tools covering the lower-cost end of the spectrum.
matt says
this seems like a kinda fuzzy logic here. They have the size nailed they always have. But sacrificing power for more run time on a tool that already ran a really long time seems backwards.
My personal experience with most 12v stuff is the run time is never ever the issue(some very few exceptions). Giving up power even if its not needed is not something I would ever do.
If your not gonna exploit all that brushless has to offer why bother with the added cost at all?
Stuart says
I can only trust that Bosch researched the heck out of the market before going forward with production. They’ve had a pretty good track record so far.
All we can do is wait and see what happens.
Chris says
Sometimes I think people need to remember sometimes all that power is a bit to much… You need to balance it all out a bit and make a tool that’s fit the bill in all situations and bot just really good in one category and suck in another
Monte says
The drilling capacity of the new Bosch brushless tools is 10mm in steel (brushed: 10mm) and 30mm in wood (brushed 19mm) (Milwaukee Fuel for comparison: steel: 13mm, wood: 25mm). Bosch seems to focus on how to make the tool smaller and lighter vs. Milwaukee where the tool get heavier and bigger (Length: Milwaukee Fuel drill= 197mm, Bosch drill =163mm /Weight: Milwaukee: 1300 gram , Bosch 900 gram)
So you see the length of the Milwaukee is about the same of a standard size 18 Volt drill and the weight is close to a 14,4 Volt drill…..
“Peak torque” also means you drive a screw into metal with the highest speed so the drill will abrubtly stop so the weight of the rotor (rotating mass) creates the extra torque…..so how realistic is that torque measurement in real life……..???? Remember there is no norm to measure torque and every manufacturer measures their own way.
In the german Bosch forum Bosch wrote that they will add tools with brushless motor in every relevant volt category and impact drivers are one of these tools…
Chris says
One thing you mentioned about measuring torque is true, not every manufacturer measures it the same and I think a lot of people forget that… A lot of guys go on about Milwaukee making big torque but other manufactures impact’s or drills do the job faster with a lesser torque rating
Isaiah says
Most manufactures measure their torque with just the motor before the tool is actually fully assembled. Which results in higher ratings of course. But Milwaukee at the moment is the favorite of any contractors who have tried it so far from my store. I’ve sold out pallets and pallets of the new Milwaukee Fuel tools. Lots of people switching from Dewalt because they are coming a little late to the brushless game. However bosch hasn’t really moved very much. It’s hard to sell them because they currently can’t compete with The Big Yellow and The Big Red guys. I’m sure things will change once they upgrade their line.
Stuart says
There are standardized ways of measuring cordless drill and driver torque output, but no manufacturers actually publish such results. Well, that’s not true – I’ve seen Makita offer their torque ratings and PTI torque ratings.
I have considered buying a torque tester, but they’re quite pricey ($1800 or so to start), and you need separate ones for rotary tools and impact drivers.
A brushless 12V impact driver from Bosch is probable, but I’m not convinced they will use the same motor as with the drill and screwdriver. With their brushed tools, the drill, screwdriver, and impact driver all seem to be built around the same motor and case construction except for the gearbox and chuck areas.
JimmyZ says
Thanks for the highlights, I never realize that they only match voltage wise.
fin3 says
A little more torque , good 13mm / 1/2 chuck , then it would be good for me.
Garrick says
And I just bought two of the new drill drivers (PS31)!
By The Way… I use them primarily for driving even thought I have two PS20 drivers.
What I found is that I am using all four for driving. I use the drills primarily for my main driver bits (#2 Robertson and #2 Phillips), and the drivers for less used bits.
I don’t mind tightening the bits in the drill chucks. In fact I prefer the drills for several reasons: There is no slop in a chuck, and zero chance of the bit coming out when I only have the 1 inch bits. Also I prefer the pointed tip the chuck has… It helps me to line up the bit to the screw, or if the screw is already on the bit, the screw to it’s starting location.
Granted the PS20 has only low speed, whereas the PS21 has two speeds, which is also one of the reasons I use the PS31 over the PS20. Since I haven’t used a PS21 outside a store display, I don’t know if I would prefer that over the PS31 for driving or not.
I gave away what few hex drill bits I had because I never used them… In fact I found them annoying. Also, I wouldn’t want to double invest in (and store and haul) a complete second set of bits, which to cover most possible drilling applications, would mean well over a hundred more bits.
For drilling I will usually use an 18 volt drill (occasionally a 36 volt), but it’s nice to be able to use the 12 volt when convenient.
Dan says
The torque on the PS31 brushed drill/driver was about as high as I would want on a small tool like this, a drop to 250 or so wouldn’t have been a problem either, but a 30% decrease in torque? I hope they changed the way they rated torque or sell these at a low price because they’re going to have a hard time justifying a premium price when you have competitors like the FUEL and their own brushed driver pushing higher specs. Maybe they’re going to use a different motor/frame for the brushless impact and hammerdrill?
Isaiah says
How come you called it a 12v MAX? Bosch has nothing to do with dewalt. Only sub companies of Black & Decker use this term on their tools, same thing goes with the 20v Max (which are also 18v with a different name to distinguish products). Unless Emerson (Bosch’s Father Company) got purchased by Black & Decker in which case that would make sense.
Back to the main subject, I am glad to see Bosch coming into the brushless line. Last one of the major brands to come to the market with em, hopefully they don’t dissapoint. I’m looking forward more to the 1/4″ Hex Socket Ready Impact Gun.
Stuart says
In North America, Bosch uses “12V Max” branding on their compact cordless Li-ion tools. They started off with 10.8V branding, but then shifted to 12V Max branding as did other major power tool brands.
If not 12V Max outright, it’s 12V* (*Max).
Bosch is not owned by Emerson, they are their own company. Technically, their parent company is the Robert Bosch Corporation.
MartijnD says
I live in Europe and over here we also have a 14,4V line in between the 10.8 & 18V. Tools are basically the same except for electronics and motor, somewhat shorter battery life and/or less power…
Robert Bosch Gmbh is the owner of Bosch, Skil, Dremel, Rotozip, several garden tools and accessory brands. As I recall, Bosch bought Skil from Emerson in 1996, maybe that is the confusion about Emerson…