A few days ago we posted about the new Bosch 12V Max brushless drill kit. That kit is bundled with a different charger than usual, and we reached out to Bosch US with some questions.
Looking at the Bosch PS32 cordless drill kit, the current and predecessor model, you can see what the “typical” Bosch 12V Max battery charger looks like.
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To be frank, the new model looks cheaper, and it is true that many brands include basic-looking chargers with their budget-friendly cordless power tool kits. But, the new Bosch brushless drill is smaller, faster, and more powerful than the previous model.
So, here’s what we found out about the new charger:
The charger that comes with the GSR12V-300B22 kit is our new standard charger that will replace the current BC330 charger in the future. Despite the look, it actually charges batteries faster, with a 2 amp charging current (compared with 1.5 amp for the BC330). The small footprint for the charging bay is also helpful by not taking up as much space on the user’s workbench. It will charge the 2.0Ah batteries that come in this kit in approximately 1 hour.
Compared to the BC330 charger, which is included in the current/predecessor PS32 kit, the new charger has 33% higher charging current output.
I don’t know how I feel about the wall-wart-style transformer plug, but I could probably make it work. The new charging hub does look a lot smaller than the traditional 12V Max chargers Bosch has been bundling with their tool kits.
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We don’t know if the new charger will be available separately, but how many people have ever bought a separate 12V-class battery charger? Maybe it will eventually be available for replacement purchases.
Also, it’s now confirmed that this will be the new 12V Max cordless power tool kit charger.
Buy Now(Bosch’s Newest 12V Max Brushless Drill Kit via Amazon)
See Also(Bosch PS32 Kit via Amazon) – currently on sale for $98
fred
For whatever reason Bosch seems to have pulled their BC430 charger which was faster than the BC330. I don’t recall any announcement or recall – and you still see some (possibly NOS) being sold on place like eBay.
Like you, I don’t know if I like the “wall wart” 2-part design of the new charger. While the charging base takes up less room – the transformer would probably hog 2 spaces on the power strips we had wall mounted in one of our workout centers.
Stuart
Bosch responded to a customer question on Amazon, saying:
In 2013 new energy laws were established and we could no longer manufacture 30 min “fast” chargers. We how now since re-released the BC430 30 min chargers that you can purchase.
I’ve heard this repeated a few times on forums or comments sections.
Looking back, Tool Freak first brought this to my attention in 2016:
https://toolguyd.com/amazons-bosch-12v-max-bundle-savings-suck-do-this-instead-122016/#comment-983399
New Energy Laws went into effect 2/1/13. Our 30 minute chargers were not compliant with the new energy requirements and could not be manufactured after that date but could still be sold until stock was depleted.
fred
Thanks
I guess I missed that old write-up
Julian Tracy
One hour for a 12v 2.0? What the heck? Is this Bosch or Black and Decker Firestorm?!
I’ve always thought for years that the Bosch 10.8/12 series batteries took FOREVER to charger despite the charger saying “30min”, but what’s the problem here? Makita can charge a 18volt 2.0 in 20min and a 5.0 in 50-55min.
If you’re going to produce pro level tools then give some attention to the back end.
And who’s bright idea was it to use effectively lamp cord or worse on a pro level battery charger? Contractors calling on Bosch for wall warts too?
Stephen
I never understood the charging time concern.
If you’re working the tool enough to deplete a full battery in less than 1 hour, you are probably a power user and are likely to have at least 1 extra battery on the charger anyway.
Basically I can’t envision a situation where all of the following are true:
1. someone has a given tool/battery platform but only has 1 battery (kits are often sold with 2 batteries)
2. they are doing enough work to drain the battery more than once per day
3. downtime is a big concern
4. given 1 and 2, they have absolutely nothing else to do while the dead battery recharges
DannyK
A saw can drain the2ah battery in 15 minutes easily. If you have only 2 batteries, you can run out pretty quick. A quick charger is essential.
Matt J
If you’re using a saw for more than 15 minutes of actual cutting at a time with any degree of regularity, you really should not be using a 12 Volt tool or a 2.0Ah battery. And 15 minutes is a lot of cutting, when you really think about it.
RKA
Well, I’ve had situations where one battery was nearly depleted when I started. So once that was depleted it went on the charger while I swapped the other in the tool. With a different tool kit, I had one battery in a drill and another in a driver. Both were in use while I was working.
Draining the battery depends on the task. For any operation that requires torque, even a drill or driver can drain a battery pretty quick. Add a repetitive operation, like assembly, and you’re measuring battery life in minutes not hours. I was building dollies with plate casters under them. Driving 50 short lag screws just for the casters put a dent in the battery. And that battery life will get shorter as the battery ages. Sure I can use an 18v tool, but the 12v has enough torque to do 1.5” lag screws, and it’s a lot easier on the wrist than holding an 18v tool vertically.
Downtime isn’t the end of the world, but if I don’t have to wait for a battery to charge or reorganize my workflow, I can get done quicker. And generally I organize my workflow for efficiency and minimizing mistakes. Reorganizing to allow for battery charge times isn’t going to happen, I’ll buy another battery. But the next paragraph explains why I don’t need to.
If every competing tool platform offers faster charging, you bet I’ll pass over a tool platform that takes twice as long to charge a battery.
Now, I’ll admit, as a DIYer and homeowner, this isn’t an everyday situation. But, it’s not as if these things haven’t happened and I should completely pass over a 1+ hour charge time. Of course it doesn’t seem that long ago that I had to leave a battery charging overnight. That sucked, especially since you didn’t know how much juice was in the battery when you started. An hour doesn’t seem bad. But we’re spoiled with today’s battery and tool tech.
schill
I expect that moving part of the insides to a separate enclosure (the wall wart) also moves some heat there and keeps the charging circuit cooler. This should allow for faster charging without requiring more expensive components or a more complicated design.
My question is: “Are there slots on the bottom to allow it to be wall mounted?”
blocky
I’d like to know how the cable runs into the base – if there is a standard DC port, maybe this could allow for charging off the cigarette lighter in my van.
Hilton thankfully
“how many people have ever bought a separate 12V-class battery charger?”
Well I have. Last year’s Prime Day I picked up the 12v Bosch Flexiclick 5-In-1 but I had to order a charger from Germany so it would be compatible with my 220v electrical supply. I have a brand new 12v 110v charger if anyone wants it?
Manny
I just bought the same Bosch kit in Europe right before finding out I’m moving back to the US. I could definitely use that charger!
Hilton thankfully
email me on hilton AT think DOT co DOT za
Toolfreak
I bought the BC430 seperately before I even bought the kits that had the BC330 charger, plus I had to buy a B&D 20V fast charger for a new 20V kit that came with a dinky charger.
If they didn’t sell many chargers, they wouldn’t sell them seperately.
Fazal Majid
I am moving to the UK and just bought a Bosch 12V charger with UK plug and 230V 🙁
Kizzle
Why aren’t power tools using USB 3.0 charging with quick charge technology yet? USB C quick charging can delivery much faster charging and higher amps.
Stephen
What voltage is USB-C rated for?
Kizzle
Up to 20 volts.
Adam
Cause you may not buy that companies charger then.
While I am all for independence and less laws, I wouldn’t mind seeing a standard in power cables. Like no proprietary connectors (new Ryobi 40v charger), keep either the figure 8 plug or the Philips/Sony (i think) circle/square plug. After reading how solar panels are much less a benefit than we think they are, I guess I see how much unnecessary product is made.
Russ
Would be nice to see a side-by-side test with time and temperature data. The current charger runs fairly warm, so more current likely will not help.
Frank D
Interesting, but
> I still hate wall warts, which usually end up preventing using a second thing on an outlet, or hog two or three spots on a power strip (perpendicular slots), or can effectively only be installed on the very end of a typical power strip (parallel slots) … like this new Bosch thing
> I hate chintzy wire thin gauge wire for anything that has power adapters, too delicate, always fails at the wall wart or the adapter outside of the boot strain or with the boot strain … unless you are very delicate and never move the thing.
I am sure Bosch could have redesigned the most common charger to have a smaller overall foot print, while charging with newer hardware and keeping the same 16 or 18 gauge or whatever lamp cord and 110v plug.
Oddbod
In the UK and Europe there always used to be two 12v chargers: GAL 1115 and GAL 1230 charging at 1.5A and 3A.
Looks like the cheap one has been replaced with the one you’ve shown above with the wall wart which now charges at 2A, the GAL 12V-20. I guess the advantage of the wall wart is they can order it off the shelf and swap it out for 110V vs 230V, keep the charger the same.
However, there’s also now the new GAL 12V-40 square-type charger without wall wart. Charges at 4A, so a 2Ah battery in 24-35mins 80%/100%.
https://www.amazon.de/Bosch-GAL-12V-40-Ladeger%C3%A4t/dp/B07MBFY5ZH
Only £20 on Ebay, but I can’t find anyone to ship it for less than £15.
There’s also a new similarly styled charger on the 18V side, the GAL 18V-40, which charges at 4A:
https://www.amazon.de/Bosch-GAL-18V-40-Ladeger%C3%A4t/dp/B07M6QQCWM
I guess that replaces the old 2A and 6A chargers, where as the fancy Bluetooth 16A GAL 18v-160 C, which I think you’ve already covered, replaces the old GAL 1880 charger at 8A.
I don’t see any replacement for the dual 12V/18V charger GAL 18v-30 which only charges at 3A and won’t charge 2 batteries simultaneously, which is pretty poor.
I always thought they should add a dual charge function in a single socket. If you look closely at one of the 12V chargers you’ll see it actually also accommodates 1.5V batteries as found in e.g. this GSR MX2 Drive screwdriver:
https://www.amazon.de/Bosch-Professional-Akku-Schrauber-Kunststoffbox-Drehmoment/dp/B0047JBOU0
The end of a 12V battery is smaller than the top face of an 18V battery – the 12v socket would be completely contained within the footprint of the 18V slides. Get on it Bosch…
Patrick
Well that’s kinda neat news. I think we were all assuming the worst for that charger. I do look forward to buying the new brushless drill once available.
Javier M.
It would be interesting to know if it has universal voltage input… hopefully it does, it would be a huge plus.
schill
I guess if it doesn’t, that’s another reason to have the separate wall wart. You can change that part without making any changes to the charger itself. Every version of the wall wart just needs to deliver the same voltage and adequate current to the charger module.
Toolfreak
I don’t really think Bosch is being straightforward here.
The BC430 was a 30-minute fast charger, and that thing was made back when Bosch 12V batteries were 1.1-1.2Ah and 1.3Ah was the highest capacity, to go with the high drain of the reciprocating saw. It does charge those things pretty fast.
The BC330 was/is a 1-hour charger, and has come standard with the 12V kits for some time, with the 2.0Ah batteries. It takes about an hour to charge a nearly-fully-discharged 2.0Ah battery.
This new charger supposedly has a 2.0A charge rate, “33% faster” than the BC330, but still takes an hour at a 33% faster rate, and does it with NO cooling like the BC330 and uses an ultra-thin power cord between the wall plug and battery base?
Something isn’t right here. Battery charging tech hasn’t changed in the last few years to where you can charge things faster but produce less heat doing it and use smaller wires to get more power through them than standard-size electrical cord.
The BC430/BC330 aren’t just massively overbuilt since they do get quite warm when charging and sometimes even fairly hot during the last few minutes of charging.
Either this new dinky charger is going to take longer to charge a 12v battery in reality, despite the claims, or it’s going to get VERY hot charging it in around an hour.
Oddbod
> Battery charging tech hasn’t changed in the last few years to where you can charge things faster but produce less heat doing it…
I doubt it applies to this Bosch charger, but actually yes, battery charger technology has changed in the last few years:
https://www.chargerlab.com/new-and-upcoming-gan-gallium-nitride-usb-chargers/
I’m looking forward to Galium Nitride tech filtering down to products in the tool space.
javier
in the US I don’t know, but in Europe they sell it with the fast charger bosch GAL 12v-40
Sarah
Your ‘Buy Now’ link to the GSR is not working.
The page is live on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-GSR12V-300B22-Brushless-Drill-Driver/dp/B07SRGJPRJ/
Stuart
Thanks! Fixed it!