Bosch has come out with a new 18V compact cordless band saw, model GCB18V-2N, and it has recently started to ship.
The new Bosch cordless band saw is said to be up to 60% lighter and 40% more compact than standard deep-cutting band saws, making it a more comfortable choice for clean and precise cuts overhead, in corners, or in tight workspaces.
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It can cut materials up to 2-1/2″ in a single pass. Bosch emphasizes the benefits of cordless band saws – fewer sparks and minimal rework required for deburring or tempering colors. This band saw is well-sized for cutting conduit, uni-strut, threaded rod, copper tubing, black pipe, and other such materials.
The Bosch GCB18V-2N 18V cordless band saw features a tool-free blade guard and tool-free blade change.
Features & Specs
- Cuts up to 2-1/2″
- 28.875″ blade length
- 530 SFM cutting speed
- Center-placed auxiliary handle
- Tool-free blade guard
- Tool-free blade change
- LED worklight
- 13.5″ length x 8.0″ height x 5.5″ width
- Weighs 7.3 lbs
The band saw is sold as a bare tool and ships with (3) 18 TPI band saw blades.
Price: $199
Buy Now via Amazon
Buy Now via Acme Tools – $190 at the time of this posting
Compare: Bosch BSH180B via Amazon
See Also: Dewalt Band Saw via Amazon
Discussion
The new Bosch cordless band saw looks to be an update of their previous model, BSH180B, which was released 9 years ago.
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Compared to the BSH180, the new GCB18V cordless band saw has a built-in auxiliary handle, rather than a removable threaded-stem handle.
Bosch product imagery also shows the new band saw equipped with a CORE 18V Li-ion battery. I haven’t heard of any incompatibility issues with the older model, but would assume that the new centered aux handle should allow for better user comfort.
As you might know, Bosch’s CORE 18V batteries are larger and heavier than their FatPack batteries, and it’s possible the new built-in secondary handle was designed to help provide for improved tool balance. Or it could have something to do with safety regulations, which tend to change from time to time.
This new model also has a tool-free guard tool-free blade changes.
Although the new model largely resembles Bosch’s nearly decade-old 18V compact cordless band saw, the new secondary handle design and upgraded tool-free features are enough to make it a significant update.
It is unclear how else the new Bosch 18V cordless band saw improves upon the older model.
Press materials don’t reference it, talking about the new model as if it didn’t have a predecessor:
The new band saw adds to Bosch’s successful 18V cordless portfolio, which is building a strong ecosystem based around its industry-leading 18V battery packs and technology.
We are continuing to expand our 18V cordless portfolio and we’re confident this compact band saw will be an asset to professionals seeking a lightweight option that does not compromise precise cutting capabilities even in tight, constrictive areas.
With a new lightweight design, this cutting-edge power tool is only 7.3 pounds, yet built to deliver an impressive cut rate of 530 surface feet per minute.
The older model weighed 7.7 lbs with a FatPack battery, and the new bare-tool saw is said to weigh 7.3 lbs. A 7.3 lbs bare tool weight compared to a 7.7 lbs with-battery weight suggests that Bosch didn’t actually make the tool appreciably lighter than their older model.
However, looking at bare tool specs for the Bosch BSH180B model, that model has a published weight of 7.1 lbs, meaning the new model is actually 0.2 lbs heavier.
But, 0.2 lbs for a centered auxiliary handle and tool-free guard and blade changes seems like a worthy tradeoff.
On Bosch’s website, a couple of users complained about blade failure in their BSH180 band saws, to which Bosch customer support replied:
Thank you for your review and we apologize for the inconvenience that this may have caused you. Your issue with the blade will be forwarded to our product managers for future enhancement purposes as your satisfaction is important to us.
That was 2 years ago, and more recent reviews were replied to with advice on how to break in band saw blades to help prevent early failure.
It’s possible that improvements were made to the blade tracking or tensioning mechanisms to help prolong blade life, but nothing of the sort were mentioned in press materials or on Bosch’s website.
If you’ve used either of Bosch’s compact cordless band saws, what have your experiences been like? If not, how likely are you to buy this new model?
If you want a compact band saw with a brushless motor or higher cutting capacity, Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel model is only a little heavier but quite a bit more expensive.
Robert
I wish they had the mounts for the stand like this one:
https://youtu.be/k3aN6WPsb20
The European version has the mounts, but the American market version does not.
fred
I have my corded Milwaukee mounted on their stand. It doesn’t replace a real DoAll saw – but good for my purposes. I think if I were to invest in a new stand it would be a Swag – that turns the saw into a something more like a vertical metal cutting band saw.
Big Richard
It definitely doesn’t appear terribly compact. I’m more interested to see DeWalt’s upcoming Atomic 20v compact bandsaw. If I’m going to upgrade my compact bandsaw, I think I will hold off for that. I do love my M12, but the DeWalt is actually slightly smaller, slightly greater capacity, and presumably more powerful and more efficient with its brushless motor.
Big Richard
They officially released it this morning:
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/us/dewalt-usa/pressreleases/at-neca-virtual-convention-dewalt-r-announces-atomic-compact-series-20v-max-star-bandsaw-3040386
Bob
Looks like the blade guard cover is not intrusive. Is this an industry first? Not surprisingly from a european company. They always are the first to come out with extra guards/saftey features. In this case I don’t see the need. But if its seemless in operation I also don’t see the harm. Looks easy enough to remove if it is.
That bosch full size corded bandsaw with the stand is slick! Also saw another video of a combo chopsaw/table saw. Its a compromise tool. But that would be slick for hardwood flooring guys or trim guys.
Bob
I checked out that upcoming DeWalt atomic band saw Big Jim mentioned. Looks like that has a blade cover too.
I was a little confused at first. I just assumed there was only two popular bandsaw blade sizes: 44-7/8 for the full size and 32-7/8” for the compact. So all the saws are relatively the same size.
BUT seeing this diminutive atomic that did not seem to be the case. Sure enough I did a google search and aparently there are several in between sized blade lengths like 35-3/8 and whatever this new dewalt will be (27”???) that I was not aware of. Makes sense now how Mileaukee was squeezing another 1/2” of width (or was it height) out of their compact band saw vs my DeWalt compact.
Now I am going to need to get a bandsaw blade welder and make up my own blades, Im not stocking all these different lengths of blades for different saws and in all the different TPI configurations too.
JoeM
One of the few times I will go with a “Please pass this on to Dremel” moments. Normally I hate when Bosch hands down their BAD tools to Dremel, expecting them to sell in the Crafter market better. This is one of Bosch’s GOOD tools (not one of their GREAT tools, but definitely REALLY GOOD.) and I would love to see THIS in the Dremel lineup.
With one Caveat. A Bosch Made, Dremel Branded, Tabletop Attachment, like the one built by Adam Savage from Mythbusters (on his new YouTube Channel Tested)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYqDBC0efj4 Adam MAKES the Table out of a DeWALT Corded full-sized.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28h_WlfD4k4 Adam finishes it off with safety and control features of a full sized Standing Bandsaw.
I am aware we are talking Apples and Oranges when we see Adam Savage take an old corded powertool and turns it into a stand-alone tabletop bandsaw. Versus taking an Already-Cordless Bandsaw intended to be used in tight quarters for Tradespeople on-site, and giving it an accessory that renders it a stationary Shop Tool.
But, frankly, if they’re going to shrink down the size of their Portable Bandsaw, Bosch and DeWALT alike, then it would be nice to see both companies create a Shop-Station dock for these cordless bandsaws that replaces the tiny bolt-on “Table” of the Bandsaws as they are now, with a large base instead. If it fits the same screws on both sized models of each brand, it would make the table compatible with both sizes of cordless bandsaw. And being made by the actual brand that made the saws in the first place? It would have all the specs needed to do the correct adaptations for size.
I’d repost this in the DeWALT Atomic saw as well, but I have less faith in that one for this table idea. For DeWALT I would only want it to fit the 20 Volt and FlexVOLT series Bandsaws, NOT the Atomic. The full size, and deep cut editions only. For Bosch? Passing this little one down to Dremel with the Tabletop option would give them a new editon of the MotoSaw with higher power capacity, for more useful materials than the current MotoSaw can handle. The MotoSaw XL or MotoSaw BandSaw. They’ll figure out the Dremel name for it. just as long as Dremel gets one of Bosch’s GOOD Hand-Me-Downs for once, instead of forcing things like the GO Screwdriver down to the Dremel market in hopes that failure will sell better to the Crafter market.
Dremel has a proud history of its own, with the Rotary Tools and the ORIGINAL MotoSaw. Bosch doesn’t respect the Dremel brand AT ALL, and I think they owe Dremel this as an apology for how crappy they’ve treated them.