When it comes to power tool brands, everyone has their favorites. In the USA, Dewalt and Milwaukee seem to be the top 2 pro brand competitors, and there’s still plenty of market share left for other brands to compete for.
Related: What do Readers Want?
Dear Dewalt… Here are Our Readers’ Tool Wishlists
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If You Could Ask Milwaukee Tool One Thing, What Would it Be?
We previously asked everyone what they would like to see from Dewalt and Milwaukee, and you responded with some great questions and feedback. We’ll revisit all these responses in a year’s time (maybe two) to see who got their wishes and questions answered.
While thinking about all this today, my attention turned to Bosch.
As an aside, a couple of months ago I wondered about the potential for Bosch to come out with a line of hand tools. I don’t think it’s going to happen, but wouldn’t it be great if it did?
Without thinking about it, which is your favorite power tool brand?
Now, if you didn’t answer Bosch, please take some time to think about your favorite power tool brand and why they’re your favorite.
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What could Bosch possibly do to change your mind and become your favorite power tool brand?
So why isn’t Bosch on top?
ToolGuyd isn’t a one-way street where I talk and you listen. I have learned a lot from reading the thousands of insightful comments readers have shared in their responses to posts and discussions.
One thing I have learned is that a lot of readers really like Bosch tools, but Bosch is nowhere near as favored as Dewalt or Milwaukee. They just aren’t.
I’ve mentioned numerous times before about how Bosch is my favorite power tool brand. But that’s from a general standpoint, and was born from my corded tool purchases.
I own Bosch cordless power tools, and I’ve been very pleased with them. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Bosch is my first or favored choice. I really love my Bosch 18V drill and impact driver, but I probably wouldn’t have bought the combo if I had not happened upon incredible deal pricing 4 years ago.
Bosch is a MASSIVE company.
They know how to make fantastic power tools, and they also know how to change the game. Bosch’s 10.8V pocket driver is what kick-started the entire 12V Max Li-ion tool category as we now know it.
They should be owning the market, but they’re not.
Right now, Bosch just doesn’t match up to their competitors.
Why?
My Love for Bosch Corded Tools.
My experience with Bosch’s jigsaws and hammer drills have made me a huge fan of their corded power tools. I had positive experiences with Bosch’s GTS1031 portable table saw, and it has made me very eager to try their larger saws. I’m especially eager to get my hands on a Bosch Reaxx table saw – if/when they come out.
Their Axial Glide miter saws are really nice too, although my experience with them are still a little limited.
My Bosch router is superb.
So in terms of corded power tools, Bosch is a very compelling brand. I do wish they made a benchtop planer, but I could forgive them for that omission.
If I needed a corded rotary hammer or demo hammer, Bosch would likely be my first choice.
But these days, everyone is into cordless power tools. Most brands have been pumping a lot of time, energy, and money into cordless innovations, and it shows.
Bosch has had some great releases these past few years, and some of their offerings show great promise. Although a lot of users are highly critical of Bosch’s wireless battery charging system, it works well for certain usage environments.
If other brands work with Bosch to adopt their standard, this could be the universal battery charging solution that we’ve all been hoping for. Imagine being able to charge any brand’s battery pack on a single charger!
Let’s face the facts. Bosch has not been as impactful in the cordless tool arena as their competitors. It’s all relative. There are plenty of innovations, but perhaps not enough, or the right kinds of innovations.
A lot of times, Bosch comes out with a new innovation, but readers see it and think that’s not for me.
So what could change things?
Bosch, you’ve got to give pro tool users more of what they want if you want to be their favorite tool brand. What do they want? Let’s ask them:
What Could Bosch do to Become Your Favorite Power Tool Brand?
Seeing as they’re already my favorite corded tool brand, at least in plenty of categories, here’s what would help make them my favorite cordless power tool brand:
I want to see MORE 12V Max tools! Bosch doesn’t have to match Milwaukee’s M12 offerings tool for tool, but there are too many holes in their 12V-class lineup. I like Bosch’s 12V Max tools very much, and know they can own the category if they would just expand the lineup further.
And what’s with all the tools that Bosch has released in Europe but not here? Releasing those tools here would surely please a lot of folks.
Here are a bunch of NAINA (not available in North America) tools, which are mostly 12V Max-class:
- Bosch 12V Max Brushless Angle Grinder
- Bosch 12V Max Brushless Drywall Screwdriver
- Bosch 12V Max Circular Saw and Rotary Tool
- Bosch Thermal Imaging Camera and Thermo Detector
- Bosch Inspection Camera with Auto-Rotating Image
- Bosch 18V Compact Reciprocating Saw
- Bosch 12V Max Brushless Impact Driver and Wrench
- Bosch TrackTag Bluetooth Tool Tracking Device
- Bosch mini Precision Portable Drill Press
- Bosch 18V Sander
- Bosch Flexiclick Modular Drill and Driver System
I want to see MORE Brushless tools! Why haven’t we seen the same brushless impact tools that our friends across the pond can buy? How about a brushless saw? Yes, there’s a brushless OMT, but that’s hardly a circular saw or reciprocating saw.
I think that there are also many marketing reasons as to why Bosch isn’t as popular as Dewalt and Milwaukee, but let’s try to center the discussion around their tool offerings and what you would like to see.
I think that if Bosch expanded their 12V lineup, refreshed some of their 18V tools, expanded their 18V lineup, and expanded their brushless tool offerings, they might compare and compete better against front-runner brands.
The situation definitely isn’t hopeless.
If you’ve got a moment, please let us know what you think!
Chris
Bring more 18v/12v tools to the US market. I just purchased “Bosch Professional 10.8 Volt Impact Wrench GDS 10.8V-EC Naked” from UK because I really wanted a small compact 3/8 impact wrench and I’m already invested in Bosch’s 12v line. Unfortunately this set me back $175.00 with shipping. I do a ton of my own auto repairs so I know it will come in handy with the compact size.
Matt Jones
Completely agree. I’ve contemplating selling my Bosch 12v stuff despite my love for it simply because of the variety available from Milwaukee. I simply don’t understand why they don’t import these tools. I’ve been drooling over that impact wrench…a friend has the Milwaukee one and it’s a lifesaver. Wish we’d see the rotary tool, too. I have the Dremel and it’s the same exact battery platform as the chargers are cross-compatible. Stick a HD motor in it and call it a Bosch and I would have that in a heartbeat.
Lack
Does the 10,8V EU tool work with your 12V US tools/batteries?
Peter
Watch these videos and learn:
Battery Talk – oztooltalk special https://youtu.be/3uz-3ZlqdEo
Is DeWalt 20V more powerful than Milwaukee 18V? Don’t toss out your 18V tools just yet. https://youtu.be/EYhrBGkt8jk
12Vmax and 10.8V li-ion power tools are EXACTLY the same thing except for the sticker. Be aware for chargers there’s a difference though, as North America has 120Vac chargers and Europe has 230Vac chargers and different plugs. So don’t buy chargers in Europe and expect to use the in North America and vice versa. But as for the cordless tool skins and the batteries, they are the same thing except for the stickers.
12V is the maximum (American marketing voltage) and 10.8V is the nominal voltage (real voltage).
The exact same tool skins and batteries sold as 12Vmax in the US are are sold as 10.8V in Europe.
The same thing for 20Vmax tools like DeWalt sold in the US, the exact same tools and batteries are marketed as 18V in Europe. The same goes for 40Vmax vs. 36Vnominal etc. and so forth and it doesn’t matter what brand it is. A 56V EGO lawn mower is in reality only a 50.4V lawn mower as it has 14 * 3.6V li-ion cells in series. 14* 3.6 = 50.4V (not 56V).
All power tools use the same 3.6V li-ion cells, most of them Samsung and a few Sanyo/Panasonic and maybe a few others.
12Vmax / 10.8Vnom tools use 3 * 3.6V cells in series: 3* 3.6V = 10.8V
20Vmax / 18Vnom has 10 * 3.6V cells in series: 10 * 3.6V = 18V
40Vmax / 36Vnom has 10 * 3.6V cells in series: 10 * 3.6V = 36V
The nominal voltage per cell is 3.6V and the marketing (max) voltage per cell is 4.0V.
To convert from the American marketing voltage (max voltage) to the European real (nominal) voltage, just multiply by 0.9.
#of cells in series:
1 cell: 4Vmax * 0.9 = 3.6Vnom
2 cells: 8Vmax * 0.9 = 7.2Vnom
3 cells: 12Vmax * 0.9 = 10.8Vnom
4 cells: 16Vmax * 0.9 = 14.4Vnom
5 cells: 20Vmax * 0.9 = 18Vnom
6 cells: 24Vmax * 0.9 = 21.6Vnom
7 cells: 28Vmax * 0.9 = 25.2Vnom
…
10 cells: 40Vmax * 0.9 = 36Vnom
…
14 cells: 56Vmax * 0.9 = 50.4Vnom
…
20 cells: 80Vmax * 0.9 =72Vnom
…
To calculate the energy capacity [Wh] of a battery you have to multiply the current capacity [Ah] with the nominal voltage [V]. If you have a 5Ah; 18Vnom/20Vmax battery pack, the energy capacity is:
5Ah * 18V = 90 Wh.
The Vmax voltage is useless and can’t be used for energy capacity calculation. If you look in li-ion cell datasheets this imaginary 4Vmax marketing voltage isn’t even mentioned, only the nominal voltage of 3.6-3.8V depnding on li-ion type and chemistry, the min discharge voltage (typically in the 2.5V – 3V area) and the max charge voltage (typically 4.2-4.35V). For power tool cells the nominal voltage is 3.6V and the max charge voltage is 4.2V.
Here’s a datasheet for Samsung SDI INR18650-25R cell https://www.powerstream.com/p/INR18650-25R-datasheet.pdf
This is a 2.5Ah cell specifically designed for power tools and used in most power tool 2.5Ah slim packs and 5.0Ah fat packs. The datasheet list the nominal voltage of 3.6V, but nowhere does it mention the imaginary 4Vmax voltage made up by power tool marketing departments.
The only purpose of the Vmax voltage is for marketing purposes to fool (American) customers and make them think they get a better product with a higher voltage than they do.
About the only exception for li-ion power tools that doesn’t use 3.6V li-ion cells is the old DeWalt XRP stick batteries which used 3.2V LiFePO4 cells from A123. So the 18V XPR stick batteries aren’t really 18V either, but only 5*3.2V=16V.
So that’s where the big marketing lie started and DeWalt continued lying (in America anyway) when they switched to their XR slide-in battery platform with 3.6V li-ion cells. In the US they call their 18V XR batteries for 20Vmax, but in Europe they still call the exact same XR batteries for 18V, go figure. Other brands have done the same, but not everyone for all voltage lines. Bosch for example call their 10.8V line for 12Vmax in the US, but their 18V line is not renamed 20Vmax unlike DeWalt. Milwaukee doesn’t call their 18V tools 20Vmax either, but they call their 10.8V tools for M12.
Stuart
Yea, we’ve talked about this before – https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-18v/ – and most brands spell it out on their packaging that 20V Max = 18V nominally and 12V Max = 10.8V nominally, but this is still something that surprises people.
Still, it’s a valid question to ask whether EU and USA tools and batteries are compatible. I’m under the impression that, except perhaps in certain cases, they should be.
Carlos
They should be dominating the 12v line. I still have 3 of their 12v tools, but that’s versus 7 of Milwakee…..
Has there ever been an answer as to why they don’t release all of their 12v stuff here?
Michael
Where do you order from in the uk?
Michael
Eu
Carlos
I’m in the U.S.
If I was in the UK I would have a lot more Bosch stuff.
mike aka Fazzman
I love Bosch,their 12v line and even their 18v lines have some really great tools.
I use my Bosch 12v stuff all the time,the only thing I wish was there were some newer brushless tools in the line. I still want to get the 12v jigsaw that thing is awesome,I love bosch sanders too. I also have a Bosch SDS drill that is really great.
The recent release in EU of the Bosch right angle cutoff,I totally want that tool,I know they are technically based in Germany but come on,it cant be that tough to release the same tools here.
Dennis
If I’m force to choose I’d say Bosch is my second favorite behind Milwaukee in cordless tools but my favorite in corded tools. I had 2 Bosch 10.8v (at the time) cordless tools, but then Milwaukee came out with a deep line of m12 tools and they offered huge discounts and combo packs. Once you have a certain number of cordless tools on one battery system (I think that number is 4) you’re sort of committed. I mean who wants to carry around different battery and charger systems? And once you get committed to one brand I think you stay committed to them in when you purchase other voltages(m18 and even m4 for Milwaukee). At this point I’m not going to change over all my cordless tools or buy cordless Bosch tools, unless they start taking Milwaukee batteries..
That being said I have a bunch of fantastic Bosch corded tools that I love, most notably a table saw and Colt router. No new battery system, no problem in purchasing.
I loved when Bosch tools were made in Europe. Those are some well made tools. I have their heat gun that I still use that was made in “West” Germany. But I hate when they do that NAINA nonsense.
PS: bring more Sortimo accessories to the US for the L-Boxx line….
Adam
“NAINA” – You probably answered your own question right there.
In the UK, were beginning to see a (very) few Milwaukee products creep in but the keen-enthusiast / lower-pro market is dominated by Dewalt and perhaps Hitachi.
Once you step up to professional level, there is only one stand-out manufacturer and that is Bosch.
Interestingly, with their entry into the Dewalt/Hitachi end of the market with similar looking ‘blue’ products, Bosch may be diluting the pro product reputation.
Bill K
Bosch doesn’t seem to be committed to the USA market from a product offering perspective, just as Stuart noted. Bosch makes great tools, but their lower offering of tools limits my ability to leverage battery investments across more tools and this cost factor alone is a driver for me to look at Milwaukee and possibly Dewalt.
I’d like to see a more aggressive commitment to compete and grow in the USA market by Bosch, especially in the 12 v product line which has so much promise.
Drew M
NAINA.
John S
Ditto
Garyn S
I’m with you, I love bosch tools. I have 4 12v tools, 2 18v, and a couple corded tools. Their biggest hurdle is not having the endcaps at Home Depot with their cordless lineup.
As offerings go, they could start with the Bosch 12V Max Brushless Impact Driver and Wrench for sure and the brushless OMT and rotary tool would also be hits. Going entirely brushless would be a good move. Adding in more quality non-tool, tools like better vacuums, fans, lights, (powerboxx radio is great) and a multi-charger with a usb port to charge a phone.
Their accessory and attachment offerings are usually expensive or unattractive, although the holiday magnetic bit holder was nice, and their new drill/ driver kits on amazon are pretty cool so maybe that will help. The makita Gold impact style is interesting. The branding of the shockwave stuff, though not great quality, helped move a lot of product.
Then they need to use the YouTubers to keep showing head to heads with products that kill it every time and explain that the cost is the same. And keep things coming in the L-Boxxs.
Finally, I suggest a trade up program if they continue a brushless and brushed lineup. Send in your working old models for a credit toward a new model or toward an extra battery or something.
Michael
Ditto
Steve
Have festool quality at a much lower price point. Develop a system similar to the domino, and a track saw with the quality of a festool.
More options in their cordless line, and more quality/power. I picked up a new Bosch 18V cordless impact and drill and like my old Milwaukee’s better. The drill chuck on the Milwaukee is much more durable and rugged than the bosch.
I have a big Bosch SDS Max that needed service. The closest service center (Beckley WV) was horrible. Delayed ordering the part for over a month. They need better service centers.
The only area I think Bosch excels in would be SDS tools, and Hilti is better in that market. True innovation with quality and endurance. Much of what they offer appears to mimic others, but with less innovation and quality. I suspect their tool division is an afterthought.
Rami
Festool quality at much lower price point? There is a reason why Festool costs so much.
Mike
It would be a shame if Bosch lowered the quality of their Mafell clone/collaboration track saw to Festool levels. It IS a shame Bosch has not brought it to the USA/North America market. Or their 12v circular or 12v brushless impact…and so many other tools.
If you used a Bosch drill and found the chuck to be less rugged than Milwaukee’s offerings I must assume you had a Bosch from the ‘Compact Tough’ lineup. Check out a Bosch drill from the BRUTE series…Milwaukee does not offer anything even remotely as durable in keyless chuck options.
Bosch also offers excellent jigsaws(probably the best aside from Mafell, especially if cost is considered), circular saws(worm gear especially), table and miter saws as good as any brand(excluding the $1500 Kapex)-the Bosch axial glide is in a category without competition, Bosch routers have a long history of excellence. Bosch also sells excellent OMT’s. Bosch grinders and sanders are high quality as well, although not many people in the US seem to have first hand experience.
Last but not least, Bosch is definitely the accessory king…jig saw blades, OMT blades, circular and reciprocating blades(sold under Diablo brand), SDS drill bits…all top quality. Even their insert driver bits are great, the USA-made line in particular.
Va tech
Do you have any exp with the Bosch cs10 circular saw I want to try it as I own there jig saw ext but reviews on it are either great or really bad was just curious?
Brent
My opinion is this, why have one favorite brand? I have a cabinet/ custom furniture shop and also do finish carpentry and different brands hold different places. I really like Bosch table saws and circular saws, routers and laser levels, hitachi for miter saws, jig saws and definitely nail guns, Milwaukee for drills, impacts and sanders, and Rolair compressors and Diablo for all my blades, router bits etc. I personally think people where I live dont buy much Bosch strictly due to price probably because when I show up on a job site all I hear is ribbing from everyone for spending so much on Bosch tools, but I believe you get what you pay for and I also know what prefer to use for specific tasks and every company has niche tools that I feel are superior to others. My two cents.
56mack
Well said. I have makita 18volt drill and impact, bosch 12v drill and impact and axial glide miter saw and routers, and ridgid nailers along with a dewalt compact router. I purchased these because I felt like they were the best tools for the jobs at good prices. When I see festool I really think they are way over priced as to what you are getting for the money..
Jon
I’m more brand agnostic than brand loyal, except in a battery system. Neither the economy nor the workflow of having multiple battery systems are ideal.
Nitsan Simantov
SO annoying that there are so many region specific tools. USA-only, Asia-only, europe-only. What on earth are they thinking?
Also, more blue pro-series tools! I had to buy a Makita-fit battery and charger because I seriously needed a staple gun, and Bosch’s tiny DIY one is not good enough for my uses.
Nitsan Simantov
Also better quality control when it comes to manufacturing accuracy!
My almost new GSB-18Vli has chuck wobble.
Milwaukee tool Steve
Well right off the bat my favorite brand is Milwaukee even though I’m aware it’s not the best brand but it offers a very good 18v/12v line of tools they are durable and heavy duty tools and you can’t beat a 5 year warranty.
But when it come to Bosch tools I would prefer them much much more than DeWalt, now don’t get me wrong Dewalt tools are a good brand but I have had the worst service with them and they don’t last me more than 1 year and then then I’m at the costumer service and don’t get my money back… but bosch has served me some tools Milwaukee doesn’t. but overall Hilti’s brand is probably THE best brand I have used but the problem is the price…
P
I want to love Bosch tools, but the problem I find is that they just don’t design for user comfort. Now, I’ll admit, I haven’t used a wide swath. I had their 12v Drill/Driver kit, and returned it. I also use a big Bosch plunge router frequently. I’ve been eyeing a Colt router as well. I tried out their 18v line in the store, but they all felt unbalanced and unwieldy, compared to Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Makita.
They need to make the 12v Driver more comfortable to use for extended periods of time. I have big hands, but keeping a firm grip on the handle with the battery inside get’s tiring after half an hour. In comparison, my 18v Makita /feels/ lighter, even though it isn’t, just because the ergonomics are so much better.
I think they could find their way into a lot of tool-boxes if they came out with an 18v Trim router. They are already a top name in routers, though DeWalt seems to be catching up to the Colt. An 18v laminate router could be a game changer. It wouldn’t be for everyone, but I think you’d be hard pressed to find a kitchen installer/re-modeler who wouldn’t consider it.
Jacob
I think they could easily gain some market share in the US with a warranty/service agreement similar to what Ridgid has. They could easily team up with Lowes or another retailer I would think to aid in that. This may or may not hurt their pro market share, but it would definitely help the middle ground I would think.
Around me its mixed, but Milwaukee seems to be the top of the pro market for sure. After that its pretty much a mixture, or dewault, makita, etc. I do see a lot of Bosch table saws and Miter saw though, but that doesn’t translate into cordless tool purchases necessarily.
Lasers and measurement tools are pretty popular from them as well.
I got my first Bosch drill from a company raffle, and I then bought a matching impact driver as a discounted display from Lowes. I love them both as they are compact for 18v tools, and I just use them for home remodeling and garage projects.
Xavier
It’s not a cordless tool, but once the legal issues are worked out I’ll be VERY curious in the Reaxx lineup. I could see that being a gateway tool to buying more Bosch products. The main barrier now is the often higher price of Bosch over competitors but not necessarily a higher bar for reputation, depending on the tool category. Their routers are wonderful, I’ll say that.
tim
In lieu of selling milwaukee tools (lol just kidding.)
I’d need bosch to either lower their prices or come up in performance.
I have several bosch electric tools that may have lasted years, but definitely seem down on power/performance compared to their less expensive counterparts.
Bosch is in a weird place for me as in alot of applications I don’t mind spending the extra money on a higher grade tool for the task, or much less on a lower grade tool.
Also their dust collector hookups seem weird and there are too many proprietary accessories and such.
Diplomatic Immunity
Release that damn tracksaw they have here in the US.
Brent
I agree
Taylor
That’s what I was thinking, they would sell a lot I would think. It would be a great alternative to the high priced Festool one.
Jon
Makita has an awesome track saw…Festool isn’t the only player in the North American market!
Jesse
I would like to add that perhaps brushless tools (at least from Bosch) are not all they’re cracked up to be. I’m a full time carpenter & huge Bosch fanboy. I bought all the brushless 18v tools the moment they became available. My socket ready impactor, multi tool, and drill all failed. Within a month or two. Bosch sent replacements quickly as part of their awesome pro vantage plan, and the replacements were having intermittent failure/latency almost immediately. I’ve never had a brushed 18v Bosch tool fail. Ever.
The Bosch service tech on the phone let it slip that the brushless drills are not designed for “feathering” the trigger. If I’m interpreting that right, that means the way I’ve used drills my whole life will lead to more failure. What?? Has anyone heard this but me??
Drew M
That’s interesting. As far as I know, Kontronik supplies Bosch’s brushless speed controllers and the one thing Kontronik is known for is Active Freewheel which should make ‘feathering’ the trigger not a problem at all.
Mike
For me the battery cost is this biggest factor of any of the brands. I wasn’t going to 120-150 for new v28 Milwaukee so I abandoned the brand even though I liked the tools. I love the Bosch recip and 18v circ. saw. I miss nothing about the Milwaukee set. I pretty much got the new Bosch tools for the price of two new Milwaukee batteries. So now I just face the same inevitable fate when the Bosch ones give out. All because of battery cost. …. I think if they come up with a “universal” battery it will create more tool competition which is good. I keep hearing about Milwaukee quality but I’m aware they are owned by the same company as Ryobi and Ridgid.
JGonzo
My honest opinion is that there’s not a massive gap in terms of value between Bosch, Milwaukee, or DeWalt. If anything, I suspect that DeWalt has a small leg up in terms of sales due to their wider availability (see them in both Lowes and HD).
If Bosch really wanted to make a serious move, I think they should leverage their partnership with Sortimo, expanding the availability of L-Boxxs and finally GETTING THE ***ING T-BOXX TO THE U.S.!!! The number of people that burn with a jealous rage at Adam Savage’s Sortimo collection and/or folks with lottery-sized investments in Festool/Systainer setups is a ton of excellent free marketing. A smaller, more nimble corporation than Bosch would have exploited the Boxxes ages ago to immense advantage. The fact that DeWalt combo kits are showing up in HD in Tough Boxes over the last few months suggests the direction the market is taking. Why not leverage the significant advantage the Sortimo partnership gives them?
P
Agreed, if we could just buy a damn Sortimo/T-Boxx with Bosch branding, that could go a long way. The L-Boxx is fine, but If I’m organizing parts, I want a damn transparent lid. I’ve gone into the store at least half a dozen times, planning to buy a DeWalt/Milwaukee organizer. Every time I’m put off by the lack of quality/rigidity of their construction.
John S
Ditto the above.
Bill Strobel
Faster rollouts of tools once they are announced. More availability in NA market. The NA market at times seems like an afterthought with most of their emphasis geared toward the European market. Bosch tools are not really marketed in US as a DIY brand but they could go head to head with DeWalt and Milwaukee if they would just place some emphasis on getting the NAINA tools to NA. Once you use the tools everybody likes them. But the single biggest complaint is lack of tool selection in NA. That causes people to go with DeWalt and Milwaukee and once they are on that platform the Bosch stuff gets pushed to the side.
herr_derpington
I like the tools and would buy a bunch more if i could get their EU and APAC lines without overpaying on eBay.
Warranty registration from a “non approved” supplier (Menard’s!) was enough of a pain that I said screw it. (And that from someone who has no problem doing enterprise change control or NFA paperwork)
Pete
I had a 12v boch set-drill+impact and sold it to buy milwaukee simply because they didnt have belt clips lol also the larger line up offering from milwaukee was also a large factor. I will say that the bosch felt like it was higher quality and had tighter tolerances in the chuck.
Peter
Bosch have added belt clips to their brushless 12Vmax/10.8V tools. The older brushed tools doesn’t have a belt clip though.
Michael G
Strange, this is similar to the need to categorize people as either liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, or do you give your allegiance to Ford or Chevrolet. My preferences are my preferences and I don’t wish to be put in any particular group. I vote for the man not the party and do the same with tools. I am a professional carpenter and woodworker and have many tools from a variety of manufacturers. I choose them based on individual merit. This business of having a favorite brand is nonsense and merely a ploy that marketers wish you to buy in to. I think they call it brand-loyalty. Why is Tool Gyd pushing it? Choose a tool based on its own merit.
Lynyrd
Having a favorite brand is legitimate if it has to do with feel/fit, or trust in reliability. It isn’t as necessary with corded tools, but in regard to Cordless, once a size format is selected, it is very important. Nothing is more inconvenient than carrying multiple batteries and chargers.
There are many things that go into buying decisions, and past experience is a big part of it, which in turn creates favorites. Once we make a buying decision it is human nature to want to support your decision.
If you think you’re enlightened or above it, then feel free not to participate. It’s like calling into a talk show and go on a two minute diatribe about a subject you state you hate talking about.
Dave
I like Bosch tools, I have our company on there 12v line, but 18v we use Makita and Milwaukee. We use a ton of their corded stuff and it’s always very high quality. The problem is that they have an extremely limited lineup. Outside of your basic tools they really have nothing, and what they do have tends to be good, but usually not leading edge like their corder tools are. Even the brushless stuff they do have is lackluster compared to the others. They are not making the investment in proprietary brushless motors like Makita and Milwaukee are.
Austin
I think bosch isn’t as big in the US is because they don’t have to be. They dominate in Europe so that is their bread and butter. Bosch is my favorite line I am invested in the the L-boxx and 12V and 18v and most of the bigger corded tools my company has is all bosch. I went with bosch because they seem more professional than Milwaukee and Dewalt. It seems that more people don’t buy bosch because it’s more expensive. But you get what you pay for sometimes.
sp
In terms of power tool market dominance, I think Bosch go strong in eastern Europe, Russia and, of course, Germany.
In western Europe and Asia, I think Makita has the lead.
Mahalo
I honestly think there is something to the Euro vs. USA aspect of Bosch vs. DeWalt/Milwaukee in terms of branding and culture that has them failing to take the lead. It’s so nuanced, and to me it’s more of a “feeling” rather than loaded in facts or performance data. Some of the ideas that come out of that place are awesome, and I really like the way the tools feel in hand, performance, all of that.
One thing, for example, is color scheme. I see so much devotion to the “red” or “yellow” tools out there on pages like your own and other forums, it’s crazy. I think us Americans really identify with bold colors, because we can easily identify with it the same way we do with our sports teams. We choose sides, then we go all in. Now, you might think I have headed off to no-man’s land with this, but let me get to the next point…
Milwaukee and Dewalt have a ton of available merchandise and tools that match. It’s on the shelves, in catalogs, everywhere. You can buy a heated jacket from Milwaukee that uses the same 18V battery that’s in your impact wrench, etc. And this stuff is not hard to find. I don’t even know if Bosch makes something like this, but I have never seen it. This is about brand loyalty, and the related merchandise and hand tools tap into that feeling and generate excitement.
Now, look at a Bosch tool display at the store. The tool ergonomics are fantastic, and perhaps the performance is sometimes even better than the competitors’ on certain tools. But does the color scheme elicit excitement? Walk over to the hand tools section. Are you ready to supplement your Bosch power tools with some hand tools by Dewalt or Milwaukee? Or are you more likely now to have a mix of tools and go with some Channellocks, Crescent wrenches, etc.? There’s no synergy in that from a marketing stand point. Now, login to that forum, and tell people that your favorite tool brand is green-blue. Some might guess you are a Hitachi fan, while others might venture Kobalt as a guess. Metabo maybe? Bosch just kinda gets lost in that mix.
Chris
I think Bosch is doing just fine. There main target is professional construction crews. If there good enough for them their definitely good enough for my home use, at least that’s how I look at it.
Mahalo
I don’t think the question is whether or not they are “good enough” or “doing fine”. It is about what they can do better or a guess at why–maybe–they aren’t connecting with the USA audience as much as DeWalt or Milwaukee, especially in light of their tools often being equal or sometimes superior to those brands.
Even professional construction crews are highly devoted to certain brands. Marketing can be a big part of that. Snap-On tools, for example. Great tools, even better marketing. Thus, they are wildly popular and can charge a premium.
sp
I think that political, national and emotional aspects involved in my prefferances. But technical and “professional’ aspects win.
I think that bosch power tools in general are best suited for my needs.
I am not American or European. I live in the middle east. I love the US and the values of that nation. Dewalt in general, is my scond favorite power tool maker. Probably becouse of the two factors mentioned above. IMO, Milwaukee and Dewalt are very good professsinal brands. I think they are popular among americans becouse they are genuine and they assosiate with the US. Americans feel that national pride about those two brands despite most of their power tools are not made in the US.
Why I preffer Dewalt over Milwaukee ? Milwaukee power tools are known generaly for their high power and speed. that doesn’t mean they have better longevity and durability. I preffer Dewalt power tools becouse of their better ergonomics (at least to my hands) and beacouse Dewalt still owned by american company. I get the impresssion that here, in this region, the “Red” tools are selling for higher price in general, compare to the” blues” and “yellows”.
BTW, I know that Milwaukee owned by TTI, a chinies konglomerat, but the HQ of M’ is in the US. Where are M’ tools designed? Where is the R and D center? China or US?
DaveVB
The first power tool I bought was a Bosch corded hammer drill. I dropped it from gutter height and broke the reverser switch; they repaired it at no cost! They have been my favorite since then.
Build a quality tool and back it up with quality service. I believe that is what we ultimately want from any manufacturer; A good no-nonsense tool backed up by no-nonsense service.
Hang Fire
Besides the obvious everone is stating here- offer us more product to buy in N.A.- they need to buy/rent/procure or otherwise get more counter space in home centers. One end cap in Lowe’s and almost nothing in HD does not buy mind share.
Anthony
I was a 100% true devoted Bosch tool guy, own a ton of their stuff, then 2 years I bought there new hammer drill 181x and there was an issue with it, Bosch didn’t really seem to care or even call back with a explanation as to what they will do next, well that forever changed the way I do business with a tool company. They can start by treating customers who made them who they are a hell of a lot better for start.
Reflector
Knock the NAINA stuff off. Love the 12V line but the lack of availability of some items and long release delays (PS42) makes it difficult.
Bosch already has a tracksaw. They have a complete lineup of saws in Europe that ride on the tracks too. I ended up buying the Mafell after getting the Bosch tracks on consideration that I’d rather pay the difference and get the best there is. Knock the NAINA stuff off and bring those here with American arbors. That GKS 55+ GCE cuts 63mm deep with a 165mm sawblade. That’s almost 2.5″ with a 6-1/2″ sawblade, that’s the same cut depth as a 7-1/4″ sawblade but with a lighter body. Make a brushless 18V version of that and send it over. Make a 7-1/4″ version too and send that over.
Not keeping up with competitors doesn’t help either. Some of the cordless line is ancient design wise. A refresh would help given that some of them were designed when batteries of today’s capacities weren’t available and they’re a little “power challenged.” Bosch doesn’t have to focus on power, they’ve always made really good tools in terms of ergonomics, runtime, weight and durability. Just a bump to stay competitive.
sp
Bosch is my favorite powertool maker.But that company dissapoint me over and over again. In fact, I’m afraid it’s a sighn of a company in decline.
You said it all in your last paragraph Stuart. Bosch is laged behind it’s rivals in 12V, 18V lineups and the rate of brushless technology releases, dispite it’s massive infrastructure.
Look at this selective list of tools:
HDH 181 / HDH 181X
DDH 181 / DDH 181X
DDS 181
HDS 181
HTH 182
RSH 181
CAG 180
All the above are bosch’s flag tools in their category. The average age of them is 5 to 6 yo. Non of them is brushless and non of them has brushless replacement.
Bosch does not offer even one standalone brushless inpact driver. Not in the 12v line, nor in the 18V line. (Well, may be one 12V). The IDH182 is grate but it’s a “special dual” tool. They sell only one 18V brushless impact and only in Asia. Bosch has only one brushless impact wrench of all sizes and voltages. The “Teals, Greens, the Reds and Yellows” have planty. May be 8-10 for each kind of tool. Non of bosch’s cordless saws and angle grinders (except that little cut off tool recently released) is brushless. Non of bosch’s small and fade out line of 36V cordless tools is brushless.
Bosch still has plenty to offer. Axial Glide 10″, 12″ miter saws’ the GSR 18V EC FC2 tool, the Inductive Charging System and more. But the obove list is longer.
I love Bosch Sortisimo L BOXX. Please produce 20″ – 22″ wide L BOXX system.
Wish list:
Brushless tools as a next generation for all the above list , including cordless saws.
Bigger selection of chargers. Fast chargers.
More work lights and flashlights.
12V system with slide – in batteries and thiner grips.
Compatibility between bosch Blue tools and Bosch DIY green tools (batteries and contacts, as it was in the era of Ni Cd).
As bosch already do, they don’t have to strugle for power and speed, but stay focus in ergononomics and make copmact and light tools.
As I said, IMO Bosch tools are ergonomicaly designed but take third place after Dewalt (1st) and Hitachi. You are very wellcome to move to 2nd place.
Revive 36V lineup, with brushless tools.
And finally, in future batteries, please introduce gauges with four levels instead of three.
Thanks.
sp
sortisimo = sortimo
Chris
I think your misinformed about Bosch’s brushless offerings for drills/impacts now.
They offer in 18V
HDS182-brushless drill/hammer
DDS182-brushless drill
and 3 different brushless impacts now
IDH182-1/2 impact with 1/4 hex in center
IWMH182-1/2 impact 184 ibs forward and reverse torque
IWBH182-1/2 impact (same as IDH182 but without the center 1/4 hex)
sp
You are correct in some points.
I forgot about the IWBH182. When I said that Bosch has only one (18V) brushless impact wrench, I mean the IWMH 182 (EU – GDS 18V EC 250) (the ‘250’ stands for the units in Nm) but forgot it’s American designation. As you can see, I mentioned the IDH182 which I think it’s a great tool. The IDH 182 is Bosch only 18V brushless impact driver in America and EU. Bosch’s rivals have about 6-10 brushless impacts in their 12V and 18V range. I dont know about Bosch stand alone 18V brushless driver (brushless impact driver). May be in the far east and Australia. The IDH 182 is a special “dual role tool”.
As for the first two you mentioned – I know about their existance. They introduced in fall 2013 togather with the IDH 182 and IWBH 182. They are very good tools in their class. But considering their significantly lower torque, many users can’t and don’t see them as a true replacement for the still impressive brushed HDS 181 and DDS 181.
And another irritating point: I didn’t do a full research but I think that most power tool releases by Bosch in 2014 – 2015 are brushed (over 50%). At the same time Milwaukee’s and Makita’s new cordless power tools are almost all brushless. Not to mention that their power tool selection is much deeper and wider.
(pssst… sorry for that english…)
Pablo
Really, they just need to turn up the marketing machine to compete with Milwaukee. No one else makes more noise than Milwaukee, and thus have created quite a following.
I guess it helps when your gross margins are high because your cost of goods is so low since you’re committed to making everything in China. Bosch/DeWalt/Makita can’t compete with their margins, and thus will never drive as much into marketing.
Mahalo
I agree with the premise that marketing is a huge factor here. Bosch marketing stateside is not on par with Milwaukee.
DonnieB
Any of the following would bring them up from 3Rd on my list. (Behind Milwaukee and Ridgid)
1) like Hilti Bosch seems exclusive. But when I buy a tool I like to walk into the store and hold it first. If i like what im holding i want to walk out with it right away, not wait a week for it to arrive. I can’t do that with all Bosch tools.
2) Made in the U.S.A. I know it’s alot to ask for these days but I buy all channel Lock, Craftsman, Buck Bros or any other American made hand tools. They cost more but I do not care. I am always willing to pay more for American made.
3) price/or lifetime service agreement. ~ I know Ridgid isn’t making the the cream of the crop but Atleast they back it up with affordable pricing and peace of mind with their lifetime service agreement. That’s huge to me.
I own a few Bosch tools on the 12v line that I had to order online, I Love them . The packaging was written in all Spanish which turned me off a little but they are solid tools. I own a few laser measuring tools from Bosch and I believe them to be king of this category. Anytime I need a bit or a blade I’m going Bosch. But at this time I’m not even thinking of joining their 18v line. Hope that changes
AndrewC
What DonnieB says about being “made in the USA” is a big problem for Bosch. For professionals who end up buying a lot of tools, made in the USA or “american” companies is a big deal. And since its hard to find tools made in the USA anymore, the next best thing is buying “american.”
Dewalt is obviously american- its the Craftsman of power tools. And even though Milwaukee is not american, it has an american name. This is common for tool companies- Harbor Freight does this with there Pittsburgh line of tools.
But I think that most people get the sense that Bosch is not an american company. And since, in most cases, there are not huge differences in the offerings between different companies (a $30 price difference on a drill or slightly better torque numbers for the motor is really negligible), I think a lot of people lean toward the big american lines.
Just a hunch. Stewart, on the list of most popular tool companies, where does Makita end up? I’ve always felt that Makita and Bosch made the best tools from a quality and innovation standpoint, but I would assume that Makita not at the top of the list either.
Jim Felt
I just think Bosch has higher margins with higher overall retail prices in the Euro Zone and a few other parts of the world and simply does not care too much about the mass retailer discounting of the US market.
Would you if you didn’t “have to”?
cb
I want some of these European 10.8v tools. What is the best way for me to go about buying and having them shipped to me?
Chris
Ebay is really the only way although you may find some European suppliers that will ship but it’s costly. Search Ebay Bosch Professional and you will find suppliers from Korea as well.
bob dobalina
NAINA, for the umpteenth time.
The fact that RBGmbH owns Dremel and won’t sell a 12V rotary tool in the US just boggles the mind.
I really regret having built a Bosch 12v collection– I own, like, eight of them. I should have started with Milwaukee from the beginning.
Drew M
Seriously. If Bosch made a 12v version of the old Dremel Stylus, I would probably buy one myself and at least 3 for where I work.
Tyler
Without realizing it, I’ve become a bit of a Bosch fanboy. It started with a corded display model drill on clearance and a Colt trim router. Then it grew after I was gifted a 12v drill kit. I then bought an 18v Drill/Impact Driver kit to supplement my Craftsman C3 tools. From there I’ve bought more 12v tools and 18v tools because of my good experiences with their tools and the L-Boxx options. I’ve also acquired laser levels and rotary levels because I am satisfied with their quality. I’ve also helped others choose Bosch for some of their requirements, especially in the hammer drill markets.
I’m getting by with Bosch as my primary workhorse in the cordless lineup and using C3 as my secondary (grinder, blower, vac, sander). There are some times I wish I had gone to Milwaukee for cordless because of the better line up, but as I said, I am getting by.
I’ll echo the sentiment here, let’s loose the NAINA and open ended promises to bring it to North American markets. I’m sure they have their reasoning, but I can’t help but think their market share would be much stronger if they had a stronger line up that could mostly be satisfied by starting to release their NAINA items. If my C3 tools start to go out, I’ll want to replace them with better quality. If I have to go to Milwaukee to fill that need I’ll likely dump all of my cordless Bosch tools because I don’t want to deal with the investment of multiple battery platforms.
Bill K
??? What is NAINA ??? Seen it several times in this thread but have no idea its significance or meaning
John
NAINA = Not Available In North America
Bill K
Ahh! Thank you John!
John
Off the top of my head, I have the following corded Bosch tools:
2 1/4 hp router kit
1 hp router kit
1/4 sheet sander
5″ random orbit sander
jigsaw
power planer
SDS plus rotary hammer
drywall screwgun
drywall router (really a rotozip but close enough)
dremel tool (again, close enough)
23 ga pin nailer (not electric but it’s a Bosch so I’ll count it)
And these cordless Bosch tools:
12V impact driver
12V hacksaw
12V drill driver
12V 1/4″ hex screwdriver (not impact) – 2
I love all of the corded Bosch tools I own and even the 12V Max tools I own but they need to do a few things to keep me buying:
12V Max Line – Think outside the box like Milwaukee does and in the spirit of the Bosch tools tagline, invent some stuff for life. Availability of some of the red tools is why I bought into a duplicate line of 12V tools and now own twice as much Milwaukee as Bosch. I don’t use the specialty ones very often but they solved enough problems in my work to justify the cost.
12V Max Line (pt 2) – Start selling NAINA tools in North America. Stuart doesn’t help the frustration on this one by teasing us with pics on this site of what Bosch sells in Europe while leaving us out in the cold here in the states.
18V – I’m not buying into a second 18V cordless platform until my Makita LXT stuff all dies but Bosch’s line of available tools is flat-out dwarfed by DeWalt and Milwaukee for anyone that needs / wants a wide variety of tools on a single platform. That alone would sway my decision to one of those brands.
L-Boxx System – Sortimo’s NA distribution is a joke – Why do we have such a limited offering of the Sortimo product line? Rebrand the shit out of that NAINA product line and take my money (especially once you start doing the next item).
L-Boxx System (pt 2) – Sell the empty cases, organizers, and accessories at Lowe’s or other national brick and mortar retailers. I hate having to order them.
Banish soft side cases from bigger portable tools like recip saws – I have $150 in Menards store credit burning a hole in my pocket and the only thing keeping me from spending it on a Bosch corded recip saw tonight is that the full featured saw is only available in one of those stupid canvas bags.
For tools that come in a hard case other than L-Boxxes, how hard would it be to standardize the case footprint so they stack neater? This isn’t just a Bosch complaint
There was a line in the main post about hand tools. At first glance, I didn’t think it works for Bosch like it does for DeWalt and Milwaukee. DeWalt already has Stanley and Mac to draw from for mechanics tools and what carpentry tools they have added. Milwaukee seems focused on getting guys in the trades who already have their power tools to expand to hand tools – whether it be plumbers or electricians.
Bosch’s biggest opportunity for hand tools might be carpentry which aligns well with their well-performing carpentry and woodworking power tools. I don’t see them getting into wrenches, ratchets, sockets, etc. unless they team with someone that is already established in the market and can balance quality expectations and a pricepoint the average person will be willing to pay. To me that likely means an imported line (think Asia which isn’t necessarily terrible if just changing the name stamped on proven tools). As great as pairing with German handtool manufacturers like Wiha, Wera, Gedore, Felo, Knipex, etc. would be, they just won’t move the product here in the states.
Joe W
I don’t have much to say that hasn’t been said, but mark me down for lack of availability and cordless product range. I am a big fan of Bosch, and they are my first choice in corded tools (love my router and barrel grip jigsaw!) I trust Bosch products in other areas outside of tools as well, always have been high quality and never given me any problems. However, when I was in the market to get into a new line of 12v tools, Bosch was pretty sparse. They would’ve been my first choice, but they were slow to roll out brushless tools, they had/have too many gaps in their lineup, and they aren’t as easily available in stores as some competitors. I would gladly pay a little more for Bosch, and even go as far as importing some of their EU-only tools, I salivate over that angle grinder every time I see it. Their lineup is just too lacking (even more so when I was shopping 12v brands) and warranty would be non-existent on imported tools.
Simply expanding their cordless lineup in the US would go a long way towards making them a viable competitor. I would also like to see them make their tools in the US or EU, even if it raises the cost. I believe professionals will pay for quality and reliability, and remain loyal when they find a good brand. And of course, being invested in the platform will help sales.
I ended up going with Milwaukee M12 primarily for the fact that most of their tools are available brushless, they have a wide selection of tools on the platform, and they make decent power in a compact package (Bosch 12v are in the same league as far as size, and perhaps even more ergonomic in my experience.) As I became invested in the M12 platform and continued adding tools, I bought into several of the accessories as well that are likely more profitable than the tools (jacket/hoodie, lights, etc.) simply because I had plenty of M12 batteries and chargers on hand. I still look to Bosch first for corded tools, and often for bits, blades, etc., but at this point it’ll be years before I would even consider anything but Milwaukee for 12v simply because I’m too invested.
Oh, and FWIW, I’d still love to see Bosch get into hand tools. I think Bosch has the name recognition/reputation to offer a line of hand tools that’s a little more premium than the current Chinese offerings in big box stores, and is big enough to be able to charge a little more for them and distribute them widely enough without getting quite into the same price league as brands such as Knipex, NWS, Wera, etc. which are largely available through “boutique” stores/dealers in the US. I can see a nice market gap opening up as Craftsman continues to offshore production and their quality is dropping in lockstep, and with the inevitable demise of Sears stores and the easy availability/warranty.
Jay
Have lots of power tools just like everybody else here. Mainly use Skil, Craftsman, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Master Mechanic, Makita and Rockwell.
Used to work for a regional building materials retail outlet. We carried the major brands and had the opportunity to get hands on with many of them. Never liked Bosch because they just didn’t feel right in the hand while being under powered and over priced. Porter Cable and Ridgid were just average. The one tool line that felt like you were getting more than you paid for was Ryobi. We used Ryobi at the store for in house projects and they always impressed us as an excellent value for the money.
I view Makita (my favorite power tools) as being a tier 1 tool brand (as are Milwaukee and DeWalt) and have found that when you show up on the job with Makita tools customers are left with a good impression. If all I needed were tools for homeowner Joe type diy projects around the old homestead I’d save some money and go with Ryobi in a heartbeat. Not knocking any tools here as I know lots of guys that love Bosch and work with them every day. But for me Makita is the tool to beat. My second favorite is DeWalt. Have used DeWalt tools for many years and really like them. As previously mentioned, if I didn’t need my tools to make a living would be happy to own a truckload of Ryobi tools.
Fran Tark
I have a range of Bosch tools and I actually like them all. My Bosch demo hammer, 6″ ROS, and 18v drill/impact combo are indestructible. They fit my hands better than any other power tool brand.
I’ve always wanted them to offer a compact right angle drill (maybe just a little smaller than the Milwaukee one). There is some fine tuning needed to make the Colt palm router untouchable. It’s already best in class but they could improve the depth adjustment and collet access.
Bosch’s ability to produce great routers and miter saws makes me think they could do very well with a lunchbox planer, table top jointer, 8″ bench grinder with decent tool rests, and maybe even a midsize drill press. I suppose a lathe would be too much to ask for….
One last thing, I also appreciate that I am able to often find “bare tools” without batteries from Bosch at significant savings.
Grady
I believe you may have answered your question in sentence two, in the USA. I try to buy Made In The USA whenever I can and as much as I can. There is one thing I wish, when shopping online retailer’s, there was a filter for ” MADE IN THE USA “! I also tell them as much. It would make shopping online much easier.
Nate818
Seems like finish carpenters like Bosch. And dudes that slap it all together like the others.
Roger
Well..
I’m impressed by the interchangeable head systems in both 12v and 18v, but it doesn’t extend over to North America.
I’m impressed by how competitively available the, available, tools are; but don’t see very, as, much product-line push. Such as sales and “freebie”
Mostly, I’m impressed by the compact-ness of the 12V system, but it’s not very extensive. The lines between red and yellow are bluered* if I can get something smaller and lighter, but just as useful, that fits in my pocket without taking too much out of my pocket. If the capable specs are not almost the same, the cost shouldn’t be the same either.
It would also be nice if your Skil line used the same battery form factor.
It comes down to PRICE points.
Marty
I’ve had multiple bosch tools over the years and with the exception of their corded planer, they all crapped out within one year. Maybe I just had a few lemons, but I went through 3 jigsaws in 3 years as opposed to my carvex which I’ve had for 3 years now and it shows no sign of stopping.
Two worm drives were immediately returned because they both leaked oil from the gear housing.
Bosch would have to change their quality control and servicing for me to reconsider.
Bryan
Overall I’m a pretty decent fan of Bosch. Their laser measuring tools, and compactness of their 12v line is pretty impressive, you must try their brushless pocket driver PS22, it rivals my CXS , and the new 12v jigsaw is a great tool. I have several corded tools, 4100 tablesaw, grinder, corded OMT, to name a few that have also been fantastic. What prevents me from going all in with them is the lack of new tools here in the US, especially in the 18V category where the lineup just does not compare the Milwaukee M18.
Jerry
One word AVAILABILITY. Now days, with the internet, one can order about any brand of tool, usually with free shipping. However, when I was first buying tools, it was catalog or store purchases, and I didn’t want to buy anything I couldn’t buy batteries locally for. Even now, they are bard to find. Our local family owned hardware store carries zero cordless Bosch tools. They do have Bosch bits and accessories and say they are the best for the price, and carry a 125V Bosch SDS plus rotary impact, a no star of a thing. I overheard someone saying the Bosch SDS was the best they could get (order into that store) but recommended the Milwaukee in cordless because no one in town carried Bosch batteries. Even now, if I have to specially order or drive 2 hours to buy a battery, it takes some of the shine off the brand. The few Bosch tools I have used performed very well, though.
John
I tend to buy the power tool I think is best for me in terms of value and usability. Here in Thailand the choices are more limited than in the USA. I have a corded Bosch 1/2″ chuck drill and a 7&1/4″ circular saw. Everything else is DeWalt or Hitachi.
I’ll be home in May so that will give me the opportunity to buy some gear to bring back with me in my luggage and avoid the heavy import duty.
Chris Fyfe
Bosch has some very nice tools (cordless ) , but they have nowhere near the breadth of the Milwaukee line . Many of their better models are ot too easy to find .
Chris
OhioHead
So I am not a “pro user,” i do use my tools very hard and I did sell a pro line of Power Tools a many years ago…….here is my take, 1 company in early 00’s one company was known for marketing & has been replaced by another company who’s top executives came from the 1st company………..
^ both of these company make excellent cordless, the 2nd company really stepped up their cordless game in the past 7 years…….
My take is each “pro tool” company is known for certain products and you should buy those products b/c that is what the company is know for, for example brands I own & specific tools I own:
Metabo – grinders, hammer drills (own), they make awesome small SDS hammers.
DeWalt – screw guns (own), cordless (own), mitre saws, plunge routers, compressors (own), RA angle drill (dw124), corded impacts
MKE – 12 volt cordless (own), sawzall (own), RA angle/mag drills
Makita – cordless, mitre saws, screw guns
Hitachi – nailers, mitres
Bosch – jigsaws (own), routers (own), circ/worm drive (own), sanders (own)
Festool – need I say more
Hilti – need I say more
fred
I agree with many of your observations. We had great experiences with Hitachi pneumatics, Makita LXT lineup, Bosch Routers (Older Porter Cable too), Bosch Jig Saws, and Festool track saws and Domino joiners. But I would add that I think Bosch dominates the corded jigsaw business, their jigsaw blades are first rate and easily obtainable. We also liked their jobsite table saw and their Glide miter saw – having bought multiples of each to replace older Makitas.
Bosch’s Freud (includes Diablo and Avanti) subsidiary also IMO dominates in many categories of circular saw blades and is starting to make a good showing in abrasives. Bosch SDS bits and some of their rotohammers had worked well for us – naturally not up to tasks where we had to bring out the towable air compressor and pneumatic jackhammers.
Mahalo
Ohio, I’m with you on a lot of this, as well. I understand brand loyalty and why it exists, but for me it’s more important to look at performance. Obviously, if you’re into cordless you don’t want to run around buying different brands due to battery compatibility. I think this is where the loyalty versus performance of individual tools becomes a bit of an issue, because many feel “locked” into a brand once they’ve heavily invested in their cordless lines. Even some commenters above mentioned they wish they had gone with Milwaukee (for example) instead of Bosch if only for access to a greater lineup of available tools.
I personally own Dewalt, Bosch, Ridgid, Hitachi, and even Stanley-Bostich (pneumatic) tools. But on cordless, I’m with Dewalt.
Oleg
Nothing, they cant do nothing… Refusing to innovate is overshadowed by their inability to understand that lower prices mean better sales! I recently went to get a battery for my Milwaukee 2nd gen, the guy who came with me pointed out that I can get two 5.0 batteries for my drill, for the nearly same price of one 4.0 Bosch battery, if you don’t think thats not bad enough his tools, to begin with, can’t match the capability of any Milwaukee tools, in any criteria. The only tool I use thats not Milwaukee is the Dewalt oscillating toll, mostly because it has a trigger and runs longer than other tools in the same small battery. Having said that I can only repeat myself and firmly state that there is absolutely nothing they can do, ever, their crappy, overpriced rotary hammer ate the proof and that’s with them being the originators of the SDS standard haha
fred
Acquire Mafell and Lamello (assuming the German government would allow it) and provide a broader distribution channel for the Mafell and Lamello tool lineups. Then use Bosch know-how and Mafell/Lamello penchants for quality to offer new innovative heavy duty tools.
Blair
I would agree, but I wonder how many readers are truly in the market for commercial / industrial leval tools?
JMG
Over the years, I have had too many critical failures on Bosch power tools to ever want to buy into the brand again. There is very little to nothing they could do to become a favorite in my tool collection in the future. The one Bosch tool, in my kit, that did stand the test of time was a 4 x 24 belt sander, originally chosen for its working design, and I will rebuild that one until parts are no longer available. Outside of that tool, I have no use for the brand.
Aaron
Bosch is an interesting company, similar in some aspects to Hitachi. Excellent reputation, household name, vast resources, and borderline minimal marketing and far more limited selections in the US than overseas.
They desperately need to expand their 12v brushless products Stateside. It’s ridiculous that they sell their brushless power screwdriver and drill/driver here, yet haven’t brought over their brushless impact driver and wrench for 2 years and counting. Given their considerable resources they’re the most underachieving power tool company in the States.
BikerDad
“Given their considerable resources they’re the most underachieving power tool company in the States.”
Methinks they’re in heated competition with Panasonic for this dubious distinction.
KVDE
I would love for bosch to bring out a 18V X2 kind of solution like makita does. I am a more DIY kind of user and reusing the 18V batteries for gardening equipment is the biggest reason to chose Makita over bosch.
I love their 10,8V line. The power compared to a DIY 18V tool is something that amazes a lot of people. Every new tool they release in the 10,8V line is a welcome addition.
JP
Believe me if you like, i work at a toolshop here in aus and have know the bosch rep for a few years now and they have been very reliable in what they say. Just this past week they anounced to me that bosh will be bring all the key brushless tools.
Brushless grinder
Brushless right hand 7 1/4 circ saw
Brushless full size hammer/drill.
There are a few more tools aswell although my mind wandered as soon as the brushless circ came up.
sp
I believe you’ but kind of sceptical about Bosch rep anounsment to you.
I can say with sadness that Bosch doesn’t have any brushless grinder in their line except for the GWS 10.8-76V EC which is more cut off
tool than angle grinder.
As far as i know, there is no circ saw in Bosch’s inventory.
Bosch’s best, most powerfull and most expensive hammer drill for 5-6 years (!) now is the GSB 18VE-2 Li. Awsome tool but out dated and brushed. Bosch never introduced a brushless brother for this.
Get back to your Bosch rep. Show this to him. I’ll be glad to discover I’m wrong.
John
“As far as i know, there is no circ saw in Bosch’s inventory.”
They do make a corded one in 71/4″ as I have one! Or are you referring to battery tools?
sp
Sorry,
I mean there is no 18V BRUSHLESS circ saw in bosch’s inventory.
Thanks for correcting me.
sp
Actually, there is no brushless saw of any kind from Bosch.
Tjorven
The grinder is to be released in June,
Circular saw in August, as with the new receip saw.
New heavy duty drill in April. The old one is truly out dated, not as strong as competitors, but tops everything when durability counts…..
For northern parts of europe that is….
sp
Thanks.
Release date or aproximate time of anouncement?
Matt
I am no aficionado and find this to be rather curious….
Can anyone provide the solid reason as to why Bosch limits its distribution in North America?
Is it because the market is already leaning toward Milwaukee and Dewalt and fear they cannot compete on a professional level?
Is it because that instead of bringing more 12v Brushless, the Flexi-Click or whatever, the 2.5ah 12v batt etc, they focus on corded tools and gimmicky ideas like wireless charging and hybrid impacts? They think that these tools are what North Americans want?
You can find Bosch on Home Depots website, with some routers, bits and laser levels on their shelves as well, in store at Lowe’s here in the Finger Lakes region of NY. So there is no lack of “availability” as far as batteries, corded and cordless.
Where are their “holiday deals” compared to Makita, Milwaukee, Dewalt?
I carry the pocket driver at all times, love the 12v impact and have had the 12v recip saw since it came out. Ill prob buy the 12v jigsaw soon. I keep a secondary set of tools in my jeep packed away in a set of l boxxes.
I would just like Bosch to provide access to their whole catalog here in the US. If not through a major retailer the maybe some kind of outlet like CPO.
Stuart
Bosch regularly participates in holiday season discount offers, mainly $20 off $100, $50 of $200, and so forth.
They also have freebie bonus tool offers every so often, with one ending tomorrow,
Matt
Perhaps i am a stickler for visually more appealing deals or have had the wool pulled over my eyes but the $25 off pales in comparison to any of what HD offers and the the last decent freebie deal i saw personally was a free circ saw or recip or something else when you purchased a dated brushed impact and the brushed hammer drill kit for a pretty hefty price.
To me, that isnt even in the same league as their competitors. I realize that the holiday deals at HD may be inferior in build quality but again Bosch was competing against 2nd gen Fuel, new Ridgid brushless and the best they could do was $25 off $100? Seems like they have thrown in the 18v towel
Drew M
Except Amazon raises the prices of most of the tools the day after the promo goes active.
Christopher Luce
I’m a big Bosch fan, using them for every one of my power tools. Because of slowing innovation (at least released in the US) and poor availablility, I’m considering switching to Milwaukee. I love my 12V Impact Driver and 24V Hammer Drill. The only dud I’ve had was the right-angle 12V driver with the Electronic Clutch.
I work primarily in IT and do everything from swapping laptop components to cabling installs. A line targeting IT professionals would be right up my alley, but I’d be happy with just better availability of the full-line.
My main point is I’m a huge fan, but I’m considering switching to Milwaukee solely because of lack of availability from Bosch. You currently can’t go to HD, Lowe’s, Menard’s, or any other common Hardware chain and have a reasonable chance of picking up the tool or accessory you want. Even Amazon doesn’t carry the full line, or has poor availability / poor listings. Pick the low-hanging fruit at the very least- put the full line on Amazon Prime- INCLUDING accessories.
John L
I’m big on form and function. I just simply don’t like the looks of bosch cordless drill, impacts, etc. The other issue is that they don’t innovate here like Milwaukee. Bosch would need a major game changer to jump to the forefront of cordless power tools.
Matt Jones
I think the single best thing they could do would be to include a lifetime service agreement similar to Ridgid. It’s hard to justify buying into Bosch cordless tools with their limited product line. While I’d love for them to introduce more cordless tools, especially in the 12v line that I’m invested in, when I change over from my Dewalt 18v nicad, it will be to Ridgid. I don’t abuse my tools much as a finish carpenter and the inclusion of free batteries for life (maybe) combined with the price point differential and lack of cordless nailers has removed Bosch from consideration for me, despite my general love for the company. I will forever choose their glide miter and portable table saws, but the cordless line just can’t compete for me.
BikerDad
Give me free tools for life. :p
I don’t want to see them move into hand tools. Heck, I don’t like seeing DeWalt or Milwaukee doing it either.
Get serious about brushless 12v tools. Heck, get serious about 12v tools period, at least relative to Milwaukee. They are serious compared to DeWalt & Makita.
Package EVERYTHING possible in L-Boxxes and whatever the other boxxxes folks are talking about. No more blow molded crap, no more looks close to a modular box but isn’t.
Stop wasting space with the tool inserts. If it ain’t holding a tool, then it should be space you can actually put other things into.
Make ALL of the inserts available individually, at a reasonable cost. Heck, work with Amazon and make them “add-on” items. Also, the “pick and pluck” inserts should be a damn sight less expensive.
Provide useful information to customers about where different products fit in the lineup.
STANDARDIZE YOUR FRICKIN’ DUST COLLECTION hookups. Learn from Festool, fer cryin’ out loud. And by “standardize”, I mean learn both the good from Festool, and the bad, i.e. do what Festool is doing right, and don’t repeat their mistakes. In short, same size hookup for EVERY tool (Festool’s target ) AND use an EXISTING COMMON SIZE HOOKUP (Festool’s error). Yes, I’m shouting, because this pisses me off. (BTW, this applies to EVERY power tool maker.)
Other than the very first item, none of these things are going to make Bosch my “favorite power tool company”. They WILL keep Bosch in contention for that spot with DeWalt. Right now I have 7 DeWalt power tools, and 7 Bosch. 4 Milwaukee, 2 Porter-Cable (+ 3 nailers), 1 Makita. (Note that these numbers do not account for recent inheritance of tools.)
My “power tool acquisition list” currently has 2 existing Bosch tools (Glide SCMS, 12v drill) on it, and 3 theoretical tools (12v brushless hacksaw, jigsaw, & impact driver). I’m also going to be adding a premium wet/dry vac and track saw, Bosch is/would be in the running for both. If they dawdle too long, then I will jump to a 12v platform that better suits my desires.
Hugh
I have Bosch’s miter and table saw. I own the their radio and that’s it. I don’t think they really can make anything to catch my interest in their tools.
I enjoy their accessories made under different brands and some of theirs.
I wouldn’t waste the time hoping they catch up to any cordless tool company that has amazing lineups.
They make what they make well, I wouldn’t expect them to catch up.
If I want dust collection, I’d just buy festool. If you don’t like festool prices just look into Mafell they are worse. All in all if you truly want a tool and it is worth it’s cost it will pay for itself.
Andrew
In all honesty, I don’t think their tools are the issue, but the design. Milwaukee is a bright red, Dewalt is yellow, and Bosch is a dull blue. Change up the color scheme a bit, people buy based on what they see.
Another idea, they could give a portion of the proceeds to vets, that could also spark interest.
Robert
The company is owned by a charitable foundation
with remaining shares going to the family.
The majority of their profits go directly to a charity.
DaveMD
I know it sounds stupid but Bosch is not visually appealing like Milwaukee and Dewalt. If it wasn’t for Stuart, I would think it was an inferior cheap brand. Marketing goes a long way.
Mark
Bosch is my brand of choice too. I love the way they take care of their customers, and the quality of their tools – I do think they are the best built of the big four. But it’s not by such a degree that it makes up for the more limited line up compared to Milwaukee – so it’s hard to argue with Milwaukee having the edge right now. My suggestions to make Bosch a more compelling brand would be:
Bring those tools over from Europe faster. Although I’m sure it’s not intentional, it comes across as disrespectful to customers when Bosch offers tools in Europe but forces those of us in North America to wait more than a year for them, if we get them at all. A 4-6 month delay is reasonable. A year or more gives the impression to your customers that you don’t value, or perhaps don’t understand this market. I think this is why some people aren’t as loyal to Bosch – Bosch can give the impression that it doesn’t consider this market a priority. Why invest in these tools, as good as they are, if I know I’m going to consistently be waiting for the latest innovations much longer than other brands – and not because they aren’t ready or are still in development, but because Bosch couldn’t get them to this market in a reasonable time frame?
Maybe Bosch has reasons for this lag, but honestly from a consumer’s perspective in this day and age, they aren’t legit. This is a global marketplace, and a company as big as Bosch should be able to come up with a way to get their new tools into a market as big as North America faster.
That being said, in addition to the tools mentioned in the original post, I would add:
Their track/plunge saw. It’s crazy the only way I can by this awesome product is through eBay UK or unknown (to me) euro dealer’s websites. I get that this probably would not be something you could head down to the nearest big box retailer and pick up, but to not even be able to special order it is puzzling.
Lighting. They have whole series of LED lights built into the tops of different sized lboxxes that can provide great illumination options.
2.5 ah batteries for their 12v lineup.
As others have mentioned, more brushless tools, and more power in them. Their standard 18v brushless drill has 442 in-lbs of torque – less than the 600 in-lbs in their standard brushed drill. Right now their brute tough hammer drill with active response doesn’t even have a brushless option. A shame since I think Bosch’s active response technology is a fantastic innovation that is limited in the marketplace by a hammer drill lineup missing heavy duty brushless options and super high torque options in the 800-1000 in-lb range.
A brushless circular saw and recip saw. Any tools that really drain batteries quickly should have brushless options.
A brushless basic impact driver. As much as I love their socket-ready brushless impact driver, I think Bosch is missing part of the market not having a basic brushless impact driver – something at the $200-ish price point.
-M
will
does Bosch build any tools in Germany anymore ? Making more tools in Germany would definitely get peoples attention. Even if its just the higher end tools like the new Reaxx table saw and Axial glide miter saws.
will
as for cordless tools, make a select few like the Sds,top othe drill and OMT in Germany and people may chose those over other brands.
Todd
Well it is late to the party for me but here goes; First up, Bosch is plenty well known as a top shelf power tool brand. As Stuart said, their corded tools are and were major players in the construction industry. They invented the jigsaw for crying out loud and if you go a hundred cabinet shops, chances are good that 95 of them have at least one Bosch jigsaw(probably a venerable but still perfectly usable 1587) and they won’t use much else. I know, I know. Supposedly the umpteen dollar Festool is better but I have used a 1587 for nearly 15 years with zero issues. I have handled and used DeWalt, Milwaukee, and Hilti jigsaws and promptly handed them back to their owners. And their routers and portable table saws enjoy a great reputation.
As to the cordless I can only surmise they simply don’t have an interest in becoming dominant in the U.S. field. Otherwise they would have more of the line, particularly 10.8/12v imported here. I will likely buy their ps22 brushless driver since it is about the most compact cordless screwdriver I have seen short of the little 3.6v models here and there.
And speaking of that, in Europe they have a 3.6v cordless driver(with removable battery I think) with a two stage trigger for the different gear ratios/speeds. Why isn’t this in the States?
Lastly, a high end rotary tool like the Proxxon IB/E. The Prox runs smooth as glass, is about half as noisy as a Dremel, has a metal gearbox and ball bearings rather than bushings for the main shaft. Don’t dress it up in their Dremel line. Keep it Bosch blue and sell it just like their corded stuff such as the jigsaws. Come on Bosch. I REALLY want to buy more of your stuff.
Toolpig
I have done fire , mold and water damage restoration and remodeling for 25 years. I have a large Bosch tool collection. Both corded and 18v lithium ion. (I do not really like the 12v Max tools of any line) I have always been well served by them. I have only had one warranty issue with any Bosch tool. I have had far more issues with Milwaukee and DeWalt. I have also had only one issue with Makita even though I have more Makita than all the others combined. I like Bosch overall. They have made some of the worlds best jigsaws for a long time. The sds Max hammers are great. The concrete saws are as well. I however find the cordless tools boring. There is nothing there that screams BUY ME! Everything offered is a mid grade also ran. I am on the verge of selling off all of my Bosch cordless stuff to buy more Milaukee and Makita brushless tools or batteries. I have almost all of the cordless platforms but I don’t see anything on the horizon to make me keep the Bosch tools I do have. I have compact tough and brute tough drills and one impact or and a circular saw with several batteries. I am never compelled to pick them up. Yeah they do the job but I want to enjoy my work and I get far more pleasure out of using Milwaukee fuel and Makita BL tools. They positively blow Bosch cordless tools out of the water. They are smaller lighter more comfortable and more powerful. For Bosch to become my favorite power tool company, things would have to change so much that I call it impossible. Dependability is not enough. Marketing means nothing to me personally. I search the world for the best in each category. Accessibility helps but I have no problem ordering from Japan or UK or Canada or insert country. It’s innovation and performance along with dependability that grab my attention and hard earned dollars. Bosch is asleep. They need to wake up.
Jon
I’m with Paul and Stuart. Bosch cordless tools are boring and the selection is limited. I loved the 10.8/12v line when they introduced it, but at the time I needed bigger drivers. By the time it made sense for me to buy a set Milwaukee had blown away the Bosch selection, with no signs of slowing down.
I love Bosch tools. Their hammer drills are the best I’ve used. (And Bosch, along with Hilti, created the SDS bit design.) I love their jigsaws and other corded tools. And I couldn’t be more pleased with my HDS181 18v Bosch hammer drill (which I was given for free when a couple of their guys came to a job site for product feedback). But if I hadn’t been given that one I wouldn’t own any Bosch cordless tools.
Like Stuart said, they don’t have to match Milwaukee 1-to-1. They need to be their own line with a compelling reason to buy them.
Oh, I also love some of their other stuff, like laser lines and laser distance gauges. And I’ve never had an issue with any of their drill bits, insert bits, etc. But I own Milwaukee now because someone in Bosch’s tool division is asleep at the helm. And most guys I know go for Milwaukee or Makita. (DeWalt is not what they once were, and more and more guys are figuring that out and leaving them behind.)
Matt
Very well put and if you dont mind i would just simply like to agree with the “they need a compelling reason to buy them” statement.
Jon
I don’t think I’ve ever had an issue with someone agreeing with me. 🙂
ktash
I love their LBoxxes. They should put all their cordless and corded tools in them. I have more bosch tools than anything else except for Ryobi. I got the cordless jigsaw and I love it. Just the thing for small jobs if you are a diy’er. I have long been a fan of their corded tools, most recently the 6 inch ROS sander with vibration control. I got their 12V drill and driver when it was on a great sale. I like the size, good for tight places.
robert
I’m going to find myself dropping a large sum of money on a Festool Rotex because the Bosch and Makita versions use plastic/nylon pinion/gears thing-a-ma-bobs.
I always look at Bosch when I compare brands like Fein, Festool, Metabo and even Mafell. Bosch loses out because of stupid little things. Sometimes it’s personal (new overmolded grips are too big for my small hands); other times it’s because they went too cheap on a depth stop for a router.
I do buy Bosch for family members though. Everyone is in love with the light I bought for my mother that runs off her 12v kit. If it was diffused, like the festool version, I’d buy one for myself too.
It’s those little things.
Martin Rockafellow
More metal parts, especially internally. I purchased a Bosch hammer drill driver from Lowes, after little over a year I dropped it about 4′ and it broke in half, I called Bosch and was told to get brute tough model, it was a hammer drill, shouldn’t it be tough built, there was plastic plate in area where broke.
Jamie James
In the uk bosch tools are good quality always have been if using mains electric but the one thing that Ryobi have is the fact that one battery fits all this is not the case with a lot of companies in the uk, buy one including case charger and battery buy another product from the same manufacture and it can be a diffeent battery and another charger. You end up looking for power points to plug in up to 6 chargers. Ryobi have a three battery charger which works a treat. I’m in the process of changing all my power tools to 18v so no more humping extention leads about and tick in recharged batteries when it comes to lunch. so much easier.
Blackie
I tried Bosch first when I recently bought a new 12v drill. It just wasn’t comfortable to hold. I didn’t understand why the brushless model had less rubber grip than the brushed model. It feel cheaper and more slippery to hold.
Milwaukee also has the battery-in-handle, pistol configuration but the recent design is much more comfortable than Bosch.
In the end, I bought a Makita. It felt more balanced with a slide-in pack battery, like a mini 18v version. It is more comfortable to use…and it came with a hard case, just drop the drill in and close it, no straps, no worries.
Thane O'Dell
I am mostly a Makita guy because that’s what i started with 30 years ago. I am a Timber framer and use big saws and planers. I do have the Skill 10″ Bigfoot. Well made saw but the available blades for it suck because they’re too thin. A 12″ Circular saw would be great for cutting 4″ thick stock but nobody makes one.
Dr. Dan
Get out of Malaysia.
Love Bosch 18v tools, but will not buy made in Malaysia anything. DeWalt is bringing production back to the US, so I’m moving my tools to yellow. Germany, Switzerland, USA, Hungry, Austria production would all get me on team blue, but bosch seems to be moving production away from the good factories. Yes it matters where it is made. Tschüss Bosh.
Jamie James
Just got rid of all my power tools, pensioner now and I get fed up humping leads about so I invested in 10 Ryobi 18v tools and I must say I’m impressed and good value for money compared to other makes. Mind I’m only an avid DIYer so not sure if it’s suitable for the trade but I’ve got a six battery charging port so I never run out of power. Should have done it ages ago.
Michael C
Talking about 18V. Right now at end 2017, Bosch make superior brushless tools with extra features not found in Makita, such as kickback control, variable speed grinder, brushless multi tool. But it can be smarter to go with Makita because there are lots of tools Bosch don’t make, like an 18V nibbler.
Andrew
Track Saw so i can incorporate my routers and jigsaw together like Festool. Also, more L-Boxx availability with tools and access to their inlays. I like to keep my tools stored/stacked when not in use. The blow molded cases or bags just don’t work. I also don’t like having to purchase Kaizen or pick and pull foam to know my tools are safe during travel.
naughtynumbernine
I started out with the Bosch 12v line because I always saw them as the standard for power tools – picket up their heated jacket and the PS41/42 drill/driver and then I had the desire to expand – … so I have probably a dozen Milwaukee 12v tools now and still just the drill/driver in blue. I still haven’t warmed up to my fuel drill/driver set though because while the power is there, the Bosch are way more comfortable to use and way more compact. I tried to find the Bosch 12v jigsaw because it looked like a more ergonomic tool than it’s Milwaukee counterpart but it wasn’t there.
I’m drooling over their new 12v brushless planer and router – I just ordered their sweet little USB glue pen from a seller in Japan (haven’t seen this from other manufacturers) – a good chunk of the people I know myself included would pick up the little chainsaw to open mail, or in my case just to look at it intensely and say “groovy!”. They’d probably get the chainsaw jigsaw thing too because… for… doesn’t matter
Bosch just needs to actually book a trip across the pond and they’ll be more than relevant with the cordless tools they already have – a lot of which will be exclusive to Bosch. Send them over.
MIke
Bring back the Air Nailers and Compressors. I know fifty people who have joined the Bosch Platform including myself only to be disappointed having to purchase Makita or Dewalt pneumatic tools. What happened to the coveted CET4-20W? It’s should be the customers who decide whether a product line is discontinued or not. Bosch EC Brushless line is “INCREDIBLE” now i want a CET4-20W
MIke
The vast array of bare tools from Milwaukee makes the Bosch fanboy in me jealous.
Colin Staley
A 18v impact wrench with massive power like the milwaukee 1100nm+ and a 18v dab radio with USB support and Bluetooth.