In another post, a reader asked about a Bosch Impact Tough screwdriver bit set, and whether it was a good buy.
I like these bits quite a bit, as they’ve held up well for my applications. They’re reasonably priced, and their lineup includes almost any bit I find myself needing.
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The 24pc bit set (SDMS24), with a clear-lid modular accessory case, bit holder, and small selection of 1″ and 2″ bits, is on sale for $10. It has been this price on and off, mostly around seasonal shopping season periods, and I think it’s a good value. If you don’t like the bits for whatever reason, you still have a good bit holder and a great bit case that you can easily refill with your own bits.
Are these the best impact-rated screwdriver bits out there? I couldn’t tell you. But for my uses, they’re very durable, and affordable.
I should mention that I’ve had no issues with the clear lid. It feels like a much sturdier plastic or resin material than on other cases, even feeling as strong and durable as if it were made out of the same material as the rest of the case. The clear-lid “custom case” is a little slimmer and more compact than the others, which is one more reason why I think it’s a good “trial” set (or refill assortment) – it add a little extra value to the set and lowers the risk of trying something new.
Price: $10
Buy Now(24pc via Amazon)
See Also(44pc bit set)
See Also(48pc bit set)
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There are a couple more assortment sets other than the ones I linked to here, but I thought these ones would be of the most interest. Some of the prices are lower than I remember them being, but I’m only certain about the 24pc set being a seasonally low price right now.
The yeti
As a Canadian most of these sets are NFG. They all come with multiple phillips bits. We dont use that junk here. We use Roberts head screws and driver bits.
Some day we will be a real country and have our own products available to buy here.
Until then. I guess if we buy a multi bit set like this. 85 percent of it will never get used.
Stuart
That’s what I like about these sets. Even if I can’t use a lot of the bits – even most of them – it’s wort the money.
The case is $7 by itself, and a standard bit holder is $3.50. For the first one, it’s worth it for that alone. I bought a couple previously, and will assess my supplies to see if I should buy some more packs. Depending on the bit size or style, I get my money’s worth from just the bit holder and some of the bits.
Since you use Robertson, you can benefit more from small “tic tac” bulk boxes. The way fasteners are here, I need a lot of bits for some sizes, and only the occasional bit or two for others. That’s where these bit sets pull you in. Plus, I’m betting brands are hoping that if someone likes the bits, they’ll seek them out when it’s time to get replacement bits. And it does work – that’s how partially when led me to be preferential towards Bosch and Milwaukee.
The yeti
Yes that is a great point. It is still a fairly good value
Redcastle
Stuart
The bit holder would appear to be “non impact” is there a reason why they would not include an impact rated one?
Stuart
I’m not sure what you’re referring to.
Why wouldn’t it be impact-rated?
Standalone Amazon listing.
Bosch listing.
Redcastle
Stuart
The non impact bit holder comes in silver and black the impact “rated” one is all black and is considerably more expensive.
Stuart
Bosch has had several lines of impact-rated accessories. It’s possibly that you see an older one?
Others have different features, such as active bit-holding locks.
The silver finish doesn’t really mean anything if Bosch says that it’s impact-rated.
Redcastle
Stuart
The Bosch link does not mention the bit holder as being impact rated, everything else not the holder. Sometimes what is not said is as important as what is said, so the link does not support your assertion “The silver finish does not mean anything if Bosch says it is impact rated”
Average price approximately 40 cents per bit but they are 10 times better than normal impact bits so presumably there is a similar set of “normal impact bits” available for around USD1? A 40 cent per bit price point would indicate the bits are not being produced at a premier production facility in Germany
Not limited to Bosch but I have seen the growing TINinisation of bits with black being the new shiny yellow, driven by the fact that many people such as yourself are now using “impact” bits as a default which is not a problem unless you expect it to perform as a heavy duty impact bit.
The photograph is not clear enough but it looks like there is a PH1 bit and a T1 bit in the set again not something I would expect to see in a heavy duty impact bit set.
I do not use an impact driver very often as I would not use a lump hammer to drive in panel pins, however I now only use WIHA bits as even Wera Impaktor are really not up to a modern impact driver, the WIHA bits cost around USD 4 each but I am still on the first one and the impact driver I am using is the one WIHA use in their test to destruction demonstrations for their bits (pure coincidence I did not know that when purchasing either the driver or the bits).
An impact driver is by definition a heavy duty tool and deserves the appropriate accessories.
It is a cheap set from Bosch as you point out a case and a standard bit holder (your words) would cost approximately the same as the kit so it is not bad value on that basis unfortunately it has been over hyped in the packaging.
Stuart
While what you say is true, here is the supporting evidence:
1) This is advertised as an Impact Tough screwdriving set, with the reasonable assumption that ALL of the contents are impact-rated, including the bit holder required for use of the insert bits.
2) Despite the silver color of the bit holding cylinder, the shaft has the Bosch Impact Tough shank, with the Xtended Torsion Zone feature that is specially advertised as reducing stress and breakage when used with impact drivers.
3) A bit holder of identical appearance is described as an Impact Tough bit holder.
4) “Standard bit holder” can be inferred as being a “standard” or “basic” design, and not a quick-change bit holder as is available separately.
5) It’s not a non-impact sleeve, it’s a “High-visibility sleeve.”
6) I have NEVER seen an impact-rated screwdriver bit set (of a similar nature to this one) bundled with a non-impact bit holder.
I can’t tell if you’re just playing with me at this point.
Redcastle
Stuart
What is the saying “assuming makes an ass out of you and me” the blurb refers to everything but the bit holder which it undoubtedly would have done it if was “impact rated” (it is why companies like Bosch run “marketing materials” by their legal advisers) you claim that the insert end of the bit holder resembles that of the bits and is therefore “impact rated” that is a stretch to say the least.
You say you have never seen impact bits bundled with a non impact bit holder, based on this what we see here I would say you have now and you may have just not noticed in other cases.
The whole concept of impact rated is a marketing departments dream, people will pay more for something just because we tell them it has a notional quality and the only way to prove us wrong is to actually use it for the claimed purpose which they are unlikely to do, and best of all we can never be proved wrong because there is no defined standard as to what impact rated means. This is “professional” and industrial” writ small.
The price and the pretty packaging is a dead giveaway as is the inclusion of the small head size bits, it is just a cheap bit set regardless of the pictures on the box.
I know you are honest otherwise I could interpret your comment “are these the best impact-rated bits out there I could not tell you” as being a sly joke, a price of 40 cents a bit says they are not.
If I was playing with you I would have at some point mentioned PB Swiss hex keys and I have not.
Stuart
I bought several ITBH201 bit holders for $5 each a while back, before these sets were shipping.
I took one of the bit holders from a Bosch set, and they are identical to the ITBH201 I purchases separately.
If it looks like an Impact Tough bit holder, and it’s bundled with Impact Tough bits, and it has all of the same features as Impact Tough accessories, it’s an Impact Tough bit holder.
I’m not making assumptions, I’m looking at what I’d believe is sufficient supporting evidence.
And I really can’t tell you if these are the best out there. They serve me well, and offer good value for the money. I also buy Shockwave bits.
I’d like to try Wera bits, but they’re so darned expensive, and there’s be a lot of wasted value since I only use certain sizes.
I’ve been told by product managers that you CAN use non-impact accessories, they’re just much more susceptible to damage and common failure modes.
When you look at the product packaging, there’s no mention of anything being non-impact-rated.
As far as pricing, the way I see it, maybe $4 of the price goes for the case (that’s how much I bought a Dewalt case for once), $3 goes for the bit holder, and then there are 23 bits for the other $3, which is a lot better than if one were to buy the bits separately.
Redcastle
Stuart
We will have to agree to disagree.
About those PB Swiss hex keys …….
DHCrocks
The bosch sets do come with a bunch of robertson bits. I have three different sets and they all came with multiple R1, R2 and R3. Some sets also come with the 2″ R2 and R3.
Another Jeff
Because of my preference for 2.5″ bits, can you put the 2.5″ bits in the 1″ bit slots?
I’m assuming you can move the racks around in the case as well, correct?
Craig
I don’t know why we use Philips for nearly everything here. To me it makes no sense due to cam outs and ease of stripping especially with so many low-quality screws being produced these days.
Ant
All about replacing screws and drivers, just like how Apple makes crappy chargers that fail after a couple of months.
mattd
you can thank ford for out use of phillips screws instead of robertson. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._L._Robertson
Redcastle
The UK is schizophrenic on this topic with divisions largely along trade lines with plaster board (gyproc) being Philips (it is truly amazing to watch someone trying to force these screws home using a Pozidrive bit), a lot of external screws have either hex or Robertson heads, carpentry and general construction have been Pozidrive for a long time but increasingly star drive which has been common in the automotive area for a long time is taking over. The electrical business for reasons known only to people much smarter than me continues to be the main reason there are flat heads in tool boxes. They say variety is the spice of life – not in my view when the forty three different kinds of screwdriver bit I have in my main bit box does not include the one I need.
Robertson because of Kreg was for a long time the defacto pocket hole screw head however increasingly that is being replaced by star headed fixings.
I gave in years ago and stopped (except in the case where I know exactly what I will need) carrying sets like the one above and bought a double sided organiser with a section for each type of head, so in the PZ2 section there are PZ2 bits from Bosch, Engineer, Festool, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ultex, Wera, WIHA, and others.
The problem fundamentally is that screw heads notionally in the same category differ (The wall dog fixings produced by SBD are PH however the SBD PH bits I have are in the lower half when it comes to driving the wall dogs). This combined with the huge power of modern power tools means tearing the head off fixings is not that difficult. The “bit box” is obviously much larger than normal and represents a relatively serious investment (thanks go out particularly to Festool) however it has greatly reduced my frustration level.
Hilton
Thanks. I remember buying a set for myself and one for a mate last year. I also remember him complaining that one of the bits wasn’t straight.
I’ll look at the 44 bit set this time.
Farid
FYI: Lowe’s has 32 bit set for $12.98
I like how these sets have Torx bits, as my favorite project screws are Spax.
Hilton
You do know there’s a special driver for Spax screws? Very similar to a Torx though. The screws have a slight circular recess at the tip and the driver has a slight extrusion to match that. Normal Torx will work of course.
Farid
Thank you Hilton. Yes, they work great. The “circular extension” helps align the bit in the screw head and reduces chances of stripping the splines. I have rarely had any trouble with stripped screw heads and no cam-out issues.
However, there are times when I’ve misplaced or dropped a bit or need something quick for a couple of screws. I like to grab a box with my favorite drivers and throw it in the tool bag.
Joe
I mentioned this case the other day. Absolutely the best case , removable rows, excellent bits…never had one break yet.
…. DeWalt should copy this case design, because they have the worst cases….I’ll pick up another 5 of these Bosch .
satch
Agreed Joe. These are hande down my favourite. The only thing I wish they would do is make them snap together and modular like the newer DeWalt and Craftsman cases. Organisation is finally coming of age here in the States and I think SBD may have a leg up eith this newer system. The Bosch’s are still better made.
Doresoom
I picked up that set last time it was $10, and have been pretty happy with it so far. I actually removed the bit holders and put them in my small Packout case holding my Flexiclick so I’ll always have bits on hand to use with the drill: https://www.instagram.com/p/BlmhivNATPj/
Joe
Awesome set up…
Frank D
Awesome! I will certainly keep that in mind when I dig deeper into setting up my packout bins.
Is that the shallow half size organizer case?
Stuart
I’m 99.999% certain it’s the regular half-width Packout case.
Frank D
Thank you!
( ) I have no idea why I said shallow, because I meant regular, as the shallow / half height one wouldn’t be deep enough.
Doresoom
Stuart is right, it’s the regular depth compact organizer.
Another Jeff
I don’t get why they put so many of those short bits in these kits. I understand getting maybe one of each in case you have to use an attachment for some reason, but am I the only one out there who almost exclusively uses the 2″ or 2.5″ bits directly in my drill? Is this all just marketing (keeping the part count # up and the cost down) or am I really missing something that everyone is using these things for?
To me, they look great at first, but then when you see you are only getting 9 usable bits in the pack of 24, not so much.
Stuart
I believe that 1″ bits are popular because they’re more economical. I’ve been moving more towards a 2″ preference as well, but sometimes 1″ are easier to find.
John
I use 2-3″ long bits all the time. Just don’t care for the short ones, they seem more hassle than they’re worth.
I bought 2 Norske kits earlier this year. They are awesome and do everyone I need for the foreseeable future. But even those have the short bits.
Redcastle
The longer bits remove the need to use the bit holder which when impact driving adds an additional “barrier” between the source of the force and the business end doing the work best avoided if possible.
TonyT
But I’ve seen advertising from Makita and Bosch that claims that using a torsion bit holder will make your impact bits last longer
Redcastle
Tony T
If I was in their marketing department I would say the same thing. My first rugby teacher told us in our first lesson that you were not a real man unless your nose was broken, his was almost a depression in his face. People tend to play to what they perceive as their strengths. The Makitamen I know and that is a fairly large constituency of the carpenter population universally including the ones who have the laptop case and lunchboxes have no time for Makita bits or drills possibly because they believe they are not real Makita.
My view is that simple is better. I have a powered hammer hitting directly on the end of the bit – shortest transmission distance least loss of energy. Intuitively inserting something between the source and the working surface which is not some kind of accelerator means there has to be a power loss and given that all the discussions I see on here about impact drivers always come down to relative power I would think people would want to maintain as much force as possible.
Ultex produce a 32mm impact bit which is easier to load in and out than a 25mm without a bit holder it would be interesting to see the relative force delivered at the point of impact as against a 50mm bit. They are only available in PH2, PZ2 and PZ3 so directed at general carpentry and plasterboard installers primarily although I am not sure why you would use an impact driver on plaster board.
DHCrocks
What I like about these Bosch sets is that the magnetic bit holder also has a retaining ring wire inside so it secures the bits and they don’t fall out or get stuck to the fastener. The PH2R (reduced shank phillips #2 ) are awesome, fit so much better then the regular P2 bits, I wish they would include more of these.
Aaron
Too bad no 6” drives. Those make life easier as it helps balance the driver. Looks like. Can make a mod so it can hold a couple of them. Might be worth trying.
Rich
I like these storage cases, but I wish Bosch would sell spare empty clips for these storage boxes.