Meet the Bosch Profactor cordless power tool system, which Bosch says they will be announcing in February 2021.
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2 years ago, Bosch introduced a new line of high-performance cordless power tools, dubbed the MegaWatt Crew. Most of those tools have not yet launched.
Those tools were supposed to spearhead Bosch’s next-gen cordless power tools system.
We were recently optimistic that the new Bosch 18V brushless circular saw was about to be released, seeing as how it was available for preorder on Amazon, but the listing was pulled.
Well, now we know why.
Bosch has officially announced that a new line of Profactor cordless power tools will be coming soon. They have not provided many details yet.
It looks like the new Bosch cordless miter saw that recently launched in Europe will be included in the Profactor system.
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The new Bosch PROFACTOR cordless power tools feature BITURBO brushless motor technology and will be powered by CORE18V batteries. Bosch did not provide any details about what any of this means.
We know that Core18V batteries are their larger form factor batteries, similar to Milwaukee High Output and newer Dewalt XR Li-ion batteries. These and other brands’ higher performing cordless power tool systems have been available in the USA for several years now, with a steady expansion of new tools.
Bosch says:
The first wave of PROFACTOR offerings will be available for preorder beginning January 5, 2021.
The “first wave” of Bosch Profactor tools are expected to start shipping in February. There is no information about which tools will be included in this initial launch.
Bosch says that press and media details won’t be available until February 2021, at which time there will be a full announcement.
Bosch’s promo image shows a selection of power tools:
- Bosch Profactor angle grinders
- Bosch Profactor impact wrench
- Bosch Profactor Core18V batteries
- Bosch Profactor rotary hammers
- Bosch Profactor miter saw
- Bosch Profactor circular saw
- Bosch Profactor track saw
Bosch says:
Coming soon, our new cordless high power solution offers much more than just “big wattage”. Power. Runtime. Heat management. Fast and faster turbo charging. All powered by our best battery technology in our CORE18V platform. PROFACTOR is engineered to tackle the toughest, grittiest and most brutal applications on the job.
Not to mince words, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Bosch has been all talk and no substance for a while, and we have all but run out of excitement and optimism.
I posted about Bosch’s CORE18V 12Ah battery over a year ago, asking what cordless power tool tech it might unlock:
New Bosch 12Ah Battery – What New Cordless Power Tools Might it Unlock?
Shortly after that post, Bosch USA emailed me, saying they wanted to share some information about this. That was 13 months ago; they never followed up.
Bosch USA now says that their 12Ah battery is a “Profactor Exclusive,” but it’s unclear as to what they mean by this. Milwaukee launched their 12Ah battery 2-1/2 years ago. If Bosch means the 12Ah battery is exclusive to their Profactor system, does that mean it won’t work with their existing 18V cordless power tools?
Given user disappointment after Bosch’s “MegaWatt Crew” cordless power tools failed to materialize, I’d expect these new Profactor tools to receive muted enthusiasm until the tools actually start launching.
Bosch is going to have to deliver big with this new system, not just with respect to power, features, or performance, but on timing.
It’ll be interesting to see what their plans are.
Bayden
Well they did supply a cordless 12” mitre saw to toolboxbuzz recently for their review roundup of those saws so maybe it might actually show up over here
Stuart
Could be?
6 weeks ago I asked Bosch USA if the new axial glide model was coming to the USA and they haven’t responded yet.
https://toolguyd.com/bosch-cordless-glide-miter-saw-gcm18v305gdc-102020/
Seems like they took their existing model and converted it, but with no weight savings it would be as unwieldy as the corded model and not very portable.
Alex Andri Jónsson
There are 2 models one small gcm 216 and then the gcd 305 if im not mistaken the nubers being the blade size like 216mm blade and 305mm blade.
fred
Maybe its just me – but when I think of a cordless miter saw – I envision something really portable and especially good for punch-list jobs. If this weighs as much as my GCM12SD – then this new saw will be neither of these things.
BTW – I did a BF/CyberMonday purchase of a zero clearance insert for my saw – I have not tried it out yet. The sell ones – plus replacement inserts for a few different (Bosch,Dewalt and Festool) saws:
https://www.infinitytools.com/aluminum-z-c-i-for-bosch-miter-saws
Ziyadsaeed
I thought the industry was going to higher voltages route like fkexvolts. What happened? What did i miss?
Jared
M18?
Just being mildly facetious. Milwaukee seems to think 18 volts are adequate to power the highest-draw tools, albeit with special technology and design to get that level of performance. Bosch obviously thinks they can do it too.
It’s been years since Dewalt released their one-way compatible flexvolt tech and I still read comments from angry people that will “never use Dewalt again” because not every tool is compatible with every battery. Maybe Bosch shares Milwaukee’s preference for keeping everything compatible (although that’s arguable since if you put a 1.5ah compact M18 pack in your 10″ cordless table saw, you might not appreciate the result)?
Pure conjecture, but maybe instead we’ll see one-way compatible 18 volt batteries? E.g. ala Flexvolt, 18v “Profactor” batteries that work with any tool, but “Profactor” tools that require “Profactor exclusive” batteries? That would be weird, but if Bosch doesn’t want to give Stuart any info then I feel free to let my imagination run wild.
CountyCork
Who is Bosch’s primary market?
A-A-Ron
They don’t have a “Freak”in’ clue.
Jim Felt
At least in North America it sure seems that way.
Maybe elsewhere as well?
skfarmer
megawatt crew? i hope that marketing guy got fired.
the profactor fake riveted sign with blue lightning bolts? he is paid too much and should be worried like the guy in front of him.
the tools may be great but ditch the marketing wank, it turns people off. everything has to have a name but you have to admit that this is some bad 4th grade stuff. seriously, i have done some volunteer work at the local middle school judging projects . i have seen 6-8 graders do much better work. not all of them but enough to know how good they can be.
PTBRULES
Yeah, Milwaukee marketing is obnoxious with their quoting different figures, but none of it is weird.
Bosch’s marketing is simply weird.
I’m beginning to think that the professional power tool market that Bosch held was ate by Milwaukee, Dewalt, etc. Bosch’s sales must be pretty flat lined for them not to be making major pushes in the US.
Stuart
I am far from Bosch’s biggest fan these days, but there’s no need to pick on the graphics design people.
Okay, “Megawatt Crew” was a bit unconventional, and Profactor Biturbo w/ Core18V involves an excess of marketing branding, but there’s no reason to attack individual efforts.
I really hope that NO ONE is ever fired for taking risks and trying to put new spins on things.
Saying that you hope people were fired is a very objectionable attitude.
skfarmer
i surely didn’t mean to offend you and i don’t want anyone to get fired.
the simple fact is that sometimes people need to get fired. this is one of the best place in the tool world to get yourself seen. the almost unanimous feed beek in this whole thread is that people don’t like the marketing strategy of bosch. to me that spells disaster for a company and it’s brand, maybe the risks they should be taking is offering the tools and features people want rather than cartoon figures and or fake riveted nameplates with blue lightning bolts.
in the real world if you don’t succeed at the job you are supposed to do you either need to get better or you get moved along and sometimes that means being relieved of your duties. whether you like it or not it that is reality.
if it’s not the marketing or graphics design peoples fault, whose fault is it?
skfarmer
i didn’t even read the 2 bosch articles posted after this one before i made my reply. both of them full of comments from people disgusted with way they are promoting their tools and answering their questions. i won’t muddy those threads up with my comments but come on stuart the consumers here are calling it as they see. i understand you not wanting to damage your relationship with bosch but there isn’t much denying that the consumer thinks pretty poorly of what they are doing and how they are doing it. them pulling those videos kind of proves that even they know it.
Kizzle
Are you a tool enthusiast? Are most people on this site tool enthusiasts? Maybe they’re not the specific market segment that this advertising works for. Also, don’t discount groupthink. Once comments get going on the internet, it can’t turn into a virtual mob.
Also, yes, people get fired. I think what Stuart is trying to convey is that calling for someone to be fired because YOU and a couple other internet strangers don’t like the marketing is just flat out cold… Especially given our current situation… I can’t imagine what it would feel like putting your time and effort into something only to be told, “This sucks. You’re fired.”
Stuart
I can understand that, and people do throw the saying around.
In this case, the Megawatt Crew marketing was absolutely a group effort where not one a single person is responsible for it. Even the presentation graphics here, even if it was a one-person effort, others would have had to sign off on it.
The nature of this strategy seems well-aligned with Bosch USA’s focusing most of their marketing efforts on “influencers” and social media hype, where audiences tend to skew a lot younger. This has been a major point of frustration, and I have not been shy in calling them out about it for more than a year now.
As to why I responded to your comment the way I did, a few years ago I received a very heated phone call from a marketing exec. It seems that someone at a peer site, whose tool “find” I also shared about, spoke to them first. It seems that my peer said something like “I hope no one gets fired over this,” or something similar.
At some point over the years I became sensitive to the fact that marketing and PR departments are corporate entities but they’re comprised of individual names and faces, some of whom I have since had many years-long business relationships with.
After that phone call, I become somewhat sensitive to comments about people “needing to be fired” over tools, strategies, campaigns, or other types of misfires.
Especially this year, with a lot of people still out of work due to COVID, it seems distasteful to hope anyone gets fired, and even if you meant it figuratively, it still called for a response on my part.
Over the years, and even today, there has been so much ineptitude in my PR and communications dealings, but luckily it is a rare occurrence. Often it comes down to bad management, where things could simply be improved with better directives in place by supervisors or brand managers. Things have become even worse with the rise of influential culture, where some “influencer marketing” contacts are all over the place.
In my dealings with Bosch PR and marketing over the years, they have done some disagreeable things, such as masking their ownership of the “be the pro” online community for a very long time. I also have strong grievances about their current marketing strategies. But, I’ve never known anyone from their teams to do anything that would justify being fired.
It’s not cool to call for people to lose their jobs, even more so when it’s undeserved.
To me, the only people I would call to be fired are the ones who engage in duplicitous and malicious behaviors, such as leaving comments under fake names for the sole purpose of criticizing and attacking competing products and brands. That, to me, would be strongly unacceptable and a fireable offense.
skfarmer
yes, it was meant figuratively and you also know i am not a shill. you know who i am and also know i where else i can be found on the net. even people who watch your site also see me using the same name in other places.
i understand people making shoot from the hip mistakes or miscues because of our current state of affairs. it happens and is not something to get worked up about. these marketing campaigns are different as even you said. they take place over months or even years .
to comment on enthusiasts. so what if i am? so what if we all are? that doesn’t mean it is a good idea dismiss us as a group or even worse alienate us or anyone else for that matter.
i get stuart not wanting to harm a relationship but i get the feeling he relayed to them in private much of what has been said here. if you are doing something wrong , someone tells you it is wrong, you do it anyway and it turns out badly you can’t just say it was just a mistake we didn’t foresee.
Stuart
Not to mince words, there’s no professional relationship left to harm.
Bosch seems to have thrown all their eggs into an “influencer marketing” and “viral social media” basket across the board.
Is it unbecoming of the brand? Yes. Would I do things differently? Absolutely. Is this direction they’ve been doubling down on a huge mistake? I think so.
But it’s still disagreeable to say anyone should be fired over the idea or its execution, regardless as to if it’s intended literally, figuratively, or tongue-in-cheek.
Even if I know you don’t mean it, others might take it at face value.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think I ever shared my feedback on the marketing campaign, not that they would care anymore. I have shared a couple of times that their online “pro community” should properly reflect Bosch ownership, and it appears they finally did this recently.
fred
When you are outside of the inner workings of a business it is hard to do much more than speculate about motives, decision making or even the results. Since Bosch is a privately held company (might I say behemoth conglomerate) that is mostly owned by a charitable foundation and the Bosch family – we have no annual reports or financial filings to analyze to see what we might learn about how well their tool businesses and/or the North American segment contribute to their financial health. So what seems to us – acting in our armchair quarterback mode – as being misguided may prove to be so or not – and we may never know. I like to think that they have the resources and talent to produce, properly advertise and sell innovative professional grade tools in the North American market – but that may not be where they think their best interests reside.
John
Profactor, Megawatt crew, Biturbo, Core18, the Freak, turbo charging, blah blah blah. Bosch marketing peeps need to get their heads examined. Just make good tools and stop the stupid garbage marketing names. It’s sounding more like Harbor Freight than a world class tool company. I have a lot of Bosch 12V and many corded tools, but none of the 18V and probably never will because they have been too slow with getting new stuff out while other companies keep bumping out the tools we want and use.
I have tools from most manufacturers, but I appreciate Makita just making straight forward, no nonsense 18V batteries that just work as well as tools that don’t require gimicky marketing. Milwaukee would also fall into this a little but they muddied the waters with too many battery varieties and names that I’ve not been able to follow.
A-A-Ron
“Hell-ion” turbo charger?
Oh, for pete’s sake. Did a teenage edgelord take over Bosch USA?
Either way, this is too little and way too late. I’m done with Bosch cordless. They’ve been (by far) the most stagnant cordless platform among the big names. Whatever they do, most companies already did years ago.
MFC
Yeah… Unfortunately, the most exciting product they’ve had in years was their 18v boom box that could be hit with a bat.
If they could come in and pump out a ton of tools that had the good ergonomics of DeWalt, the power of Milwaukee, and the price of Ridgid, then they might have a shot, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
David Zeller
You mean like Ryobi?
Just kidding! Stop hitting me! I’m fragile!
fred
In Europe the sell a Ryobi-like line of tools in a different shade of green. You see them around quite a bit – so I assume that they are successful. If the could manage the ergonomics and power parts of your proposition, throw in some of the Festool panache and keep their pricing where its at – then they might have something. There USA presence was once pretty decent with corded tools – but woefully lacking once cordless started taking over. Maybe they just don’t care or are too inept to see their way forward.
Robm
Is it me, or does it seem like bosch is all talk and no delivery? I haven’t used or seen a bosch tool that I was excited about, or wanted to own.
Robm
Dremel excluded. I’ll stick with Dewalt.
James
No margins in tools it’s all in the other items. Their focus is on accessories
like Diablo.
rob
I just offloaded the last of my Bosch cordless to buy some more Makita cordless. The drill drivers were almost as precise as a Festool. The rotary hammer (gbh18v-26) was perfection. Everything else was out of date and…more importantly….absent. All talk and no delivery, indeed. Three options:
1.) Product takes five years to get to USA.
2.) Product never comes to USA.
3.) Product gets demonstrated and marketed for years but does not exist.
They still have superb power tools here and there. They still have the consumables business on lock. They just can’t be relied on for cordless.
Frank D
12v please!
And, just maybe ditch the marketing team.
Cartoon talk & names Pro-sumer and pro customers.
Jorn
I’ve really enjoyed the Bosch 18v tools that I have but I’m starting to get nervous about continuing to invest in their platform since they can’t seem to get it together.
Bosch needs to let the tools do the talking by ditching the embarrassing marketing and by actually delivering products that they’ve announced.
CountyCork
From the original megawatt release I’m see 5 of the 9 tools were released in the US. The hold outs I’m not seeing released yet are the biturbo circle saw, angle grinder and the 2 larger rotary hammers but everything else is available.
Stuart
The FREAK, Bulldog, and reciprocating saw were already on the market prior to the “MegaWatt Crew” announcements. What’s interesting is that none of these tools appear in the Profactor imagery.
The miter saw seems to have launched at some point, but not officially as there were never any press materials – at least I haven’t seen any.
The “Hell-Ion” charger came out this year, but I haven’t seen it yet.
So that’s 2 tools that were eventually released over the span of 2 years, and 4 that were not.
Thus it’s fair to say that most of those tools have yet to launch. Now, after 2 years, Bosch has only teased and expanded announcement that will take place in a couple of months in Feb 2021.
CountyCork
Gotcha. Is there something that prevents bosch from releasing tools in the states that are available overseas? Where does that decision making come in to play? For my personal use on the farm I’ve already have everything I need now it’s just a matter of how long it will last. Well if I find a good deal on the bulldog I’m grab it for some concrete repair.
Kent
“Bosch did not provide any details about what any of this means.”
It clearly means that those batteries have not one, but TWO turbochargers.
Can I tell you how much I hate marketing people?
Doresoom
I hope someone in charge at Bosch reads these comments.
Steve
Is there anybody in the Serious DIY to Pro categories (you know, their whole target market range) that would even consider investing in Bosch as their flagship 18/20V class power tool platform anymore? At least in North America that is.
For those that are in the Bosch I could understand those people looking to move on. I could see maybe a specific tool here or there that hits a sweet spot for someone, but going with Bosch for your main line cordless tools, especially if you’re choosing a platform at this time, seems like a poor choice.
Bosch, in North America at least, has a small number of tools compared to their competitors for their 18V platform and most are easily replaceable by comparable tools made by competitors. They struggle to introduce new ones at the rate of their competitors. They announce new tools, then fail to deliver. They take pre-orders for tools then cancel them. They bring something out in Europe that people want and it never comes to North America. They blow off Stu who is trying to help them by informing the public about their products in good faith. They are comparable in quality to their competitors and don’t exactly blow them away in price. And their 18V distribution is more limited. These new tools seem to be a version of tools that are higher performance with advanced batteries, something their competitors already have in the market.
It’s not that they make bad tools, Bosch is high quality, but going with Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, or Ridgid for a pro 18/20V platform seems like a better move as far as pricing, availability at retail, tools available in the platform, and responsiveness to the North American market.
Notes: I have only one tool that’s Bosch at the moment, just a Blaze laser distance measurer, so I’m not all that attached to them. Also, they do make some great corded tools that don’t require you to buy into a platform. That gliding mitre saw looks really cool.
Lack
What about a vacuum? I think the dust extraction subject is pretty big in the US with all the major competitors have a more robust solution then just a small canister hand held unit.
So why go cordless if you’ll be tethered on that end, or why choose Bosch if you’ll need another cordless system to clean up the mess?
Ken
Bosch does have a very good 18V cordless vacuum that was released about 2 years ago: GAS18V-3N. No stupid name attached to this tool!
I use this vacuum all the time and it is a real winner IMO. Of note is that the HEPA filter is very well made and is only a $15 replacement part if you wear it out. Like all cordless vacuums, it is a power hog, but lasts a good 20-30 minutes on a 6.3ah battery.
Lack
I had this in mind writing about the small canister hand held unit (although I know there’s a ‘premium’ version with casters).
For whatever reason, I though it’s a couple sizes down from what Flexvolt or M18 offer, but it’s actually a bit bigger.
Guess it’s all the more reason for me to buy one, as it’s also a couple sizes down cheaper :).
CountyCork
I think I might be only one on the planet that enjoys the bosch 18v platform. Haha
Stephen
As an aspirational DIY homeowner, I jumped into the Bosch 18V platform 6 years ago. Their tools are a good value for my use and are generally a step above the Ryobi-grade stuff. I have been pleased with them and that’s about it.
I think we all agree that Bosch hasn’t left us with much to get excited about lately. I wish they made a more powerful impact wrench. I wish they would update their tired old brushed 18V recip saw and circular saw. I wish they updated their cordless radio. I wish they would release their LAWN AND GARDEN power tools in the USA. It does appear that at least 2 of those wishes will be addressed in the upcoming product release.
Wish in one hand, spit in the other. Which one fills up first?
GrayFlattop
County Cork, no you are not the only one that likes the Bosch 18V platform. Bosch was my first Li-Ion battery platform tool after my old Makita NiCad 9.6V stick batteries finally gave up the ghost. While I have subsequently “invested” in several other battery platforms, I tend to reach for the Bosch tools first because they fit my hand and just feel “right”. In that category of personally ergonomics Bosch is in first place followed by Makita then Milwaukee with a smattering of Hitachi and Ryobi. I’ve diverged from Bosch largely because Milwaukee continues to come out with new and innovative products. I don’t believe that any one manufacturer needs to offer a full line, but rather that they need to offer excellent solutions.
My most used 18V Bosch tools are the brushless 1/2″ impact (221N?) – it’s lightweight compact and plenty powerful for most automotive work and the Bosch 6-1/2 circular saw. Put 4AH Core batteries in ’em and they work great for me. While Milwaukee’s 3/8 stubby impact is strong – it doesn’t best the Bosch for lug bolt removal. The 1/2″ Milwaukee 2767-20 I have is plenty powerful, but it is heavy and as a result it only comes out pf the tool chest when the extra power is needed.
Bottom line, when a manufacturer comes out with a groundbreaking tool that either does something better or something new (like Milwaukee’s M12 angle die grinder and PVC cutter), I’ll buy the tool first. Personally I don’t care that much about maintaining a single battery platform – I know that others do. One friend of mine went so far as to sell off or give away any cordless tool that isn’t Milwaukee.
Makita’s 4.5″ 18V angle grinder is a great tool, as are their LXT drills and impact drivers. When they came out with a 18V brushless trim router, I was thrilled.
Milwaukee’s String trimmer is pretty darn good as is Makita’s hedge trimmer and leaf blower. I LOVE their tiny blower – it’s perfcect for cleaning saw dust off the table saw or work area.
While I never really cared THAT much for Ryobi, it’s not that horrible and they have some things that nobody else really has – like the LED camping light (great for a power failure – general use) which is priced more appropriately than Milwaukee’s lighting line, although I have that too.
If you are patient and pay attention to the sales around Christmas, Father’s day and Labor day, you can buy additional batteries cheap enough.
For me – I always buy the tool first. Battery platform second. I realize that a lot of people are unable to do this, but for me, life is too short to be using tools that are cumbersome or less than satisfactory.
Mike S
What exacty is “BITURBO”, let alone turbo, about an electrical motor?!?
At least when Porsche stuck the “Turbo” moniker onto the Taycan, they said – “Turbo no longer means the literal addition of a Turbo, it designates the relative performance of one model to others”. And – that makes sense for Porsche given their history, as Turbo models were faster than non-Turbo models b/c the Turbo added HP/Torque and created higher performance.
Has Bosch explained what it means here? Are they just borrowing from their German Automotive friends and implying – its more power?
Tom D
Hehehe maybe it means that the motor has two poles.
Sounds like marketing gibberish to me.
Corey Moore
Oof, that was a painful video. Think it’d done less damage if you just released the tools and took the lumps for megawatt and it’s megadelay resulting in mega-rebrand. Seriously, that felt like an 80s safety and health training video, boosted by the overuse of buzzwords to hype tech that left them in the dust a few years ago. I hate that cringe feeling watching someone else appear sincere, but damn.