Thread: Bosch (blue) 36v C/less Drills? (opinions)

Looks like you've pretty much decided on bosch.
There's some comparisons here on different brands
18V Cordless Drill Review and Ratings

I have to replace all my 18v cordless gear, I'm procrastinating I just cant make a decision as to what brand to go with (

Originally Posted by BrianLara400*

I was just wondering if anyone has had any exerience with the 36v Blue Bosch Cordless driver drills in either of the two configurations:
*(GSR 36 V-LI) 36v, 2.6ah, Li-ion, 3kg (super duty)

No experience with this model, but I did once have a 24v blue Bosch cordless. It was an okay drill, but it was big and at 3.1kg it got very heavy when doing alot of overhead work.

The current 18v Li-ion range from Makita, Hitachi, Bosch and Milwaukee are all brilliant. Also worth a look is the 21.6v drill from Panasonic, it has heaps of grunt and personally I reckon Panasonic make the best batteries and chargers. I got 8 years of trade use out of my 15.6v Panasonic batteries.

Current drill is the Li-ion Makita and I love it! Would have got another Pana, but the huge range of Makita cordless tools swayed me.

I have a couple of hitachi DV18DL's and one of them gets abused daily doing electtrical work and i haven''t had any problems.

Thanks for the Info lads.
Batcat that site was very handy and gives an idea of the lay of the land (pecking order etc), my only concern was its origin being america, that their models over there may not be quite the same - but rougly checking they seem to be equivalent.

The results from their reviews didnt make the decision any easier though,- As the Hitachi, the Milwauke and the Bosch all finished in the top four (all with brilliant stats).
Nihilism the Hitachi DV18DL's Ive allways held in high regard and came sooo close to getting one, and in the end It was 50/50 as to which way Id go but went with the Blue Bosch GSR18 VE-2LI,
When it and the other stuff (a mixture of Hitachi & Bosch) arrives Ill give my thought's of it
Again thanks for the info, anyone else with views of other c/less drills getting around, Im always interested.

I have 2 36v Bosch drills. Both are combis (hammer/drill/driver).
One is the GSB36V Li. and the other is the 18*2 that you mentioned (which, apart from an extra hammer setting collar, is the same drill).
The former was bought as a stand alone kit purchase, and the latter as part of a Drill, Sabre Saw, Circular Saw kit.

Frankly, I'm unimpressed.

They're both just too big and heavy, even with the smaller, 1.3ah. batteries. I'm not as young, nor as strong as I once was. But geez, using one of these mothers for a day overhead would just about kill me!

I originally bought the 3 piece kit because (a) more power is always better, right?, and (b) i needed a more powerful cordless saw because the 18v. alternatives, from ALL manufacturers, are just s**t. I bought the hammer drill because I wanted 2 more big batteries, and it was cheap as chips from the states (I already had a 240v charger).

Both drills sit on the shelves, at my house & shack respectively, essentially unused. I still use the saws, a 36V SDS hammer and cordless lawnmower regularly. I have subsequently bought an assortment of Bosch 18V drills: GSB18VE2-Li, GSR18V-Li, and GDR18V-Li MF.

The first is a combi drill. the second a drill/driver, and the latter a "multifunction" drill/impact driver. I use the first for hammering anchor holes in "soft" bricks etc., where an SDS hammer will make the holes oversize with too much "punch", and drilling big holes with augers or holesaws, the second for any overhead work like plastering, electrics and fire and security sensors, and the latter for sheet metal work (roofing & guttering, c-section framing etc.) and screwdriving.

You mentioned working in steel, but not the type of material, nor the anticipated jobs. For thin-guage metals, you need speed. Most drills aren't fast enough, in my opinion. You need at least 1500-1600 RPM min. to drill for rivets or screws in sheet metal, or to start tecs into metal.

The GDR, as a "multifunction" drill/impact driver, is my favourite. It has 2 drilling speeds: 0-750/2800 rpm., and 2800 rpm/160nm driving torque, which is great for roofing screws into even very old, tough hardwood battens. While it's DRIVING torque, as an impact driver is very powerful, it's high drilling speeds means that its DRILLING torque is actually quite low. You'd risk burning the drill out prematurely if you used it, for example, for big auger holes in old, dry hardwood studs. You need a slower speed than the 750RPM low gear in this drill.

If you need to drill large holes, i.e. 10mm.+ regularly in heavy guage steel, then a more powerful DRILLING model, such as a GSB Combi (0-480/2050RPM) or GSR18 VE-2Li (0-420/1800RPM, even stronger, but slower, at drilling).

So what do you really need? Grunt or speed? I recommend you not purchase the 36v models. You'll love the power, but end up hurting after an hour of work. I am a fan of Bosch drills. I had them years ago, and have come back to them after using Festools and Metabos for many years. The seem to offer a good compromise between technology, cost and jobsite toughness.

If you're doing a lot of overhead work, then I recommend buying a couple of "slimpak" 1.3 ah batteries as well. It's amazing what a difference the lighter batteries make to the weight and balance of the tool when you're reaching up or out to sink that one extra screw instead of climbing down and shifting the ladder!

Ratbag, thanks for the info, your appraisal of the 36v is more or less how I saw things too. Out of the 3 Blue bosch driver drills worth considering the order I finally settled on after some research, was:
1#TheGSR18VE-2LI as the hot favourite, (which I saw as being the equal to the venerable Hitachi)

2#Then some considerable day light and then the dedicated 36v but the weight really killed it chances cold. My Fathers got a Milwauke 18v that he has given a towelling over the last 5 years or so, and its a brilliant drill, nice chuck (up until recent), powerful motor etc but at 2.6kg I vowed I wouldnt go any heavier and The 36v was going to be damn near 1/2 a kg more than this even

3#Followed by the 2x18v as third choice, what spooked me somewhat is that out of all their drills it was the only one lacking some kind of Heavy Duty, or Super Duty rating - Which I attributed to the battery configuration (rightly or wrongly?)
Plus the 36v one whatever the config, lacked that high no-load rpm.

All that said I dont want to take anything away from the 36's & 2x18's they probably have very valid applications, Plus they'd probably survive a direct A bomb strike and the nuclear winter that followed.

The Steel gauge is very varied, generally 2-5mm walled RHS, Steel plate (mild steel) up to 1/2" (piloted first), Staino sheet up to 3mm. Don't know If any of you have come across "Gun Taps", Id probably use these a little bit too (but theres more danger of the tap ringing off in the job than any damage coming of the drill.)

Plus some timber, only using drill bits- No forstner bits, No Spades, No augers through fence strainers etc.
Also driving Teks into both mediums


A question Ratbag, Did the Bosch drills running Innacesible internal brushes concern you at all? As its handy on the other Hitachi tools I've got to check their status and clean etc. And maintenance & quality wise you havent had any issues?

A question Ratbag, Did the Bosch drills running Innacesible internal brushes concern you at all? As its handy on the other Hitachi tools I've got to check their status and clean etc. And maintenance & quality wise you havent had any issues?

To answer your last Q first, no dramas at all over quality. Bosch (Blue) have always been very good power drills. In fact, some of the best. It's their forte, just like Metabo and AEG used to be. I aren't that impressed with their other 240v tools, however. All these drills are designed for long life and to be rebuilt, which makes them good value in the long run.

I expect a service life of about 3 years from my cordless tools. Anything over this is a bonus, given the variety of jobs I do. I confess that I'm not that clever at replacing my own brushes, let alone cleaning them! I notice that the 18V Multifunction impact driver has Makita style screwed brush covers, and the 36V tools mostly have brush doors or covers, with the exception of my Rotak 43Li mower, which has a pancake style (i.e. wide & short) motor that appears brushless, & capable of regenerative battery charging. Would make for a perfect bicycle motor I reckon.

I get most of my tools from the bloke that repairs them for me, who specialises in Bosch, Metabo, Festool & Makita. He really knows his stuff, and gets most of his business from loyal repeat customers. I consider his opinion as to a tool's strengths and weaknesses and his recommendations very highly. Except that I won't buy Makita. The only 3 I ever owned all died prematurely.

we have that 36v Bosch in our workshop (mechanics) and its brilliant. as the others have said though, its a heavy bugger but works for drilling steel all day. thats my 2c...

They're excellent for driving holesaws & augers: the sort of things that require a combination of high torque & low revs. But be warned - the bitches bite! You really need to use the second handle in these applications for your own safety. I could see myself getting a broken wrist when the bit catches.

Another thing I've noticed, apart from the weight, is their large physical size. Not just the obvious things like the motor & batteries, but even the handle is both longer in length and wider in diameter in comparison the their 18v siblings. My own hands (size medium??) just aren't quite big enough to comfortably and safely wrap themselves around the grip. The 18V tools, by contrast, seem a much more comfortable and safe handful.