At last year’s STAFDA event we got a look at the new Socket Ready Impact Driver IDH182-02L ($279, Ohio Power Tool) however shortly after that show we got the unfortunate news the launch was going to be delayed for an entire year. This was extremely disappointing news however that year has passed and the folks at Bosch are confident this tool will live up to the hype. For more information on the Socket Ready Impact Driver check out our original 2012 Coptool post. We will also take a look at the other “Best Built” Brushless EC tools which should all be launching in February 2014.
***Video Added 5/9/2014
Bosch 12V Brushless EC Driver & Drill/Driver
For the 12V line Bosch will be bringing the Driver PS22-02 ($149, Ohio Power Tool) and Drill/Driver PS32-02 ($159, Ohio Power Tool) to start. These units are at a premium price to their PS21 and PS31 predecessors with the same torque output however the benefits come with smaller, lighter housing and extra runtime from the brushless motors. We were surprised to see these tools not being launched with a L-Boxx-1 kits in some way or even as an option. We have not heard any news on a PS42 impact driver coming but we would guess there will be something along those lines within a few months.
Bosch 18V Brushless EC Drill/Driver & Hammer Drill
The market is already pretty full of brushless drills, with DeWalt and Makita launching compact units first and Milwaukee going with a Heavy Duty model out of the gate. The expectation at this point isn’t just that these drills would use a brushless motor; its how are they going to outperform the other guys. In our recent post on Makita’s new cordless tools from STAFDA we saw them go back to their original brushless drill LXPH05 (400 in lbs) and address its biggest complaint for more power, the XPH06 now has 530 in lbs which is already on the streets.
These new Bosch units, drill/driver DDS182-02L ($219, Ohio Power Tool) and hammer drill HDS182-02L ($239, Ohio Power Tool) fall into the compact drill category with a torque rating of only 442 in lbs. This is actually lower than the Bosch Compact Tough tools they will replace, which currently offer 600 in lbs. These will be the smallest, lightest brushless 18V units on the market and the promise is for a superior runtime. They are also using the tag line Built Best and continue the tradition of toughness we’ve come to expect from the Bosch brand. That being the case we still hope to see some heavy duty Brute Tough Brushless EC drills in the near future as we would expect the demand to be very high. Once we get our hands on these compact units for testing we will give our full performance review to see how they will perform against the Dewalt and new Makita brushless units.
Overall Brushless EC Launch
It is pretty clear in our minds the IDH182-02L does offer a big advantage over the other impact drivers on the market. Having snapped many socket adaptors in the past this really seems like the ideal way to take advantage of the full torque all impact tools can produce. It would seem like the Socket Ready impact tool will be a big drawl for the combo kits such as the CLPK233-181L ($369, Ohio Power Tool) and CLPK250-181L ($389, Ohio Power Tool). We had hoped the brushless drills, after being so late to market, would put up some bigger torque numbers and still have a compact size. It’s our though that with the 18v platform you really need to lead with a solid heavy weight. The compact lightweight story is becoming more convincing on the 12v side and the need for super compact 18V tools is less and less import for professionals. That being said it is clear these are the most popular SKUs at home centers and with lower price points we do understand the desire to address this segment first.
For questions on any Bosch Tool give the pros at Ohio Power Tool a call 800-242-4424 or stop in they are a Bosch System Specialist location and a full warranty repair center.