This is a positive review for Bosch tools. The problems I had are because of my own lack of knowledge. I did a reasonably good search for information; just not quite good enough. That cost me a lot of time, so I decided to write this; because I didn't encounter information, even in Wikipedia, that really enabled me to understand what tool I needed for my application.
My son and I wanted to build a deck together. The location is bounded on two sides by concrete foundation, so we decided to put in about 50 feet of pressure-treated 2x10 for a ledger. This was to be attached to the 30-year-old concrete foundation by 20 or so 1/2-inch anchor bolts drilled in about 3.5 inches. The concrete contains quartzite gravel and also plenty of rebar.
This is the environment into which the Bosch Brute-tough hammer drill with a Bosch carbide SDS+ 1/2-inch bit was placed into service. The drill became inoperative, (I think because of dust contamintation), within two days after drilling only 5 holes. Two days of use but 30+ days of ownership, so the drill couldn't be returned. I called Bosch support and they registered my drill for their 3 year support program that includes 1 year of tool replacement - all for free! The second drill came in about a week, but it too became inoperable within one day after drilling only 2 holes. I called Bosch again and this time asked what I was doing wrong. The support person left me on hold to ask someone else about the problem and upon returning said, "This drill isn't right for your application. You need a rotary hammer." He then sent me a 3rd drill, 2nd day air at Bosch's expense. This third drill is not going near any concrete foundations, needless to say. It is a very powerful chordless drill quite useful for the proper application; like drilling holes in wet pressure-treated lumber or driving half-inch hex head wood screws. I also don't see how Bosch support could be much better. Therefore, I recently bought a factory-Reconditioned Bosch 11224VSR-46 6.9 Amp 7/8-Inch SDS Rotary Hammer for $140.00 from Amazon that I haven't had time yet to receive.
Anyway, this is what is in a name in the American retail market. Brute tough hammer drill, concrete mutilator ultimate destruction drill, girly man fierce hammer drill; they're all the same - drills. Those other words don't legally have any meaning. In the case of the Bosch hammer drill the action is more back-and-forth than really hammering. In contrast, the specs of the 11224VSR rotary hammer address all of the issues that I was having with the 17618; a mechanism to properly break through the concrete at a good rate, a chuck that holds the bit without it slipping and which allows the bit to move freely in an inline hammering motion separate from the chuck, a design that keeps concrete dust out and minimizes vibration, and so on. It's probably not as convenient for drill or driver work compared to the Bosch 17618, but it is appropriate for the concrete work that I need to do. At the time I bought the hammer drill I didn't know what a rotary hammer was.
(2 customers reviews)
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0
More Detail For Bosch 17618 01 18 Volt 1 2 Inch Brute Tough Litheon Hammer Drill Driver with 2 Fat Batteries
- Features 0-475/0-2,050 RPM and 30,750 BPM. 650-Inch Pound of torque
- Features Bosch durasheild housing and uni-body power train to withstand real world conditions
- Bosch litheon batteries - state-of-art lithium-ion battery technology coupled with Bosch's proprietary ECP (Electronic Cell Protection) system guarantees the optimal performance of tool and batteries even for tough work conditions
- 1/2-Inch metal chuck for increased durability
- LED Light is great for dark or enclosed areas
