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 We finally finished adding onto our deck this weekend. Really finished this time. With that task, I took the opportunity to check out the new Bosch 18v Brute Tough Hammer Drill/Driver 17618-01 and was grateful for how quickly it helped us get the job completed.
With over 650 inch pounds of torque supplied by the Bosch 17618-01, we had no problem drilling quick holes for concrete lag bolts. The high speed mode produces 2050 rpm and up to 30,750bpm! The 18v Bosch hammer drill made even easier work of fastening lag bolts into pressure treated 4x4's.
Another feature of the Bosch Hammer drill is the LED light. This one comes from the base of the tool, as opposed to the middle of the tool like the Milwaukee and Makita cordless drills. We didn't notice any difference the location made when, just having the LED is a great benefit when working in darker or enclosed areas. Other features I liked were the ergonomic, soft-grip handle, variable speed trigger, 25 position clutch and 1/2" chuck.
I'm good at dropping tools. And I did indeed knock this one off my sawhorse - not a far drop but enough to make me cringe. The Bosch is built to withstand a good dropping though, with a Durashield Housing, unibody motor construction, all-metal gear train and a metal collar on the chuck, we were good to go.
The BruteTough 18v category of cordless tools are sandwiched between Bosch's ultra-cool 12v Max Litheon compact line and their powermonger 36v line: the 17618-01 18V Litheon Hammer Drill/Driver, 17614-01 14.4V Litheon Hammer Drill/Driver, 37618-01 18V Litheon Drill/Driver, and the 37614-01 14.4V Litheon Drill/Driver. The heart of this system is their Litheon battery technology. Bosch states that it offers 35 percent more runtime than the competitors (even with the SlimPack, lighter weight system) and two times more recharge cycles over the life of the battery. The runtime was certainly high priority on our list and the Bosch 17618-01 did not disappoint us this weekend.
Bosch’s Brute Tough cordless tools also feature their patented Electronic Cell and Motor Protection, which basically protects both the battery and the tool by preventing the three main causes of battery failure – overheating, overloading and deep discharging. Bosch is duly backing this line with a 3-year Tool Protection Plan and 2-year battery replacement plan (called Provantage). Per Edwin Bender, Bosch’s group product manager for the cordless tool category, “Our Provantage Protection Plan is the best cordless tool program in the industry, no questions asked, no worries about number of charge cycles, no fine print. We guarantee our system – period.”
Check out Toolking.com prices on Bosch's Brute Tough line of cordless Litheon tools.
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