BOSCH BITURBO Cordless Mitre Saw GCM 18V-216

Well Built, solid, accurate professional cordless tool, advertisement. #BITURBOtest #boschprofessional – UPDATE: Twelve months on, and real-world usage, I am mighty impressed. Its cuts are still accurate and true, and that massive battery has never let me down in a full day's job. OK, I was cutting studs, noggins, and bearers (all Treated pine), some 100x100 pine posts (wish it was 305 blade), and trimming some merbau boards, but it never ran out of juice. Recharge overnight, and it's good for another solid day. AWESOME! Love it! Still not a fan of the laser, but I am used to it now.

As part of a Bosch promotion, I was provided with this tool to review/advertise. Due to shortages, it took a while for all of the bits to arrive, but it was worth the wait. I was asked to provide honest feedback, and I am not biased in any way regarding having this tool.

First up is the build quality, it is solid, smooth, and has very little flex, making for accurate cuts. Almost everything is well thought out and feels professional grade. One small sliding plate stops the mitre from rotating off 90 degrees to the right, which can be flimsy if pulled out on an angle. The fact that it can be pulled out on an angle makes no sense, and I show it in the review, but other than that, and one other niggle that I can adjust myself, it's all pro, and mighty German in quality. It has three Left and right-hand stops as well, at 45, 33.9 and 22.5 degrees, (And manual micro screw adjustment if it ever drifts or wears out at these angles).

The tool and battery's 6-YEAR WARRANTY is a first, and I wish all of the other name brands would follow suit. I have had to replace many batteries, both under warranty and just out (3 years is the norm). I am very happy to get 6. It screams, "Built with quality." Imagine using it day in and out, on-site for 6 years with no worries!

Nice.

Mine came complete with a massive 12Ah battery that took one and a half hours to charge on the included fast charger, which is a rather long time. But during testing this battery showed zero percent drop after 30 or so cuts in different-sized pine and hardwood, both on the 45 and 90. The battery weighs in at 1.5 kg and is a beast. The weight is not noticeable when used in the compound mitre saw, as the spring mechanism offsets it and assists with smooth operation. You may need a second battery if you intend to run continuously.

The compound saw has toolless expansion of its side stands and toolless adjustable guides, which all work smoothly and accurately. The included slot in the G clamp works perfectly on both sides, and the trigger is designed for both left- and right-handed people.

The tool has an Allen key to remove the blade and a lock built into the machine to stop rotation. It has a smooth operating plate to rotate your cuts from -50 degrees to plus 60, with self-locking at 15, 22.6, 31.6, and 45 degrees to both sides, plus 60 degrees on the RHS. There is also a manual lock at any degree you want. I couldn't rotate totally to the left due to interference (refer to the long video), but I can fix it easily, I think.

The tool has Bluetooth connectivity to the Bosch Toolbox application, which allows you to change the default speeds for all three speeds, but not the ECO speed, which is locked at 2500RPM. The max speed is 4500 RPM! If you change a setting, it lights up blue on the touch panel, so you know it is not the default. (I changed a couple as I prefer blue over white, but three is flat out, so white it must remain.) I don't see the need to change the speeds as the default settings cover everything nicely, and I would only use slower speeds if I were cutting lots of light wood and wanted to conserve the battery. The app allows you to change when the working light and lasers stay on after you release the trigger. This is a great feature, as you need time to get your markings centred between the laser lines. You also adjust the display brightness and its "afterglow" timer. The app shows the battery gauge, but it mimics the 5 LEDs on the battery... I would have preferred a real percentage gauge. (Update the app Bosch, please.)

The tool's Bluetooth unit requires a flat washer Li-Ion battery, cr2023, I think, which was hard to install (refer to my long video).

The laser is interesting, It has one on each side which I'd expect as it is useful for left-hand and right-hand 45-degree cutting, but neither laser aligns to the edge of the blade. You have to centre the cut line between the laser lines. I find it odd and I'll look into if it's adjustable. (Maybe the fitted blade is narrower than normal, not sure), Again I show this in the long video.

The dust extraction capability is great, even without a vacuum it has a built-in dust runner guide that channels most of the dust straight out the back like a jet! I didn't have a compatible vacuum handy to test but will try to set something up when I use it in anger on a site.

At the time of writing, the bare tool was an expensive $948.95, but it had free redemption of the massive 12Ah battery and fast charger (worth over $450 to buy alone), making it good value. Personally, I would have bought the 305mm because bigger is always better, and I like to buy a tool that covers all of the bases. Yes, this cuts 90x45, but the 90mm side must always be down. As this is a tool, corded or cordless, that I don't own, I can't compare, but it works a treat, and I am tempted to change over and join the Bosch bandwagon moving forward. I have three different circular saws, two cordless and one corded, and this has the performance to beat all my 18V cordless, but not the corded model!

My current preferred brand has dropped the ball, and the quality is not the same as it once was.

Pros: Well built, so smooth with very little flex. 6-year warranty on tool and battery for commercial use, forget DIY! Current redemption makes it affordable, but at over $1250 without redemption, it is questionable value! Some features you would not use much, but some are cool: Like having the ability to change the afterglow times. Locked default 45's in all 4 axes, etc. The dust extraction port (like a well-ported turbo) is well designed.

Cons: The laser line needs some getting used to, and I'm not convinced that it works as it should. No battery Percentage in the app, (Makes estimating remaining runtime difficult). The Bluetooth Battery location is in an awkward position to replace the battery, even when tilted. The bare tool price without redemption is rather high and potentially prohibitive.

Summary: If you need cordless, they are all in this price bracket, which amazes me, so you might as well get the best! Most will stick to the battery family you live in as its very difficult to change.

Price and niggles make it 4.5 stars, but I cant call it four stars!

Single Bevel – This is review of the specifications. This saw looks great on paper and feels well made in the shop, but is let down by 0 degree right bevel. Why would the engineers at Bosch do such a silly thing? Give us at least 5 deg for back cutting skirts.