Bosch GSB 18 V-LI Professional

Absolutely love it – I bought this drill from Beginnings on sale. It came as part of a three piece combo kit. I am very happy with the power of the product and its performance. I have had many drills before, but this one is much more powerful in comparison. The plastic quality of the product could be improved, but other than that it is working perfectly. Hence 4 stars Show details ·  1

The Best Drill Ever! – This is, quite simply, the best drill I have laid my hands on in 40 years of carpentry and DIY. I am used to industrial drills being bulky and heavy. The GSB 18 V-Li Professional is small, light and extremely comfortable to hold. The perfectly sculpted handle with rubber grip allow hours of drilling without any discomfort or blisters, even if you… Read more

have small hands. The weight is so well balanced it's as if the drill is part of you-effortless manoeuvring and, because of its compact design, you can reach inside awkward corners and spaces.

The quality and precision of the engineering is astounding! Smooth and quiet as a Rolls Royce, the spindle rotates on a true axis. The variable-speed trigger is so easy to handle you can slow the rotation right down. That's been very handy, particularly when drilling at an awkward angle, and also when used as a screw-driver. I've never seen anything close to this kind of performance! As for power, don't worry! How a compact, little precision tool can produce such power I can't explain. But it does!

Whatever you need, the GSB 18 V-Li delivers. I've not had it long but used it in a few jobs already. Whether in wood or masonry, this drill is a pleasure to use. I'm looking for any excuse to use it! It came in an excellent abs case, with two batteries and a charger. Bosch have been thoughtful enough to provide an extra slot inside the case for a third battery, should you need one, and some other compartments for extras. I'm still running on the first charge of the first battery. I have to say this is the perfect all-round drill!

Wobbling chucks indicative of bad engineering and assembly with zero quality control – I bought the Bosch GSB 18V-Li hammer Drill / Driver Professional as part of the Bosch Professional (BLUE) 18V 2-Piece Kit (18V SBR 2-Compact) from Bunnings. My first kit went back for an exchange within hours as the drill chuck was visibly out of round and wobbled straight out the box. Whilst at Bunnings, the second kit checked presented the same… Read more

problems. I settled for the third and last kit Bunnings had in stock under duress as I was running behind with my project. But after using the drill for just 2 days, I discovered that the Bosch GSB 18V-Li hammer Drill / Driver is an exceptionally bad product as although the drill housing appeared to run fairly central, in practice it was far worse as I soon discovered that the drill alignment was nowhere near good as appeared visually. The chuck, as with the others, also wobbled and is not indicative of a well engineered and or constructed tool. The Bosch GSB 18V-Li hammer Drill / Driver Professional chuck wobble and drill housing was so badly misaligned that the 6.0mm drill I was using actually drilled a conical hole diameter of about 6.8mm. I then measured the drill chuck alignment with a dial gauge and was horrified to see how out of line it was. When I returned the Bosch Professional (BLUE) 18V 2-Piece Kit (18V SBR 2-Compact) with the faulty Bosch GSB 18V-Li hammer Drill / Driver to Bunnings, I demonstrated the faults at Bunnings. The faulty drill was also examined by a power tool professional at the store who confirmed my assessment to be correct. This is not what one would expect from Bosch tools - especially from the Bosch Professional BLUE range. Once I had demonstrated the faults, Bunning promptly gave me a refund. It is a critical feature of all drilling machines in that there is no wobbling of the chuck or drill spindle. If so, this constitutes a major fault / failure and the purchaser is entitled to a full refund – regardless of any company policy. So my advice to anyone encountering the same Bosch faults - don't be fobbed off by some slick salesman or sales manager - demand a full refund. I have emailed and called Bosch countless times but it seems they are not concerned about quality control or what customers are reporting to them as the same faults keep appearing time and again. As a result, I will not be buying any Bosch products in future as the quality is now almost but nonexistent and this is the third time I returned a Bosch power tool product in just 3 weeks. The only upside throughout my purchase / return ordeal was Bunnings - they were exceedingly accommodating and supportive in every respect so it goes without saying that I will continue to shop at Bunnings with the utmost confidence.