Over at Amazon, this Bosch 18V cordless drill (DDS181) and impact driver (25618) combo kit (CLPK232-181) is on sale as today’s deal of the day, 8/14/2017.
I bought a set nearly 6 years ago, when it was heavily discounted at the start of the winter holiday season. The tools are a little dated, but the kit has been updated with higher capacity battery packs – 2.0Ah.
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The drill is fairly capable, and falls between competing professional brands’ compact and heavy duty models. It’s not puny, nor heavy-hitting.
The impact is perhaps showing its age in terms of size, but is still one of my favorite brushed motor models. It’s quite powerful, and I’ve always found it to be comfortable to use.
These days, I’d take any brushless multi-mode impact over the one in this kit, but most are priced higher than this entire combo kit is on sale. For instance, the Dewalt DCF887 is $129 for the bare tool.
As an aside, why doesn’t Bosch offer an 18V-class multi-mode brushless impact driver?
This is a good quality and reliable combo kit that’s very attractively priced on sale at $129.
Price: $129
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Buy Now(via Amazon)
Deal ends at 3am ET 8/15/2017 unless supplies sell out sooner.
fred
Like you, this set would not be my first choice. The price is low – but so are the capabilities. Maybe folks who are looking for a starter set might consider this . But with Bosch not having anywhere near as many cordless tools on-offer in the USA as does Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee – I find it hard to recommend.
Over on another tool bog – they did do a comparison of some impact drivers:
http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/power-tools/cordless-tools/head-to-head-test-full-size-impact-drivers_c
Gary Nuschler, Jr.
First Place: Makita XDT12T
Second Place: DEWALT DCF887B
Third Place: Hilti SID 4-A22
The yeti
I have this set , as well as several other Bosch tools . If have to agree go with red or yellow unless you just like Bosch stuff .
fred
We used lots of Bosch corded tools and were fans. That goes for me personally as well. In corded tools, I’ve used their jig saws, routers, laminate trimmers, tap guns and corded screw guns, rotohammers, and concrete grinders. They have all done yeoman work. But for some reason, as many others have noted, they have held back on bringing cordless tools to the US market. If all you want/need is one or 2 tools – not intending to build on a cordless platform – then an attractively-priced Bosch kit might just be the ticket.
Satch
I have no idea why Bosch is lollygagging with the newer class of tools. Then we get the whole available in Britain and Europe but not the States. As an avid fan of Blue, I wish they’d remedy that.
As to this set it is still a whale if a bargain at that price. The batteries alone would cost that much.
Jason
Bought this exact same kit 5 years ago. It even says You purchased this item on April 17, 2012. when I click on the link. Paid $207 for it. I just stick built 600 feet of fence last week with the impact. Several thousand screws in 5 days. Handled it like a champ. The last 5 years ownership has been pretty good. Finished the basement in my previous house with em. Putting together various furniture etc… Although I use my 12v kit for most of the furniture stuff. Over the years I have had the itch to go different brand just because of the lack of number of tool offerings with Bosch. You can’t really go wrong with any big name brand these days.
Would I buy this kit again? Yes. Its a quality combo. I have never had an issue with Bosch yet and have been impressed with the performance. I say Yes however I would have to really think about what else I wanted to get. Been coming very close to going Milwaukee lately.
The yeti
I agree with all that
Satch
Jason, my thoughts as well. All the hoopla about never ending torque specs, amp hrs, modes. It is all good going forward, I get that. But at some point where do the returns start to really run out on investment?
While I will wait to get the brushless Bosch set I find ideal at a good price, if zi had to have a kit in a hurry I would not hesitate to buy this one. Or a DeWalt or Milwaukee set in the same price range. No matter if they were ‘outdated’ by today’s standards.
Matt
Amazon has a deal where you get a free 12v/18v with the purchase of various bare tools
Matt
On the subject of bosch, i know they are releasing a modified version of their 18v circ saw to fit the new core battery. Do you know how the specs match up against the older version? Or why they didnt choose to release a brushless circ saw instead
Rory
I’m a Bosch fan and this was actually the first kit I bought a few years ago. It’s a good kit, that price is decent enough to buy in as a homeowner or DIYer. I’d recommend it for a newbie, but as others have mentioned, Bosch has been really slow to bring cordless tools to market in the US, so it would depend on how much you may need other cordless tools if you’re buying into a system.
Hang Fire
I bought the drill over 5 years ago and picked up the impact as a bare tool less than a year later. Maybe they don’t have all the specs of the latest tools, but like Jason observed, they’ve done yeoman service and show no sign of slowing down. Even the original batteries are still in service, not as good as new but they still run long enough to be useful.
It’s not like they’re not used much, I’ve burned out a corded Black & Decker hammer drill during the same interval.
I too would like to see a better selection of Bosch cordless tools. I have no complaints about the quality, ergonomics, and endurance of what I have.
Chris
Stuart your question “As an aside, why doesn’t Bosch offer an 18V-class multi-mode brushless impact driver?” Doesn’t IDH182 qualify as brushless impact driver with milti-mode torque settings?
Brian
I bought this set from Home Depot online, they had refurbished set with 2 batteries, charger and a case for $155. I’ve used them for 3 weeks, medium level use, even used the impact driver on my van installing a trailer hitch, so far I’m pretty happy. The batteries charge fast, hold their charge, and the are much lighter and more compact than the Black&Decker unit I upgraded from.