Over at Amazon, this Bosch 18V cordless drill and impact driver kit, CLPK232A-181, is on sale for $149 $139.
This is Bosch’s updated 18V compact drill, DDS181A, which should be quite capable. I own a DDS181 and have been relatively pleased with it. It’s up to medium duty tasks, but generally cannot muster enough muscle for heavier duty drilling or fastening tasks.
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The drill kit is priced at $159 by itself.
The impact driver, 25618, which I also own as part of a Bosch combo kit I purchased 5 years ago, remains competitive. It can deliver up to 1500 in-lbs of max torque, and is fairly compact and comfortable to use. Bosch’s IDS181 impact driver is more compact, but considerably less powerful.
The impact driver kit is priced at $179 by itself, or $154 after $25 off $100+ holiday promo.
The combo kit that’s on sale, CLPK232A-181, comes with the 2 tools, a charger, carrying bag, and (2) 2.0Ah Li-ion battery packs.
Price: $149 $139
The regular price is said to be $199.
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Also See: Milwaukee M18 Drill & Impact Driver Kit for $149 Deal
From what I have seen, Bosch has been lagging their competitors’ cordless tool development efforts, with fewer releases that are also spaced longer apart, especially when it comes to brushless tools. Still, I find this combo to be quite appealing, and think it’d be a good choice for anyone looking for a compact drill and impact driver kit on a $150 budget.
The question is this: Bosch or Milwaukee? In general, I would gravitate towards Milwaukee, but I really do like my Bosch 25618 impact driver. I wouldn’t consider either kit to be ideal for future expansion intent, because for many add-on tools, such as a circular saw, you’ll want a higher capacity battery pack.
I think I’m left maybe 40:60 on this, with the 60 in favor of Milwaukee.
Update: The price of the Bosch kit dropped from $149 to $139. I saw the $149 price last night, started writing up the post this morning, and when checking one final specification I saw that the price was changed to $139 – not that I’m complaining.
$10 might not seem like much, but it makes this deal a little more appealing. At $139 for Bosch, and $149 for Milwaukee, my leaning turns from 40:60 to 50:50.
There is also a Dewalt $149 drill and impact driver combo, but this Bosch deal gives you a better drill, a competitive impact driver, higher capacity battery packs, and an extra $10 in your pocket.
If you’re shopping for a gift, or maybe putting together a housewarming tool set, I’d lean even more in favor of this Bosch kit. Or, consider a 12V-class deal instead, such as Milwaukee’s M12 combo, or Makita’s 12V Max CXT combo.
fred
I wonder if this is a price match for Lowes having dropped their price:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Bosch-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Li-ion-Cordless-Combo-Kit-with-Soft-Case/1000014270
Scott K
I bought a similar Bosch drill/driver kit last year which I am very happy with thus far. I was pretty torn between Bosch and Milwaukee- I had a need for a new drill/driver and had several Amazon gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. I ended up with Bosch because Milwaukee’s presence on Amazon is almost nonexistent. If I would have had HD credit, I would have gone red.
G
The Bosch drill/driver (no impact driver) is on at Amazon.ca (Canada) for C$89. That works out to US$66. I don’t think they ship to the US free, but it might be worth considering.
https://www.amazon.ca/Bosch-DDB181-02-Lithium-Ion-Batteries-Contractor/dp/B00N8I29X2/
Mark
That is a different, less powerful drill. 350 in lbs vs 600 in lbs for the one in the original post. The batteries are also different – 1.5ah and no heat sink vs 2.0 ah with heat sink.
ktash
Thanks for the heads up. I’d gotten the drill only kit at Lowes. I just returned it and got this set instead. The batteries are 2.0 rather than 1.5, and I think are better batteries.
ktash
Aha, I just looked at the Lowe’s website and found this was a 40% off select Bosch tools, one day only.
https://www.lowes.com/c/Tools
So if anyone has another Bosch tool they’d like, might be worth a look.
Mark
Stuart,
You should check out the revised drill. It’s still 600 in lbs of torque, but in a noticeably slimmer body. The standout improvement is the chuck – now all metal with a floating tip that allows you to hold the end of the chuck while you drill for precision drilling like starting a hole in subway tile or granite. I’m impressed.
-Mark