Bosch set themselves up for a big second half of 2023, with new cordless power tools – and that’s just the start of things.
Here, we’ll be taking a look at the new Bosch 18V concrete nailer, model GNB18V-12, which is described as delivering gas-powered performance and with a cordless design that’s engineered to last.
The new Bosch cordless nailer recently launched as part of their 18V ProFactor family of high performance power tools.
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It features a BiTurbo brushless motor, which Bosch says takes full advantage of their higher power Core18V batteries, and an internal air-spring design for fast and consistent nailing. No air hoses or consumable gas cartridges are needed.
Bosch recommends their 18V 8Ah (GBA18V80) and 12Ah (GBA18V120) Core18V batteries for maximum tool performance.
The nailer is capable of sinking up to 1.5″ collated nails into concrete.
Features include:
Single-Shot Magazine and Nosepiece – this allows users to swap between collated nails and single shots needed for MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) applications.
Open-System Magazine – the collated magazine can hold 22 shots, and an extra capacity 44-shot magazine is available separately.
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Air-Spring Design – for fast and consistent nailing.
Removable Footpiece – provides stability when firing the nailer perpendicular to the workpiece.
Nosepiece – pressure is required for the nail to be fired. The nosepiece must be depressed again if the nail is not fired within 5 seconds.
Additional features include:
- Depth adjustment
- Sliding magazine lock
- Magazine release lever
- Tool lockout for safer transportation
- LED worklight
It also has an on-tool user display for managing tool performance and battery life status.
The nailer is available as a tool-only (GNB18V-12N) and in a kit (GNB18V-12K14).
The kit comes with a tool carrying case, charger, and Core18V 8Ah battery.
Both the bare tool and kitted tool come with the 22-shot collated magazine, single-shot magazine, single-shot nosepiece, and a utility hook.
An extended capacity magazine (GNB44M) is available separately.
Price: $599 for tool-only, $749 for the kit
Dimensions and Weight
- 15.9″ length
- 12.1″ height
- 5.4″ width
- Weighs 9 lbs
Bosch Concrete Nails and Pins
Bosch has also come out with pins designed for use with the new cordless concrete nailer, as well as “most major concrete nailer tools.”
The pins are designed for use in A36 and A572 steel, concrete, CMU block, and sand-lightweight concrete over metal deck.
Collated Concrete Nails
- NB-063 – 5/8″
- NB-075 – 3/4″
- NB-100 – 1″
- NB-125 – 1-1/4″
- NB-150 – 1-1/2″
Collated Wood-to-Concrete Nails
- NK-138 – 1-3/8″
The CFS nails feature a spiral knurled shank.
Collated Steel/Metal Collated Nails
- NM-050 – 1/2″
- NM-063 – 5/8″
- NM-075 – 3/4″
Bosch says that their nailer and nails were ICC tested and certified together. It’s also described as an open system where you can also use competitive collated nails and single shots.
Discussion
As mentioned in the title, I feel that Bosch is gaining a bit of momentum with this launch.
Here we have a brand new cordless concrete nailer, with modern tech and features, as well as a line of nails to go with it.
This isn’t all Bosch is coming out with this year. They also have a new cordless heat gun (thank you Ken for the email about this!), X-Lock angle grinder, drywall pole sander, USB charging adapter (but sadly not USB-C), and more.
On top of that, Bosch also launched their partnered AmpShare cordless system in North America.
And, Bosch also improved their 18V Limited Warranty policies, which I’ll detail in a separate post. In a nutshell, users get significant increases in tool, charger, and battery warranty periods, and product registration is recommended but no longer required for this.
Bosch says this of the new concrete nailer:
The new 18V Concrete Nailer, the newest addition to the PROFACTOR high-powered system, is expected to be a fan favorite for workers looking for a fast, consistent nailing solution.
I am not very familiar with the cordless concrete nailer landscape, but Bosch’s looks to at least be competitive.
We’ll have more Bosch 18V cordless power tool news in coming weeks.
Rog
Some of Bosch’s tools are very intriguing but, having spent plenty of money on another head-scratching and infuriating brand in Makita, I don’t think I have that kind of masochism in in.
Jim Felt
I haven’t had Makita since their Ni-Cad days. But before Milwaukee had as many M12 and M18 Li-ion tools I invested in a bunch of Bosch 12V and 18V tools and none have failed. The only oddity was a circular saw whose handle didn’t allow for their newer and bigger Core 18 batteries and their NA service center installed the newest handle and paid for shipping both ways.
Bosch ain’t Makita. Sadly for Makita.
OldDominionDIYer
Maybe they should give a name like “scorpion” or something foolish like they have their other tools…
Aram
Given their recent naming conventions, they’d probably lean in the direction of “BRUTALIZER” or “MEGABLAST”.
…joking aside, did they indicate what Grade of A572 they’ll work with? There’s 42, 50, 55, 60, and then two types of Grade 65 (based on thickness).
Jammer
What kind of scenario calls for fastening to steel with pins?
MM
I’m not familiar with their use in the construction trade, but I do know of an extreme example: The “Cox Submarine Gun” aka “Cox Bolt Gun”. This is a tool for underwater rescue and ship salvage. It is basically a huge powder-activated nail gun; it shoots very large threaded steel studs or pins and it has enough power to penetrate the heavy steel plate of a ship’s hull. They are used by divers to attach temporary patches to a damaged hull. They can also be used with hollow “nails”–imagine a giant hypodermic needle–which can be used to pump air into a vessel or to pump fuel or oil out.
Bsc
It’s not unusual to have to fasten to I-beams in steel framing -drywall in commercial construction
fred
We used PAT’s for fastening wood facing to wide flanges and other structural elements when through-bolts were not needed. Before it was outlawed our 38cal. Remington gun was the choice for shooting large diameter studs into steel. Later guns from Remington and others were toned-down for safety considerations – but some 27cal. loads were still capable of driving hardened pins into steel.
Leo B.
Shooting plate down to I-beams in residential basement applications is not super uncommon.
Jim Felt
Or Admen Running Amuck. Thankfully the European and Asian Bosch markets don’t use any of these too cute names.
Stuart
I think they’re past that phase.
fred
Looks impressive. Let’s hope that the reviews on actual use also hold up.
We had a few pneumatic (Porta-Nail 460) concrete nail guns that we had hoped would replace PATs. They did for many tasks – would work in the application that Bosch pictures for fastening to a concrete block wall – but did not perform well with fastening to old well-cured concrete slabs.
John
What do they mean by this:
“The pins are designed for use in A36 and A572 steel…”
Does that mean you can fasten a steel enclosure to concrete without drilling holes? Or fasten something to thin steel studs?
Steve
This looks interesting. I don’t have any experience with concrete nail guns, but I do enough drilling into concrete and installing anchors to invest in a tool like this. Hopefully it is a good tool and works as it should. I’m interested…
JR Ramos
I’d love to see a teardown on this tool. Seems like a lot to ask from battery/electrical engineering but Bosch wouldn’t have released it if it wasn’t up to snuff for the job. They’ve been doing some good things. Still seems like there’s a disconnect between home base and the US branch and market penetration really isn’t anywhere near where it should be. With a little hesitation I bought into their 18V line with just two tools that I got great deals on and local steals on new core batteries…the tools are outstanding and no regrets adding a third platform for a few items. Recently got their 1-1/8″ rotary hammer and apples to apples it beats the pants off of the comparable Milwaukee. Quite impressed with it. I had the opportunity to try their customer service (via telephone and later email)…started off not so great with the somewhat clueless fellow on the phone but reaching out via email got much better contact and results (actually they went far and beyond over what I was asking for or ever expected). I’m fortunate to have service centers for all the brands nearby but if parts/repairs/warranty is important that should be a serious consideration before buying into a platform. Both Makita and DeWalt have been pretty poor around here but Milwaukee and Bosch have been great, and those two really support their service centers well, as does Jet.
fred
I just noticed that Dewalt also seems to offer cordless concrete nail gun:
https://www.nailgundepot.com/dewalt-dcn891p2-20v-cordless-concrete-nailer-kit
Lex Luthor
I’m sorry, but I’m not seeing this as gaining momentum for Bosch. Bosch is the last brand I would trust to manufacture a decent nail gun. Let alone something like this. A battery powered concrete nail gun. An unworthy solution to a nonexistent problem. Do they really think that this is going to compete against powder actuated tools? Bosch has nothing to offer to the nail fastening industry. They’ve contributed nothing to improving fastening technology whether it be cordless or pneumatic. Since becoming a tool manufacturer, Bosch has made only one nail gun throughout it’s history. A framing nailer some years ago. That’s it. No roofing or siding nailer. Or metal strapping nailer. Brad nailer or finish nailer. Not even a palm nailer from Bosch. Not even accessories like an air hose or compressor. Idk maybe they have all that shit over in Germany. But it’s not here in the US. What could this tool possibly offer that would have brands like Ramset or Hilti or Simpson concerned? I do quite a bit of framing to concrete fastening. We generally use a two and a half to three inch nail to set bottom plates to the slab after the walls are erected. How could I expect to fasten 2 by materials to concrete using this gun if Bosch’s own proprietary fasteners are shorter than the material requiring the application? That tells me that this gun is incapable of shooting a nail long enough to hold 2 by materials to concrete. That’s automatic dismissal to me. There’s nothing to be gained from having that tool on my job site. I’d rather use my framing nailer to shoot boards to concrete instead of this. Which btw can be done if you know where to shoot on a block wall. Just make sure you’re shooting galvanized ring shank. But this tool from Bosch seems to be a joke when you look at the nail sizes and magazine depth. It says single shot as well. But it doesn’t say anything about what size single shot nail it can shoot. And let’s just be really honest about this. A battery powered tool can’t come anywhere close to driving nails into concrete as well as gunshot driven nail tools. Powder actuated tools can’t be beat when it comes to fastening materials to concrete.
JR Ramos
Bosch has never really been all that into construction – seems like their primary focus shifted from woodworking/finish carpentry into industrial many years ago, and they have always had their excellent placing in the rotary hammer arena. I don’t think that’s changing much and this tool would indicate an obvious market of electricians, industrial maintenance, etc., possibly plumbers. A lot of new non-residential buildings these days hardly have any wood in them at all so there’s less need for long fasteners. Can’t see this digging into those other big companies’ share much at all but maybe it’ll find its sales niche (would assume that’s a much harder gig here in the US where their cordless isn’t a widespread as red or yellow).
Jerome
Maybe YOU dont see a need from your perspective as a carpenter for this tool, but let me say that a lot of framers in commerial construction are very interested in his tool. It replaces a Trakfast nailer that uses gas cartridges and Remington or Hilti powder actuated guns. No more gas or .27 cal strips to buy! We use 1/2″ pins to fasten steel studs to steel beams and 3/4″ pins to anchor the track to the concrete. Many in the industry have been waiting on this innovation.
Ken Gaumond
I’m in Massachusetts and I own a Bosch finish nailer, brad nailer, AND pin nailer. They are all outstanding, and are my go-to finish guns. I really wish they’d offer 18V finish and brad nailers.
Frank D
Pretty impressive if you have need for it.
Personally, I am still waiting on more Bosch 12v tools, that exist overseas.
If only Bosch had a little bit of that Ryobi drive to sell more tools …
Franco
As Lex L mentions, you can’t 2x material because they list 1 3/8″ as the longest nail.
But, I do see a market for this, even if it is a smaller niche type market. Definitely electricians can use this, anyone currently using Tapcons or other anchoring methods, this could be a great time saver.
Like the photo above, attaching a main electrical panel to concrete. Even more so in commercial buildings where there is more concrete, and wire/cable in conduit being nailed to concrete.
Of course, at this price, you need it or you won’t get it. Any DIYer, no matter how much they love tools, won’t get this. Most contractors will not have a need for this, so a tight market.
Someone was saying what has Bosch done in nailers, and has little faith in this. If there is a brand I trust to not release “toys”, it is Bosch. Forget about appliances and other non tool related stuff they make, I am pretty sure they are the largest power tool MFR worldwide. They have always been a pretty serious company and I have confidence this will work well.
Will it sell enough to be worthwhile long term for Bosch; we’ll have to wait and see.
Steve
I have learned a few things reading these comments.
And realized I still have much more to learn about the trades.
I tried using tapcons for the 1st time in my life last year. The guy at the Carter Lumber center said all I needed was a hammer to drive them into the concrete that I was trying to reattach a door to from tornado damage.
Wrong advice.
From reading the description and the comments – this tool (and hardware) is just what I needed.