Bosch PS30 -- whole lotta torque

Hey Jim
Good review I have one of these little puppies and it works great for smaller stuff

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

Same here…good review. I bought the small driver..loved it for its size and power…AND the long lasting fast charging battery’s, I now have the same one you have, and the next one up. Love them all.

-- Don S.E. OK

I own the PS20 and as a notorious cheapskate I can honestly say about the Bosch equipment I have previously owned as well as the items I currently own have consistently ranked among my favorites. When and if my DeWalt 18V Cordless Drill gives up the ghost (it’s also been a very nice tool to own and use) I plan on getting a Bosch 36618-02. Expensive? Yeah it but the quality of the brand has for me been so consistent as to easily justify the slight bit of discomfort I will experience for that brief moment at the point of sale. After that, I’ll be smiling every time I pick it up. :)

As you’ve noticed even at 12V’s these drivers have an amazing amount of power easily equal to that of my DeWalt and the lithium batteries allow you to drive three inch screws for several hours right up until the battery discharges completely. Where you expressed some skepticism about the torque, I’ve found it a very useful and of course the ability to manage it which directly effects battery life is also there so no worries in that department for me. I’m a bit jealous as I was unaware that this line was available with a 3/8ths chuck. Had I known at the time, I would have been all over it.

Thanks for the review.
Joe

-- JMP

I actually did a test with a little bosch like this one and a big dewalt 18v I drove 3 in drywall screws into epay wood guess which 1 won the bosch I was like how the hell did this thing beat out the dewalt

-- kosta Virginia Beach, VA http://www.kostasworkshop.blogspot.com/

Jim,

I think you made a good choice with the PS30-2A. It’s a little expensive, but they pack a lot of great features in a small package. Here were my thoughts on it:

Pros:
- Top-5 in its class for being compact and light-weight. Only weighs 2.4 lbs, about 30% lighter than average.
- Efficient design. Top-5 in its class for best power-to-weight ratio.
- Power is 10% less than the average 12V, but still very good. Generates up to 220 in-lbs of torque.
- Backed by Bosch’s 3-year warranty.

Cons
- Runs up to 1,000 RPM, but speed is 22% slower than average.
- Uses long life-cycle Li-ion batteries, but run-time is 25% shorter than average. However, batteries recharge in only 30 minutes.

Charlie,
Best Cordless Drill

This is a great review, too bad I didn’t see it before deciding to buy a new drill a while ago :)

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Best Cordless Drill