Bosch - 17618 18v Hammer Drill

Editor's Review: Tool Test: 18v Li-Ion Hammer Drills

This drill was reviewed by three different Fine Homebuilding contributors, here is what they had to say:

Beasley: The Bosch is a big, rugged tool with better-than-average performance. It has the fastest motor and tied the Milwaukee 2611 for the greatest torque. It’s also the largest drill, but the comfortable handle keeps it from feeling too bulky. All controls work well, but the mode selector is on the clutch collar, which means you can’t alternate between drilling and driving without changing the torque setting each time. While drilling inside a cramped cabinet, I found the unshielded work light annoying. The charger was the speediest; it restored an exhausted battery in only 27 minutes.

Fink: This drill runs more quietly and smoothly than any other in the review, inspiring confidence in the internal engineering. It was second fastest in my drilling tests and has excellent trigger control. The speed-selector switch—which clarifies the usual “1” and “2” with “High Torque” and “High Speed”—is the most intuitive of the group. Rather than a three-position mode-selector switch, the collar simply allows the tool be toggled in and out of hammer-drilling mode. Unfortunately, the clutch position is lost each time the tool is used for drilling, and being labeled only in intervals of five makes a sweet spot even harder to replicate.

Camp: The Bosch is a smooth-running, powerful drill. I appreciate the LED light and the fairly sensitive clutch settings. In my tests, the tool had less raw power than the Makita or the DeWalt. The battery life was slightly better, however, and the tool is coupled with a fairly quick charger. I’m not a fan of the canted handle style on this and a few other drills, which puts my arm at an unfamiliar angle when working. The grip is also a bit larger than I prefer, and the tool feels heavy in use. That said, the handle padding is good—no annoying burrs to rub my hand raw.

Editor Test Results: