Well folks, it looks like the Germans will be the first to come to market with a new category of tool that other manufacturers have told us was an unlikely, if not impossible, concept.
At the end of last week, Bosch released the 26618-01, a 3-mode 18V impact drill/driver that also has an impact function, currently only available on single-purpose impact drivers. They are calling this new class fo tool the “Multi-Function Impactor.”
If it works as well as the company claims, this tool will become “one drill to rule them all,” according to some whispers from folks around the office.
That’s a big “if”, though. Just because a tool does three things, it doesn’t mean it does them well. Fine Homebuilding will definitely be putting this tool to work as soon as it arrives. In the meantime, here is an excerpt from the press release:
Mount Prospect, Ill., December 3, 2009 – The fastest growing segment within the professional cordless power tool category is impact drivers. Yet some users have been hesitant to adopt the tools because they still needed a second tool for drilling. Bosch Power Tools & Accessories is removing that barrier this week by introducing the 26618-01 18V Impact Drill/Driver. By combining typical drilling and driving capabilities with the added power of impact fastening, Bosch’s multi-function tool offers pro users the power and versatility to tackle any number of common jobsite applications.
Bosch’s 26618-01 offers an ideal combination of torque, speed and control, all within a single tool. The result is incredible versatility. A two speed motor (0-750 / 2,800 RPM) offers users the choice between high speed for small diameter drilling and high torque/low speed for drilling with spade bits or precision driving applications. When it’s time to tackle large diameter driving and fastening applications, users can effortlessly switch to impact mode and let the tool’s best-in-class 1,500 inch pounds of torque (3X more than a standard drill/driver) do all the work. Even with all that power, the tool’s compact 7” length enables users to accomplish tough tasks in tight spaces.
And the ultimate user benefit? The money saved by replacing multiple tools with one. The Bosch 26618-01 is currently retailing for $369 through authorized Bosch retailers nationwide. Bosch’s multi-function Impactor technology is also available in the 26614-01 14.4V Litheon platform.
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Correct me if I am wrong but Makita has had one of these out for well over a year. Makita hybrid driver model #BTP140. http://www.makita.com/en-us/Modules/Tools/ToolDetails.aspx?ID=20207
In the past we have not had good luck with Bosh tools as compared to Makita and Dewalt. I for one don't see the value in owning one of these from any manufacturer if it costs almost as much as the separate tools do. Unless, you have VERY limited space to store or transport tools.
"Because they still need a drill ..." Balderdash.
I keep trying to find some task that my grill can do, that cannot be done better by the impact driver. Do far, my efforts have been in vain.
Drive screws, bore wood, drill metal ... the impact does all quite well.
The only limitations are imposed by that 1/4" hex chuck. Normal drills - well, some are available with hex shanks, and you can get a keyed chuck - and hole saws are a problem.
Since getting my impact driver, my 'simple' drill and my corded Sioux drill have been trailer queens.
The drill/hammer-drill does get occasional use when I need to set anchors in a block wall. Tapcons? The hammer-drill might bore the hole, but the impact drives the screws far better.
My 'hole hog' gets some use, but that will end when I get the larger Milwaukee with a 7/16 hex chuck ... which, btw, is what my hole saws need, as well as my 'Forstener' style bits.
Anything larger than 1/4" in masonry gets the roto-hammer treatment. No more fighting it with a little hammer-drill.
I think Bosch is whistling in the wind with this one.
Barconserv - sigh...I'm not sure whether to be thrilled that another company has a similar tool, or disappointed that they did such a poor job promoting it that I was never even told it launched!
...either way, thanks for chiming in. I'm going to order a Makita and give it a side-by-side run against the new Bosch.
A head to head coparison would be sweet! I would like to see you guys disassemble the tools after you are done (after some really heavy use) and show us what kind of parts are inside too! Metal gears or plastic? ball bearings or nylon bushings? Heck, maybe get a mechanical engineer in on it? I know it would tick off some of your advertisers but if they want to market a tool as being "profesional" then maybe they can put some "profesional" parts in it!
Recently I saw a guy show up on a job we were on with a brand new Ridgid Compressor to have it break down on the first day of use! And that was the replacement for the first one that broke on him!?! Said right on the unit "Four times the life of competitive compressors" He took it back and showed up later with a Husky because the guy at Home Depot said it was better than the Ridgid??? This guy is trying to make a living and dosn't deserve that. None of us do. Seems like with the big box stores marketing our tools to the masses quality has been going down hill in some areas. From my experience there can be drastic differences in longevity from one "pro" brand tool to another. We even have had identical brand tools where the newer one will fail first and you take it apart to find China bearings while the old one has Japan bearings still running smoothly. Every brand seems to have some good and bad. Thing is, unless you use a tool every day for a year or two you may never know if your tool was designed to look pretty in a garage or actually do work. I think some companies are being very sucessfull cheapening up their tools to supplement their marketing and waranty budgets. If you get free parts and batteries for life it has gotta be good...right? Well for the small percentage of purchasers that use power tools for a living the down time can get very expensive and aggravating, believe me.
Barconserv, you are not wrong. I've had my BTP140 for over a year and it is a 4 mode tool: Drill Hi-Lo, impact driver, hammer drill and torque controled screwdriver. And there is the 14.4 v version, the BTP 130.
Correct me if I am wrong but this Bosch is not a "new" tool.
I had a chance to handle one of these 2 weeks ago. Larger and heavier than an impact driver and it doesn't have a clutch. I can feather an impact driver pretty well but I'll turn to driver with a clutch for those times when I want to make sure I don't overdrive something critical.