Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Bosch). This thread is read-only.
hey all,
i’m looking to purchase my a combo kit and my two choices have come down to these two. The dewalt brushless(DCK296M2) set seems pretty nice as well and it’s cheaper.
I know this is the Bosch subforum, and i’m semi leaning towards the Bosch set, even tho it’s not available at this moment. Both are around $389-400 at home depot.
I’d offer this up. The Bosch tool line is a phenomenal tool line with a great line up of 18v tools available. They make high quality tools. I own the Milwaukee M18 Fuel impact driver and it is phenomenal. I am a Milwaukee guy but given the time the tools were coming out and availability I went with Milwaukee. Very happy with my decision. I would add, if the lineup of Bosch tools was readily available at the time, I would be the owner of a bunch of Bosch tools. Either way you cannot go wrong!
My girlfriend just picked me up the Milwaukee kit, it came with a free non Fuel m18 Sawzall. I don’t know if that promo is in all Home Depot stores or not, but it may be worth a look for you.
yeah i saw that deal also, i didn’t link it cuz it was an uneven comparison to the bosch set since the bosch set doesn’t have a saw with it. tho home depot has a ‘deal’ with the bosch set which is an additional battery.
Red brings up a great point. If you think from a quality stand point you canno go wrong. Bosch is really a great professional brand but when you throw in the additional tools like the Sawzall, that is really something that should sway you. Brushless drill and impact PLUS a Sawzall!! And it’s available now.
The dewalt kit and the Milwaukee will give you about the same run time with dewalt at a slight edge although Milwaukee will perform faster and more power and the Milwaukee include a 3 speed impact which is great as it’s more versatile and can do precision work. Dewalt has a 3 speed impact but it’s not included in the kit you mentioned.
Don’t know much about Bosch but I have a feeling it will spank the other brands when it comes to run time.
Truthfully Javier if I didn’t have so much cash wrapped up in Milwaukee I would be all over Bosch. They are a really progressive company, much like Milwaukee and they seem to be catching on in the cordless market finally.
OK I just took a look at the Bosch combo. The impact is very nice. The drill is powerful but it doesn’t compare apples to apples with the other two combo kits drills. On one hand you have a Bosch compact hammer drill and on the other you have heavy duty hammer drills.
If you only need a compact hammer drill then the Bosch is a great choice
Javier wrote:
OK I just took a look at the Bosch combo. The impact is very nice. The drill is powerful but it doesn’t compare apples to apples with the other two combo kits drills. On one hand you have a Bosch compact hammer drill and on the other you have heavy duty hammer drills.
If you only need a compact hammer drill then the Bosch is a great choice
oh really? i had no idea. what spec/stats makes the milwaukee drill better than the bosch drill? i’m not refuting or arguing, just trying to learn.
Bosch is great but what sold me on Milwaukee m18 was the fuel hammer drill, them having the best cordless 18v circular saw on the market and the upcoming stampede of brushless power tools. I say upcoming because the recently released fuel products hadn’t come out yet when I bought my m18 gear. That and my m12 stuff really impressed me, and Milwaukee at the time had all the cool extras like the power source, heated jackets. I know that doesn’t matter now since most brands have caught up by now or will soon. But i don’t have any regrets.
over at toolguyd the Bosch is rated at max 442 in/lbs torqueuseport80 wrote:
oh really? i had no idea. what spec/stats makes the milwaukee drill better than the bosch drill? i’m not refuting or arguing, just trying to learn.
http://toolguyd.com/bosch-ec-brushless-drills-drivers/
which is average for a compact drill. The dewalt and Milwaukee top out at 708 and 725 respectively
It doesn’t necessarily mean the dewalt and Milwaukee are better. Yes they’re more powerful but they are bigger and heavier. Sometimes a compact lightweight drill is all you need.
Also forgot to mention the Bosch kit comes with 2.0 batteries and the dewalt and Milwaukee combos come with 4.0’s. Nothing wrong with the smaller batteries since the tools are brushless and the batteries are smaller in size but honestly the home depot price is just too expensive for the smaller batteries.
I know the lboxx adds to the appeal and value but for the price the battery capacity is a bit small. I think for the price it should include 4.0 batteries even if they had to ditch the lboxx
Promo is in the store as well. I would go Milwaukee IMO specially with a better promo.
Joe M wrote:
Promo is in the store as well. I would go Milwaukee IMO specially with a better promo.
Are you sure?
it says PRODUCT SOLD : Online Only
I’m a Milwaukee head, but the new Bosch brushless stuff looks really interesting. The thing is you can’t really go wrong with buying any of the major brands power tools.
useport80 wrote:
Are you sure?
it says PRODUCT SOLD : Online Only
Yep. My gf got it at our local store.
yep the equivalent of that Bosch kit in Dewalt is the DCK281D2 (2Ah batts and compact drill).
I’ve owned all those Bosch (non brushless versions though) and Dewalt tools and batteries. Awesome compact drills (Bosch is slightly more powerful, Dewalt has metal chuck). Impact drivers are different, Dewalt more powerful, Bosch more versatile. I don’t think the brushless Bosch tools will change much but runtime, but could be wrong.
At those prices, I think the Dewalt compact kit is a shoe-in. If you want a full sized hammer drill and 4.0ah batteries, pretty hard to go past the Milwaukee in my mind. (Though Dewalt and Bosch also make great full sizes drills).
In my mind, you can go wrong with any of those brands, they are all fantastic. I would take into account the other tools you may add to them. If you might want to grab a grinder, circ saw etc, get 4.0ah batteries. Milwaukee probably makes the best grinder/circ saw/recip saw (with prices to match). Dewalt has the nailgun and very good recip. Bosch makes great grinder/jigsaw/SDS etc…
You really can’t go wrong with any of the combo kits! Are you in a trade? If you are I would go with the Milwaukee kit, because the Milwaukee drill has a metal chuck compared to a plastic one. Over time in my opinion, the plastic part of the chuck will wear down or break from dropping it. I would think Bosch would release a brushless version of there HDH181 Brute Tough Hammer Drill/Driver in the coming year, but it seem like you don’t have time to wait.
Here is the link to a different kit with the 4.0 batteries and the HDH Hammer Drill:
oh wow. i guess im shocked that the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 1/2 in. Hammer Drill/Driver (2604-20) is that much better than the Bosch HDS182 Compact Tough 1/2 in. Hammer Drill Driver. how does bosch release a ‘new’ drill/driver that under performs what is currently available on the market? since bosch is the last to the scene, they should release a better product.
so essentially, the milwaukee drill/driver is better, but bosch’s impact driver is better? price and free saw is pretty negligible.
i am not in a trade, this will be just for home use. back story, my sister and my brother-in-law just bought a new single family home, and they actually have no tools. they are using all my junk lol. so my sister asked me to do research on a cordless set for her husband. so the item i purchase will be for them. tho i do intend on ‘borrowing’ it until i get my own.
tasks that i KNOW that we’ll be doing:
1. putting a large deck add-on together
2. large lattice fence
3. i will be setting up a home gym in my garage, and will be bolting my power rack to the concrete. thus far, i will need to drill a hole 3/8″ into concrete. then drive in a 3″ concrete anchor. (http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-hd-concrete-anchors.php) (wfs link). I might try using a tapcon(just learning about them and if they are a viable replacement)
at this point, i’m leaning towards the milwaukee set after all of the great advice you guys have provided. initially i was a big dewalt fan, then a bosch fan, now a milwaukee fan haha.
I wouldn’t say that the Bosch under performs in relation to the Milwaukee, rather it is a function of this particular Bosch model being a “lighter” duty model while the 2604 is a more heavy duty model. As WIElectrian mentioned, Bosch has a heavier duty HDH181, but they haven’t updated it with a brushless version yet.
If you are looking towards the Milwaukee because of the increased torque, you might also look at this Dewalt combo: http://m.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-Max-XR-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Brushless-Hammer-Drill-and-Impact-Driver-Combo-Kit-2-Tool-DCK296M2/204678759?cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-204678759&skwcid&kwd=&ci_sku=204678759&ci_kw=&ci_gpa=pla&ci_src=298346236
The impact is only a single speed, but I like the light placement on the drill better along with the adjustability of the side handle as compared to the Milwaukee. Dan & Eric did a nice head to head comparison between the two drills on their YouTube channel that you might want to check out.
hey rob,
thanks for the reply. the dewalt set you linked is the same one i referenced in my original post. I like the DCK296M2 as well. it was my ‘default’ combo kit to purchase until i learned of the other quality brands.
i have seendan and eric’s youtube comparison, and it seems that they like the dewalt hammer drill and impact drivers. probably one of the biggest reasons why i was going to buy the ‘newer’ renditions of those drivers which would be the DCK296M2 kit.
actually lowes has the DCK296M2 for $20 less than home depot, which also made it very enticing. the more research i do, it seems like people bash on dewalt quality and praise milwaukee and bosch. so i started leaning away from the dewalt set.
i am curious to see if bosch will release a new brushless heavy duty drill driver.
The Bosch hammer drill isn’t under powered, it’s actually right in line with comparable dewalt and Milwaukee compact drills. That goes back to my earlier comment about them being a apples and oranges comparison. Bosch should be coming out soon with a brute brushless drill that should compete with the brushless dewalt and Milwaukee heavy duty models. But Bosch does have a heavy duty hammer drill out now but not brushless.
For what you said these power tools will be used for, either choice will do the job fine including the Bosch.
yeah ty for bringing that to my attention. i didn’t know it was apples/oranges until you mentioned it.
thanks again!
Dewalt are certainly one of those brands that attract love or hate attention for some reason.
Any of the brands will do just fine. I personally lean toward getting the premium size drill for masonry drilling. If you can just borrow a hammer drill for that one application, the more compact drills are much lighter and smaller (easier to use but with plenty of power for timber applications).
Here’s my take (though other might disagree), and its just an approximation:
Large drill: FUEL and Dewalt 995 a little better than Bosch (but Bosch doesn’t have brushless out there yet)
Compact Drill: Bosch and Dewalt a little better than Milwaukee (size and weight)
Impact Drivers: Milwaukee and Dewalt brushless drivers are more powerful and compact, Bosch has the hybrid functionality.
For reference, I have the Bosch and Dewalt platforms, and after trying both, my drills and drivers are in Dewalt.
man dwain just jacked me up!. i guess dewalt is back in the running. until bosch releases their new heavy duty brushless, it’ll be milwaukee or dewalt.
lowes has the dewalt DCK296M2 for $350($20 cheaper than home depot), but doesn’t have a hard case like milwaukee set.
home depot has the milwaukee set for $400 but comes with a saw and a hard case. gahhhhhh
is the saw worth $50, im clueless about saws ?
The sawzall is worth 139 dollars as a bare tool, and the M18 circular is 109 dollars at home depot right now.
I would prefer a bag as the case for me just ends up as a nice collectable.
The extra saw with the Milwaukee kit is awesome deal but even without the saw I think it’s worth it as it comes with a 3 speed more powerful impact.
the Milwaukee circular saw is meant to be great (even the non-fuel version), so that’s a pretty sweet deal.
I’ve got the M18 Sawzall (2620) and the circular saw (2630) (I am going to be hated for this (I am a Milwaukee guy) but I don’t like my Sawzall (non brushless). Not a huge amount of power and the shoe is fixed. I had the (I’m going to be hated for this) Makita circular and Recip saw and I liked my Makita Recip saw better (shoe was moveable and plenty of power)….But….every other tool I’ve had from Milwaukee is better in my opinion. The circular saw however is awesome. It cuts great but does eat batteries pretty quick, as do most cordless saws. I will upgrade my batteries to the 4.0 at some point but I have been saving money for some tools from Festool and truthfully my 3.0 batteries are still top notch. Heck, I’ve been using my M18 light to take my dog, Rufus the Terrible, out for walks at night as well as it’s intended use. The batteries last and last. Regardless, the kit from Milwaukee is a great deal. If you can the circular saw over the Sawzall I’d do that and save up for the Milwaukee Fuel Sawzall. That looks pretty sweet.
im glad i asked you guys prior to purchasing. i would like to thank everyone for the great advice.
is there a timeline when bosch might release their new brushless heavy duty drill? thankfully im not in a rush.
i will probably tell my sister to purchase the milwaukee set!
Bosch just announced a new heavy duty drill and a heavy duty hammer drill at the world of concrete (HDH182 & DDH182) with a new torque control function. I don’t believe these are even out yet, so it makes you wonder how long it’s going to be before they release brushless versions if they just announced these updates.
BTW – sorry for not picking up that you had already mentioned the dewalt kit at the beginning of your initial post, I did not scroll all the way up to the top of your post when I was replying.
gah, another one joining team Red 😛
lol. damnit. i’ve always been anti team red… ati/amd.
if bosch releases a good set soon, i’ll go with team blue!
Well they haven’t really released their brushless tools yet everyone is still showing out of stock. And Bosch announced those brushless tools over a year ago. You might be waiting awhile for the heavy duty Bosch brushless drill. Why all the hate on AMD? They are kind of a joke now but they kicked Intel’s ass for a good chunk of the early to mid 2000’s. Once Intel releases their core lineup of processors Amd just didn’t have anything to compare plus Intel always is in the lead in silicone process technology they have the money to spend on the R&D. I wish Amd was doing better but I went with Intel this time being a gamer it wasn’t a tough decision on my latest build.
i wonder when that milwaukee $399 and free saw deal is going to expire. seems like the sale has been going on for awhile. the only reason why i’d pick milwaukee over dewalt is for the multispeed impact driver.
i guess im not the only one who’s been anxious about bosch’s new products hehe
yeah amd did do well during the early to mid 2000s, but intel has been king for awhile now. and will probably stay on top for a long time.
i’ve always liked nvidia and had great luck with them. ati’s ccc and drivers have been horrible, tho they are improving. im running a radeon 7970 now, hopefully switching back to nvidia soon.
i was thinking about selling my 7970 to a litecoin miner and going team green, but i haven’t really done any research on nvidia cards at the moment.
I would go with milwaukee since they have the free sawzall. They are handy to have.
I have jumped either way when it comes to video cards with a slight preference towards Nividia I was a big 3dfx guy, but you know what happened there.
Lol all this team talk reminds me of those stupid twilight movies and the teenage girls yelling “team Jacob”. I remember passing by a theater a few years ago when all the girls were camping out in line. I stopped at the red light at my intersection and as im casually minding my own business some girls started yelling at my car “TEAM JACOB!!!” lol
Anyways I wouldn’t touch amd after all the problems I’ve had with system builds using Athlon processors. Never had a problem with any intel product.
Javier wrote:
Lol all this team talk reminds me of those stupid twilight movies and the teenage girls yelling “team Jacob”. I remember passing by a theater a few years ago when all the girls were camping out in line. I stopped at the red light at my intersection and as im casually minding my own business some girls started yelling at my car “TEAM JACOB!!!” lol
Anyways I wouldn’t touch amd after all the problems I’ve had with system builds using Athlon processors. Never had a problem with any intel product.
haha. after dealing with my friends’ overheating amd computers, i dont think i’d ever buy amd cpus. if i find a legit buyer for my radeon 7970, i’ll sell it and get a gtx770 or something comparable.
I used Amd for years and never had any problems except for a motherboard taking a crap the same thing happened with an Intel system I build too. I just build an Amd system for my aunt that seems do be doing ok she just wanted the cheapest computer I could build and that’s what I gave her. I got the cpu motherboard and ram for under 130 bucks its fine for what she does is just web browsing I told her to get an I pad but she didn’t want to spend the money an like using a desktop pc.
I have the Bosch robust hammer/ drill driver.
One thing it does have is the best motor protection system I have seen.
It is literally burn out proof.
Wayne Burgess wrote:
I have the Bosch robust hammer/ drill driver.
One thing it does have is the best motor protection system I have seen.
It is literally burn out proof.
whats the model of the robust hammer/drill driver?
I think it is a different model number in the U.S.A and Canada But the one with the metal chuck is the robust series not the plastic chucked model.
This is the one Wayne is talking about.http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0052TZB76
The HDH-181 is the hammer drill.
In Aus we call it the ‘Destroyer II’ 🙂 I managed to make one give a little smoke once (abuse), but it kept on going perfectly.
Is the destroyer 1 ihe first gen of the drill?
It is an incredible drill.
The weight the balance as well as the performance. And those cool pack batteries make a formidable package.
I don’t see why you need anything else.
Yes it’s 4 pole motor is not brushless, but it has more bottom end grunt where us trades need it. 🙂
When I owned it and tested with 25/32mm auger bits, it was very comparable to the Dewalt DCD985, so agreed, heaps of grunt.
Not quite sure what you have in mind when you say “combo. kit” not further defined. If you are looking for a drill & impact driver set you might want to check out the Bosch drill & impact driver combo. at Lowes. The Bosch kit number I’m referring to is CLPK234-181. It includes a drill, an impact driver, 2-18v 2.0 Ah Li batteries, a charger, a couple bits, 2 belt hooks, a soft case, and when you send in the registration you get a 3/2 yr. warranty. They are selling them currently for from $179.00 to $199.00. You can find them cheaper on line. Take the online price proof to Lowes and they will match the price and then take off an additional 10%. I just bought that same set from Lowes about a month ago and, so far, I’m happy with it.