Tibby Singh Chodha checks out the Bosch Professional GBH 18V-26D.
I remember the days when most of my power tools used to be corded, but cordless has taken the lead in the building trade and in this day and age there is no trade without them. Of course, one of the problems is finding a cordless drill that works just as well as a corded. Bosch claim that the new Bosch Professional GBH 18V-26D, with its new Pro CORE 18V 8.0Ah battery, is as powerful as corded.
The first feature I noticed about this tool is that it has a soft grip D-Handle. Initially it may look like an old design but, when it comes to drilling horizontally and vertically, it’s actually really comfortable. Yes, it has all the three standard modes for drilling, hammer drilling and chiselling, forward and reverse rotation and SDS-Plus Chuck for tool-free bit changing. Additionally, however, it has something called a Vario-lock, which allows you to adjust the chisel to different positions rather than having to awkwardly rotate the drill. Given that it’s fairly large, even if you are in an unorthodox position you can still reach the trigger to turn it on. When it is turned on, thanks to its high performance brushless motor and outstanding 2.5 joules of impact energy, it comes with plenty of drive. It certainly has some bright features that wouldn’t be incorporated into a standard SDS drill – including an LED light.
On top of all that functionality this drill goes further, because it’s the world’s first D-handle rotary hammer with Kickback Control. I’m sure we’ve all experienced a drill suddenly kicking back and nearly taking your hands off. Hand on heart, you won’t experience that again because it automatically shuts down in binding conditions to protect you against sudden tool reactions, which is a great safety feature.
I think I’ve praised the drill enough but I should have mentioned that the new Pro CORE 18V 8Ah is also the heart of its success. Its new cell design makes it 87 per cent more powerful compared to conventional batteries. It’s 100 per cent compatible with all the existing Bosch Professional 18V power tools. Finally it lasts 135 per cent longer compared to a standard battery thanks to the COOLPACK 2.0 technology, which prevents the battery from overheating.
Another hot product from Bosch is the NEW Bosch GAL18V-160C. It’s not only the world’s fastest charger but also the world’s first charger with Bluetooth connectivity. This means you can keep an eye out on the remaining charging time, see the health of the battery and have an option of four different charging modes – from very gentle to super-fast. On top of all this it’s got what I call the beast mode or technically correct the ‘Power Boost’ Mode, which charges the battery in a few minutes.
