Bosch GDS 18 V-LI HT Impact Wrench

[indy4x]

Hi

Looking to buy a battery impact wrench. I already have a significant investment in Bosch 18V tools so not looking to purchase alternative brands, maybe!

Anyone have any experience of the Bosch GDS 18 V-LI HT impact wrench? Bosch claim 650Nm torque which will do pretty much everything I will ask of it although I do really fancy the Dewalt XR jobbie, 950Nm torque!!

Or, is there an adaptor I can get to fit Bosch batteries on Dewalt XR Wrench as its about £100- cheaper

 

[hotponyshoes]

I have got one, good bit of kit.
I like that the fwd/rev switch is the same as the drills,
It un-did some 27mm lorry wheel nuts that had not been shifted for a few years!
Its nose heavy (pretty heavy all round) so hard work if you are using it one handed for long periods.
I could not find a cover/boot for it so mine looks quite well used quite quickly.

It is noticeably lighter than a totr snap-on one although maybe not quite as much power from the bosch. I dont think I have seen a dewalt one to compare it too.
It will take any of the li batteries but really you want the full size packs to balance the feel of the tool out and if you want top power it needs a good pack.

I dont think I would buy one as a stand alone tool but like you I was already invested into the batteries and it's a useful addition to the tool kit!

 

[zx9]

I have got one, good bit of kit.
I like that the fwd/rev switch is the same as the drills,
It un-did some 27mm lorry wheel nuts that had not been shifted for a few years!
Its nose heavy (pretty heavy all round) so hard work if you are using it one handed for long periods.
I could not find a cover/boot for it so mine looks quite well used quite quickly.

It is noticeably lighter than a totr snap-on one although maybe not quite as much power from the bosch. I dont think I have seen a dewalt one to compare it too.
It will take any of the li batteries but really you want the full size packs to balance the feel of the tool out and if you want top power it needs a good pack.

I dont think I would buy one as a stand alone tool but like you I was already invested into the batteries and it's a useful addition to the tool kit!

My experiances / circumstances were exactly the same as @hotponyshoes it is good, there may be 'better' machines but the rest of the Bosch 18V range that I own more than makes up for the claimed higher torque of the yellow or red impact drivers in my book.

 

[indy4x]

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated

 

[armalites]

If the Dewalt is £100 cheaper even if you bought a 5ah battery and a charger it would still be cheaper than buying the bosch. You can get a charger for £20 and 5ah batteries are £50-55 for genuine ones. May sure you choose a DCB115 charger and not a DCB113 as the 115 is faster. There are places that do deals for battery and charger on their own.

The other benefit you gain is your other batteries won't be covered in oil when you need them

 

[armalites]

Something else to be aware of if you did go down the Dewalt route is they do two versions, one with a hog ring and one with a locking pin. If you are working up scaffolding then the pin is good but if you are regularly changing sockets it's a pain in the backside. A friend of mine went down the pin route against my advice because the place he bought his only stocked pin version because they apparently didn't get the demand for the hog ring version. Within a handfull of uses he ordered a hog ring anvil.

 

[Ruffian]

Dont think about it.
Just buy one and you wont regret it.

Same as above.
Dependant on what you want to spend,
Dewalt will cost £220ish.
Bosch I dont know but if it was near to that for a bare unit I would contemplate getting the dewalt.

 

[indy4x]

One downside of going Bosch is its gonna be used on dirty oily motors which probably means my nice oil stain free batteries will get messed up

If I go Dewalt then it doesn't matter if the batteries get minging

 

[daleyd]

I have mainly Bosch drills/ saws and still decided to go for the DeWalt 899 due to the torque and it still worked out cheaper than the equivalent Bosch. One plus side is the DeWalt Xr batteries fit their garden equipment so I bought a bare hedge trimmer (which incidentally is a great bit of kit.)

bosch batteries don’t fit their garden kit which is a bit of a letdown IMO, though when I first bought a Bosch still that wasn’t a consideration.

 

[Ruffian]

I have mainly Bosch drills/ saws and still decided to go for the DeWalt 899 due to the torque and it still worked out cheaper than the equivalent Bosch. One plus side is the DeWalt Xr batteries fit their garden equipment so I bought a bare hedge trimmer (which incidentally is a great bit of kit.)

bosch batteries don’t fit their garden kit which is a bit of a letdown IMO, though when I first bought a Bosch still that wasn’t a consideration.

The hedge cutter isn't bad but I find the strimmer a little bit soft.

 

[daleyd]

The hedge cutter isn't bad but I find the strimmer a little bit soft.

I’ve not tried the strimmer, i have a Stihl kombi strimmer and pole trimmer which works well for the tops of the hedges but I got fed up doing the whole lot with the pole trimmer so decided to get something a bit lighter for the sides of the hedges. I was pretty impressed, seemed to go through thick branches ok and lasted about an hours cutting on 1 4ah battery.

 

[armalites]

One downside of going Bosch is its gonna be used on dirty oily motors which probably means my nice oil stain free batteries will get messed up

If I go Dewalt then it doesn't matter if the batteries get minging

It sounds stupid but but it's not. All my cordless kit is clean but any batteries that have been on my grinder or the impact wrench get really grubby. If you are working on clean wood or in a house you can't have dirty oily batteries.