Cordless Drill Reviews

Bosch 36618-02 Review

Every tradesman loves Bosch, they make some of the very best cordless drills available today, loved by both the professional and also by the home DIYER, these cordless drills are built to deliver and work hard.

So what has the Bosch 36618-02 got that the other cordless drills haven’t, well the Bosch brand name alone speaks volumes, Bosch have been producing cordless power tools for years and years, and we think the Bosch 36618-02 is one of their better cordless drills.

The 36618-02 is a 18 volt model, so it has loads of power and torque – we measured the torque at a little over 500 inch pounds which is quite a decent number, it is approaching the torque output of the traditional corded drill in terms of shear power. One notable feature of the 36618-02 is the drill’s body – Bosch calls it ‘Durashield’, it is an advanced ABS/Nylon polymer composite which is incredibly tough and durable, Bosch state that Durashield will not crack when dropped and say it will survive a drop of 10 feet – say off a ladder for example without cracking, we did not test this with our test drill but see no reason to doubt this claim.

Another clever design feature is the drills unique unibody type construction, this means that the drills innards – namely the motor, gearbox and separate clutch are held together by three straps which keep the drill lined up after taking a knock. The collar of the 36618-02 is also steel tipped to prevent damage from falls and general work wear and tear – so the 36618-02 is truly a tough cordless drill.

In use the 36618-02 is a compact design and is really useful in tight confined spaces, such as duct work for example, the drill is powered by Bosch’s latest lithium ion cells for increased life and enhanced run time. It is also equipped with Bosch’s own ECP protection system, this system protects the lithium ion cells from accidental overcharging.

you get two speeds with the 36618-02, these are 0 to 500 RPM and 0 to 1600 RPM, these are well set apart and great for screw driving as well as general purpose drilling tasks, the LED work light is also a standard feature and is common on most high end cordless drill today. The clutch is a 20 position affair and is really smooth in operation – we liked this clutch a lot.

In use we were able to drive dozens – we lost count, of 1 inch spade holes before the lithium ion cells were screaming for a rest, after a quick 30 minute recharge the drill was off for more torture, this was provided by drilling 100 2 inch drywall screws non stop, again this was handled with ease.

What do you get – the 36618-02 itself, plus 2 lithium batteries, a 30 minute fast charger and a top quality case rounds off this nice offering from Bosch, like we said, we think this is one of the best cordless drills which Bosch have made.