The New Bosch GBH 36VF-LI PLUS
- By John Ridley
- 27 May 2015
Corded and cordless SDS rotary hammers are a staple of the building industry – tradespeople need to drill holes in masonry in concrete, use core drills to accommodate pipes and trunking and even for general demolition. So, there are few white vans that don’t have one in one form or another. But, increasingly, the “corded” has become irrelevant and with the introduction of this new Bosch version of the 36v I think cordless is the only way forward.
THE SPECIFICATION
A quick look at the specs will tell you what I mean. With 600W of power input from the 4Ah Li ion battery pack there is a pile of oomph on tap - enough to drill up to 28mm diameter in concrete, up to 82mm in brickwork with a core bit, 13mm in steel and 30mm in wood. The first two are the most significant because that is where this drill’s capabilities are really going to be used.
Impact drilling is fast because of the 0-4200 IPM and 3.2 Joules of impact energy controlled via the variable speed electronic trigger.
Although it helps to have some weight behind this kind of tool, too much and it becomes tiring to use all day, so the very respectable weight of around 4.6 Kgs is a good compromise and assists with the usability of the tool.
KEY POWER POINTS
The two compact and heavily ribbed and rubber “bump protected” battery packs that come with the kit have flat bottoms to allow the tool to be stood on a flat surface. Charging times are a very respectable 30 minutes or so to 100%, but the advantage of Li ion is that partial charges are possible without harming the battery pack. They are also electronically protected against deadly “deep discharge” which is fatal for them, and it is possible to check the state of battery charge via the three green lights on the back of the battery pack – three lights means full charge or nearly so, one light means about 1/3 charge left and a blinking light says “charge me”.
A diagnostic charger monitors battery condition while charging and ensures that the battery can have as many charging cycles as a careful owner makes possible.
SO WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
Included within the strong carrying case are a 13mm capacity keyless chuck with an SDS+ adaptor, a depth stop that can be attached to the auxiliary handle, a tube of SDS grease lubricant and a soft cleaning cloth.
The whole kit, including batteries and charger, fits snugly so it will not move around while being transported and there is dedicated space for bits and sundry extras that tend to collect with tools I find.
ERGONOMICS AND DESIGN
It is clear to me that a lot of extra design thought has gone into this tool. Without scrimping it has been made as compact and ergonomic as possible and yet the body is rigid and tough, with protective rubber bumpers round the key parts and a good pattern of grippy rubber on the handle. Key controls are picked out in red – the two-finger trigger, the forward/reverse on top of the main handle and the mode selector button on the left front of the machine.
It is also possible to get a glimpse of sound alloy castings for gearbox and impact mechanism through the side air-cooling intake. Build quality like this is very reassuring for long tool life.
PERSOANL FAVOURITE FEATURES
But there are two key features that are very important to me on this tool, and this was confirmed for me by the various trades I showed it to. The first of these is the anti-vibration system on the main handle that effectively isolates the user’s hand from the main body of the tool. Similarly, the auxiliary handle has a protective rubber handle for grip and reducing vibration. This brings vibration down to levels where users can work most of the day without the danger of vibration problems. Noise levels also hover around the 90 dBA mark which makes ear protection necessary for sustained use.
A very popular feature was the EPC system switch on the front of the handle loop. By selecting this, the tool has a “soft start” function that makes it a lot easier to start holes in tricky materials where the bit sometimes tends to wander. The mode selection switch goes smoothly from “drilling only” to “impact mode” and then halfway to “hammer only” mode it is possible to move the chuck so that if a chisel is being used it can be set to the correct position.
WHY CHOOSE IT?
My small sample of tradespeople agreed that the Bosch GBH 36 VF-LI Plus is a very desirable tool. It looks rugged and well made and is compact and powerful enough for the intended purpose. User safety is well taken care of with anti-vibration measures and the soft start EPC system. Battery charging is quick and well regulated so there should be no issues with downtime, even though this rotary hammer is likely to be used in demanding applications like small demolitions and drilling concrete and masonry. It is made more versatile by the addition of the rotary chuck.
DEALBREAKER?
As usual, when it came to discussion of the price there was the usual sharp intake of breath. While we all agreed that you get what you pay for, the initial investment was a stumbling block for some, while others said that good tools pretty well always pay for themselves. Cordless versatility doesn’t come cheap and some worksites are not very keen on mains, even the 115v version. So there was an acknowledgement that biting the price bullet might be the only, and in truth, a good solution.