Top positive review
139 people found this helpful
Bosch Screwdriver/Drill: Best You Could Ever Hope To Find
By Michael In San Francisco on Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2019
Note: The model name of this line of Bosch screwdrivers/drills is "12V Max." Not be confused that 12 volt is maximum power or whatever. I have been using battery powered screwdrivers for about 25 years. (Some powerful enough to use as a drill.) I decided to update my screwdrivers because 1) My old beast of a screwdriver pooped out, would not hold a charge, and batteries were no longer available for it; and 2) My Black & Decker (four X AA battery powered) cordless screwdrivers could handle many jobs, but those drivers are not powerful nor versatile enough for bigger jobs (e.g., driving large screws into 2 X 4 or thick plywood). With this intent I went sniffing on Amazon and YouTube to find the best screwdriver suited to my needs and requirements, that is, for DIY household use, not for a profession (e.g., carpenter, plumber, contractor, electrician, handyman). While researching and shopping I could simply have stuck to the professional drivers/drills, you know the names. A sticking point, however, I didn't want to pay $150 to $200 for driving screws every now and then, or drilling a hole every other month, if that. Moreover, I have small hands (glove size is always men's small). While the big drivers are impressive beasts, my mini-digits get tired of holding those, especially if overhead or arms extended. Yes, in these situations SIZE DOES MATTER. What sold me on this Bosch "12V Max" screwdriver / drill (PS21-2A): - High ratings, solid reviews on YouTube and Amazon. This screwdriver received high marks everywhere. Yes, there were occasional complaints, but if product star ratings on Amazon indicate an average of four stars or higher, a few scattered complaints don't factor into my buying decision. (And often times those complaints border on moronic, stupid, or nonsense. E.g., "After five hours straight use on a house remodel I was doing the battery crapped out.") - Compact size: If you're looking for a small lightweight, but nevertheless powerful battery powered screwdriver, this Bosch does not disappoint. At age 67 I'm in reasonably good shape. But I'm not fooling myself. I can no longer comfortably use manual screwdrivers, and I definitely feel the pain when holding extended or above my head a large heavy power screwdriver. When I read that this driver was very compact and lightweight I no longer would settle on even a mid-sized screwdriver. (See my pics, comparing the size of this screwdriver next to U.S. dollar bills.) - Two batteries: This was VERY PLEASING to me, that this kit comes with two (02) lithium ion batteries. Plenty of power for all-day DIY jobs. Warning: What some companies do to market their consumer screwdrivers at a low consumer-friendly price is to sell the powered driver SEPARATE from the batteries. You have to buy the batteries separately, or buy the higher priced set or kit that includes a battery and charger. Pleasing Price: My budget was $60-90 for a screwdriver, battery, and charger. Because it totally sucks to run out of battery power, I allotted another $30 to purchase an additional battery. So I was super pleased to see the retail price for this device was $80 for the screwdriver, TWO (02) lith ion batteries, AC charger, carrying case, and a couple bits. With free Amazon Prime shipping, I was at $40 UNDER budget. Note: I never buy on price alone. E.g., eBay and Amazon are littered with $30-40 trashy as-seen-on-TV screwdrivers that include battery. Bonus Tip: You may rest easy because El Cheapo branded screwdrivers are guaranteed: "[W]hen charging your battery it is warranted to catch fire and burn down your house." Quality Name: I trust the Bosch brand, even though like everything else, this driver is Made in (Asia). Despite that, to protect its reputation for quality and the Bosch name the brand represents, I assume in Bosch has strict quality controls. Recourse: I liked the fact that buying from or via Amazon gave me access to a full refund if I didn't like the product, or simply changed my mind. Functionality and Features: The 12V Max has everything you want in a drill or screwdriver. Has the power to drill most anything, or to drive/remove the biggest screws in the hardiest of materials. This is what I would call a "precision driver." Features that stand out: - Small, compact, lightweight. - Smooth precise motor and driver gearing. - Speed control (via the trigger switch). - Precision power controls: A two-speed switch; the trigger (the more you press, the more power delivered); and the clutch (1-19, and drill setting). You can set this driver/drill for delicate work, or place everything on full power for the big tasks. - Note about the Clutch (settings 1 to 19, and drill mode). "1" is lowest, "least power" setting, "19" is highest, "most powerful" setting. For max power dialing the clutch to the indicated drill bit icon. Bonus Tip: Why the clutch? You use the it to prevent stripping screw or bolt threads, or damaging the head (e.g., stripping the slots), or damaging the working surface. E.g., on a "1" setting the driver will lightly screw or unscrew the a bolt, and make a clicking sound to show the driving has stopped. - Quality throughout: The fit and finish of everything in this kit is finely done. This is NOT your cheap plastic, poorly fitting, breakdown-in a-month-screwdriver. - Lot of Nice Stuff: Included in this kit is the screwdriver, two batteries, an AC charger, canvas carrying case (that holds everything), two hex-head screwdriver bits, and easy-to-read manual. The LED light is a nice touch. I actually used the light to see inside an car engine bay when removing a part. - Note: This screwdriver uses hex-head bits. This makes it very easy to attach and remove bits. If you have standard drill bits you want to use, you can buy a hex head adapter that has a drill chuck for standard drill bits.
Top critical review
3 people found this helpful
Poor Design, Breaks Easily
By vardelda on Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2022
Update2: 2nd one died after 5 weeks. Same problem: Torque clutch breaks and drill just grinds. Good news is Bosch warranty replacement is straightforward (Register(!), Call, Book warranty repair/replace, get emailed label, send it in, get replacement in mail.). But supporting your warranty isn't sufficient if your tools are breaking within a few weeks. This PS21 seems to have fundamental design weaknesses in the torque gears. Bosch says both of mine were low serial numbers (early models) and perhaps had issues that have been addressed. Sounds like excuses to me, but I'll try one more time and update again if it fails. Deducted 1 star for poor reliability. If you want a compact, workhorse drill, I recommend getting the older PS31. Its not AS compact, but still small. But importantly, it just works. Update1: first one died after a week. Torque clutch is stripped and just grinds instead of increasing torque. Returned and trying replacement now. Didn't deduct a star on off chance I just got a lemon. Original review: First off, I'm a big fan of Bosch and their tools. I find them a solid upgrade over all the low & mid-grade options out there (including the big 'DW'). And generally, this tool follows that pattern but unfortunately, it has a couple drawbacks -- one of which can be a real problem. I bought this as an upgrade over the PS31 (long nose) compact drill/driver which I've had for years and love. But I needed a backup and the PS21 is even more compact so I ordered it. Out of the soft-sided case, it feels and looks exactly like the PS31 except the snub nose collet. This makes for a very compact tool, which is great. It now looks almost exactly like the PS41 Impact driver as it has the same spring-loaded, quick-attach, collet. Note it is substantially lighter than the PS41 - unclear if that's a good thing? The unchanged: The tool is built on the exact same scale as the PS31/41 and takes the same batteries. Note that this means the handle is a bit on the large size. If you have large hands, you'll love it. Smaller hands may decide its a bit of a handful. The mixed good/bad: The light is still in the same place as the PS31 and not the PS41 design with the 3 LEDs around the circumference of the collet. I wish it was the PS41, 3 LED configuration, but this is still an improvement as the light is no longer blocked by the longer nose of the PS31. The clutch ring is smaller to support the compact design and the detents are a bit low and smooth making adjusting it a bit 'slippy'. Its minor (unless your hands are wet/oily), but unnecessary -- they really should have just been a bit more aggressive with the design of the ring. The bad: - They dropped the battery meter. Not exactly unforgiveable, but it is still Quite Annoying. Now you'll be guessing how much charge is left because there is no other indicator. - The spring loaded, quick-attach, collet design is convenient but unsuitable for a drill. This type collet simply has too much play and cannot hold a drill bit tightly as it should. When secured (not!) in the collet, the point of a drill bit has ~1/8 play which can make some precise drilling chores difficult. Also note you are now restricted to using only hex shank bits. If you have a collection of smooth shank bits, toss them -- they're now forced obsolete. If you primarily use this tool as a driver for screws, or for simple drilling (with hex bits), you probably won't care. You'll likely even be happy as the quick-change collet is a nice upgrade if your focus is 'convenience'. But there's really only 2 reasons to have these combo Drill/Impact driver sets: an adjustable clutch and the screw-down collet. If they drop the more accurate and flexible collet, the value of the combo kit is diminished. This tool trades off 'Very Compact' for 'Very Controllable/Accurate/Flexible'. Personally I don't like that tradeoff for a drill/driver as drilling is a primary purpose. This is why I rate the tool 3 stars. (Note that 'sloppy' is not the same as 'off-axis' which makes it impossible to drill a hole correctly. Sloppy bit retention is, usually, just annoying.) If you don't care about loose drill bits, then this tool is a pretty significant upgrade over the previous models: smoother operation, higher torque, better light, quick change collet -- it just works well.
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