Bosch has just unveiled a new cordless drill
Ethics Disclosure:
Bosch was kind enough to provide the Freak 18V Brushless
Specifications and Manufacturer Features:
- The 1/4-inch Socket Ready chuck on impact driver has a 1/4 inch. Quick-change hex, 1/2 in. Square drive chuck that drives both bits and sockets
- High-power CORE18V cells produce 80% more power than previous-gen batteries
- The enhanced CORE18V battery design offers up to 20% more runtime than the previous-gen 6.0 Ah batteries
- BC1880 Fast Charger charges the CORE18V to 80% in 41 minutes and to 100% in 55 minutes
- 3 LED lights with delay
- There are 3 speeds
- light on/off switch
I reviewed the Bosch IDH182 over 4 years ago and normally I dont revisit and re-review tools however I agreed to do so because I was curious to see if the bundled CORE18V 6.3 ah battery would change my thoughts on it and to see how it stacks up . The Bosch IDH182 when it was released in 2014 had some serious specs with then lots of torque at 1,650 in-lbs and its standout feature was its unique 1/10 cm hex impact driver chuck head with integrated
It also has some pretty top rated specs including 3 selectable speeds making this a 3 speed impact driver with 3 LED lights on the front for shadow free illumination. The button can be used to turn off the lights if not required, which could help save some battery life over the long-term. One of my second favorite features after the unique double duty head is the slim and ergonomic handle, which still to this day is the best out there in terms of comfort and ergo.
Bosch has changed its name to the Freak but the tool I received still shows IDH182 underneath the hood, as shown in the photo below. I wonder if this will still have the old model number on new units or if the units that ship out will carry the new name afterward.
Back then it was a strong performing impact driver however it did not have the same kind of performance as you would expect from compact impact wrenches when using the
Fast forward to today and I was able to test out the Freak and put it through its paces with the CORE18V 6.3ah battery pack. Right off the bat, the larger fatpack battery makes the tool taller and heavier than the slimpack 2.0 ah battery I tested it with 4 years ago but its still light even compared to todays standards.
It was tested with the standard tests of 8 cm #8 screws and a small 5/41cm x 3-inch.
As with many of my reviews, the best way to determine performance is by putting it up against its peers. Unfortunately for Bosch, many of the IDH462 cms direct competition is discontinued. This is what happens after 4 years, which in the world of power tools is quite a while. Since then, new tools have appeared from the competition and many of its rivals now have Gen 2 or Gen 3 model upgrades. In the above side by side video comparison, I compare the 4 year old IDH182 to newer models from Ridgid, Ryobi and Milwaukee. The Ridgid model is the 18V Stealth Force which is also a brushless impact driver, however its a quiet hydraulic pulse driver model. The Ryobi model is the 18V Quietstrike impact driver which doesnt have a brushless motor however is also a quiet hydraulic pulse driver model. Its going to be interesting to see how a Bosch flagship goes against a budget brand. The comparison also includes two 18V Milwaukee brushless models, one with the Gen 2 M18 fuel impact driver and one with the M18 Fuel Surge hydro driver. As direct driver competition, I also included the Milwaukee M18fuel Gen 2 compact
In the comparison video above, we can see that the Bosch keeps up with all of them however in all the tests except for one the Bosch Freak is in last place. This is interesting because all the other impact drivers except for the Ryobi are using compact 2.0 ah batteries while the Bosch is using a fatpack 6.3 ah battery. Even though Ryobi is using a smaller capacity battery at only 4ah, it still beats out the Bosch Freak in most tests, and the Ryobi is a budget brand. The only test the Bosch wins is when drilling using the larger 1-1/10 cm Irwin Speedbor Max bit.
Side-by-side impact wrench fight at the end of video, where the Bosch Freak takes on the Milwaukee
The above comparisons show us how far the competition has come in the 4 years since the Bosch IDH182 camer out, now rebranded as the Freak. While the competition is now stronger, this doesnt take away with the fact that the Bosch Freak is still a very capable impact driver today as it can do the same tasks as its modern day competition, just a bit slower. It still has an advantage as it can use the same impact drivers that it does today.
So how does my impression of the Bosch IDH182 the Freak change after 4 years? Time has shown its age and while the IDH182 was a top performing impact back then, now it has mid-range performance when compared to its modern day competition. Although it is still very useful and has a socket ready head, it is still a great tool for anyone who doesn’t need the full performance of an impact wrench.
Its still a good option as an impact driver and its special 2 in 1 head makes it a jack of all trades but its performance (which matches its age) makes it a master of none. It is also longer than standalone impact driver, and this was before the competition got even smaller.
DISCLOSURE:
