Bosch PS41-2A 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion 1/4-Inch Hex Impact Driver Review

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I have had a Milwaukee M12 Impactor and driver for a couple years now. At the time I bought it I had tried out the original Bosch and I thought the Milwaukee to be better.

Well, time goes on, and this new Bosch is much improved and much better than my Milwaukee. I picked up the combo pack, because I'm setting up a new workspace and needed a new pair. So before I took these over to work, I decided to do my own direct comparo bottom line; both the new PS41-2 and the PS21-2 significantly outperform my old Milwaukee units.

I drove 3 inch wood screws into a piece of 2x6 treated lumber pretty typical duty for one of these. Both the Bosch and Milwaukee Impactors drove the screws with no trouble the Bosch put the screw in about 3x as fast. I then drove the screws into a big knot Bosch no sweat, Milwaukee did it, but barely. I then performed the same test with the new PS21 and the Milwaukee driver This is where I saw the most difference between them the PS21 drove the screws pretty effortlessly, even on high speed. The Milwaukee drove the screws very slowly, and its low speed is slower than the low speed on the Bosch.

So on both speed and power these new Bosch's win. I didn't try to test the endurance, because that wouldn't be fair comparing the new Bosch to the old Milwaukee batteries, but I haven't had a problem with the battery capacity before for home use.

This is not surprising, I'm sure Milwaukee is going to try and up the ante again in a few months.

On other features, these Bosch's are significantly more compact, but I think I still like the grip on the Milwaukees slightly better, because they are a bit thinner at the "neck" where the handle meeds the body this is minor, however and I'm shure some people would say they like the Bosch better. I do like the placement and the size of the reversing button on these bosch tools.

For some reason Bosch put a battery gauge on this impact tool, but didn't put one on the driver tool. This is one of my favorite features of my Milwaukees and I would say their 4 LED gauge is still better than the Bosch 3 LED gauge. Also, I like the quick change bit chucks on the Milwaukees better still Interestingly both of the Bosch tools and Both of the Milwaukees have different chucks. My favorite is the one on the Milwaukee M12 driver it holds "open" until you push a bit in, then it locks this means you don't have to use both hands. The Bosch tools have a chuck that seems a bit small they are a little harder to get grip on.

The LED headlights on these are improved over the prior models, but that's not something I really use much. One other nit the Bosch tools seem to have a slight delay starting when you pull the trigger. It took a little getting used to I think I like the instant start of the Milwaukees better in that respect.

So there you have it. If you are thinking about buying one of these, go ahead, they seem like great tools, and they have speed and power. I can't imagine most homeowners ever need any more power than these have they are going to take a bite into 18V tools. I do still recommend you take a look at the other companion tools that share battery packs before you buy, which may tip you to one brand vs another.

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I bought the PS41 in a combo package with the PS21. I was not familiar with the concept of an impact driver, but the combo was a great deal, and reading up on it, it sounded like potentially a great tool that I would grow into quickly. I was right about that; I'm glad I bought it.

The impact driver is certainly better for driving screws into wood where a screw has not been before, and speeds new construction work as a result. It is not the same thing as a hammer drill (used for driving screws into concrete). If you search for "impact driver wood whisperer," you'll find a good blog entry that compares various drills and drivers and explains the difference in terms of how they work.

I have found that the impact effect kicks in when needed; there is a bit of a "two speed" effect that is easier to understand when seen than explained in words, but I saw it in action recently when driving conventional wood screws into pilot holes that were a bit too small. The impact effect in this case is that it gave several small bursts of high torque, giving a stepwise drive, at the same time a downward push onto the screw, thus avoiding gumming up the standard screw slot (would have been straightforward with Philipps). The screws went in effortlessly, though with a bit of noise.

I really like the drill driver for quickly driving long screws into wood with less effort. I will be using this tool a lot for construction projects.

BATTERY

The new battery technology is great. It is small and lightweight, and lasts a really long time. It is interchangeable with the PS21, so if you are mainly using one tool and the battery has gone weak, you can borrow the battery from the other while you charge up which takes only an hour anyway. It even has a battery gauge so you can easily avoid having a dead battery by knowing to charge up during a break.

BEWARE! DON'T USE SHORT BITS WITHOUT A BIT HOLDER

My only complaint is that the collet has a significant limitation which is not well described in the instructions, and this caused me a big problem.

The instructions say the following: "The Bosch model PS41 Cordless Impact Driver has a collet that accepts only standard 1/4" hexagonal shank accessories with power groove." Well, ALL of my driver bits are standard 1/4" hexagonal shank, but I didn't know what a power groove was (isn't that something in a Michael Jackson tune?), and they offered no explanation. I looked closely at the standard 1/4" hexagonl shank bit I wanted to use, and it had grooves in it, so I used it. All went well until I tried to remove it: it was jammed tight, and I could not get it out.

I had to call customer service for help. "Is it a short insert bit that you inserted?" Yes. "The Bosch model PS41 Cordless Impact Driver has a collet that accepts only standard 1/4" hexagonal shank accessories." Yes, but I used a standard 1/4" hexagonal shank bit. "The bit would have to have that power groove on the shank. Otherwise, with the short insert bits you'd want to use a bit holder."

Great! Why don't they say that in the manual? And maybe tell you what a "power groove" is? Yes, there is a picture showing a short bit with a bit holder, but there is nothing telling you that you have to use it that way, and since you do NOT need a bit holder with the PS21, naturally I assumed that it was an option, not a requirement.

So what IS a "power groove"? If you look at a standard 1/4" hexagonal, two inch long screwdriver bit, just above the shank end there is a substantial indentation that goes all around the bit. THAT is what they mean by the "power groove". What I tried to use was a one-inch bit, and those bits NEVER have a power groove. To use a one-inch bit, you MUST use a bit holder with a power groove or you will have a devil of a time getting that one-inch bit out again.

Do I feel stupid? Sure. But hey, I'm an amateur, not a pro: I read the instructions, and there's nobody around to warn me what was missing in the instructions. The instructions COULD have had an extra sentence like "WARNING: Do NOT use one-inch bits directly in this tool without a bit holder or it will become jammed and difficult to remove, potentially voiding your warranty" and a little picture of the one inch bit with a circle and a line through it. Some people complain about getting reconditioned PS41'sI bet these are returns from people who jammed the bit and just returned it that way.

Customer service may tell you to try tweezers or long-nose pliers to pull on the bit while pulling down on the collet. I tried: No way. Try this instead: get some narrow-nose vice grips. Clamp down on the bit just as tight as you can, releasing, retightening the screw, try again until you can't clamp any more, back off and clamp. Now put the vice grips in a vice, or clamp them to your bench somehow. Then while pulling down the collet, pull the drill for all you're worth. After a few tries, it worked, and no apparent damage to the tool (OR the bit), because it works fine now.

Now I own a magnetic bit holder for short bits, plus a variety of bits that don't need it. And you will too, if you read this warning.

BOTTOM LINE

PS41 is a very good tool that I would rate four stars ("I Like It"), except one star is removed because the collet does not accept short bits like the PS21, and because there is no explicit warning in the instructions to warn you not to use short bits or they will get jammed.

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I initially purchased the Milwaukee M12-series model 2450-22 1/4" impact driver. It advertises 850 in-lb torque. This Bosch claims 930 in-lb torque. In lb-ft, that's 71 for the Milwaukee and 78 for the Bosch. This all started with the Milwaukee's inability to loosen a fastener anywhere near its rated torque...

I performed my test on two exhaust manifold bolts using the same torque wrench and same 1/4" hex to 3/8" square adapter and a 12mm socket. Each tool had a full battery and each was tested on both 12mm bolts. I tightened the bolts in 5 ft-lb increments until i couldn't break them free anymore. The Bosch was able to break free bolts tightened as much as 45-50 ft-lb. The Makita would break bolts free at 35 ft-lb max. This gives the Bosch about 60% of rated torque and the Makita 50% of its claimed torque.

So, based on the above, neither tool delivered its rated torque in my test. Given i will mostly use this for working on my car, I wanted something as gutsy as possible that was compact. Given the Bosch delivered more of its already higher torque, the Bosch was a keeper in my book. I returned the Milwaukee. So, besides decent power, what else about the Bosch?

Pros:

-1" shorter body than the Milwaukee. Will fit into tighter spots AND balances well in the hand.

-The rubber-coated plastic body feels great in the hand. Better quality feel than the Milwaukee.

-Great trigger. Smooth and easy to finesse screws slowly if needed.

-Two batteries and a 30-minute charger (Milwaukee has the same setup).

-3 LEDs for lighting in front of the tool. Brighter than the Milwaukee, although the Bosch does have a bit of a weird light pattern. This could be improved.

-One of the few tools not made in China (Milwaukee and Makita are). Made in Malaysia for the Bosch.

Cons:

-Slight delay when trigger pressed. Milwaukee feels instant. Minor gripe.

-Soft padded case. Milwaukee has a tough plastic case. Bosch case takes up less room. Each has its advantages i suppose. I'd prefer a plastic case.

-Price. $160 for the Bosch. Milwaukee can be had for $100.

-Few tools in the 12V line. The Milwaukee M12 line is huge.

For me, price was a lower concern than quality and performance. Of course, if the Bosch was $250, I probably would have kept the Milwaukee :) For the $60 extra over the Milwaukee, I felt good with my purchase given the higher power, better feel, and smooth trigger of the Bosch. My only other planned purchase for the future is a compact 12V drill, which Bosch also makes (it has great reviews).

Honest reviews on Bosch PS41-2A 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion 1/4-Inch Hex Impact Driver

bought this driver during a bosch sales event at a local store with one extra battery.

I custom build houses for living and could not be happier with this 12v driver for the following reasons:

1, it has superior power for its size. my crew and myself used it to drive deck screws, floor screws, dry wall screws at tight spots, all day long. very handy all around driver.

2, compare with bigger conventional drill/driver, it is really easy on the wrist.

3, for its size, you can put it in the pouch and working on awkward spots like top of the ladder.

4, battery charge is not bad at all, again, for its size.

5, i dropped it quite a few times from 4 to 5 feet hight, still works no problem.

6, the LED light is a great feature.

if you are looking for a compact driver with solid quality, i highly recommend it. it does not however replace the 18v/36v hammer drill/driver for heavy duty drill/driving, like drive screws into masonary.

hope that helps.

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With my recent home renovation project, it seems I have been buying tools like hotcakes (what does that even mean?) Of all my recent tool purchases (including sawsall, jigsaw, mitersaw,table saw, drivers, handtools, air nailers, sanders, etc) this is my favorite tool. Incredibly small, making it easy to lug around an attic, in a crawlspace, under cabinets. Fairly powerful despite its size. I have driven countless 4 inch deck screws, beefy lag bolts, and many more delicate tasks. No prob. Light is very nice also and battery level indicator is useful as well. I wouldn't mind a little more battery life, but the recharge time is so quick that with two batteries, you'll never be caught without one charged. I considered buying a right angle driver also, but then realised that I have not run across a project that required a driver with a lower profile than this little baby.