Is The Bosch Hammer Drill Any Good? Here's What Users Say

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Bosch has been manufacturing tools for the better part of the past 150 years. In the decades since Robert Bosch brought his namesake brand into being in Stuttgart, Germany, the company has built out its lineup of offerings to include a wide range of handheld and powered devices, many of which have come to be well-regarded among those in the know for their quality and toughness.

Among the plethora of tools currently bearing the Bosch brand name, you will indeed find a complete line of powered hammer drills in various sizes and power ranges. If you're not familiar with hammer drills, the devices are the tool of choice for folks who might need to power through concrete, stone, brick, or other masonry. As you've likely surmised, a hammer drill is not exactly an essential tool for most homeowners and DIYers. Even still, it's a good tool to have around on the off chance that you find yourself in need.

If you've ever been in the market for a hammer drill, you know that pretty much every major power tool manufacturer includes at least one of the devices among its offerings. You may also know that options from some other well-known brands tend to be considerably cheaper, begging the question of whether Bosch's are worth the investment. According to many positive user ratings, they may well be, although current owners of the Bosch hammer drill have pointed out some flaws. 

We should note that Bosch drills are well rated among competitors, and the brand currently offers quite a few hammer drill models. So many, in fact, that we won't be able to cover them all here. Instead, we'll focus on two specific drills, the pricier corded 8 Amp 1-1/8" variable speed model and the budget-friendly cordless 1/2-in 18V Variable Speed Brushless build.  

We'll start with the 8 Amp 1-1/8" variable speed corded build, which is rated at 4.7 stars by both Amazon and Home Depot customers. Of the latter crew, many owners praise the device for its design, power, and toughness, with one user even comparing the heavy-duty hammer drill to Thor's hammer Mjolnir. Others noted they were particularly happy with the drill, even at its current Amazon price of $299. As for the 3, 2, and 1-star reviews, folks complained of everything from a lack of power and durability to oil leaks and the drill regularly running hot.

If you are price-comparing as you peruse the hammer drill market, you've likely already scoped out Bosch's 1/2-in 18-volt Variable Speed Brushless Cordless, which typically retails for $159 through Bosch's Amazon store. The hammer drill is rated at 4.6 stars on that site, with those who appreciate the device noting that it's quiet, but still packs plenty of torque for heavier jobs. They also praise its ergonomic design and, of course, its low sticker price. However, some bemoaned the device's lack of SDS adaptivity, noting that it's generally required for heavy-duty masonry work, while another felt it lacked in the power department.

This article is not meant to act as an endorsement or indictment of Bosch's hammer drills, or any other products bearing the company's brand name. The intent is, instead, to provide consumers interested in purchasing a hammer drill from Bosch with a sort of insider's look at what real-world users have experienced with their own devices. In providing that real customer point-of-view, we read through dozens of positive and negative reviews about several different Bosch hammer drills from various websites that sell them. Whenever it was appropriate, we also included direct quotes from those reviews.