Customer Reviews

Bosch 23612 Impactor 12-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Impact Driver

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This driver is amazing. I am a contractor in Delaware and have used many types of drills and drivers. I have been using a 18v bosch drill for about 2 years and love it. I bought the bosch b/c I use almost all bosch tools now and am very pleased with both their performance and with the customer service. With this drill driving lag bolts and heavy fasteners has always been a chore. The torque on the 18v drill requires you to really have a good grip on the tool when driving lags. With this 12v driver you can drive lags alll day one-handed. Almost none of the torque is transferred to your wrist and it drives 1/4 by 3in lags into 2by4 in 2sec with no effort on my part. The only downside to this is the level of noise (hammer mechinism is loud by its nature), but if you are working for a prolonged period on a job site you should have some type of hearing protection anyway. This tool is the best thing to hit the market since the cordless drill.

i've worked with the 18v dewalt and a 14.4 makita and this 12v bosch is more powerful that both, the makita's battery outlasted the bosch but the bosch is more compareable to the 18v dewalts battery life, belt clip and led light are good ideas too. would buy it again in a heartbeat, maybe the 14.4 next time...

I got this for my husband after he told me he would like to have one but that most models were too expensive and the batteries and chargers weren't included. A search on Amazon came up with this one. It was inexpensive AND had the batteries (2!) and charger included. He has used it several times and loves it!

As an HVAC professional, I have to say that this is the best cordless tool I have ever owned. I spend a lot of my day driving sheet metal, sheetrock, and other screws and bolts. This impactor is light, strong, batteries have great lasting power, and it's compact. Used it for just under a year without issues or degradation in performance, and I can assure you that I and my coworkers have not babied it. This thing takes abuse, dropping, dirt, rain, whatever - it rules.

I compared the bosch impact drivers to the makita (my final 2 brand choices) and went the bosch because 1) I already had a number of bosch cordless tools so I was sold on their performance (I am a contractor not a hobbies) and 2) I have some 12v batteries for light duty drills to use as spares. and 3) I purchased the drill new on ebay for about 65% of the price on Amazon. I have had no problems with this tool after driving 2000+ screws including 4 inch lags. Battery run time may not be the same as the makita 12v or bosch/makita 14v tools but with the Bosch rapid charger and 4 batteries this is not a problem. If you are use this tool heavily and have only 2 batteries and the 1 hour charger you might get bogged down. If $ was not an issue I would have gone for the 14v but looking at the tool from a cost/power perspective I know I purchased the right tool.

This impact driver does everything my 12v Makita did at a fraction of the cost. It feels nice and substantial, not cheap by anymeans. you would think for the money that it would. My only gripe is the battery life. It is aweful!! The 2.6ah NiMh in the Makita would run forever, this one goes limp embarassingly fast on the jobsite. 2.0ah NiCd is sad. Other than that it is highly recommended. Nothing at Home Depot can touch this in the $129 range.

If you need a real driver, this is the one.. I purchased my this as a replacement. The last one I had lasted 5 years without any problems.. Five years is a long time considering that it was used commercially. It was used and abused without missing a lick.. At times I actually drove lags with this driver.
If you need a driver only to remove and replace screws, this model is not for you. If you need a driver with torque, this is it.. Caution, it will snap a wood screw when driving hardwoods.. Pre-drill.

Like many other reviewers on this page, I too am a professional contractor, My normal drill of choice is the 18v De Walt, but this little monster beats the competition... HANDS DOWN. The torque on this drill is phenomenal, which is worth the money alone, I am an electrician and need to make 'knock-outs' from time to time, anyone who has done the hand crank or even the pnuematic knows what a pain it is, this baby does it in no time and with little to no force needed to hold in place, I have used this drill for around 6 to 8 months now on a daily basis, it is still going strong, the batteries out last the De Walt by a mile and it weighs around half as much (also a huge plus)... If this thing was a woman, I'd marry it.

An impactor is a completely different animal from a hammer drill, regular drill driver or a drywall or deck screwdriver, all of which I have.

First saw an impactor used on the "Holmes on Homes" cable TV home maintenance show. Noticed they were driving screws with a smallish driver that went fast, then ended with "tat-tat-tat" as the screw when flush.

Then my contractor brother-in-law showed me his Makita BTD142HW 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless Impact Driver Kit. It was light, powerful, fast, offered excellent control and, while delivering tremendous torque, never broke off the fastener head.

We were putting up a dog-eared wood fence and I offered him to use my corded DEWALT DW257 Heavy-Duty 6.2 Amp Deck/Drywall Screwdriver but he preferred his Makita. I tried it and agreed. It's a big step forward in screw driving. It screwed in the entire fence with a single charge and set every square drive stainless steel screw perfectly.

I opted for the Bosch 23612 only because I have never been disappointed in anything Bosch and it was about half the price of the Makita.

This little 12v nicad is simply wonderful. It's a bit heavier than the 18v Makita because it has a nicad battery. Lithium battery technology is the likely future because they recharge better, hold a charge longer and are lighter, but nicads work well until they die.

The Bosch can drive 10ga 3" long screws all day.

Pros:

- Fast initial drive speed gets most of the screw in fast, then the variable speed trigger allow you to slow the rotation as you get near the surface, then it senses resistance and begins impacting the head the last little bit. It never breaks the head off.

- Comfortable to hold. The handle is narrow and rubber covered, allowing a good grip.

- Built-in retractable belt clip. Can be removed and placed on either side for left or right hand beltage.

- Built-in LED light can be aimed exactly at the point where the driver touches the screw head. This is because the light is positioned down below your hand on the top of the battery interface. The LED is in a little eyeball that turns. That way if you are using a short driver or a long driver, the LED can be adjusted to shine on the driver tip. You are not working in your own shadow this way. You can turn the light off by rotating it into the tool. It takes so little power that it doesn't seem to matter. For some strange reason, it's an orange color instead of white. But it works well. Love it. Really handy when you are getting those last few screws in as the sun sets.

- Quick change 1/4" hex chuck. Holds the drivers securely.

- Compact. Gets into tight spots.

- Comes with two batteries, a 1-hour charger and a nice case.

- Drives and drives and drives. It just goes all day. The impactor design seems very efficient at not wasting power. Impacting must take less power than raw motor torque. So far have not met a screw it can't drive.

Cons:

- The ambidextrous push button forward/reverse switch works left/right and goes through the tool. It has a middle "off" point. The switch can be hit easily and be "off" when you don't expect it.

- The forward/reverse switch's design makes it difficult to know if you are in forward or reverse. I'd kind of like to have a fore/aft design so by looking at it I can see what mode it's in. Very small nit. And it would be difficult to have a one hand ambidextrous design that way.

Bottom line, I love this tool.

Like the title says, I've been abusing these little gems for over four years and the tool and batteries are still strong. There have been some advancements in battery technology lately, but these NiCD impact drivers offer a whole lot of bang for the buck. The variable trigger is responsive enough to allow for driving everything from small fasteners to large lag bolts. I've even used it to change the tires on my wife's car. With the current price being offered from Amazon through CPO Bosch, I can't imagine a better buy! I'm considering ordering a third one, as I can't get replacement batteries for the low cost this kit is being offered for.