Customer Reviews

Bosch CPK60-18 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless 6-Tool Combo Kit

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have been a custom home builder and cabinet maker for several years now and have used many different cordless sets. I can easily say that this set is the best value out there. After great luck with an old Dewalt 12v drill, I went to a Milwaukee 18v set after their great magazine reviews. That set was good but not nearly as good I expected. Every 18 months or so I sell the old set and get new to avoid any troubles.

2 years ago, the 18v Bosch set (5 piece) came next and I liked it much better.
The drill is the core of every set and this one is very solid and well balanced. Easy clutch adjustments and decent hammer-drill function. Nice magnetic tip included as well.
The circular saw is the best 18volt I have seen with a great depth gauge and even a dust collection port (that I have never used).
The jig saw is absolutely fantastic. It is not quite on the same level as my Bosch corded jig saw (which is the best jig saw ever IMO) but I use it more than my corded unit with very good results.
The reciprocating saw is the set's weakest point. The blade gaurd is adjustable but is all chewed up now. The unit does have an adjustable stroke which is a nice feature. The Bosch is pretty good but can't hold a candle to the balance and smoothness of a Milwaukee Hatchet.
The flashlight is a fair 18volt flashlight with great run time and fair output.
The bag is a little cheesy with a few rips in the interior pockets and can't contain all the tools in the set while zipping shut.

I always look at value and what you get for the money. Other sets may have individual pieces better but at a higher cost. I have used the heck out this set with no failures. This price for a standard set plus a great jigsaw is a tremendous value in my book. I give this set 4 stars but I'm the kind of guy who never sees any thing 5 stars (perfection is unattainable).

I'm in the market now for an updated set and this 6-piece Bosch set is on the top of my list.

I purchased this set as planned and have build a couple houses with it and I am sad to say that with Bosch it may be the luck of the draw with quality. This new set can't compare to my first. The battery life of the new "Blue Core" is significantly worse than before. The circular saw has a bad vibration that a new blade helped but did not cure. Having a cordless planer is great though. My reconditioned set came with the old 1 hour charger as well.

It was a great price but if the batteries are junk, what do you have? Out of the 4 Bosch kits my father and I have had, only my first was worth the money. 1 out of 4...ouch. Sadly my rating now would be 2 stars.

Also see my review of the pathetic Bosch radio.

These are used daily from March to December, 1 year old.

1. I signed up for their pro program and submited for the free battery. Glad I did, the battery was the new blue tooth and it does last longer. The warranty program is fantastic, those complaining missed the boat. New Tool 2 day air no charge - and it was my fault I replaced it, they didn't care. No Hassels !

2. I didn't expect to use the planer much, but once I did - Love it. Use it a lot. The Jigsaw works great especially w/bosch blades,the best. I've lap cut PT4x4's with it

3. The drill does not have the 3rd speed of a Dewalt and is heavier. But mine has survived a 1+ story fall, just like the add and survived, still going strong. The clutch, & hammer setting working fine. (& I can still relace it)

4. The saws, the circular saw I had to get use to handle position, a little different, but thats the only fault I found. Battery powered saws you need to keep a sharp blade with the thin kerf blades, cuts very accurate. The recipricating saw does drain a battery. Mine does have 2 stroke length options. I've used it for wrecking old decks to pruning a tree.

5. TRYing to figure out how to fit the tools in that bag was a chalenge. Just took some work, but carry all tools w/charger & 3 batteries,framing square,xtra blades for all saws & bits. Just need a back brace & a counter weight in the other hand to carry. And not very far.

I've had my 6 tool collection of Bosch cordless tools for over a year and not one failure in the lot. Strong, well designed and very easy to transport and get to the job quickly....w/o annoying cords, too loud motors, and with very reliable settings of depth and speed....esp. the circular saw....best saw depth adjustment ever. Only drawback is the batteries that seem to last only so long... and comparable dewalt battery tools seem slightly longer lasting which is odd as i am told that most brand's batteries are made by same manufacturer: Panasonic or some other japanese manufacturer....And Larger batteries in the 18 to 24 volt range tend to wear out faster than our old makita 9 volt batteries.

So far, i've bought 3 additional batteries in a good sales deal with Bosch...(one extra drill came w/ 3 batteries for same price as drill....!) as you'll need all 5 batteries as two aren't enough (IMO 3 is absolute min. for this kit..). None of my batteries have failed either, but they do need frequent recharging...little change in length of use time in over 200 recharges ....and larger batteries are expensive and not long lasting according to trade experts.

Wait 'til new Blue**** (Bosch's new model of battery with something allowing a cooler running, faster charging battery) comes out for this kit....Still to me this is the best cordless kit ever....as others don't have the jig saw and planer....two of the most amazing tools ever. Not a bad design anywhere in this kit...only the older, weaker batteries hold this back from being 5 stars... with the newer Bosch batteries avail. later '05, this tool kit is unbeatable.

Let me start by saying these are the best tools I have ever owned. The drill has so much power that you have to set the clutch on about 7 or it is very easy to drive a screw so deep you snap the head off. The jig saw is top of the line with all the different speeds it can handle anything from aggressive cuts in plywood to precision non maring cuts in laminent. The planer is a full size planer that you can adjust witch side the wood chips come out of. This is a plus for those tight spots and when you are using the dust bag. At first I was concerned that the circular saw might be a little under powered (It is a nearly full sized circular saw with an 18 volt battery) But the first time I used it I was amazed by the power. The recipricating saw is the best I have seen. The batteries do infact charge in 30 minutes and last nearly twice as long as my Craftsman 19.2 volt stuff. I would have to say the most impressive feature of these tools is the customer service. When I called to register for the warranty the phone was answered on the first ring by an English speaking lady (No overseas call center) who was very knowledgeable about her products. The whole thing was done in 3 minutes. I have used the warranty once I broke the foot plate on the jigsaw (my fault I was abusing the tool) I called the warranty number and they sent me a new footplate the next day. They didn't even ask how I did it. I would recomend these tools to anyone!

I have the 5 piece kit which has all the same tools except the planar. I bought the kit earlier this year and used every one of the tools in the construction of an Ipe deck. All the tools had more than enough power for every task I asked of them. The hammer drill was used to drill through brick to mount the ledger board, the circular saw to notch the Ipe railing posts and cut deck boards, the jigsaw to cut notches in the deck boards and the recip saw to cut posts to length. These tools handled everything I threw at them with ease.

A great value for a good product. I'm very pleased with the tools included in the kit.

I bought this set as a "Christmas present" to myself. I'm not a contractor, but I have been impressed with these tools as I've done some work around the house this winter. The saws are great, and the reciprocating saw is very helpful for clearing some brush and small tree limbs. I really like the drill, and am amazed at how it seems to be more powerful than my DeWalt.

This is the third cordless drill/driver I have owned. The last two were DeWalts and while not bad at all, the construction here seems much more solid. And the cordless circular saw is amazing! My poor corded Skil will probably not see much more use in the future. I built a retaining wall in the back yard and a huge deck on top of the garage, and the drill and circular saw worked flawlessly. Out of a whole day's use, I had to charge both batteries about half way through the day, but with the short charge time, I was back up in a half hour (just enough time for lunch). The cordless jigsaw is awesome too, and the planar, well it works great, but honestly I haven't done much planing yet (just tried it out on a couple boards). I could live without the flashlight, but hey I took it camping a couple weeks ago and it served its purpose. My only complaint on the flashlight would be that when standing flat on the battery, the light can't be rotated to point down toward the work surface, but only to the side and up.

I think this set is definitely worth the investment - I look forward to many years of enjoyment.

I got this pack and also received a free 12v impact driver from Bosch. The offer isn't going on anymore, but I'd buy these even if it wasn't. Excellent quality, and strong motors. Hold one of these up to a DeWalt version...

I did not buy the 6 combo but the 5 combo. I just did'nt get the planer.I am a contractor in UT. First off the drill was out performed by my Panasonic 15.6 volt by both torque and length of run time, plus it's lighter and smaller. The sawzall needs a new blade quite often or it's run time is severally reduced. I have used a Dewalt and have received much better performance.The circ saw performed well but again the battery did not last as long as I would hope for. The flashlight worked very well. Over all I was quite disappointed with the Bosch combo.I never thought I would say this, but yellow kicked blues butt.