Customer Reviews

Bosch PS41-2A 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion Impact Driver

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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).

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.

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.

I am no professional and just do alot of basic jobs around the house and for friends etc, I always like to buy tools and have them available to me (even if I only use the dam things once! must be a guy thing)

I bought my Bosch PS41 from Lowes, but I came here to buy another one for a friend (I live overseas and ship to Florida).

I was impressed with the Lithium Ion technology after purchasing a small 4.5v Ryobi driver and was astounded by the torque of this "mini' driver.
So the next step was to buy a cordless impact Driver.

Yesterday I put up a loft flooring in my kid's bedroom using 6x2 and 4x2 lumber and 4 sheets of plywood and was looking forward to giving this driver a workout, along with some rawlbolts I used a standard Hammer drill to drill through the lumber and then into concrete, I then used the PS41 to drive 3 and 1/4" concrete screws in and it did so easily and comfortably about 20 times, also used it to driver about 100x 3" wood screws through the joists, supports etc and also used it to drive 60x 1 and 5/8" sheetrock screws through the plywood into the 4x2's.

The built in light was very useful and not ONCE did I damage a screw head as I have done countless times with cordless drills.

Lastly I have a Black & Decker 18v cordless drill that requires 6-12 hours of charging per pack, the PS41 requires 30mins, which was amazing, in the above job I changed batteries twice, One thing about this driver, battery wise is it either works at Full power OR it needs a battery change- no, slowing down/loss of power whilst the battery gives up- the 3 LED battery indicator is a nice touch too.

I just picked up my Bosch Impact driver yesterday so I cannot speak of the longevity, however since Amazon did not have any reviews yet I wanted to post something about it. I am installing a wood picket fence, which gave me the excuse to buy this. I used it all day today drilling many 4 inch deck screws into pressure treated lumber to hang the fence rails. I was able to drill about twenty screws, with no pilot hole before the battery ran out. This might sound like a disadvantage, however since charging only takes 30 minutes and the impact driver came with two batteries I never had to stop to wait for it to charge. I have a Hitachi 18 Volt Cordless drill (DS18DMR), which works great however it is a little tough on the wrist. The Hitachi drill drives the screws in much faster however the Bosch Impact driver does it with so much ease. The Bosch requires very little pressure when driving a screw in. With my drill I am so use to pushing hard against the screw to avoid stripping it that I forget to let up while using the Bosch. I am very impress with the power this little thing has, I cannot believe it only weighs 2 pounds! The only two cons I could think of is that it does not have a belt clip and I am not a fan of the soft case, however these are minor details.
I will update this review once I get some more use out of it.

I have worked on bowling machines for the last 13 years and this impact driver is great. It gets into hard to reach places of the machine and allows me to get the job done faster. The torque on this little Bosch PS41 it awesome! It has un-seized nuts that have not been removed in years over and over with ease, and really does drive in 3 inch wood screws fast and with no hesitation. A fellow mechanic owns a small impact driver from a very well know and a much more expensive company and this Bosch beats it every time.

The battery life on thing is great. It will last. Bosch puts a little LED "Fuel" gauge on the side. I love this feature, it tells me just how much battery life is left. So when, and if I have to change the battery during a job and I just swap batteries with out the annoying "die down" of the charge. I just check the gauge and when I get to one light, I swap. The charger is pretty fast too, about 30 to 40 min.

Another great feature is the LED lights on the front. Some parts of the machine are usually ill lit so this helps out a lot. I have also found myself using it as a flashlight at times.

It does have a little delay when the trigger is pressed, but only a fraction of a second, so minor I didn't even notice till I read about it. The only other con is the soft carrying case it comes with, but for me I just leave the impact driver in my toolbox.

The Bosch PS41 is by far one of the best power tools I have ever owned, and I have gone though many in the past years. This impact driver is light, compact, tough (I have dropped it from 5-6 ft a couple of times and still running no problems), and powerful. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone, even if you were just using it around the house. I hope this helps.

I have been needing a new impact driver for my work as a remodeler for some time now. I recently purchased this Bosch driver at Lowe's and have been very, very happy with it. I primarily love it's small size, light weight, and power. It drives most screws into solid wood like butter. The torque is almost unbelievable for such a tiny tool. It's not as loud as other impactors I've used either, though I still wear earplugs with it. The soft case, light, and battery life indicator are all real pluses. Another thing that is fantastic about this tool is it's extremely short length. I've already been able to stick it inside some tiny, short cavities and drive away in places I only could have dreamed of without it.

I should also mention that I owned the previous incarnation of the Bosch impact tool, and was not nearly as impressed with it as I am with this model. It was louder, less powerful, and had shorter battery life. Battery life is the only thing that leaves a little to be desired this impactor but for the weight and size that tradeoff is to be expected. That said, I have used it very hard all day and never been able to use up the active battery before the spare is finished charging.

I would highly recommend this tool for the handyman, homeowner, project craftsman, hobbyist, or the DIYer. The only people I would not recommend this tool for are full-time framers or rough carpenters for whom more power for longer screws and battery life for all-day use would be most important.

I love this drill!!! Let's just say if I lost it I would buy a new one, the size, the wieght, the tork, WOW!!! I was using a 18 v hammer drill for years & was very skeptical on dropping down to a 12 v, sure glad I did .

I love this thing. It drives screws all day on the two batteries. I us it for just about everything except driviing large lags. It has the power to drive 3" deck screws. It's light I can us it all day and may hand dosen't get tired.