Last summer, Bosch introduced a new line of drill drivers. They had a family resemblance and a last name in common : “Tough.” And toughness is just one quality that these new drivers deliver. Having observed how cordless drills are used by professional and advanced hobbyist end users, the folks at Bosch noticed that “gentle” was an adjective that was never applied. In general, these tools are used hard and more than occasionally hit the floor ? if not the wall. And that was the inspiration behind their Brute-Tough? and Compact-Tough? lines of cordless drill drivers.
In the real world, drill drivers not only have to be strong enough to bore holes and drive screws, but they must survive being dropped, thrown and bounced around. I know that more than one of my drill drivers have skidded down a flight of stairs or fallen off a ladder, and one even slid off the roof of my truck ? on the freeway! Not recommended, but it happened. So, while Bosch has improved the power train and the actual “guts” of the drill drivers (“an all metal gear box with the largest gears on the market” is just one internal feature they mention), they also made a significant design improvement to the exterior housing. A blend of Nylon and ABS plastic has created a remarkably durable tool that can be dropped without fracturing the case. (In fact, Bosch has a fun section on their web site where you can watch the 46 foot drop test. http://www.boschtools.com/cordless.htm)
The 14.4 volt model 33614 and the 18 volt 33618 are the offerings that currently make up the Brute-Tough drivers. These are bigger-bodied and offer plenty of power and torque. The 9.6, 12, 14.4 volt range is covered in the Compact-Tough 32609, 32612, and 32614 models respectively. As the name implies, these tools are designed to get into tighter quarters, but even with the smaller dimensions, they are feature rich products. And last week at the Home Builders Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bosch rolled out (or maybe I should say dropped), three new Brute-Tough hammer action drill divers in 14.4, 18 and 24 volts.
