Which is better, Bosch36v SDS hammer drill or Dewalt36v?

Question

I have friends with both but their views clash.
I'm considering buying one for my uncle as a birthday present, since he's a builder and I'm sure he'd adore one.
Everytime I ask around I get a bunch of "Bosch is a much better make" or "Dewalt will last much longer"
And I've seen both and read about them and also used them but I still can't decide...

Answer 1

Bosch, period. Dewalt DRILLS went to the sewer, in my opinion, when Black and Decker bought the company. I still think highly of Dewalt miter saws and most of the other tools they make. However, every single Bosch tool I have used has been top quality. If your uncle is a builder, I do think a corded hammer drill may serve him better. Cordless hammer drills tend to run out of juice pretty fast when used frequently (no good if he is on a jobsite). But, if he has many Dewalt or Bosch cordless tools that are the same voltage you are considering, he will probably have extra batteries on hand. If he has no Bosch/Dewalt cordless items, then a corded tool will serve him better. Remember he may have a yellow cordless drill, but it is probably 18v and the charger will probably not accept a 36v battery. Of course the drill will come with a charger, but unless he has many cordless tools using the same type of batteries he will have a lot of tool downtime.

The people that say "Dewalt will last much longer" are the ones that have pre Black and Decker Dewalts and they are 100% right as those tools will last a long time. The new Chinese stuff that is flooding the shelves of the big box stores are not the Dewalts everyone has loved over the years. If you want to test it out, note the chuck wobble on just about every new Dewalt drill. This greatly reduces the life of the tool and makes for messy work. Go Bosch. They're made in China nowadays, but at least they're not Black and Deckers.

If you want to blow the doors off get him a Panasonic, Fein, Hilti, or Festool. Festool may not have hammer drills in the US, not sure. Those tools are for the true pros (yes, Panasonic, trust me). They don't use 85 million volt batteries because they don't need them. They utilize cooling systems and make use of superior engineering. Also, the tool weight is reduced not hooking up car batteries for a power source. It's similar to watching a boxer 6 Porsche whip a V10 Viper. Hope I didn't confuse things for you. Good luck.

Answer 2

If you can rent, or buy, a Bulldog model rotary hammer drill and get carbide bits, it will do the job. Bulldog is made and branded Bosch. Rotary Hammer drills will put a smooth hole in the stone if you understand that your job is to keep the hammer where you want the hole and DO NOT PUT ANY PRESSURE ON THE DRILL. Don't force things, let the drill work. All of that means that you don't lean on the thing to get it done faster. The way that those thinks work is through a piston system and if you put pressure on it, you shorten the stroke of the piston. For gods sake, do not use a simple electric hammer drill, like Black and Decker, they will burn up. Rotary hammers work like both a jack hammer (much less strength) and a rotary motion. Talk to a Bosch dealer who knows what he is talking about.

Answer 3

I've used both of them and prefer the bosch, I wish you were my niece/ nephew I always get a £5 voucher.

Most trades who use dewalt seem to think the standards are slipping slightly or perhaps other brands are infront of them now, I use a mixture of Bosch, Makita and Panasonic. My SDS is a panasonic one and I'm happy with that

Answer 4

to be honest there ain't alot of difference the Bosch blue range is aimed at the pro and are very good as are dewalt. It all comes down to preference alot of blokes i know in the trade will only buy one make and stick to it unless there's a special offer on a particular tool. What tools does your uncle usually buy, find that out and go with that

Answer 5

Get the Hitatchi or the Bosch, to many breakdown issues with Dewalt

Answer 6

both make great tools...I have a mix of bosch and dewalt and don't have any problem with either...
I do second the idea that you should sneak a peek at your uncle's tools and see if he has a preference...that would be the biggest deciding factor...and maybe what comes with it as in case wise, extra batteries, etc

Answer 7

i am sorry to see that Griff has got two bad answers ..as a pro builder the best tools out there are festool ..they are real precision made for the professional once you try them there is no going back ..i all so have a dewalt cordless driver that has put in over 200.000 screws ..and never let me down ..still with original batteries .. i think if you bought him either he would be very happy .. ...ask his opinion about which in a round about way ....that way you cant be wrong!

Answer 8

Dewalt has all metal gearing and is better quality and is more for the professional who uses it on a regular basis.
so like you've been told it will last longer and will be of better quality than bosch.

And Bosch aint a better make! ;-)

Answer 9

The old un's like the Bosch brand

Answer 10

OK, here's my 2 cents. Personally I like Bosch, Ive had no issues with any that I own. Put if you want your $ worth I would get RIDGED you cant beat LIFETIME GUARANTEE.