Bosch GBH 36V-LICP

Is there such a thing as love at first sight with an SDS drill? That’s certainly how we felt about the Bosch GBH 36 V-LI compact. It’s the little brother in Bosch’s range of 36V cordless SDS drills, which also includes The 36 VF-LI and 36 VL-I. It’s small, lightweight but very powerful and recharges in no time at all. (Review continues below…)

The Bosch GBH 36 V-LICP cordless SDS drill in detail

Drilling power
Whilst it doesn’t provide the massive 3.0 Joules of impact energy of the other two models, at 2.9kg it’s easily the lightest, most compact 36V cordless SDS drill on the market, and still packs a meaty 1.7 Joules. This translates drilling 100 holes (6 × 40mm) into concrete on one charge.

• 36V cordless SDS drill

• Maximum drilling capacity: (diameter) Concrete – 26mm, Steel – 13mm, Wood – 32mm

• No load speed 0 – 1,500 rpm

• Blows per minute: 0-4,850bpm

Anti-vibration

Another innovative feature the GBH 36V-LI Compact Professional is that’s it’s the first Bosch Cordless SDS drill with the active Vibration Control system. This uses a compression spring and flexible handle to ensure lightweight vibration control.

• Vibration 10m/s²

Drill weight and length

As we’ve said already, the lightness of this drill relative to its power is highly impressive. Packing a 36V SDS drill into 2.9kg takes some doing and Bosch have pulled it off. This means overhead drilling and working for long periods is much easier, maximizing your working time. Also, at 297 mm long it can fit into the tightest of spaces, which is important if you need to get under floorboards or into loft spaces.

Battery type and performance

The drill uses the latest generation of 36V Bosch Li-Ion Compact batteries. Unique Electronic Cell Protection (ECP) comes as standard, protecting the battery against overloading, overheating and complete discharge.

Bosch claim that their Li-Ion batteries will offer 400% longer lifetime and unbeatable battery runtime. With Bosch Hyper Charge the batteries are charged to 75% after just half of the charge time. There’s also no memory effect: the battery can be charged regardless of the charging state at any time, without damaging the cells

Maintenance-free EC motor

Another innovation for the GBH 36V-LI Compact Professional, is that it’s the first Bosch Professional SDS drill to be driven by a brushless EC (electronically commutated) motor. This technology delivers a low abrasive and maintenance-free motor that makes carbon brushes unnecessary.

The drill also operates at a higher degree of efficiency (80-90%) than to a standard DC-Motor (70%) making the GBH 36 V-LI Compact Professional a state of the art machine.

Safety clutch

The clutch on this cordless SDS drill forces the chuck to slip if the torque goes beyond a stipulated point, causing the drill to cease rotating.

Chuck type

SDS Plus for rapid drill bit changes

Number of drilling modes

2 modes for rotary drilling and hammer drilling

Other features worth mentioning

Remember all Bosch SDS drills come with a 3 year warranty if you register them within 4 weeks at www.boschpowertools.co.uk.

• Fuel gauge – for charge control

• Large rubberised grip area – for improved handling

Includes:

• Quick Charger AL 3640 CV

• 3 x 1.3Ah Li-Ion batteries

• Auxiliary handle

• Depth stop

• Carrying case.