Post by hecon5 on Jun 16, 2021 13:32:03 GMT -5
Update Bottom Line: I still like this drill a lot. I'd give it 4/5 stars. It's impressively powerful, it's very light, the batteries last a good bit, and for most work, it's swell. Find it on sale and you'll be a happy camper (IMO, YMMV).
Details:
Just received my new mini drill. Bosch GSR12V-300FC brushless compact driver; little baby compared to what I'm used to. It's really light, and the form/fit/balance is pretty nice. Seems to have a decent amount of torque for the size. For putting panel screws/switch plates/other stuff where I don't want to sit and drive screws for 3 months but also don't want to torque the heads right off on the first go, seems like this'll be a treat. Having all the integrated adapters is also pretty dang nice, too; and being able to just use the integral hex drive will be nice for changing out bits.
Already had a small 12V battery from a laser level of theirs, but this came with two; so now I can have them in continuous rotation.
Will put it through some paces, but first thoughts are that this will compliment me nicely!
Upsides:
- Battery indicator right by the trigger.
- Trigger is smooth as butter (I still like it)
- lightweight and well balanced (with just the locking bit attachment; the right angle and offset mess with balance a bit, but balance is still decent).
- Fits nicely in my hand and my smaller! tool bag
- Adapters for offset/90/chuck included
- 2 batteries included in the set I got
- decent power (Update: impressive power; this little thing can really go!)
- clutch is quite variable (lowest torque settings are still a bit high for my tastes)
- 2 speeds are very adequate for what I need; slow is very slow, fast at full speed is faster than I'd like for smaller screws.
- fits in my pocket (this is a huge nicety)
- I'm really glad the "belt clip" isn't installed standard; it's included, but not installed. I take mine off on almost every drill as they usually (to me) are only good for scratching the heck out of whatever you set it upon, or yourself if you do try to use the clip.
Downsides:
- The light is not in a great place to be terribly useful at close range. This is especially true with the right angle and offset adapters.
- Lowest clutch setting is still too high, even at speed one, for some applications (switch plates, etc.) to just trust the clutch.
- When using right angle or offset adapter, the balance is a bit weird. The drill is still very light, so it's not really going to impact your workflow too much, but after using it "bare" for a while, it feels a bit odd.
- Attaching/removing the adapters is a little fiddly (this has improved a good bit with use); hopefully they wear in (they did), and honestly, even that's kind of reaching for issues.
[Edits] Added medium term testing after about a month of use.