Bosch is coming out with a new 18V Profactor cordless miter saw, model GCM18V-12GDCN. Taking a closer look, the new miter saw, named the Surgeon, is a cordless axial-glide miter saw, with special space-saving gliding arm action.
And, the Bosch Profactor surgeon is a 12″ sliding miter saw, joining only a handful of other cordless 12″ miter saws on the market.
The Bosch Profactor cordless miter saw was first announced in Europe, and Bosch USA did not respond to our multiple requests for more information.
Bosch regularly comes out with new cordless power tools internationally, and not all of them are brought to the USA or North American market. This particular saw launched in the UK, Europe, and Australia in late 2020, and it looks like we’ll be seeing it here in the USA under Bosch Profactor branding in 2021.
(The international model number is GCM18V-305 GDC.)
Bosch’s 18V 8-1/2″ cordless miter saw, first teased about two years ago as part of their MegaWatt Crew of higher-powered tools, was supposed to be their “Surgeon” saw.
Update: Bosch USA never sent us any announcement or press release on the 18V cordless 8-1/2″ miter saw, but it appears to be in-stock and available for sale at Amazon, model GCM18V-08N.
It’s curious as to whether Surgeon is the name for their cordless miter saw product family, or if they decided to make this 12″ saw the Surgeon as their flagship model.
Bosch Tools boasts about the new 12″ cordless miter saw’s impressive cutting performance, saying that it delivers power equivalent to a 2000W corded miter saw.
(In theory a 15A miter saw could draw up to 1800W of power if you consider 120V AC line voltage.)
The Profactor miter saw also features Bosch’s axial glide movement. To date, only Bosch and Delta Tools’ Cruzer saws feature this kind of non glide-rail type of saw blade movement.
Although there are an increasing number of space-spacing cordless and corded miter saws today, engineered with forward-sliding glide rail bearing mechanisms, Bosch’s axial glide design is still distinct.
There is one downside to Bosch’s hinged-arm glide mechanism, and that is its weight.
Bosch says that this new cordless axial glide 12″ miter saw weighs 26.9 kg, or ~59.3 lbs.
In comparison, Milwaukee’s M18 12″ cordless miter saw weighs 47.6 lbs. This means that Bosch’s new cordless miter saw is nearly 25% heavier than Milwaukee’s.
The new Bosch cordless 12″ miter saw comes with Bluetooth connectivity and Bosch “ToolBox App” compatibility, with the interface providing for battery status and speed selection. There’s also ECO mode selection, which I would guess drops down speed or power to help extend battery life.
The saw also features a laser, dust port, LED light, soft-start motor, intelligent brake system, and is said to be tool-less.
It’s not clear as to what is tool-less about the saw, but a tool-free blade change would be a significant convenience, and an industry first – or at least we think so. The parts list mentions a hex socket wrench, and so the tool-less part might simply refer to the fence adjustments, miter angle, or bevel angle, which are typically tool-free on miter saws.
Update: Bosch Australia’s listing says it has a tool-less saw blade change.
Features & Specs
- 12″ blade size
- 2550-4000 RPM (EU specs, USA Specs TBA)
- Miter range: 52° left, 60° right
- Bevel range: 47° left and right
- Cutting capacity (EU specs, USA Specs TBA)
- 104 x 341 mm (4.1″ x 13.4″) at 0° without spacer
- 120 x 250 mm (4.7″ x 9.8″) at 0° with spacer
- 45 x 400 mm (1.8″ x 15.7″) at 0° with spacer
- Weighs 59.3 lbs
Pricing and Availability
Bare Tool (Bosch GCM18V-12GDCN): $749
Kit (Bosch GCM18V-12GDCN14): $899
The kit ships with a charger and single 8Ah battery.
ETA: 2/15/21
Buy Now: Bare Tool via Amazon
Buy Now: Kit via Amazon
Compare: Dewalt FlexVolt Saw via Amazon
Compare: Milwaukee M18 12″ Saw via Acme Tools
Compare: Makita 18V X2 10″ Saw via Amazon
Discussion
Bosch’s new 18V Profactor Surgeon cordless miter saw has several appealing features:
- 12″ blade size
- Glide arm mechanism
- Dual bevel angle adjustment
- Biturbo brushless motor
- “Simply connected” Bluetooth user controls
- Maximum performance with ProCORE 18V batteries
- Compatible with all Bosch 18V batteries
The launch of an glide-arm-style Bosch 18V cordless miter saw, especially one with a 12″ blade size and dual bevel range, is exciting. As mentioned, we’re waiting to here back from Bosch USA about the saw’s availability here. At the time of this posting, it is only available in the UK, Europe, and Australia.
The weight could be a concern for some. At a hair over 59 pounds, Bosch’s saw out-weighs Milwaukee’s 12″ cordless miter saw by quite a bit, and Dewalt’s FlexVolt miter saw by a couple of pounds as well.
This seems like a very interesting new tool, although it looks like the weight of the corded model carries over. Your thoughts?
This post was originally published on 10/18/2020 and republished on 1/26/2021 with new details.
