Over at Amazon, this Bosch 18V cordless drill and impact driver kit, CLPK232A-181, is on sale for $149 $139.
This is Bosch’s updated 18V compact drill, DDS181A, which should be quite capable. I own a DDS181 and have been relatively pleased with it. It’s up to medium duty tasks, but generally cannot muster enough muscle for heavier duty drilling or fastening tasks.
The drill kit is priced at $159 by itself.
The impact driver, 25618, which I also own as part of a Bosch combo kit I purchased 5 years ago, remains competitive. It can deliver up to 1500 in-lbs of max torque, and is fairly compact and comfortable to use. Bosch’s IDS181 impact driver is more compact, but considerably less powerful.
The impact driver kit is priced at $179 by itself, or $154 after $25 off $100+ holiday promo.
The combo kit that’s on sale, CLPK232A-181, comes with the 2 tools, a charger, carrying bag, and (2) 2.0Ah Li-ion battery packs.
Price: $149 $139
The regular price is said to be $199.
Also See: Milwaukee M18 Drill & Impact Driver Kit for $149 Deal
From what I have seen, Bosch has been lagging their competitors’ cordless tool development efforts, with fewer releases that are also spaced longer apart, especially when it comes to brushless tools. Still, I find this combo to be quite appealing, and think it’d be a good choice for anyone looking for a compact drill and impact driver kit on a $150 budget.
The question is this: Bosch or Milwaukee? In general, I would gravitate towards Milwaukee, but I really do like my Bosch 25618 impact driver. I wouldn’t consider either kit to be ideal for future expansion intent, because for many add-on tools, such as a circular saw, you’ll want a higher capacity battery pack.
I think I’m left maybe 40:60 on this, with the 60 in favor of Milwaukee.
Update: The price of the Bosch kit dropped from $149 to $139. I saw the $149 price last night, started writing up the post this morning, and when checking one final specification I saw that the price was changed to $139 – not that I’m complaining.
$10 might not seem like much, but it makes this deal a little more appealing. At $139 for Bosch, and $149 for Milwaukee, my leaning turns from 40:60 to 50:50.
There is also a Dewalt $149 drill and impact driver combo, but this Bosch deal gives you a better drill, a competitive impact driver, higher capacity battery packs, and an extra $10 in your pocket.
If you’re shopping for a gift, or maybe putting together a housewarming tool set, I’d lean even more in favor of this Bosch kit. Or, consider a 12V-class deal instead, such as Milwaukee’s M12 combo, or Makita’s 12V Max CXT combo.