The CES 2013 show in Las Vegas is more of a showcase for consumer electronics, but power tools run on electricity and are purchased by consumers, so is it really that much of a stretch that Bosch Power Tools found a home there? In all honesty, Bosch is a major player in electronics markets outside of the realm of power tools, and a lot of the people who would be installing and maintaining these consumer electronics are power tool users, so it was a no-brainer for them to show off a few of their new innovations while they had this captive audience.
Bosch took the time to show off a couple of their miter saws, like the CM12 Single Bevel Compound Miter Saw and the 12” Glide Miter Saw GCM12SD. These are great tools, but hardly new. The real stars of the show were the new RHH181 18V Cordless Rotary Hammer, which was coupled with the new 4.0 Ah “Cool Pack” batteries. The RHH181 has a lot of the same features as the RHH180 Cordless Rotary Hammer with a few noted improvements. One is the addition of a chipping only mode which adds functionality to the tool, but the more interesting feature is the 4.0 Ah batteries which greatly increase the runtime of the tool and give it the edge it needs to compete with corded units. Bosch is claiming that the combination of the batteries and the new rotary hammer will drill 150 holes on a single charge, but you don’t have to take my work for it, you can watch the video below: (courtesy of protoolreviews.com)
I wish I knew a little more about the “2 free batteries” promotion from the TV in the background, but c’est la vie.
Another tool that Bosch was touting at the trade show was the GSL2 Self-Leveling Surface Laser. This is a great tool for those who install flooring or pour concrete, as it makes finding dips and inaccuracies in the level of the floor incredibly easy. The GSL2 Surface Laser includes an L-Boxx-3 carrying case, and is currently part of the Bosch World of Concrete Promotion taking place right now at Ohio Power Tool. You can see a video of the tool in action below: (courtesy of toolskool.com)
At the end of the day, even though Bosch is a little late to the 4.0 Ah party, I am excited to see the batteries hit the market and if they did it any better than the 4.0 Ah batteries out there. There is no scheduled US release for the RHH181 or the Cool Pack batteries, so any timeframe as to availability in the US is wild speculation, but the CoolPack batteries were supposed to have been released in Europe this month, so I don’t think they are too far off.
For more info on all the other Bosch products at CES, including security systems, home appliances, solar panels and much more, check out the excellent coverage on Home Fixated (also the source of the above photo).
Remember that Ohio Power Tool is a Bosch System Specialist, and if you have any questions about Bosch Tools or any other power tool, be sure to call a pro at (800) 242-4424.
