Which Bosch 18v?

I am having a hard time deciding between aBosch Bulldog 18v vs Bosch GBH18V-20K21-RT. Does anyone have experience with either of these drills? I’ve been using a newer Bosch 36v but I am in the market for something lighter for long approaches and drilling on lead. I am tempted to get the  Bosch GBH18V-20K21-RT because it’s almost a pound lighter but it’s impact force is significantly lower. (1.3 vs 1.9). For anyone who has the lighter of the two Bosch 18v, how many 3/8”x3” holes are you getting in granite? I can get a good deal on both of the drills so I’m trying to decide. I’ve used my friends hilti te-2 22v on lead and absolutely loved it but it’s twice as expensive as what I can get either Bosch for.

I use the RHH181-01 Bosch which I think is almost a lb lighter than the smaller one you're looking at with same impact force.  I get 20 3/8" holes in granite with a 6 amph battery.  Not sure why this drill is no longer on the Bosch website and looks like the price went way up.  Got mine new for 190$. Looks like Bosch pulled back it's lineup.  You should check out the Milwaukee 12v if you're going to be bolting a lot on lead.  Even mine is a bit heavy for that buts it's a great middle range work horse.

Abel Jones wrote:You should check out the Milwaukee 12v if you're going to be bolting a lot on lead.  

Have you used that thing? My friend said it can take 1-3 minutes to drill a 3/8” x 3” hole in hard granite. Sounds puckering from a bad stance. Most of the bolting I do is on rappel so I want something that can still handle a lot of work but isn’t terribly heavy like my 36v either. There is an area I like to develop in where going ground up makes the most sense. And that’s on bomber African granite that usually doesn’t have great drilling stances or hooks available so I can’t hang out and press a drill for too long. There also aren’t cracks and these walls are big so I’m having to drill a lot (at least 30 bolts is a typical day there). Usually less on lead then adding more bolts on the way down to make it better protected for repeats. The Milwaukee 12v looks like a badass rig for desert sandstone or maybe a couple of holes in granite. 

Scott E wrote:

Have you used that thing? My friend said it can take 1-3 minutes to drill a 3/8” x 3” hole in hard granite. Sounds puckering from a bad stance. Most of the bolting I do is on rappel so I want something that can still handle a lot of work but isn’t terribly heavily like my 36v either. There is an area I like to develop in where going ground up makes the most sense. And that’s on bomber African granite that usually doesn’t have great drilling stances or hooks available so I can’t hang out and press a drill for too long. There also aren’t cracks and these walls are big so I’m having to drill a lot. The Milwaukee 12v looks like a badass rig for desert sandstone or maybe a couple of holes in granite. 

I only work in granite and I've got two 36v Bosch Bulldogs and a Milwaukee 12v. I thought the 12v would be a hilarious toy that i would get a couple holes out of here and there, but i've repeatedly gotten 9  3/8 x 3 holes in granite out of it and still had some charge in the 4ah battery. It feels as light as a #4 cam on my harness. I'd say it takes about a minute to a minute and a half per 3/8 x 3in hole which is mildly annoying compared to the 36v, but well worth the weight savings. I'm pretty impressed with it so far. It certainly feels delicate compared to the big bosch's, but if you're bolting on lead, i think it's a decent cheap/light option. If you're looking for something for huge drilling days or for a drill that isn't finnicky, definitely skip it. I haven't used the 18v bosch's much, but the 12v milwaukee doesn't exactly power holes in and if your stances are really tenuous, it's probably going to piss you off when the thing bucks because you're not holding it perfectly straight.

Sorry I can't help with the bosch or more appropriate rap drills, but I've done quite a bit of drilling on lead on granite with the M12. With a fresh bit, which is key,  I've got a good hole after counting to ~20mississippi. If the stance is totally effed, you can clip into the bit after 10 and rest. The only time it's taken 1-3 minutes is with a spent bit and/or  mega hard rock. Like right into a dike of some sort. With a 4amp-hr battery consistently get at least 12 3/8x~3" holes (placing 2 1/4" bolts). Change the bit with every battery.

Maybe I’ll pick up the M12 as a second drill. It looks like it would be badass for some applications 

If it's down to those two bosch drills I'd go with the smaller.  Mine feels like a workhorse when rap bolting.

So I know this will get some skepticism but for light needs and stance drilling, I've had some success with the cheap Ryobi 18v.  I do have a heavy duty Bosch brushless for rap in, heavy work but the Ryobi, at only 3.65lbs no bat, is super light and easy to maneuver.  Mainly tested on limestone bur I'll try it out on our local granite asap and see how it does.  I did use it for a home improvement project where I put in 7/8in x 8" holes in OLD, high PSI concrete and it did fine.  I was sold watching this german test long ago that told me 3/8in holes should be no issue.  I can chose my battery pack too as I have a lot of them from other tools.  2,3,4ah depending on needs.  $99 when I bought it no bats (I had them already)

I highly recommend the Bosch GBH18V-26.  Last time I had it out I drilled three 1/2” holes and five 3/8” holes with a 6Ah battery and still had 4/5 bars.  It’s on the beefy side but I‘ve drilled from a stance with it too.  Love it.

The 1” bulldog is a workhorse and I think a true replacement of the 36v.

I used an m12 in andesite and for what it is I was impressed, but it was double the time per hole of my Bosch. Would still consider it bolting on lead

find one of these:

Bosch GBH 36V LI Compact