Does a Bosch 36V make a good general purpose drill?

I have the 36V Bosch hammer drill. It's rather well suited at drilling holes in rock. It is the only power drill I own, and I occasionally have need to drill and screw regular things.

If I got an SDS adapter, like this one , would it be useful.

I have no doubts that this would happily punch a hole in any piece of wood it would find. It's more powerful and lighter than most decent cordless drills too. I guess I'm worried about potential damage I could cause to my rather expensive hole punch. The Bosch does not have a variable speed (you can vary a bit if you modulate the trigger pull). It doesn't have a clutch to ratchet up either.

So for $40 will I have a decent home drill or will I have a new way to ruin my hammer drill?

Honestly, You might be better served getting a cheap Ryobi LiON drill from HD. With the SDS adapter the whole rig is BULKY. It can make it a PITA for simple tasks around the house etc etc. I have an old Ryobi that I bought a new LiON battery for and that thing gets used all the time. Light, compact etc etc. It's also nice that you have an adjustable torque, speed range etc.

Yeah, a bit more $$ overall but the utility is much much more. That and, as you said, the wear is less on the über pricey Bosch

There is a reason all the different contruction trades have multiple types of drills and drivers. The right tool for the right job. Get a regular cordless drill. If you don't see yourself using the drill that much or using it on a big project, get a ryobi. They're cheap. If you're going to be using your drill frequently, pony up the money for a rigid. The batteries have a lifetime warranty.

That is what I suspected.

Next question. I haven't bolted a route in a long time and I haven't even replaced an anchor in almost 2 years. Will my fancy Bosch battery be damaged from just sitting around?

I don't want to sell it. I just want it to gather dust and be ready when I decide to go drill sergeant again. Am I smoking crack?

For homeowner drilling you could buy an electric drill for about the same as that chuck. Also, avoid Home Depot and Lowes if you can. Nothing they sell stands up to time.
As to the batteries Bosch says their batteries hold a charge a long time and that full discharge is not required. But I'd drain them down before recharging them again.

nicelegs wrote:That is what I suspected. Next question. I haven't bolted a route in a long time and I haven't even replaced an anchor in almost 2 years. Will my fancy Bosch battery be damaged from just sitting around? I don't want to sell it. I just want it to gather dust and be ready when I decide to go drill sergeant again. Am I smoking crack?

A LiON battery will die faster if left to sit unused most of the time, or if stored hot and fully charged all of the time, or if left in deep discharge all of the time.

So try to use it relatively frequently for best lifespan, at least use the LiON for a few minutes a week and then recharge it if you want to maximize life on the $180 battery.

You get what you pay for in Tools. There is a reason a Milwaukee or Makita Roto-Hammer is more expensive, the motors last longer, are stronger and the overall quality of the tool is better. When getting tools "Buy Nice or Buy Twice"