The Bosch DDS182 is a reliable cordless drill with a nice design and the strength to handle many common jobs around the house. It also has a longer battery life than most drills we tested. In addition, the design is well balanced and ergonomically sound. Overall, it doesn’t put a lot of extra strain on your body, even though its grip caused problems for some of our testers. However, the warranty and customer support offerings are lacking.
This cordless drill can reach speeds up to 1,700 RPM, which isn't the best we saw, (which was the DeWalt DCD790D2) but it’s not bad. You can adjust the speed between two settings, which effectively changes the tool from a drill at the high-speed setting to a screwdriver at the low-speed setting.
It also has 20 clutch settings, which is about average and should be plenty for most jobs you encounter around the house. The clutch settings determine the amount of torque you get when you drill. Limiting the torque keeps you from over drilling and snapping off fastener heads or damaging the material you are working with. The more clutch settings you have, the more control you have.
This drill can produce 442 inch-pounds of force, which is decent but on the low end compared with other drills we tested. It can create 2-inch holes in wood and half-inch holes in metal. The DDS182, especially when compared with similar models, is on the pricey side. You would expect a higher end feature package given the price.
Like most cordless power tools, this Bosch drill has an ergonomic design. While it has plenty of heft, the weight is well distributed, balanced above and below the grip. Our testers felt this drill handled well. However, they found that the grip wasn’t the best and some complained of pinching during testing.
The drill uses a half-inch keyless chuck, which is a convenient design feature, as you don't have to worry about misplacing and replacing a key. A bright LED illuminates the space in front of you, which helps greatly in low-light settings. You can also attach a bit holder and carry multiple bits with you on the tool itself.
The Bosch DDS182 comes with two 18-volt batteries that use lithium-ion technology, which makes them lightweight, long-lived and just as powerful as other types. Because you get two batteries, you don’t have to pause a project because the battery dies, as you can charge one while you use the other. It takes a full hour to charge the batteries, which is longer than the average – the best cordless drill we reviewed took half that time. However, on the plus side, it has one of the best battery lives. The battery lasted 54 minutes, which was the second longest time in our tests. Only the Milwaukee drill battery lasted longer at 60 minutes. To test battery life, we fully charged the battery and taped the drills into the on position, then timed how long each ran.
Bosch offers a one-year warranty on the drill and the batteries, which is the shortest warranty combination we saw. Like most cordless drill warranties, it protects against defects due to material or workmanship. If you have any questions about the drill, you can contact the company via email or phone. You can also check out the FAQs section on its website or the online user manual to find answers to any questions you have.
The Bosch DDS182 is a reliable drill that has a decent amount of power and an ergonomic design. The drill comes with two great batteries, but they take a full hour to charge completely. Once they are charged, however, they last longer than most of the batteries we tested. Bosch only includes a one-year warranty on the drill and batteries, which is the shortest out of all the models we reviewed. Overall, though, this power drill is reliable and capable of handling many common chores around the house.
