Bosch GDR 10,8-LI Professional Cordless Impact Driver

The following article is a review of the Bosch GDR 10,8-LI Professional Cordless Impact Driver and is intended to be an info page with further description, photographs and technical specifications as provided by the manufacturer.

An impact driver is probably not top on the list of power tools to be owned by the casual DIY enthusiast, but it is actually a boon having one around, if driving screws into wood or plasterboard is your sort of thing.

You can probably achieve the same with a powerful cordless driver, but an impact driver helps make the job a lot easier, especially when working with hardwood and similarly tough materials.

A good thing with working with an impact driver is that the repeated impacts in a circular direction hard-drive screws in without kickback on the power tool, hence without jerking your hand sideways due to insufficient torque.

If you’ve used a normal cordless drill, this can sometimes happen, as I’ve experienced many times. A good impact driver like the Bosch GDR 10.8-LI Professional Cordless Impact Driver makes driving screws effortless in most hard materials, and more frequently in my case, makes removing tight screws and bolts with utmost ease – the power works both ways!

The hammering impacts in a circular direction begin once the power tool senses a resistance on the screw action. Hence, the impacts are activated towards the end of tightening a screw, and at the start of loosening a tight one.

Despite all this power, it is still best to create a pilot hole and drill into the material a little, to prevent any cracks into the wood as the screws are forced in penetration.

I initially bought this Bosch power tool simply as an addition to my arsenal of power tools, not having plans on using it a lot, since I already have a variety of cordless drivers such as those by Milwaukee and Dewalt.

Later on, I came to realise that the hammering action makes loosening overly tight screws easier to unscrew, and at 137 mm long, its miniature size (compared to the conventional cordless drivers) was an immediate advantage when working in tight-spaced areas.

Battery power is provided by Bosch’s unique premium lithium-ion technology, which in my use and tests, runs for an extended period – certainly longer than expected.

Three bright white LEDs on the front illuminates the workspace, and the LEDs are placed concentrically around the bit axis such that the light does not cast shadows on the workpiece. Very ideal design, I must say.

The Bosch GDR 10,8-LI Professional Cordless Impact Driver offers a powerful torque of 105 Nm and is suitable for driving anchor bolts in concrete and other bolts in metal.

When using it to drive screws in wood or any material, one must exercise caution so as not to over-tighten the screw – continuous and excessing hammering action may result in a damaged screw thread in the wood, or the screw head breaking off from the shaft. This is more prone to occur with smaller dainty screws.

I now carry the Bosch GDR 10,8-LI Professional Cordless Impact Driver in a small sling bag with some regular hand tools, as it is powerful and yet compact enough to be carried around. At least I don’t have to carry any of my regular cordless drivers in their cumbersome plastic case.

SEE ALSO:

• Bosch PSB 400-2 Hammer Drill
• Bosch GSB 500 RE Professional Hammer Drill
• Bosch GBH 2-20 DRE Professional Rotary Hammer
• Bosch GDM 12-34 Marble Cutter
• Bosch GWS 8-100 CE Professional Variable Speed Angle Grinder
• Bosch GLM 80 Professional Laser Rangefinder