Bosch 1199VSRK reviews
Not Impressed At All
helpful for 6 of 16 people
I burned up this drill in less than 10 minutes on the first hole that I drilled. Drill got too hot to touch in less than 5 minutes. I was using a 1" bit in masonry. If you need a heavy duty drill, look elsewhere.
7/5/2005
Great drill while it worked.
helpful for 9 of 15 people
I'm not going to knock on Bosch for this drill as I own several of their power tools. I've had the 1199 for about 2 months and after about a total of 9 hours of use the motor finally burnt out while drilling with one of Bosch's 3/4" blue granite bits. It's the drill's max rated size for concrete. I've only used the 1199 for concrete and this is the largest bit I've fitted to it while drilling through my driveway which is about 5 inches thick. After continuous use for 3 hours straight the motor finally gave out, but never showed any symptoms of straining. The 3/4" bit was used only for about 1/2 hour total. So tonight I'm heading to Lowes for a return or possibly an exchange.
I've considered the Ridgid Pulse hammer drill (very similar)when I chose the Bosch model. I'm having second thoughts about the Bosch now. I'm not dissapointed with the 1199, just concerned about it's durabilty.
11/22/2004 - I ended up exchanging it for another and problems again! After about 4 hours of continuous use, the drill started stalling and losing power even before the anti-kickback clutch engaged. I let it cool off for about 40 minutes and the power resumed to normal. This had to be done several times and this 2nd drill just wasn't reliable enough for me to keep again. So it was returned for good. I ended up buying a Hilti TE 6-C rotary hammer. It's 2 and a half times the price, but I'd rather not deal with the frustration with an unreliable piece of equipment. The Hilti allowed me to finish the job much sooner drilling in identical conditions the Bosch was subjected to. But then I can't expect too much from the Bosch unit because the Hilti was designed for daily heavy industrial use. -Guess I was expecting too much from the 1199 as these two units are in totally different tool classes.
11/6/2004
Dependable workhorse
helpful for 8 of 8 people
I've found this tool to be a dependable workhorse in the class of work it was designed for. I've used it on jobs that involved hundreds of concrete drill holes, typically 1/4". I've had it in use for 90 days and it's a keeper.
I bought it because Bosch makes excellent rotary and demo hammers. It's the only Bosch tool I own. My equipment includes Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, etc.
12/29/07 My experience with the 1199 continues to be 100% positive. We put this type of tool to heavy duty use, drilling concrete and block. The tool sometimes undergoes multiple hours of run time in a single day. The 8.5 amp motor stays cool under work load and has never exhibited any indication of significant strain. Letting the tool do the work is critical.
Sizing the tool to the job and using it correctly are essential when working in a business environment. My reason for selecting this hammer drill was the power weight balance. It's a two hand drill that comes in at 6 lbs. and offers high and low torque capability. Any frequent work above ½" in concrete essentially requires a rotary hammer which is typically a heavier tool.
Previous reviews noted issues with "wobbling" chuck(s) and electrical failures. Electrical problems typically become evident quickly and I'm confident Bosch's unconditional warranty holds merit. The chuck issue can quickly be addressed as the drill comes out of the box, brand new. If it runs true with a bit attached at max speed, no load, then the chuck is fine. The hammer action of this drill is serious business and should not be construed as a chuck fault.
I'm not particularly brand loyal across the board. I believe most contractor grade tool manufacturers have particular products that prove themselves superior on the job. I've since added another Bosch tool to my equipment, based primarily on it's reputation and my experience with this tool.
8/18/2007
Dead after several uses
helpful for 2 of 7 people
Looking for a replacement for my Bosch drill that just died, I ran across this 1199VSRK unit here and must note that the Bosch predecessor to this drill (the 1194VSR) just experienced the same "death by use" problem. Drilled maybe 10 holes with it, when all of a sudden it lost variable speed control and would only run full tilt. I changed to a smaller bit, as it was running too fast for the larger one and when I next pulled the trigger, the drill ran for about 0.2 seconds and is now dead.
Maybe Bosch needs to go back to the electrical design lab and create a better variable speed control module!
10/28/2006
quit on my second job
helpful for 4 of 6 people
I was drilling 3/4" dia holes 2 inches deep in concrete to install a pool cover when the drill just died. First thought my extension cord was unplugged.
I have 14 of the 22 hoes complete and had to shut down.
I had drilled about ten 3/8" dia by 3" deep holes about two months ago.
In addition, the chuck kept loosening on me.
My first Bosch tool and my last.
10/4/2008
Strong and Smooth
helpful for 5 of 5 people
I bought this upgrade after I burned my Ryobi up. The job that killed the Ryobi consisted of twelve 9/16" holes into 1/2" thick steel and twelve 1/2" holes into concrete at a depth of 2 3/4", however, I was seeing blue sparks even before this job. After very slow progress on the first 9 steel holes and first two concrete holes the Ryobi quit. It had had seen some medium and light duty before that. It really struggled cutting through ceiling and floor joists with self propelled auger bits.
I brought in the Bosch to finish the job and it was strong and smooth. What a time saver too! It was surprisingly powerful on the high speed setting. It cut the steel and concrete both like butter one either the high speed or high torque settings. I took it around back after the job and tried some self propelled auger bits that the Ryobi had struggled with. The Bosch chomped right through the 3+ inches width of a pressure treated 2X4 without a problem on both high and low speed settings with 1" and 3/4" auger bits. There is no wobble in the chuck. It's a fine machine and it compares well to Milwaukees I have used in the past. It has also seen the worst I can give it.
Some finer details about the drill:
- It will take some getting used to pulling the key from the detachable holder and putting it back. I'm used to just grabbing the cord where the key is and going to work.
- Read the case and make sure you have it upright before opening it.
- The case is nice. Although it seems compact it has room for a box of bits and plenty of loose ones.
- Extra long cord is nice too.
- Depth gauge is reliable and sturdy (better than others I have seen.)
Update 1/08: I've used the drill for a few more jobs including some electrical work and some concrete with Tapcons. She is still running strong and smooth, and it's really a pleasure to use. I forgot to mention that it comes with an anti-kickback feature. Someone was helping with the Tapcons, and I saw them twist the bit pretty badly. The chuck stopped cold without even so much as a jerk. That's a nice safety feature to have on a beast like this.
9/5/2007
Mine burned out too
I have to join the others to report that my drill burned out drilling 5/32" holes in concrete for Tapcon screws. I did have it for a few years but it didn't get a lot of use. The only mitigating factor here is that I did use the drill to mix thin-set mortar and drywall compound about a dozen times. I was careful not to stress the motor too much when doing this, but it could have caused the early failure. Overall, I'm a big fan of Bosch tools. I love the planer, jig saw and angle grinder. I hear good things about their rotary hammers too. Second only to Hilti. But I think I'll try the Milwaukee hammer drill next. It has a five year warranty and I'll be sure to hold on to my receipt.
3/15/2009
Working great
Needed to make 3, 3/4 inch holes 4 inches deep in a concrete slab. A 60 year old concrete slab. I mention the age because as concrete ages it continues to harden. This drill worked fine using Bosch Blue Granite carbide bits. I first drilled a 1/4 inch hole. That hole actually was the slowest hole to drill. Then drilled it out to 3/4 inch in steps using 1/8 inch larger drill sizes. For the last 3/4 inch hole I used a bit made NOT by Bosch and the carbide tip chipped badly on the second and third holes. Caused by the hard aggregate in the slab concrete. The Bosch bits took it all in good shape. Probably took me 10 minutes each hole because of all of the bit swapping. Sure a Hilti would have done a hole in 30 seconds and it should for what it costs. Other choice was to rent a Hilti for about half of what the Bosch cost.
4/5/2009
Quick delivery & perfect for my initial purpose
I bought this drill to install a gate in a sidewalk. It drove (8) 3/8" wedge anchors 2" into my sidewalk with no trouble in well under an hour. It was "reconditioned" so I was a little concerned but it perfomed like a marvel for the price. I am not a pro but I expect this drill would handle this type of job every day for some time.
5/25/2008
Bosch Hammer Drill
Found Amazon .com to have best price on the internet, Drill came double boxed on date stated when ordered. Will use Amazon. again.
12/27/2008
Appreciate the slip clutch
I just wanted to echo one of the earlier positive reviews and say that the integrated slip clutch is a great feature. It is not uncommon for bits to catch in masonry and when this happens you have a few possible results: a broken bit (stuck in the hole?), a bit that is spinning in the chuck, or a drill that spins into you. This slip clutch in this drill goes a long way to preventing all of that. I'm now a big fan of this feature and, regardless of brand, wouldn't buy a hammer drill without it.
5/21/2008
Compare