Bosch Bulldog Xtreme 8 Amp SDS-Plus Rotary Hammer

This is the second one I’ve bought and this was a gift for my son-in-law. I have had one for years and have used it for many extreme projects like chiseling through a 4 inch solid concrete wall. It functions as a rotary drill, a hammer drill, and then a scraper, or even is useful for digging in hard, clay dirt. I would not be without this tool. Considering the effectiveness and durability, it is well worth the money!!

Product works as intended. Definitely will buy again.

I’m very happy with this tool. I purchased it to replace my corded hammer drill that’s equipped with a regular Jacob’s chuck.

The Bosch rotary hammer drill is very easy to use. It is also much less tiring to use than my older corded hammer drill. It produces less vibrations and much less noise when drilling through concrete.

Over the last few months, I have drilled hundreds of holes with this new tool and I have nothing bad to say about it. The carrying case is simple and well build (it’s far from a pelican case, but it does the job). So far, the biggest holes I’ve drilled in concrete with this tool were 1/2″x8″ for mechanical anchors. It felt like I was drilling through butter!

I have also tried the hammer function to chip concrete around pipes going through floors. Again, this tool worked really well for that too. The trigger is sensitive enough to accurately control the chipping action blow by blow to not damage the pipes close to the chisel’s tip.

This Bosch SDS plus machine ran no problem continuously for hours on end. Have completed 3 jobs with it that included scrapping, vinyl flooring with paper backing and glued down hardwood remains. However if you want a machine to remove tiles, go with the bigger Bosch SDS Max hammer drill. The big one has significantly more power to demo tiles. The SDS plus is great for scrapping glue ect. Both of them are fantastic tools

(Review for “Bosch 11255VSR BULLDOG Xtreme 1-Inch SDS-plus D-Handle Rotary Hammer”, Purchased on Amazon June 2013.)

2-1/2 years later this tool has held up to the test of time, durability, and performance (and abuse!). It has so far easily chiseled through 600sqft of floor tile and thinset laid over concrete slab, broken apart portions of 4″ concrete slab (after drilling holes into it first), and drilled many dozens of vertical holes into existing reinforced concrete foundation wall, ranging from 5/8″ to 3/4″ diameter holes down to 8″ to 12″ deep. As expected it has no problem with all of the various SDS-Plus bits and attachments, of which I have 6 different SDS-Plus concrete drilling bits, each 18″ long, and 3 different chisel bits. The tool often gets covered in concrete dust after drilling yet does not impact performance and quick blast from an air compressors will easily clear the dust. I am impressed with its longterm durability, especially after weeks or sometimes months of no use while sitting in my toolboxes – it’s been stored in my S.Texas garage or truck toolbox, exposed to S.Texas summer heat and humidity (but I’ve never allowed it to be directly exposed to wind-driven dirt, or to rain/water). I rarely use the case. [The case it ships with is terrific for storing the tool with its D-Handle and almost a dozen SDS-Plus bits (depending on length and tip), but it occupies too much space for my needs, and so it is stored in a mobile toolbox along with other power tools. The case is sturdy, of durable plastic, with good locking latches – I believe the case over time will not crack or become brittle as the plastic material appears to be the same as for other cases from Bosch, Dewalt, etc.] The metal bracket on the handle comes in extremely handy – pull the metal bracket out and the tool can be easily hung on any horizontal pipe, scaffold member, etc. – just like the Bosch Nail Guns. The tool’s settings for forward-reverse (a slide switch) and for drill-combo-hammer (a dial) stays in place, and after more than a 100+ hours of (intermittent) use over 2-1/2 years, the dial and slide switch settings have never vibrated out of setting, unlike some other lesser (non-SDS) rotary hammers I’ve had. I have found that the reverse setting (counterclockwise rotation) is just as powerful as the forward (clockwise) rotation both in terms of speed and torque – an 18″ long 3/4″ diameter SDS-Plus drill bit will often get stuck on it’s way to 8″ to 12″ deep, especially when it encounters rebar or some really hard stone aggregate…and as the tool description says, it disengages the torque when it detects the bit is stuck. Getting unstuck is as easy as throwing the hammer/drill into reverse. It almost instantly gets unstuck, ready to go at it again. The large red trigger (on/off) button on the handle has so far been great – I can fit 1-2 fingers to hold it down for those long drills into concrete (I have not complaints on the trigger-pull as I do on one of my handguns :)). The best part is that this trigger appears to accurately and proportionately control the variable speed rotation of the drill (in either forward or reverse) – you can go from zero to full speed rotation fast or control the drill/hammer speed as precisely as needed, which is fantastic when first starting off a drill bit. In my opinion, this SDS-Plus hammer-drill is powerful – with the right SDS-Plus concrete drill bit, most of the 8″ to 12″ deep holes in concrete take only several minutes. (IF you need a more powerful hammer-drill for concrete and hard stone, well…get the bigger cousin.) Bit changing is fantastic with the SDS-Plus format and the tool’s quick-change chuck – the chuck is a solid design. Once the SDS-Plus bit is locked in, it doesn’t come off or come loose, and the only times that it does is because the bit wasn’t properly/fully inserted. The D-Handle is in my opinion adequately designed and does the job well – I’ve never removed it, always using the D-Handle on every use without a problem whatsoever. The only issue I have had is the depth gauge, but nothing worth dinging any stars from the core tool itself…whatever metal it’s made of (aluminum?) is flimsy and it bends way too easily. Sure I can unbend it but it’s a bother trying to really straighten it out. It is also short for my needs, although I think most users will be happy with it. [FYI – 18″ long SDS-Plus drill bits have 4-6″ of empty shank and the depth gauge is barely long enough when drilling down to only 6″-8″. I have no comparisons to other hammer-drills of the SDS-Plus class so I do not have adequate perspective to share. I bought the tool based on the reviews on Amazon and research of SDS, SDS-Plus, and SDS-Max hammer drills. Even with my own [limited] abuse, I think this is one of the best quality, most powerful and most durable power tools I will ever own. In a few weeks, I’ll be using this tool to pound 5/8″ and 3/4″ by 8 foot long ground rods into rocky soil…I have no hesitation that it’ll do a great job fast.

This is my first hammer drill. What an incredible difference it makes! I drilled a 5/8 inch x 4 inch deep hole in less than a minute! It was so much easier than with a regular drill.

This drill is easy to use, has great features and is powerful. I am very happy with the value and the performance.