Bosch GCB18V-2N 18V Compact Band Saw

This great little band saw cuts quickly and cleanly through just about anything. I just wish the throat was a little bit deeper. I can just barely get through 3 inch galvanized chain-link fence posts but the included Blade on the saw cuts through them like a hot knife through butter. Takes about four seconds.

I’m a commercial electrician and I’ve quickly put this band saw to use cutting steel conduit, kindorf/unistrut, ect. It’s excellent so far, takes the beating of making a million cuts per day on a construction site well, and the build quality and overall feel definitely exceed the slightly more expensive (and slightly larger) Dewalt compact band saws that I’d previously been accustomed to using.

The body, being a metal frame with only a plastic handle, is sturdy, but that comes with the drawback of being a tad heavy. With the 8ah battery, it’s almost too heavy to comfortably use through an entire work day, and becomes top heavy at the front of the tool taking pressure away from the cut. With that said, it’s entirely unnecessary to use the 8ah battery. The tool hardly even sips power, and an entire day of heavy use barely puts a dent in the 4ah battery which is much lighter, making for a much more balanced tool. The advertisements for this product all depict the larger 8ah battery, but definitely stick to just the 4ah. As of writing, you can purchase the Bosch branded 4ah batteries new on Amazon for ~$60 and it’s the battery you really want for a great feeling center-balanced saw.

As for the motor, it’s very loud and a tad smaller than the motors on many other band saws of the size. It’s also not brushless, so as you purchase the tool it may be wise to go order a spare motor/brush from Bosch to get double the lifespan from the tool for when the brush, as with any brushed motor, eventually wears out. Easy fix, affordable parts, not a big problem. To be expected with any brushed motor. Still, for a $200 tool, I feel Bosch would have been wise to include a brushless motor. Despite the motor being a bit on the small side, as mentioned earlier, it’s got some serious kick to it and is more than adequate for the job, though.

The cut from the tool is always super straight, but the blade also isn’t so tight that you have to worry about snapping blades. I’ve found it really hard to snap or break blades on this tool, at least compared to Dewalt and Milwaukee tools I’ve used in the past. Getting a perfect cut from this tool takes more eyeballing and practice but the extra flexibility that this tool allows the blade is overall a bonus. Keep in mind that the tool uses the smaller 28 7/8 in blades. I don’t know if that’s a factor in the allowed flexibility, but I’m also not complaining. The LED light on the tool is also nice, though if you’re using a saw safely, you’ve probably lit your work area properly anyways so I suppose it’s a bit of a pointless bell and whistle.

I’ve recently switched to the Bosch platform for my other tools as well, which is why I decided to go with the kinda comparatively obscure Bosch compact band saw since I already owned the batteries for it. Color me pleasantly surprised, but I’ve loved every Bosch tool I’ve purchased recently, and they definitely are making a real difference in my work, so perhaps I shouldn’t be all that surprised by this tool. It’s fantastic for the price.

Pros: priced more affordably than competitors, excellent sturdy build and cut quality, barely sips power and lasts a full day of use easily.

Cons: too heavy with 8ah battery, especially at the front of the tool where the battery bay is, motor not brushless.

Great

Esta marca es mi preferida , ya que tiene precios accesibles y es de buena calidad, no le pide nada a las marca más conocidas, es ligera y hace muy bien su trabajo!

Excelente, me encantó el artículo corta muy bien .