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Bosch combi drill masonry

Updated: 22 October 2026

The plug will not start, the bit is smoking, and the box said impact. A Bosch combi drill masonry hole, in brick or block, needs the hammer collar and a masonry bit, and it needs to stay inside the diameter Bosch prints for that model. Concrete is a different tool. This page is that limit. Which listing to buy is the [Bosch cordless drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/bosch-cordless-drill). The Products Compared editorial team used Bosch’s UK pages and the amazon reviews in this set, captured on 19 October 2026. We did not drill a sample wall. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The plug will not start, the bit is smoking, and the box said impact.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, 1 x 1.5 Ah

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, 1 x 1.5 Ah
8.7/10about £64.97
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Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, 2 x 2.0 Ah

Rank 2

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, 2 x 2.0 Ah
9.0/10about £75.23
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Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-25, 2 x 4.0 Ah

Alternative

Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-25, 2 x 4.0 Ah
7.0/10about £149.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Which of these drills have a hammer
  2. 2.What Bosch says the hole can be
  3. 3.Concrete is a different tool
  4. 4.What the reviews add, and where they clash

Which of these drills have a hammer

A hammer collar is not on every Bosch drill in the comparison. The EasyDrill 18V-40, both the about £49.48 body and the about £64.00 1.5 Ah kit, has no impact in the bullets. If the plug is going into brick, those two listings are the wrong tool. The EasyImpact 18V-40, as a body, a 1.5 Ah kit or a two-battery kit, states impact. The EasyImpact 18V-38 kit does too, with a 10 mm chuck on its amazon table. The UniversalImpact listings, the AdvancedImpact 18V-80 and the GSB 18V-25 state impact. Impact in these titles is the combi hammer, a ratchet of blows along the bit. It is not a hex impact driver, and it is not an SDS rotary hammer. If your drill is an EasyDrill, do not hunt for a hammer symbol the collar does not have.

What Bosch says the hole can be

Bosch’s en-GB data for the EasyImpact 18V-40 states masonry to 13 mm, steel to 13 mm and wood to 30 mm, with an impact rate up to 24,450 blows per minute. A 7 mm plug hole sits inside that. A 16 mm sleeve hole does not. The EasyImpact 18V-38 table prints a 10 mm chuck and no masonry diameter, so do not borrow the 13 mm line. The GSB 18V-25 Professional UK page states 10 mm in masonry and in metal, and 35 mm in wood. The amazon kit table prints 10 mm in wood, which is the contradictory cell. Ten millimetres is the masonry figure for that blue combi. The UniversalImpact 18V-60 table does not give a masonry diameter. Use a sharp masonry bit inside the stated maximum. A wood bit burns if you leave the hammer on. How to set the collar is how to use a Bosch combi drill.
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, 1 x 1.5 Ah

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, 1 x 1.5 Ah
8.7/10about £64.97
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Concrete is a different tool

Bosch’s UK drill pages say a combi with a hammer can enter masonry, and that concrete needs a rotary hammer because the bit overheats. A concrete lintel, a floor or a dense engineering brick that glazes under the bit is the stop. Nothing in these listings is an SDS tool, including the AdvancedImpact at 82 Nm. If the bit polishes and dust stops coming out, stop. If you do not know where cables or pipes run, do not chase the wall. At work, PUWER 1998 applies. The Health and Safety Executive hand-arm vibration action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8) and the limit is 5.0 m/s² A(8). No listing here states a vibration magnitude. Hearing protection is the sensible default on masonry even at home.

What the reviews add, and where they clash

EasyImpact opening reviews describe the hammer as useful for small fixings and the tool as round-the-house work. One EasyImpact 18V-38 reviewer expected the word impact to mean more power than the tool delivered. The UniversalImpact 18 is listed at 34 Nm, about £103.21 with a 1.5 Ah pack. One UK review says it is not capable of brick. Another says it drilled an RSJ. Those sentences cannot be averaged into a success rate. The chuck complaint is clearer: the chuck loosens, the bit falls out, and one chuck crunched on arrival. The UniversalImpact 18V-60 has one report of tile and brick on a body-only tool. That is not a diameter. GSB reviews talk about mixed DIY and light trade, not a concrete slab. Use the Professional page’s 10 mm masonry line. Where reviews and the sheet disagree, quote the sheet. Hammer, kit and battery family are on the buying guide.

Common questions

Can this drill make a hole in brick?
Yes, if it is a combi in this set and the hole stays inside Bosch’s stated masonry diameter, with a masonry bit and the hammer on. For the EasyImpact 18V-40 that is 13 mm. For the GSB 18V-25 it is 10 mm. The EasyDrill has no hammer.
Can it drill concrete?
No. Bosch’s UK guidance is that a combi bit overheats in concrete and that the job belongs to a rotary hammer. An 82 Nm AdvancedImpact is still a combi. Hire an SDS drill when the material is concrete or the fixing is structural.
What diameter does Bosch state?
The EasyImpact 18V-40 sheet states 13 mm in masonry, 13 mm in steel and 30 mm in wood. The GSB 18V-25 Professional page states 10 mm in masonry and metal and 35 mm in wood. The UniversalImpact 18V-60 masonry diameter is not stated in this file.
Do I need a special bit?
Yes. A masonry bit, not the wood bit and not the double screwdriver bit in these kits. A wood bit in hammer mode burns. Seat the shank and tug it, because a loose chuck, especially on the UniversalImpact 18, drops the bit.
Is the EasyDrill enough for a wall plug?
Only if the wall is not masonry. A plug in plasterboard or a screw into a timber stud does not need a hammer. A plug in brick or block needs the EasyImpact or another combi, plus a masonry bit.
When should I hire an SDS drill instead?
Hire one when the material is concrete, when the hole is larger than the stated masonry diameter, or when the combi is only polishing. Also stop if you cannot say where cables or pipes are. An SDS hire does not require a second battery system.

Related pages

Best Bosch cordless drill

EasyImpact or Professional

Bosch cordless drill

Bosch cordless drill buying guide: batteries first

How to use a Bosch combi drill: clutch, gear, hammer

Sources

Public UK pages from Bosch, the Health and Safety Executive and GOV.UK, plus the amazon.co.uk listings for these ASINs. Shelf prices and stars come from those listing dumps, not from a fresh live check and not from the Bosch shop.

  1. Bosch DIY UK cordless drill guide (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 UK product page (retrieved October 2026)
  3. EasyImpact 18V-40 en-GB technical data sheet (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Bosch DIY drills and screwdrivers (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Bosch Professional GSB 18V-25 UK (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Bosch Professional AMPShare (retrieved October 2026)
  7. HSE hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK product marking: UKCA and CE (retrieved October 2026)